- Racing through the alleys, running for his life, was actually pretty fun, really. Cutting corners, jumping boxes, looking high and low for a better escape route, thinking on his feet. Those guards were actually in need of some exercise; it seemed like the newer advancements implemented in the last thirteen years had made them soft. He could count only five or so, so far. 'I can lose them,' he thought. -
.
Suddenly, he heard a metal rattling noise and a flaming burst of photons shone right up at his face. The boy woke up with a shock.
"It's a lovely day outside. Why are you still in bed, young man?" Mikasa asked her son as she drew open the curtains.
- Year 867 - Hizuru - The Azumabito House
"Headaches again?" she asked, with a little doubt in her voice, but still concerned. As mothers often are.
The boy only shook his head. He couldn't seem to be able to process too much information at that stage. Azzy slowly moved his head to the side, so he could see his clock, over the nightstand. The amount of sunlight impaired his vision for a moment; he was still recovering and making sense of dream and reality.
"It's 06:30," he complained to his mother while burying his face further into the pillow.
"So? The sun is already way up! You should be enjoying this sunny day," his mother advised.
"Too sunny!" he complained once more. The boy could barely form sentences.
"Right," Mikasa reminded herself. "I should wake her too." She looked towards the door. "If she's not already awake, that is. Some of us are not that lazy!" she joked and tickled the boy all over. He couldn't control his laughter.
"All right! All right! Stop! I'm awake," the boy exclaimed and sat up on his bed. Mikasa smiled at him and fixed his messy hair. "Who were you talking about?" he asked, confused.
"What do you mean?" his mother asked back.
"You said 'she'," the boy replied.
"Sunny." Mikasa immediately replied, and noticed the boy still looked confused and somewhat dazed. That would happen sometimes, but she chose to ignore it. He would come back to his senses eventually, he always did. She threw a pillow at him. "Wake up!" she said, smiling. "And don't lie down again. I want to see you downstairs in five minutes," she ordered.
The boy looked out the window. All those tall, square-looking buildings, and some structures that seemed ancient and brand-new at the same time. All so colourful, with vegetation he'd never seen before. But he had, of course he had. 'How could this be? I grew up here, I know I did. Then why does this all feel so otherworldly?' the boy questioned himself. He wondered if he was walking out of a dream or actually into one.
-.-
The Azumabito House was actually one of many; this particular house was called 'the small one', a self-explanatory name when considering the many other, much grander houses the ancient family had once possessed. But actually not so truthful if comparing the house to other normal-sized houses in that, or any country. The Emperor himself had suggested for the Clan to offer to reopen that house, many years ago, to welcome the young family. As a sign of gratitude for Hizuru, and many other countries had been spared from destruction thanks to the Heroes.
Mikasa walked over 'the bridge', an open corridor that connected the two main upper-floor galleries and looked down the four different halls below. One of those halls was the traditional weapons gallery and training facilities, or as the new owners affectionately called it: the gym.
"No knives!" Mikasa ordered from the top of the bridge, shouting in a firm tone.
"I know," Levi responded from down below. "Your house, your rules," he added as she walked away.
Sunny took that opportunity to use her own moves and try to throw her uncle off his stance, while he was momentarily distracted. Unfortunately, her skilful lunge was unsuccessful and Levi quickly unbalanced the young girl with a swift kick, disarmed her and let her fall on her back.
"I guess we'll stick only to hand-to-hand combat this summer," Levi told his niece while holding the small knife. He went to the side to put away the weapon. The twelve-year-old stayed there, lying on the tatami, staring at the ceiling. "Not fair," she mumbled under her breath.
The uncle came to visit from time to time, often during summertime. And most of the 'quality time' Levi spent with his niece and nephew was at that very gym, teaching them what he knew best: how to fight.
"I know it is strange not to use cold weapons when this room is filled with them." Levi stopped his discourse midway and looked around the room, observing the decorated walls. "Are some of these new?" he asked, pointing at some of the ancient embellished swords that decorated the walls.
Sunny looked over. "Yes, I think so. They must have been brought out from storage for some exhibition or festival or something like that," the girl explained, still with a hint of annoyance in her voice.
Levi moved closer and offered his hand for her to stand up. "I'll talk to your mother, she'll probably let you train with sharp objects in a couple of years or so," he offered. "I think you've got potential and enough coordination to handle it, but I won't meddle in that. We need to respect your mother's wishes," the uncle advised.
"I wouldn't hope you'd get very far with her in that argument anyways, but thanks for the compliment," Sunny replied while standing up.
"So, there's a summer festival coming?" the uncle inquired.
"I hoped not, but probably," the girl complained.
"What's the problem? Don't you like those?" Levi asked the girl.
"It's all very fun, of course. But I'd prefer not to go outside as much." The girl sighed. "You know, people keep staring." Levi was a little confused by her statement. "We don't exactly 'fit in' here, especially in a crowd. Except for mom... but a lot of the time, not even her," Sunny explained further.
"Oh, I see," Levi replied.
Sunny walked over and passed her hands across the embellished, beautiful-looking swords displayed on the walls. The Azumabito were well known as an ancient sword-forging family. Those swords were what remained of that tradition. The girl was thoughtful for a moment. "Do you think I could be better than my brother?" she cheekily asked her uncle. The boy was older and was already having sword-fighting lessons at that point.
Levi looked at his watch. "He is not exactly earning any points with me with all this tardiness," the uncle complained. The teenage boy hadn't shown the same enthusiasm for those lessons in the more recent years; not nearly enough than when he had been his sister's age. "I don't think it will take too long before you surpass him," Levi complimented the girl again. Her face lit up and she gave him the brightest smile. "You both have equal talent, I can attest to that. But it takes more than just talent to exceed in learning this. Even for us Ackermanns. You got to have discipline and dedication," Levi explained further.
"Understood," the young girl nodded.
"Now, let's start again." The uncle continued with the lesson.
-.-
"Good morning, son. We weren't sure if you were going to come down," Armin sarcastically complained while looking over his papers.
Azzy had finally come down and sat at the table for his breakfast. He noticed the amount of paper and blueprints on the table over at his father's side. "What's all that about?" Az asked, still with a raspy, sleepy voice.
"Oh, I'm calculating propeller rotations for the new model. I had an idea last night and I really want to try it!" Armin cheerfully explained to his son, midway through sipping his coffee with one hand and doing his calculations with the other.
Azzy squinted for a moment, then laid his head on the table. "What is wrong with this family? It's not even 7 a.m. yet!" the boy complained.
Armin smiled. "Shouldn't you be training with your uncle? He won't be here for long, you know," he observed.
The boy was surprised, he quickly raised his head from the table. "Uncle Levi is here?"
Armin stopped for a moment and put his mug down to the side. "He arrived two days ago," he explained firmly, as the boy should already know. Azzy seemed to be more alert but he was still hazed. "Wake up son!" he exclaimed in a soothing tone. "Is everything okay? Are we having some trouble... again?" The father expressed his concern.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." The boy smiled and decided to drink his coffee.
"Are you sure? Are you feeling okay?" Armin asked once more.
"I do feel a little weird," the boy confessed, wondering into nothing.
"Well, you are a teenager, I'd say that's perfectly normal," Armin reassured the boy. He took a sip of his coffee, going back to his calculations.
Azzy stayed there, drinking his coffee and observing his father. He still felt very hazed, like it was all a dream, but he didn't want to worry anyone, so he kept it to himself.
-.-
- Year 859 - The Mountain Side - Somewhere near the Marlean Continent:
"Isn't this amazing? I'm in the middle of the street! Oh man, this is so cool! I can hear you perfectly!" Falco exclaimed with extreme excitement from the small phone booth.
"It's just a pay phone, Falco," Annie replied from the other end of the line. "And you shouldn't be spending all your quarters with this," she advised. "I know I said to call and check in from time to time, but I didn't mean all the time."
"I know but before we were in the hotel, now we are in the middle of the street!" he continued with the same excitement.
"She's right, you're spending too much! I want to go buy chocolate ice cream after this," Gabi complained. They both had their ears near the phone's handset, and both were cramped inside the small phone booth.
"Can we call my mom next?" Kaya asked, leaning in from the outside. Her hands were a little shaky from the cold so she blew into them and quickly pressed them against one another. She did a couple of small jumps to shake off the cold. It was a slightly harsher winter on that side of the mountains. They were all on holiday there and the cold was worth it, just to see and appreciate the beautiful view.
"Who is it?" Reiner asked, coming near the table.
"It's for you." Annie gladly gave him the phone and went back to eat her doughnuts.
"Hello, who is this?" Reiner asked over the phone.
"Oh, hello Mr. Braun! Isn't this phone thing amazing?" Falco shouted back excitedly.
"Hey, cuz!" Gabi added. Reiner gave Annie a look; she smirked and kept chewing. She could still hear from the distance the mumbling sound of the younger Grice babbling on about their day and the plans they had for the holiday.
The telephone was a relatively new technology and was quickly expanding into most countries, facilitating and revolutionising communication.
"Yes, yes. This is all very interesting," Reiner responded to the excited teens on the other end of the line.
"Hey, you guys, c'mon! There's a lot of work to do! Or are you two on holiday too?" Connie complained from the other side of the room. The three of them were in their military headquarters, in Marley.
"I'm on my break," Annie replied, leisurely crossing her legs on top of the table. Reiner gave him a sign, pointing and showing he was on the phone. Connie sighed.
-.-
Jean was going through some pamphlets while the teens were at the payphone. "You know, there's an interesting ad for a winery here, we should check it out!" he proposed to Pieck.
She sighed. "You know I can't drink alcohol," she reminded him.
"Well, I can," he replied. "And there's some nice patisseries here too. Don't you want to try one of those chocolate eclairs?" he offered. "It's not that far, we just have to take one of those cable cars up one of the mountains." He was checking the pamphlet again.
"Those cabins look nice and cosy." Pieck was observing the pictures; it all looked very romantic. She pondered for a moment. "But, we can't just ditch them," she replied, talking about the teenagers, "We were the ones that offered to bring them on this trip with us in the first place."
"Why not?" Jean asked. "They're seventeen, and I'm sure we can find something for them to do, at least for today." He looked around the pamphlets. "Here! They can spend the day in this history museum, it would be good for them," Jean suggested.
The country in question was very beautiful and ancient. Like many near the continent, it had been invaded and conquered by both Eldia and Marley countless times. However, its sad and bloody history didn't stop its people from passing down their traditions and ancient crafts through the generations. The good food, wine, cheese and chocolates, the expert woodsmanship, and their excellent handcrafted fabrics were all once exploited by their invaders. And now were among the reasons this new independent country had tourism as a great economic pillar. The countless tourists were there not only for the beautiful view and good food, or to buy haute-couture clothing. But like in many countries around the Marlean continent, it was common to see tourists posing for pictures near the peculiar "statues" that were spread out around the area.
These "statues" were what was left of the most recent conflict between the Eldians and Marleans. In the first couple of years after "The Rumbling", people were scared of them and moved away from places near the statues, afraid those Titans would rise again and continue with the destruction they had been inflicting before. But after a while people got used to them, and they were quickly becoming landmarks and tourist attractions. It became normal for people around and beyond Marley to live their everyday lives with those monsters as a part of their landscape. And for the Mountain Side it was particularly special, as the gigantic creatures entailed and confused themselves between nature's mountains and it all made up for an unique and extremely peculiar view, a beautiful view.
-.-
- Year 867 - Hizuru - The Azumabito House
It was early morning and all the servants were working at full steam. There was a lot to be done: cleaning, cooking, and arranging. For a house that had been abandoned or badly managed for many decades, it sure was nice to be working once more and fulfilling its purpose.
Mikasa was very occupied, in their study room. She was answering a phone call.
"All right, it's settled then. What time should we expect you?" Mikasa asked to the other side of the line. "Okay, take care, see you then." She hung up the telephone.
"Who was that over the phone?" Armin asked as he walked into the study. She seemed harried. He placed all the papers and blueprints and other equipment he was carrying with him over the table.
"It was Kiyomi," she replied, annoyed. "I've been living here for over ten years!" Mikasa let it out. "Over a decade living in this house, and in this country, and she still thinks I cannot organise and host a small diplomatic dinner on my own," she complained.
"So, she's coming over tonight?" he asked.
"Yes," Mikasa replied, slamming both hands on the table, frustrated. Armin went over from behind and hugged her for a bit of comfort. She rested her head on his shoulder, he affectionately smelled her hair and gave her a kiss on the back of the head.
"Please don't spend the whole day at that hangar. We have a lot to do," she pleaded after observing all the paraphernalia Armin had brought with him into the room.
"Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can," he replied. "You should come down at some point! I had an idea and I want to test it. It's very promising," he told her with excitement.
"I'll try to go down sometime before luncheon," she promised and turned to give him a small kiss on the lips.
Armin looked over her shoulder and noticed some papers and a fancy letter among the litter. "Is that the Imperial Seal?" he noted. "Why would you throw a letter from the Emperor in the bin?" Armin asked, staggered. He went over to grab it, as he was curious.
"You are not going to like it," Mikasa advised.
"What's it about?" Armin asked, reaching into the bin to grab the letter.
Mikasa sighed. "It's about Sunny. And this is not the first, I've received a couple before," she explained.
"Sunny?" Armin asked, confused.
"Apparently, he thinks she is quite 'suited' to join the imperial household," Mikasa replied.
Armin was dumbfounded. "As what?" he indignantly asked while skimming through the very formal letter.
"Supposedly to be promised to one of his younger sons. Not the eldest, of course." She ironically explained the contents of the letter while crossing her arms.
"She's eleven years old!" Armin complained, still flabbergasted.
"She's already twelve, Armin," Mikasa reminded him. She went over to read some passages to him. "It seems here she is quite charming, well educated, and well born." Mikasa pointed at the words.
"They do know she looks a lot more Eldian than you do, right?" Armin wondered for a moment.
"Maybe that's the point," Mikasa replied and pointed at the letter again. "I don't think the 'well born' here refers only to my family," she assumed.
"My 'family' barely exists anymore," Armin protested. "Why would they want a Tybur in an eastern household anyway?" he questioned.
"I don't know, maybe for political backing in the future? Maybe they are just being cautious. Who knows? That's just how these families work, and we are a part of that, in a way," Mikasa explained.
Armin calmed down, and stopped for a moment. "Arranged marriages," he said, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Do you think we would've been arranged like that by our families? If there were never any Walls, I mean," Armin wondered, thinking about their families' lineage.
Mikasa laughed. "I don't think I would even exist!" she pointed out, and explained. "You might have. Your parents' marriage was 'proper' and I don't doubt they would've found each other in the continent somewhere. But my mother would never have been allowed to marry an Ackermann. There's no way I would've been born."
"True," Armin admitted, "but let's say they found each other, fell in love and eloped. Then, afterwards, would you have accepted me if we were arranged?" he cheekily asked.
"I don't think so," she replied, Armin was a little shocked, he wasn't expecting that answer. "I don't think you would've grown up to be a good person if you were raised in Tybur Castle," she explained.
"What? Why? I'm sure my great-great-grandpa Armin was a good guy!" Armin remarked.
"Yes, I think Karl Fritz would agree with you there," Mikasa added.
Armin sighed, he decided to move away from that topic. "Why haven't you told me before? About these letters?" he asked.
"Well, what would you have said?" she asked back.
"That is kind of creepy," Armin replied, skimming through the letter again. "What are you going to reply?" He was curious.
"The same thing I did a couple of times before," Mikasa explained. "I'll politely decline the offer on behalf of my far too young daughter."
Armin repeated: "Far too young, yes that's good, that's very right."
She continued, "And I'll tell them that when she is old enough she will choose to marry whoever she wants."
"Yes. She'll decide it on her own, when she's around forty or something," Armin added, while scratching his head. Nervously thinking about his little girl growing up. He decided to sit down on his favourite chair.
"Now, we don't have to go that far." Mikasa sat on his lap and gave him a hug. She continued, "They are growing up so fast! You'll see, they'll be adults and out of this house in a blink of an eye! And I don't think Sunny will have problems in finding a husband. I think she'll do fine in married life, it suits her," she added.
"Azzy on the other hand..." Armin complemented her thought.
"I know, right?" she replied. "I don't think he's the kind to fall in love and settle." Mikasa expressed her thoughts about their boy.
"He's too much of a free spirit," Armin agreed. "I think he will wander around from country to country, you know, living his life. Being 'Azzy'. The good thing is, he's the one to take care of us in our old age," the father added and kissed his wife on the shoulder.
"Old age," Mikasa repeated. She hugged him closer and rested her head on his chest. Armin was warm and she could faintly hear his heartbeat. She closed her eyes, "And to think we are allowed to dream about that. Sometimes I can't even believe you are still here with me."
"I know." Armin caressed her hair. "Don't worry about that, there's no more curses. I'm not going anywhere," he promised. "We will be old and happy," he said with the biggest smile.
"I know a few years have passed since your cursed thirteen were up," Mikasa observed. It had been over four years since Armin was supposed to die and let his powers pass on to a new holder. Even with the curse lifted, none of the Nine Titans were completely sure if their lives would truly be prolonged. "And sometimes I find myself finally dreaming about our future and enjoying our lives, but I don't want to get too comfortable," she confessed.
"Why?" Armin asked, as he couldn't understand. His wife was used to losing her loved ones; she had her own mechanisms to deal with that pain and precautions to avoid sinking deep into that void of sadness once more. Those precautions would prove unsuccessful time and time again. "We are happy aren't we? So let's enjoy it! There's nothing wrong with being comfortable," he advised.
"That's the point, I shouldn't get used to it, I shouldn't get too comfortable," she told him apprehensively.
"What's wrong with that? Are you afraid of being happy?" He asked with a small smile, trying to lighten her mood. Armin was a very ingenuous person, and he remained that way even after the amount of darkness he had been through.
Mikasa looked down, she wouldn't meet his eyes. She played around with his tie for a while. His big blue eyes were fixed on her, awaiting for a response.
"I just- I don't want to tempt fate," she told him with sadness in her eyes.
Armin reached for both her hands and locked them inside of his. "Hey, we will always be together. Don't forget that. That is our promise," he reminded her. He kissed her hands as he looked straight into her eyes.
Mikasa smiled at him. She was reminded of how charming and entrancing her young love could be. Armin Arlert was a man of compelling and powerful will, even back when they were still small children! He was one persuasive little man. "Yes. We will always be together," she confirmed, and they kissed.
"Right." Armin prepared himself to stand up. "We have a lot to get done today," he said.
"True." Mikasa fixed her hair and her dress and moved on to fix up Armin's tie and jacket. "I'll see you sometime before luncheon," she told him.
"See you soon," Armin replied while gathering around all his paraphernalia once more. He gave her a small kiss on the lips and left the room.
[Still] Year 867 - Hizuru - The Azumabito House's Library
Azzy had made a mess of their library. He was up the mezzanine frantically scanning through most books and placing them over the table. The boy was trying to form a picture of his own life and the world he grew up in, a world that didn't seem the same as the one he was once born into.
His sister was curiously observing him through the slightly open gap of the gigantic door. Pondering on what to do. "That wasn't supposed to happen," the boy said to himself. She looked over with more interest. Her brother started to mumble nonsensical things to himself so she decided to savour that moment.
"Of course the book sniffer had to be here!" Sunny walked in with her messy hair and her sweaty training outfit. She crossed her arms and smirked. "Which one of your girlfriends are you reading now? Book Lover. Sometimes I wonder if we are actually related," she joked and walked closer to the ladder.
Azzy gave her an annoyed look and thought of a comeback. "You do realise you walk like a dude, right?" he remarked.
The small girl stopped in her tracks with an angry pout. "Say that again and I'll punch you all the way to the moon, bookworm," she warned.
"HA! Sure." The boy gave out a small laugh and went back to concentrating on his books, ignoring the threat.
"Uncle Levi said I can beat you," the small girl replied.
"I'm sure he was just trying to encourage you. One can always dream," he said in a playful tone, without even looking away from the books. He finally looked up and asked mid laugh, "Tell me, how is your blade training going?"
"Mom didn't allow it," Sunny replied, looking at the floor.
The boy wheezed. "Good luck beating me at sword-fighting without a sword," he remarked and laughed again.
The girl held onto the handrail. She was still pondering whether she'd go up to the mezzanine or not. She was curious about what her brother was doing, but she also thought it could just be something extremely boring, like always. "Why didn't you show up for training today?" she asked.
"I'm busy," the boy replied.
"With what?" Sunny finally asked and started climbing up the stairs. Azzy followed her movement with his eyes.
It was impressive how quickly Az had slipped back into his role in that world, even if hours before he had no idea about his sister or his loving family or his new and comfortable life. He had all those memories of his childhood in that house, but he still had memories of a completely different life, a life in which his father, mother, and sister were not a part of.
Azzy had turned his attention to books once again. It was always his first step in solving this kind of problem. He was researching the recorded history, and trying to make sense of it all, as much as he could. But it wasn't helping, he was just getting more confused. The boy was having trouble discerning what was real and what wasn't, he couldn't properly tell which memories he could actually trust. The real and the dream were completely intertwined inside his mind.
As his sister climbed up the stairs the boy finally noticed those bright yellow eyes. Those playful eyes. 'It was her! She was that woman!' he thought with excitement. There she was, the beautiful and wise woman who had guided him into the past.
The small girl stopped near her brother and started to look around all the history books that were wide opened all over the table.
"You do know we don't have school, right? Not for at least a few more weeks! Are you trying to get ahead of your tutors?" she asked, laughing. The girl was thinking of how odd her brother was. Eccentric was a better word to describe it, but Sunny wouldn't give him that compliment, not even if only in her mind.
The boy didn't care for her jokes. He had other things in mind, a whole other world in mind, actually.
"Sun," he said, almost in a trance.
"Yeah...?" his sister replied, ironically. "Are you okay?" Sunny placed her hand on his forehead to check his temperature.
Az swiftly removed her hand.
"You are so weird today," she complained. "Weirder than normal."
He gave her the biggest smile. "You are special," he said, almost in a whisper. "Like me!" the boy exclaimed. He was astonished with his findings.
"Special?" She laughed out loud. "Is that what you think you are?" Sunny crossed her arms.
"Do mom and dad even know?" He kept the smirk.
"You are insane," she replied, still with her arms crossed.
"C'mon, I know it's you!" He was smiling. "You are the lady!" he exclaimed. "I mean, you look dreadful right now," he told his twelve-year-old sister. "But you'll grow out of this phase eventually," Azzy remarked, with a hint of disdain, while picking up one of her messy curls.
Sunny hit his hand away. "The lady?" she repeated, annoyed, and with disbelief. The small girl couldn't tell what kind of stupid prank Azzy was up to now.
"How far into the past can you see?" he asked and quickly moved near one of the shelves, looking for some more historical books. Azzy was very excited.
"Did you go sniffing around dad's 'special cabinet' again?" Sunny asked. She wasn't amused with her brother's apparent drunkenness.
"You know I can't get drunk," he replied while placing more books over the table. "So, how does it work?" He put his hands on his hips and asked his sister.
The girl had no words. She looked confused and apprehensive. "How does what work?" she finally asked.
Azzy put one of his hands on his chin, thinking. "Right, you did say we wouldn't remember this," he said, pointing at his sister. He continued: "Well, you said I wouldn't remember," he pointed at himself. "But I do. So I assumed you'd been wrong. But even with that, you are still too young now. You were much older back then, so you can't have this memory, yet. UNLESS," the young boy was building up for his conclusion. "Unless you are like me." Az was referring to the fact that he could recall memories from different points in time. Sometimes even from different worlds, and most of the time, of things that hadn't happened yet.
"You do realise you are just talking nonsense, right?" Sunny replied, trying to make sense of things.
Azzy was too busy in his thoughts and too excited with his findings to pay attention to his little sister's confusion. He smiled once more. "You!" He pointed at her again. "You said I was the person you trusted most in the world!" he exclaimed, laughing and gloating.
"In your dreams. I would never say something like that," Sunny objected; she was not amused.
"Maybe not, but you said something along those lines." The boy held his chin again, trying to remember that conversation, on the rooftop. The small girl seemed very lost and worried. "Don't worry," Azzy reassured her, "I won't tell mom and dad. I know you earn your points for being 'normal'. You're the good one and I'm the weird one, I don't mind keeping things as they are."
The girl kept her silence. She held herself on the railing, she was pondering a few things. The boy went back to his book research, to give her time.
"I'm not like you," she finally spoke. "I can see things," the girl timidly disclosed.
"That's a little vague," the boy complained.
Sunny embraced herself, feeling a little anxious. "It only works for our kind, for Eldians. I can sense things, sometimes, about others. I don't know how to explain it very well," she told her brother.
"Clearly," Azzy remarked and crossed his arms. Sunny became a little angry with her brother.
He turned to the books again. "Whatever it was you did, it was a big help! Things did improve, a lot changed for the better. But not everything, that's what I'm most concerned about. Should I go back once more or should I leave things as they are?" he wondered, talking to himself again.
Sunny was tired of his obliviousness, so she decided to show her abilities. That would be easier than having to explain them. The small girl came near him and placed three of her fingers on his forehead. Suddenly they weren't in the library anymore. They were in an open land made of sand, the sky was bright and full of stars. The boy felt very cold. He looked around frantically, he stopped and looked at his sister; her bright yellow eyes looked hypnotic.
"Oh, I see! You're connected to this dimension! That's pretty cool!" The boy was impressed. He blinked for a moment and they were back in the library.
"Yes, but we can't stay there for very long, or the witch will see us!" she explained.
"You know, she's not really a bad person," the boy remarked.
"What? And you've met her?" the girl said, sarcastically.
Azzy felt nervous and decided to move on. "If you are connected to Paths, first it explains why you said you can sense things. And second, it makes sense it only works with Eldians. It's similar to what some Titan Shifters could do," the boy explained.
"Great, so we are a couple of Titan children freaks. What else is new?" Sunny complained and crossed her arms.
"Not all Titan children are born freaks," Azzy reminded her.
"Still, it is more common in the Tybur family," she added.
"Your power might be related to Titans, sure. But there's no way mine is," he told her confidently.
"So where do your powers come from, alien boy?" she joked.
"I don't know yet," the boy wondered, "but I'll find out eventually." Azzy was sure his ability to travel around time couldn't have come from The Titans, or The Titan Realm. And he wasn't wrong; he would find out, eventually.
"The point is, we did a good thing with our powers," Azzy danced around what the 'good thing' was. He felt his sister was too little to understand what had happened in that other world, and he was confident she would know what to do, when the time came. When she'd be older. "The problem is, it didn't fix all the things. That's where I'm stuck at. I need to figure out what went wrong and see if it is worth it to go back once again and try to fix that. But I'm just getting more and more confused as I go deeper into my research. I can't make sense of things-" Azzy was still rambling on when Sunny closed the book he was reading over his fingers.
"HEY! What was that for?" he indignantly asked while reopening the book. His trapped fingers kept the page marked. He held them up and Sunny took the opportunity to slam the book shut again. "That wasn't marked!" he shouted, complaining.
"You know what your problem is?" The girl started to lecture him while closing some more books. "You are like a battery. You are too hyped all the time. You've got to learn how to slow down," she advised. "You are overcomplicating things, you always do that."
"You are ruining everything! I had a system!" Azzy complained, openmouthed as his sister destroyed his entire morning's work.
"Just take a step back and try to be calm and centred. Leave this dark room, go see the sun for once! Stop overthinking everything," Sunny advised further, then she went to go down the stairs. The boy frantically opened his books again, trying to reorganise his research. Sunny stopped midway down the stairs. "And, if you tell anyone about what I can do I'll take the prettiest and more embellished sword in this house and stab you with it." She looked back at him with the threat. And kept going down.
"Sun," the boy raised his head from the books and called for his sister. She stopped near the doors. "Can you regenerate too?" he asked. The girl gave him a smile and closed the gigantic door.
-.-
- Year 867 - Hizuru - The Azumabito Shores
[Inside the Aircraft Facility]
"You came!" Armin exclaimed from under all his paddings and his bright orange jumpsuit.
"I had a bit of time to spare. And I am legitimately curious," Mikasa told him mid-laugh. She couldn't understand why he was dressed like that. "So, what is your promising idea?" She noticed how the whole of the engineering team was hiding behind a thick glass, cramped inside the small room. Onyankopon was the only one outside; he was adjusting some things in the aircraft.
"Well, we had a bit of a hiccup in the first test," Armin explained, understating a little. She looked around and noticed the mess and how the Hizurian engineers were still a little bit fidgety. "The equipment wasn't properly strapped, and one of the models was slightly damaged," he lamented. "But we brought in this new one to continue testing." Armin pointed at the brand-new aircraft with his screwdriver. He could barely move under all that protective gear.
"Strapped? What? Why are you wearing all that?" Mikasa asked, confused.
Armin tried to look down, he could barely move his neck. "Oh, I want to be outside for the testing. This is just in case something goes wrong," he explained. "But it won't this time," he added. "I've checked my calculations a hundred times." He spoke loudly enough for the engineers to hear him from behind the glass. "And it's obvious the previous mishap was caused by the prototype not being strapped firmly enough," he further explained it.
"Okay..." Mikasa replied with uncertainty. Armin clumsily put his screwdriver back in his tool belt.
"I took care of that, I am pretty sure," Onyan said from the distance. He was hanging outside of the plane and jumped back into his pilot seat.
"Are you completely sure?" Armin shouted back. The pilot gave him back a thumbs-up and put his earmuffs on; he was ready to restart the engines.
"Okay, boys, we are going to try this one more time!" Armin shouted to the group. "It will work this time!" he added with confidence.
Mikasa finally noticed the huge target circle painted at the back of one of the walls.
"Just, just stand exactly behind me and you should be fine," Armin advised while pressing her against the wall. "Here, you might need this," he gave her his earmuffs. She was more confused than ever.
Onyankopon started the plane engines and the propellers slowly started to gain speed. He looked back and gave Armin another thumbs-up. Armin nodded back at him.
"Ready. Aim. Fire!" he shouted and immediately covered his unprotected ears.
The loud rapid firing noise was confusing and the bright muzzle flashes were blinding to the eyes. It went on like that for a couple of minutes. Mikasa was starting to feel dizzy; she closed her eyes and hid behind Armin's shoulders.
Everything finally calmed down as Onyankopon stopped firing rounds and turned down the engines again. He had the biggest smile on his face. All of them were very happy about the results this time. The engineers came out of their small booth and went straight to the target, painted on the wall, to check the plane's aim. Onyan came out of the plane and went to check the propellers.
"It worked!" Armin exclaimed, excited.
"You put a machine gun on a plane?" Mikasa asked angrily, and wide-eyed, and gave him back his earmuffs.
Armin started removing all his now unnecessary padding. "Yes!" he replied innocently, disregarding her tone. "We've been trying to figure out how to go about it for months! And it finally worked!" he exclaimed again.
Onyan was checking around the propellers for markings; he wanted to see if any of the bullets had bounced off, or grazed the plane. "It's all clean! The synchronisation worked!" he shouted at Armin.
"Of course it did," Armin replied confidently. He turned to Mikasa. "See, it seems that is the best, more balanced position for a gun in the aircraft, but the propellers are in the way. So I synchronised the propeller rotations with the velocity of the bullet's trajectory, so the machine gun can fire always in between two propeller blades. The timing needs to be precise," Armin expertly explained.
Mikasa was openmouthed; she didn't say a word.
Onyan came over to commend his friend. "It worked!" Onyankopon said with excitement, giving Armin a passionate kiss on the forehead. "You beautiful little genius!"
"Of course it worked! I told you, I know my Math," Armin replied confidently, but also blushing a little.
"Why would you put a machine gun in a plane?" Mikasa asked again.
"It's a defence mechanism," Armin replied.
"To shoot at what? Birds?" she asked, irritated.
"Other airplanes," Onyan explained. Mikasa gave him a stern stare, so he decided to stay out of it.
"Why are you weaponising airplanes?" she asked Armin in disbelief.
"It's not for commercial planes, of course," Armin started to explain. "It's actually a safer way for combat. Airplanes don't have any weapons systems, so in conflict, the only thing they can do is collide with one another. Killing both pilots and completely destroying the aircrafts. With a firing system, one can actually shoot down a plane without extensively damaging the craft. Forcing the enemy pilot into an emergency landing and surrendering in the process-"
"So, it is for war." She stated the obvious.
"Not outright war, for battle." He chose to underplay it.
"Why? We live in peace. Why would you worry about these things now?" Mikasa questioned his motives.
"Mikasa, we still live in an incredibly unstable climate. Not only do we need to help smaller countries to defend themselves from invaders and establish order in their new independent land. We also need to guarantee our own sovereignty. Hizuru has the most advanced technology in the world right now, so there's nothing wrong in taking advantage of that. Especially when regarding our own protection," he stated in a polished manner.
Mikasa shook her head, disapprovingly, and crossed her arms. "Armin," she sighed. "Sometimes you just let your brain get the best of you," she honestly complained.
"What do you mean?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"You are so busy finding a way to make this weapons system work that you blinded yourself to what it means, and I hate when you act like that," Mikasa insisted.
"I just explained it to you. We can't just live in this land defenceless, pretending we are in some sort of utopia. What if the worst comes? We need to be prepared for anything." He wanted to righteously justify his decisions.
"Don't you think this just incites things? If we start to weaponise ourselves, and other countries soon do the same, where do you think it will end? All that's needed is a small spark for these things to blow and get completely out of control," she argued.
"Not exactly, we have no intention to divulge what technology we have. Well, only to our allies, of course," Armin fought back.
"I see," Mikasa maintained. "So you have everything figured out, don't you?"
"I just want to be ready. If the worst comes, I need to know that I can protect us." Armin tried to explain it in a more earnest tone.
Mikasa held her head for a moment and avoided his eyes. 'I can't deal with you right now,' she thought. "I have a lot to do today and I'm sure you want to go back to your 'testing', so I'll leave you to it." She told him and walked away from the hangar.
"Mikasa, wait!" Armin called out for her. "Just wait a little while I finish here, so we can walk back to the house together," he suggested timidly.
"No, I prefer to go alone, I need the walk," she responded and walked away, slowly making her way through the greeny field.
.
[Year 867] Hizuru - The Azumabito House
Mikasa walked back into the house, she was gloomy and reflective. She stood there, in the entrance hall, contemplative for a moment.
"What's wrong? Trouble in Paradise?" Levi jokingly asked as he came down the staircase. He noticed his cousin was in a mood.
"Don't even say that word. I don't want to think about that. Or anything. I think I'm already getting a headache," she complained.
"Oof! What did Armin do now?" he asked back, curiously, while putting on his coat.
"It doesn't matter. Where are you going all fancy like that?" Mikasa observed how he was sharply dressed, but then again, Levi always was.
"I made lunch plans with Onyankopon, so we can catch up. Don't worry, I'll be back in time for your 'fancy' dinner," Levi reassured her as he was looking for his hat.
"Good, because Kiyomi is coming and I'll need some help to handle that," she replied.
Levi sighed. "Sure, I'll do my best to take the edge off," he replied and looked up the stairs for a moment. "Have you seen Azzy? He didn't show up for training today," he asked the mother.
"No, but he did wake up late today. I believe he wasn't feeling too well. I'm sure he is somewhere around the house amusing himself with something trivial. It's summertime after all," Mikasa replied.
"What if he is not in the house? He could be out exploring; you know how he likes to look for trouble," Levi reminded her.
"Not really, I don't have to worry about that anymore," she replied with a smile and a sense of relief.
"Why not? What did you do?" Levi asked, laughing a little. He himself couldn't think of a way to stop that kid, but maybe the mother was a better disciplinarian than he gave her credit for.
"I didn't do anything. He hasn't really 'explored' anywhere in years!" Mikasa replied, gesturing in air quotes. "Not since, you know, that day," she explained.
"And you're just fine with that?" Levi asked. "Aren't you concerned?"
"I'm relieved!" Mikasa confessed. "Ever since that boy was ten months old I would have a heart attack every time he disappeared from my sight! Even if only for a couple of seconds! I was terrified he would never come back to me, that he would be lost forever. It was the worst feeling in the world! I'm incredibly glad he decided not to use that trick anymore. And I believe it's for his benefit," she said firmly.
"Aren't you even a little bit concerned about it? I mean, what if it's bad for him? You can't just suppress his powers like that," Levi observed. He was worried for the boy.
"I am not suppressing anything. It was an extremely traumatic experience for him. He is the one who decided to never jump anywhere again. I sustain it was a very mature decision for the age he was at the time. And I don't think it's bad for him; on the contrary, I think it's beneficial for everyone," Mikasa declared.
"Beneficial to your 'heart condition' more than anything," Levi teased the overprotective mother. "So you act like you're proud and what? Pretend he is normal, just like Sunny?" he protested.
"Don't twist my opinions, I am being supportive here. I know he has his troubles and I trust he will overcome them, eventually. I trust he can be left to his own devices. Especially considering something only he can properly understand," she stated. "But if you want to have a talk with him about it, I won't object," Mikasa suggested.
"I'll consider it," Levi replied thoughtfully while he put on his hat. "I'll be back at five," he informed his hostess.
"Five? That's a long lunch," Mikasa commented.
"Don't fuss it, I am enjoying my vacation," Levi replied.
"Okay then, I'll see you back at five," Mikasa smiled. She gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Levi smiled back. "What?" she asked, noticing he looked a little spellbound.
"You look more and more like Mother as you get older," Levi observed.
"Good to know," Mikasa said while admiring herself in the mirror and fixing up her hair. "Aunt Kuchel was very pretty." She took the compliment.
Mikasa went up the staircase, and waved again at him as Levi left.
There was still a lot for her to organise with the servants for the diplomatic dinner, and it was already almost lunchtime. Mikasa walked down the corridor, checking menus and catalogues. Sunny was cheerfully walking around the house, munching on an apple when she bumped into her mother.
"Sonnenblume, why on Earth are you still dressed like that?" Mikasa asked her youngest child. The tomboyish girl was still wearing a very sweaty training outfit, even though her training session had ended many hours before, and her hair was a tangled mess.
"What?" The girl looked down for a second. "It's not like we're having anyone fancy coming for lunch, just dinner. Why would I need to dress up?" she asked, talking with her mouth full, genuinely confused.
"Why would you need to dress up?" Mikasa repeated and sighed. "Sonnenblume, you are getting too old for me to consider this kind of behaviour 'endearing'. You are a young lady, and you should dress yourself accordingly no matter the occasion," the mother affirmed, scolding the young girl.
"But-" the girl tried to interject.
"No buts," Mikasa stopped her. "Go upstairs for your bath. I'll be up in a few minutes," Mikasa ordered. She still had a couple of things about the Consul's visit and the dinner to supervise and confirm with the servants before she could assist her young daughter.
-.-
"We need to order you some new clothes," Mikasa told the girl while sorting through the wardrobe. "Most of these dresses are already too childish for you. I'm sorry, I don't blame you for not wanting to wear them. You are growing up, and I need to pay more attention to that," the mother apologised.
Sunny wasn't paying much attention, she rarely did, when her mother was talking. The young girl was sitting at her vanity, still in her undergarments. Looking at herself in the mirror and trying to untangle her messy hair.
"Okay, these don't seem too bad..." Mikasa finally chose a couple of dresses. "What do you think?" She held them up for the girl to choose.
"I like the blue one better," the girl pointed with her hairbrush. "I'm not really a fan of pink," she added.
"Yes, I agree. Blue looks much better on you." Mikasa helped the twelve-year-old into the pretty sky-blue dress. "How pretty," she complimented her daughter, showing her their reflection in the mirror. "See? Now you look like a proper young lady," Mikasa told the girl while buttoning up the dress.
The girl sighed as she looked at hers and her mother's reflection in the mirror. "What's wrong, baby girl?" the mother asked. Mikasa took the hairbrush from her hand and started to brush the girl's wavy caramel hair.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to all this, I don't want to," the girl told her mother.
"Used to what?" Mikasa asked, confused.
"To be all lady-like and all that, I don't think I'll ever be like you," Sunny explained.
Mikasa laughed. "Honey, I grew up with two boys, I was way worse than you," the mother confessed. "It took me much longer to have any interest in my own femininity. Then again, I didn't have anyone to guide me; by the time I was your age I was very much on my own," Mikasa said with a broken tone. She had lost two mothers by the time she was her daughter's age. Even as a grown adult, that pain still lingered. "But you are not," she told the girl confidently. "You have me."
Sonnenblume was reflective for a moment. "By the time you were my age, you were already in the Army," the girl noted.
Mikasa smiled at her daughter. "Well, I was a trainee. It took me a few more years to actually be a soldier. And I lived in a much different world than the one you were born into. It was either that or starve," Mikasa told the girl.
"But you always enjoyed fighting, and you still train. You like it a lot, I can tell," her daughter pointed out.
"I won't deny it," Mikasa smiled, still brushing the girl's hair. "It's a part of me," she declared. "I'm thinking about throwing a few punches at the gym right now, just to let out some steam. It's been a stressful day," she confessed.
Sunny smiled, she admired her mother a lot. Mikasa took out a yellow ribbon to tie up the girl's hair.
"All done. This is much better," she proudly told the girl, now that her sunflower was all dressed up.
Sunny thought of a proposal. "Okay, I promise I won't walk around all sloppy anymore-"
"If?" Mikasa interrupted. She knew by the girl's tone there was a bargain coming up.
"If you let me train in the city dojo," Sunny put forward.
"You can walk as sloppy as you want then," Mikasa replied.
"Mom!" Sunny protested. "Come on! I'll be good, I promise!"
"Sunny, you can't, even if I'd allow it. This country has different rules than what I was used to on the Island. They don't allow female students there. I'm sorry, baby girl," Mikasa tried to explain.
"Really?" Sunny had never realised that before. "Not fair," she mumbled.
"Besides, I don't think it's a good idea," the mother added.
"Why?" Sunny asked.
"I don't think you ever fought with a regular human before. Only with me, your uncle or your brother," Mikasa pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess that's true," the small girl confirmed.
"You'd have to practice your strength level. I don't want you severely injuring anyone by accident," Mikasa explained. 'Or even killing anyone by accident,' the mother thought to herself, worried.
"I could always try to throw Dad around for a few rounds. For training purposes, of course," Sunny joked.
"I wouldn't be opposed to that actually," Mikasa replied, maintaining the joke. She was still mad at Armin.
-.-
The night was falling upon the Azumabito residence. The family stood there, admiring the beautiful sunset. Waiting to receive their honoured guest.
"Lady Azumabito, what a pleasant surprise," the Consul noted as he greeted the family. He gently kissed Kiyomi's hand.
"I've always enjoyed being the surprise. And I'm glad you find me pleasant," Kiyomi replied, gracefully.
The Consul looked around. "What a beautiful and colourful family!" he complimented them. He looked up. "And what a magnificent construction," he complimented the building.
"Please, come in," Mikasa invited the old man, graciously gesturing towards the door.
"Thank you for inviting me. I expect we'll have a delightful evening," the Consul said, walking into the house. The Ladies and the children followed him. Levi and Armin stayed behind for a moment.
"Didn't he invite himself?" Levi asked Armin, in a whisper.
"So did Kiyomi," Armin replied in an equally low tone.
"Are we playing Cupid tonight?" Levi joked.
"I wish. It's a lot worse than that. He's the Shenzhourian Consul, living in Hizuru. This house should be a more neutral ground since Mikasa and I are not exactly proper Hizurian citizens. But Kiyomi joining the party just rises the tension a little bit," Armin explained.
"Even if there's political tension between the two nations, he is a Consul. And he is living here, so he should be used to it all by now," Levi pointed out.
"He is actually the new one; he received the post recently. And the Consulate is not even in this Region, so he is pretty much just passing by," Armin explained further, still whispering to Levi's ears.
"What's your point?" Levi asked.
"I have a feeling he has some sensitive information he wants to discuss with Mikasa and I, and Kiyomi caught wind of that. So that's why she invited herself tonight," Armin replied.
"Well, this will be an interesting evening," Levi commented as they finally walked into the giant house. "Do you know what is it that he wants to discuss?"
"Not really. And I'm genuinely curious to find out," Armin replied.
-.-
Kiyomi was proudly showing the Consul all of her family's beautiful and ancient swords and other precious artefacts around the house. "Of course, this place would still be falling into pieces if it wasn't for Mikasa. What a splendid job you did, my dear. You are a treasure," Kiyomi held her hand and complimented their hostess.
Lady Azumabito had taken over the house tour, but Mikasa didn't mind; she already wasn't feeling too well. And she and Armin hadn't spoken since their argument in the morning. Mikasa smiled back at Kiyomi. "Thank you for trusting me with it all," she replied. I'll leave you for a moment, I need to see about dinner," Mikasa gently told the visitors as she noticed Levi and Armin arriving in the room to keep them company.
On the other side of the room, Sunny quietly complained to her brother, "I don't like him, he seems quite phoney to me."
"He's a diplomat. What did you expect?" Azzy replied. "He's just being a politician; they're all like that."
"I don't know, it's not that. I just have a bad feeling about this guy, I can't quite put my finger on it," she argued further, crossing her arms.
"Sunny, you can't 'sense' Asian people," Azzy reminded her. "Only Eldians," he whispered in her ear, jokingly.
"Shut up!" Sunny hissed at her brother. Their mother was approaching them.
Mikasa noticed the kids seemed like they were up to no good, so she decided to scold them, before they got any ideas. "Listen to me, I don't want any funny business tonight. No matter how incredibly bored or silly you are feeling. I won't have it," she told them sternly.
"Yes, Mother," they both replied.
"We won't repeat the legendary food wars of '63, you have my word," Azzy joked, solemnly giving his mother the heart salute. Sunny laughed out loud.
"Yes, it wasn't as legendary as your punishment, as I recall," Mikasa scolded him again. The boy felt the threat, and decided to be at his best behaviour.
-.-
"Ah, this was very thoughtful of you. Thank you," the Consul told his hostess. Mikasa had decided to offer tea after the dinner. The tea in question had been a gift from the Consul, prior to the visit.
"Thank you for the gift," Mikasa replied. "It only seemed fair that we all drank it tonight. And I particularly loved the ornate box you sent them in, it's very beautiful."
"This is very good tea," Levi added. Tea was something he truly appreciated.
"It's incredible how your culture makes it into a true science," Armin remarked to the Consul.
"Yes, it is excellent," Kiyomi decided to give her praises as well.
"Of course it is," the Consul replied, confidently. "The art of drinking tea is a tradition that started in Shenzhou many millennia ago," he explained. "One of the things many Hizuru appropriated from us over time," the old man added.
"And with gusto. It's a fair tradition," Kiyomi replied charmingly, and raised her teacup as a sign of approval.
"Not only Hizuru," Levi noted. "The whole world appreciates it now. We even had it inside The Walls," he added.
"That was always mind-boggling to me," the Consul commented. "How an entire nation can just lock themselves away from the rest of the world for so many decades. And how it was accepted by the whole world as something frivolous."
"Well, it didn't last for very long and it certainly wasn't the paradise the 145th King had in mind," Armin replied.
"Still, it's not like the citizens could even complain about it until very recently," the Consul observed. "It is maddening to think the Royals could actually erase people's memories!" he added.
"It's maddening but it is true," Levi responded while sipping his tea.
"What an odd power to have," the Consul commented.
"It's the dream of every politician," Kiyomi joked. They all laughed, even the kids who were quietly enjoying their dessert.
"This is the first time I've been to a formal dinner like this, where the children accompany the whole event. Even after nightfall. I'll say it's quite unusual," the Consul observed. "But I'll also say they surprise me as incredibly polite and well mannered," he added.
"Yes, they are," Mikasa took the compliment. "And they'll be saying good night as soon as they finish dessert," she added, looking towards the children.
"But it must be incredibly boring to them," the Consul noted. "All this talk about politics, culture, and country."
"They are used to it," Armin replied. "They grew up in this world; we are used to taking them to these diplomatic meetings and events since they couldn't even speak."
"Even the girl?" the Consul added, patronisingly. And Sunny indignantly gave him a dead stare.
"Yes, both of them," Armin replied, decorously.
"So, are you enjoying your time here, Mr. Ackermann?" The Consul steered the conversation in the direction of the other guest.
"Yes, I come here from time to time to check on them," Levi replied. "It's a lovely country; I'm already used to it."
"I'm still new to it," the Consul replied. "The transfer was quite sudden and I'm yet to get used to the place."
"I believe you'll find it's not too hard to settle in. This country is very welcoming," Armin noted.
"Yes, I had the impression before that this was only your holiday home and that you lived in Marley, in the Castle," the Consul inquired.
"It's quite the opposite. We used to travel and stay in Marley from time to time; before. But we settled in here and we no longer need that place anymore," Armin explained.
"Even when we do stay in Marley, we never spend enough time to be worth it to open Tybur Castle," Mikasa added.
"So is it just sitting there abandoned?" the Consul asked. He was curious about it.
"It's too big for us to manage. I was thinking we could turn it into a school or a hospital, maybe even a museum," Armin explained.
"What a shame, I heard Tybur Lake is very beautiful. I hoped you could invite me there someday," the Consul politely lamented.
"Yes, I'm sorry, but we rarely go there anymore. Nowadays, I usually just go by plane, whenever there's something important to deal with there," Armin told the Consul.
"With the whole family?" the old man asked.
"Actually no, just me. It's just easier, I can make a quick flight and then come back," Armin explained.
"So, you pilot your own plane? How interesting," the Consul noted.
"There's nothing better," Armin said with bright eyes. "Flying through the clouds, seeing the world from up there, it never gets old! Truly a breathtaking experience!" he stated excitedly.
"And to think you'd miss on all this technology if the Walls remained," Kiyomi remarked.
"Imagine living like it was the Middle Ages?!" the Consul commented. "No photographs, no cars, no airships! It's like living in a never ending Renaissance fair!" he joked.
"What's a Renaissance fair?" Sunny questioned her brother in a whisper. They were in the corner of the room. Azzy only shrugged his shoulders.
"These technical inventions we could live without; it was no big deal," Armin remarked. "The advancements in medicine were the real issue. I feel sorrow when thinking of so many people who died within the Walls from perfectly curable diseases. Only because we didn't have access to common medical knowledge from the past century."
"Yes, that is quite upsetting," the Consul replied.
"At least the King let us keep the working toilets," Levi joked, to ease the mood again. "That's a big improvement from the Middle Ages."
They laughed.
"Do you ever wonder why both your families decided to support such madness? All those years ago?" The Consul inquired of his hosts; he was being curious again.
Armin quickly gave Mikasa a look. "I guess we will never know," he casually replied.
"Sometimes I wonder what it would be like," Kiyomi confessed. "It broke our family apart. We were very prosperous before, but the Azumabito Clan decayed both within and outside of the Walls," she lamented. "A poorly made decision, to trust the Fritzs and be loyal to that family only to be hunted by them in the following decades," the old woman complained. "Do you ever wonder, my dear? Of how much better your life would have been?" she asked Mikasa.
"I don't think about that too much. Things just happened the way they were supposed to, and it's all in the past now," Mikasa reflected. "It was a hard life, but I enjoy looking back on it. I have good memories of my parents, they were very happy," she added with a timid smile.
-.-
The children were sent to bed and Levi took the opportunity to go up too and 'check on them'. He wanted a way out of that overwhelmingly taxing political talk. He was extremely bored at that point. Mikasa stayed there for a couple more hours, she was the hostess after all. But she had a splitting headache and she was still upset with Armin, which was getting more noticeable by the others as the night went on. She finally decided to make her excuses and go up to rest.
Kiyomi was bored and their conversations were going round and round. She felt like her mission there had been a waste, so she took Mikasa's withdrawal to make her exit as well. "Well, I think I'll say goodbye, gentlemen," she told Armin and the old Consul. "It's getting far too late at night for a woman like me," she joked, and left their company.
-.-
"Mikasa," Kiyomi called out for her as Mikasa climbed up the stairs. "Before I go, I just want you to know that I wasn't teasing before when I was talking about your place here. I am genuinely proud of you. I think you are a remarkable person and you fitted into your role perfectly," the older Lady complimented.
"Thank you," Mikasa responded, sincerely.
"I'll call in the morning to see if you are doing better. Good night, darling." Kiyomi said her goodbyes.
"Good night," Mikasa graciously replied and went up the stairs.
-.-
Despite all the political talk, Armin noticed how the Consul was avoiding certain topics and brushing over important things. He was curious to know what this visit was really about and he had a feeling he would find out now, after the others had left the room. The old man was thoughtful for a moment, playing with his glass and vaguely staring into nothing.
"I'm curious about one thing. Tell me, why is it that you were allowed to live in the middle of the city?" the old man inquired. "This is a very populated Region," he added.
"This house was given by the Emperor; he gave it for us to run. How could we contest that?" Armin replied.
"I understand. It's just that I heard you lived very far away from civilisation before, for obvious reasons," the Consul observed. "Isn't this a major oversight by the Hizurian leaders? Azumabito is a highly densely populated area, and it seems odd to put them in peril like that-"
Armin gave him the benefit of a smile, and interrupted the old man. "I can't do that anymore. Even if I could, I wouldn't-"
"Even if by accident?" the man abruptly asked.
"No accidents. If I've always prided myself of one thing, it was having perfect control of my transformations, and of my own self," Armin told the curious old man.
"So all the times you used that extraordinary power was purely on purpose?" the Consul inquired.
"I was driven into it, against my main wishes before, I won't deny it. But even then, I was very aware of what I was doing. And as I said, even if I could still access my Titan powers I would never use them in this country. This is my wife's heritage and also the place we call home now," Armin politely replied.
"Were you ever more curious to look into it?" the Consul inquired. "I mean, in a more scientific perspective? I'm sure Hizuru scientists would be very interested in your Eldian blood. All of that 'magic' always fascinated the bright minds around the world."
"Yes, I've donated blood samples before," Armin replied; he was curious about the Consul's intentions, for the old man asked about this research as if he knew the answers. "But technology hasn't gone far enough to identify where the Eldian blood differs, and why is it that we are born different from other humans," Armin solemnly explained. "Nevertheless, it was enough to know my regeneration ability is gone, just like the other Titans. And more, we're all very aware that there's no way Pure Titans can come to be, nor Abnormals. The Founder's powers have dissipated, and the curse was broken. The whole world can rest assured of that. Eldians are no longer a threat."
"What about your children?" the old man curiously asked.
"What about my children?" Armin asked back in a more menacing tone.
"Did you ever get them tested as well? For science purposes, of course," the Consul wondered, carelessly.
"There's no need," Armin swiftly replied. "I don't feel it's necessary to involve my offspring in any of that mess."
The old man reflected for a moment, pouring some more whiskey into his glass. "What a shame," he lamented, "about the curse. I've got to admit, to be able to blow up an entire city to smithereens! It's an immense power to have," the old man conceded.
"It's not as fun as you make it sound," Armin replied. "And I never took any enjoyment of it. On the contrary, I considered it to be exactly what it was: a curse."
"So you are certain that the Eldian Curse is done for?" the old man questioned him again. "Completely certain?" He casually drank his whiskey.
"The curse was lifted; the power of Titans no longer exists. The Era of The Titans is finished," Armin replied in a very diplomatic tone.
"Yes, that is what the Nine Titans tell us, of course. But the world will only know the truth when one of you finally dies." The Consul finally got to his point.
"Excuse me?" Armin asked indignantly.
"So then the power can be reincarnated into a newborn," the man replied.
"I don't believe this will happen," Armin affirmed with much irritation.
"That's fair. But only time will tell us," the Consul conceded. "We don't know much about the Eldian curse, but it's probable some of the rules might have just changed," he added. "There's talk about the boy being born with Titan powers," he mentioned casually, waiting to see what his host's reaction was going to be.
"What boy?" Armin inquired, confused.
"The Eldian prince, and some say his sister had them as well, before she passed," the man disclosed, sipping his whiskey. Completely brushing over the tragedy of the girl's demise.
"Those are just rumours; you shouldn't pay attention to that," Armin replied in an admonishing tone.
"We'll be aware if it's a lie or truth soon enough, on his thirteenth birthday," the old man disclosed. "You should have spies placed around the Eldian palace, just to tell you if anything changes," he suggested.
"I have no intention to meddle in their private life; that is not my place," Armin responded in a presidential tone, completely dismissing the possibility of a threat.
"There's a chance Eren Yeager's son was born with the Founding Titan's power." The experienced politician started his discourse. "A Founding Titan with Fritz blood, capable of waking all those Colossal Titans spread out around Marley from their slumber. Do you really think he won't take the chance to use his son to finish what he started? When the time comes, the world will want to know what Armin Tybur has to say about that; what he will do."
"You should know my family doesn't use that name anymore, it hasn't for over a century." Armin observed.
"Yes, and neither do the Fritzs, but we all know who you are," the Consul retaliated.
Armin sighed for a moment. This conversation was becoming more and more difficult, and deeply uncomfortable. "Historia might be a Fritz, but she's also my friend. And Eren is like a brother to me; we've known each other since we were six years old! I wish them no harm, and I have no intention to start trouble over rumours," he replied with care and caution.
"I'm sure you know these feelings need to be set aside when war comes. I don't take you for naive. Especially since this happened once before." The old man rubbed salt in the wound.
"My intention is solely to keep my agenda of peace. That is my main mission. To help many countries to reach their freedom from these fallen empires. There's no need for one race to conquer and rule the entire world. I want to help as many nations to reach independence from their oppressors as I can. There are no Titans anymore to create chaos and destruction, so let us enjoy this era of prosperity." Armin gave his customary speech.
The old consul was thoughtful for a moment; he was ready to philosophise. "Titans were a great weapon of war; they kept Eldia on top for many centuries. But don't you think humans will look for another way to destroy one another? To conquer?" he questioned the younger, much less experienced man. "Hizuru and Shenzhou have been fighting for millennia. Just like Eldia and Marley have. And we did it without any magical powers or curses, and yet, we made our own ways to fight. That is just human nature."
"I don't doubt that," Armin conceded. "Bombs are getting more and more sophisticated nowadays," he observed.
"It's true. And who knows? With technology evolving as it is, perhaps someday humans will actually be able to replicate your power with one. Even name it after you!" the old man grimly noted, in a very ill-considered manner.
The last thing Armin wanted in his mind right now was the possibility of humans being able to replicate the Colossal Titan's destructive powers. "I hope not, at least not in my lifetime," he replied with anguish. The diplomat had made him deeply unsettled.
-.-
"You are looking for trouble, aren't you?" Azzy complained in a whisper. He was hidden behind the upstairs rails, watching the conversation down below, from a very dark corner.
"I know, right? I don't like him. I said it, from the moment he arrived," Sunny added, whispering from another corner.
The boy startled; he was sure he was spying alone that entire time. "What are you doing here?" he whispered back at his little sister, hissing. "It's way past your bedtime," Azzy complained to her.
"And yours, zizi," Sunny reminded him, ironically.
The two children weren't whispering as quietly as they hoped. They were so busy with each other that the pair didn't notice their uncle was also doing some spying of his own. He'd just found a much better spot, behind some ferns. The small man swiftly removed himself from his hiding spot without them noticing, and leisurely walked in their direction, to start the scolding.
"You should both be in bed. It's very late, we have an early morning tomorrow," Levi told the two. "Go! Shoo!" He demanded, gesturing for them to leave. The two quietly stood up. "And, Azymondeus, I want to see you on that tatami at 6:00 sharp, not one second after!" Levi warned the teenager. "Or I'll come up and drag you and your mattress down these stairs."
"You are not in the Army anymore, Uncle Levi," the boy cheekily replied. Levi gave him a stern look. "Come on, Sunny," the boy changed his tone. "It's way past our bedtime," Azzy said in a more obedient manner and ushered his little sister down the corridor. The uncle stood there with his arms crossed, watching them go.
Levi decided to go down to help send the Consul off.
"I hope you enjoy your time here in Hizuru, Mr. Ackermann," the old man said.
"Likewise," Levi replied. "I should visit Shenzhou at some point too," he added, walking down the stairs.
The Consul gave him a broad smile. "Send your Marley address to my hotel and I'll be sure to send you a box of our best tea!" he proposed. "I should call for a cab," the old man realised.
"No need, I already asked for one of our cars. It's already late into the night," Armin told the old man.
"That's incredibly kind of you." The old man thanked him and put on his hat. "I shouldn't overstay my welcome," the Consul said. "Please tell Lady M. the dinner was lovely."
"I'll let her know," Armin replied, showing him the door.
"I should go visit Eldia in a few months, maybe around October," Levi commented after the old man had finally left.
"What will you do? If this rumour about Ezra is true?" Armin questioned his old Captain.
"I wouldn't hesitate to remove his head from his body, if you must know," Levi swiftly replied. "And I'm aware you and your wife wouldn't agree to that."
"He's just a kid. And is that fair? After everything?" Armin sorrowfully remarked. "After the pain we caused their family?"
Levi gave a small disapproving grunt and went back upstairs.
Armin stayed there for a moment, reflecting about it all. He took out a small piece of paper from his pocket and stared at it for a while. He finally went up the stairs, to his sleeping quarters.
-.-
He walked into the room with the small paper in his hand, Armin sat on their bed and gave it to Mikasa.
"What's this?" she asked, confused. Mikasa stared at the paper, trying to make sense of all those numbers.
"Those are my calculations for the machine gun project, the one we tested earlier today," Armin explained.
"Why are you showing me this?" she asked.
"Because I want you to know what it is that I am throwing in the fire," Armin replied and took the paper from her hand. He walked near the fireplace and threw the piece of paper into it. And watched as it burned.
Mikasa was extremely tired; she also watched the fire burning from a distance. She held onto the cold covers, contemplatively. It was a nice gesture from him. Her husband came back and sat on the bed again, looking her in the eyes.
"I promise you," he said, "I won't let my ideas get the best of me again. And I won't get involved in any war efforts from now on. I'll concentrate on what I do best: parleying."
Mikasa smiled. "Thank you for burning that," she said, holding herself closer into the sheets; it was a cold night. "But it won't take long for the other engineers to figure out your calculations. I'm sure you are aware of that," she noted.
"I know. And they will come up with other ideas, and even more sophisticated weapons. I am very aware of all that," Armin replied. "But I won't be involved anymore, and that's the point."
"Good," Mikasa replied and leaned in to give him a kiss.
"I gave you flak for being so worried about the future and I'm very sorry for that," Armin disclosed. "The truth is, I am terrified of it myself! I fear someday we will wake up in hell, and worse, that our children will suffer for it too. I can't handle a conflict like that again. Not after everything we've been through. I just want to make sure that you, that our whole family is safe! That we will remain safe," Armin confessed, in a sorrowful manner.
Mikasa stopped for a moment; she reminded herself of how cheerful he was in that morning. Of how joyful Armin always was, especially in the last few years. She hit him with a pillow. "You are a very good liar," Mikasa complained to him.
"What?" Armin asked, confused, while drying up his tears.
"You need to tell me you are dealing with all those things. And not put up one of your facades. I know that is your nature, but I am your wife and I need to know when things are troubling you. It doesn't matter if you think it will only worry me; we're supposed to deal with all that together," she lectured him in a loving way.
"I know, I'm sorry," Armin apologised. He took out his golden watch from his pocket and stared at it for a while, melancholically. "I was reminded of him twice today," he noted, pointing at the inscription on the watch, thinking of his ancestor. "By you and by the Consul. It's been over a hundred years and it still hurts," Armin confessed. He held his head, saddened and somewhat disturbed. "I shouldn't be able to have these memories anymore, but they still linger. Hanging inside my head, even after this curse was done for."
"He is your blood, Armin," Mikasa argued, trying to ease him. "And it doesn't help that you share a name; it made this all more personal for you," she told him, fondly caressing his shoulder.
"It feels like a lesson to me, about naivety. He was an idealist like me and he failed to see reality. To see it for what it was." Armin expressed his thoughts on the matter. "He trusted the wrong people," he added, grasping the watch tighter. He thought of the part his great-great grandfather played in creating the world's most destructive weapons. "And he never got to see his son again. Even after everything, that is what I'm most frightened of." He held his heart, worriedly. "That is what hurts the most."
"I know you feel this pain. And I wish I could share it with you, to ease your burden," Mikasa replied. "But look on the bright side: like you said, it feels like a lesson. You learned from it, and you didn't make the same mistakes."
"But I did make mistakes, and many people suffered for it," Armin regretfully remarked.
"We all have our demons, so don't dwell on it too much. We all had hard decisions to make back then. But that is the past, so let it be the past. And like you said, we are happy aren't we? So let's enjoy it! If we keep worrying about war we won't appreciate this life as we should," Mikasa advised him.
Armin smiled at her. He became more joyous and playful. "You know, people often talk of this true paradise, the promised land, inside the Earth. They say it's the true source of all these wonderful, magical things!" he expressed with much fascination. "Some say the entrance to it is under Tybur Castle, others say is actually underneath Mitras, deeper in than the Underground, of course. And some others even say it is on the other side of the Earth!"
"I know about that, so why are you bringing up this folk tale?" Mikasa asked sceptically.
"I'm just wondering what it would be like if we ever found it. Living in a pure utopia, with no worries about war or conflict. It's a dream all right," he casually commented. After everything, his biggest, most secretive dream was finding a safer place and the guarantee his family would never suffer from anything ever again. He worried about his children's future, and theirs, and his wife's happiness more than anything in the world.
'It's a dream all right,' Mikasa thought about his tone. She knew he was underplaying his anguish once more, and reflected on it for a brief moment.
"We don't need to go looking for some fairyland in the center of the Earth. We have all we need here, in the real world," Mikasa replied with a loving smile. She kissed him and pulled him into the covers.
-.-
It was the early hours of the morning. The sun hadn't bothered to arrive yet. Azzy was there again, in a completely different world. A world he could only see in his dreams now. He was deep in slumber; he couldn't even tell he was in his comfortable bed, in his comfortable house. A brand new day was arriving, but it wasn't there just yet. Even in his deep sleep Azzy could sense a threat. His brain was telling him to wake up: there was someone near him, there was someone inside his room. Those ancient instincts kicked in again. His heart was beating fast as he slowly opened his eyes, leaving the dream world he was into. Azzy could quickly see the shadow of a figure leaving his room.
The young boy smiled. It was alright; it was just his father leaving the room, trying not to make any noise. The boy turned to the window and stared at the dark blue sky. It was getting lighter, and slowly mixing with a bright orange on the horizon. With small sparkling dots to complete the view. He looked at the stars with a sense of wonder, for a while. He finally turned to look at the time; it was 5:00 sharp, and his father had left a gift for him on the nightstand.
The boy smiled again. His father had promised him many times before that he would give Azzy the watch. And he finally had. The golden timepiece was on top of the nightstand, with a note. Azzy reached out for it; he was happy and proud.
He took the watch to hold and read the small note. It said: "To you, my son. Be the master of your time. - Armin Arlert."
The boy gave out a small laugh. He knew his father was playing out on his tardiness, and the boy felt deserving of the joke. He decided to wake up; well, properly wake up. It was time to start the new day.
-.-
- Year 859 - The Mountain Side
Jean and Pieck were leisurely walking back from their day tour. It was almost time; they had agreed to meet the teens back at the hotel one hour after sunset.
"Look how cute this one is!" Jean pointed at one of the baby outfits in the shop window. "We should get it."
"Yes, it's cute," Pieck evaluated the clothing. "But those are winter clothes; we shouldn't buy these things right away," she argued. Noting how that suit might be too big for what their child's size should be in the next winter.
"The baby will grow into it," Jean contested.
Pieck thought for a moment. "Our kid is gonna be fat, won't it?" she joked. They both smiled, imagining the joy their child would bring them in a few months.
Their sweet and dreamy moment didn't last for too long. The couple noticed the commotion and the crowd forming inside the hotel lobby. They were both trained soldiers; in situations like this the protective instincts kicked in, they could think of parenthood later. The couple ran into the building. The crowd was silent, patiently listening to the radio transmitter.
It was common for the community to gather around radios during popular transmissions, especially the evening news. But there was something more eerie about this particular news segment; the whole world was listening, and the whole world was unnerved by it.
- Year 859 - Continent of Marley - Military Facility
[Liberio Region]
It was already in the dark of evening, and most of the troops were ready to go to their sleeping quarters. Some of the higher ranks would actually go home at the end of the day. The Marlean army wasn't the same as it had been many years ago. They lived in peace; things were softened.
The telephone rang ferociously, but Annie wasn't really in the mood to answer. She already knew what it was going to be about, or at least, what she expected. After a couple more rings, she sighed and decided to pick it up.
"What is it now, Falco?" she asked, a little annoyed. Annie was expecting an overexcited Falco to be on the other end of the line, to tell her all about their day in The Mountain Side.
"Hey." Annie heard the female voice on the other side of the line.
"Oh, it's you, is everything okay?" she asked, noticing that Gabi sounded a little anxious.
"Do you have the radio on?" Gabi asked.
"No, not really," Annie casually replied.
"You should turn it on, and gather the others. You all need to hear about this," Gabi told her, still sounding very worried. "We will wait for orders," the teenager said, in traditional military fashion.
The members of the Military Alliance decided to hear the news in closed quarters. Away from the rest of the soldiers, so they could discuss it more privately. But the rest of the military was listening to the radio too, and the citizens. What was being announced was public news. It was sudden, but it was not posted in secrecy and it was spreading wildly through the many new nations.
"Did you know about this?" Reiner crossed his arms and asked the old captain.
"No, this is news to me, same as everybody else," Levi replied. "But if they had told me, I would of course have advised them not to go. Or at least not to take the children with them," he added.
The radio was reporting the news of the first ever diplomatic visit to Paradise Island, since the Great War. Armin Arlert had left Hizuru that morning for the naval journey, following an invitation made by the Queen herself. And he was taking his entire family with him. The whole world had sided with Marley's Military Alliance all those years ago. And had decided to close all negotiations with the Island. The Kingdom of Eldia was opening their borders for the first time in four years.
The leaders of the military alliance were as apprehensive as the rest of the world. They were all taken by surprise and hadn't a clue on how to proceed yet. All they could do was wait.
[Year 859] - The Mountain Side:
The teenagers were particularly anxious. They'd had a very fun day out, and this drastic tonal shift was very upsetting to them. The tension and the ill-commentary in the Hotel lobby was heavy. In times like this, society - especially the more elderly societies - think only about doom.
"Does this mean we'll have to go home?" Falco asked, saddened and troubled. "That we'll have to end the trip early?"
"We don't know yet," Pieck replied to him in a soothing tone. "We need to wait and see. There's nothing we can do before we know more." She turned to Jean, and said in a less soothing tone, "Your friends are idiots."
"I know," Jean concurred, and shook his head disapprovingly. "Armin is the smartest guy I know, but when it comes to Eren, he becomes as dumb as a brick."
.
- Year 859 - Paradise Island - Somewhere in the Railroad:
"It would have been nice if they had received us in the harbour," Armin commented, with his eyes wondering through the cabin window.
"That wouldn't have been wise," Mikasa replied, "it makes sense for them to stay only in Mitras, for safety reasons."
Armin was glad to be coming back home, after so many years. He marvelled at the view, reminding himself of the good times, in the place he grew up. "Shiganshina looks so different now," he remarked in a nostalgic tone.
"Not as much as I expected," Mikasa replied, leaning in to look. Their train was passing by the gigantic city. "But it is odd to see this place without Walls," she added.
They were both apprehensive about the trip, like everyone else. Mikasa remained sceptical about the prospects and the motives behind the Royal invitation. Armin was still anxious but also a lot more optimistic about it. He had already drafted deals and pardon plans. And he was already imagining again a brighter and more peaceful future for the island they grew up in. More than anything, he was eager to see Eren again.
Mikasa gazed at those pleasing meadows. The beautiful fields that formed the landscape around the Maria Region were the first thing she'd ever laid her eyes on. That was the place where she was born. She'd thought she would never go back to that land, she was sure of it, after that terrible war. She wasn't completely sure if accepting this invitation was the right decision, but she would support Armin through anything. And she also wanted to see her brother; it had been many years. Mikasa hoped things would be different now, she hoped things would be better.
The children were happy. They were used to going on trips with their parents, especially diplomatic ones. Azzy was a little older, so he understood that; unlike Sunny, he had been born on that island and he could vaguely remember a few things about it. They were both very hyped, playing around the cabin and making funny faces through the glass, having a jolly time. The innocent children would stop from time to time to enjoy the view as well; the island was breathtakingly beautiful.
"Cool!" Azzy exclaimed. He pointed to the outside, trying to show his sister the lightning storm that seemed to be forming in the distant fields, many kilometers away. The little girl squinted and pressed her face against the window, trying to see it.
- Year 859 - Paradise Island - City of Mitras:
The young family finally arrived at their destination. Their coach awaited them at the station. They were taken by carriage to the gates of the palace, which was a little old fashioned, since most noble families were already accustomed to using cars as their main transport. But with Eldia being closed again from the outside world, from a financial perspective this time, they couldn't enjoy the newest technologies.
The decorations, flowers, and banners made the palace look more pompous and lavish than ever. It was a strong effort to show the visitors what that Island was supposed to stand for. It truly looked like a Paradise.
One could feel the tension in the air. The Queen of Eldia stood there, with her family, in front of the gigantic embellished doors, to receive their good old friends.
No one in or outside of Paradise could tell if this diplomatic visit would turn out to be a good or bad thing. After the way things were left, four years ago, the tensions and worries about war could be felt in the bones of every citizen.
'This could go very well, but could also go very poorly,' Armin thought to himself as they left the carriage. He carried the three-year-old Sunny in his arms while Mikasa took Azzy's hand to hold.
"I'm glad you came," Historia told their old friends.
"We weren't sure you would," Eren added.
"Nonsense, why wouldn't we?" Armin replied, a little nervous.
"Well, we are here now," Mikasa remarked. There was no turning back now, so the four friends should make the best of this 'amicable' meeting.
Eren kneeled down to greet their young boy. "You've grown up so much!" he noted. "Do you remember your Uncle Eren?" The six-year-old stopped for a moment to think, then shook his head. "No, not really," Azzy said in a polite tone.
They all laughed.
"He was too small back then, I didn't think he would," Mikasa justified for the boy.
"Oh, Mikasa, she looks like a little angel," Queen Historia complimented the small toddler. Sunny was fast asleep on her father's shoulder.
"I know," the mother confirmed, while stroking her baby girl's hair. "She's a little tired from the trip," Mikasa added.
"It was a long journey, but I'm glad you're both here now," Eren told his friends; he'd missed them dearly.
"It's been too long," Armin replied. He desperately wanted to make amends, but he was aware there was much to be discussed.
"This is Ezra, and-" the Queen put forward one of her children and looked around, searching for the other. The shy girl was hiding behind her mother. Historia was used to that.
Ezra looked up at the strangers. The four-year-old looked pleasant but also very mistrustful. His purplish blue eyes looked timid behind his expressive eyebrows and his very dark hair.
Mikasa kneeled a little closer to take a good look at the boy. "He looks like a mini version of you, Eren," she joked, but it was true.
The boy had his arms crossed and looked up at his parents. He was a little scared by being presented to strangers, but he was good at playing tough.
"Everyone says that," Historia replied, commenting on her son's appearance.
"And this is Ymir," the Queen put forward her small daughter, the other twin. The girl was very timid and she didn't enjoy being dragged from behind her mother's dress.
"Hi! I'm Azzy," the boy said excitedly, presenting himself to the girl. Azzy smiled, perhaps to break the tension and make the scared girl feel a little better.
Ymir didn't reply. She hid herself again, behind her mother's dress.
-.-
≃2000 years ago
[Five Years after the first appearance of The Titan]
"I'll say, Severus was never very much of a good looker," King Fritz commented. He had the disembodied head of the Marlean General in his hand, holding it by the hair. The face was of a scared and surprised old man, as if the poor soul hadn't expected the sharp blade that had swiftly passed through his neck.
The King sat on his throne; he was proudly inspecting the gift, turning the freshly cut head around. He had the evilest grin on his face. Fritz gave the prize to one of his servants and turned to address the assassin who had brought him such a thoughtful gift.
"I just thought you would like to add it to your collection, Your Majesty," the brave knight told him, and bowed in front of the throne.
"I heard you were good at severing heads, but this is impressive, I must admit." Fritz told the man. He was trying to read the Marlean soldier's expressions, but the young fellow didn't give much away. "I suppose this offering is a sign of loyalty, and a way to ease your admission into my army. But, tell me: for a Marlean soldier to make his way into his general's trust, to form a bond with the man, only to then cut off his head and end his life without hesitation-" The King held his chin while making his discourse. He looked straight into the young man's eyes. "-That's quite a betrayal. Why would I accept someone capable of such treachery and deception into my army?" he asked the man.
The soldier stayed there, kneeled. He decided to rectify and defend his true reasoning in this matter: "My offering is not to show allegiance. It was simply a sample of my skills. I didn't form any 'bonds' with their army, and I have no intention to form bonds here either. I'm sorry if you misunderstood my act, but I had no intention to imply loyalty. The only person I am loyal to is myself," the brave knight stated in a polished manner. He continued, "I am merely an assassin for hire. The reason I decided to leave the Marlean army and join yours is simple: I heard that you pay well. Much better than Marley, in fact. And ultimately, it's always better to play for the winning side. I should take pleasure in it," he told the King, in a soulless tone.
"Hmm," the King reflected for a moment, still unable to read enough about this unconventional specimen. But curious enough about his prospects if acquiring such a skilful mercenary. "So are you saying you would gladly cut my head off if something better were to turn up?" he asked the man.
"Yes, I would," the knight disclosed, without hesitation.
Ludvík, the King's right hand man, took offence to that. He was ready to draw his sword. Fritz gave a sign for him to stand down, as the soldier hadn't finished speaking.
"But," the man continued, "with things as they are, I doubt it would come to that. You have the greatest weapon this world has ever seen. I don't see Eldia losing any wars any time soon," he clarified. "Maybe not ever," he added, to flatter the King. He knew Fritz dreamed of a never-ending empire.
"True," the King confirmed, with that evil grin again. "Lud, he is all yours now," Fritz declared. "Keep an eye on him," he added in a quieter voice, for only his right hand man to hear. "I'm sure you can make the best use of this young man's skills," the King affirmed in a welcoming tone, with open arms and that grin again on his face.
Ludvík was a brute of a man, the strongest and most skilled soldier in the entirety of the Eldian army. He was Fritz's right hand man for a reason. He slowly came down the dais, walking towards the young man, at a very intimidating pace. He looked the new recruit up and down and gestured to the still kneeled man to finally stand up.
"I've heard the stories about you," he told the recruit. "They say you are very skilled and ruthless. But those Marleans are weak; you are used to mediocrity. We'll make a real man out of you yet!" he grimly teased the young fellow and showed him into the direction of the soldiers' tents.
Azymondeus walked around the camp. Very absent-minded, even a little negligent to the decisions in life he had made so far. He was looking for his tent, the one Lud had told him was his. It was a bright and colourful day and the twenty-year-old decided to only focus on that. The young man was enjoying his life; he charismatically nodded and smiled while passing by his new comrades.
"Welcome to the Eldian Empire," he heard a very seductive voice greet him as he entered the small tent. She was there, waiting for him.
The young woman was gracefully lying on the makeshift bed. Comfortably stretched out in her fancy white dress, complemented by her gold necklaces and bracelets. She laid with one hand holding her head and the other playing with her own blonde hair. "So, how did it go?" Ymir casually asked, and gave him a lovely smile.
Azzy opened his eyes wide. "What? How-" He frantically tried to close the flap of the poorly-made tent as best as he could. Az couldn't form complete sentences. "You shouldn't be here," he whispered.
"Why not?" she asked carelessly. "It's my army," the beautiful queen reminded him, graciously pointing at her chest.
"I meant you shouldn't be near the soldiers' tents," he clarified. "What if someone sees you?"
"It's true, this place is a bit gross," she agreed with much disdain and stood up. "I just wanted to come down and say hello." She justified it with an innocent pout. Ymir walked closer to embrace him. "So, how was it?" she asked again.
"Easier than we expected," he responded, while caressing her long hair. "Either he's even more gullible than we thought or he's playing me," Az wondered. "But it doesn't matter, I'm here now, aren't I?" He smiled and put his arms around her waist.
"So, you are one of us now? Officially?" she asked, seeking for certainty.
"Sure, I guess one could say that," he conceded. "I am all yours," he told her, smiling.
"And we can be together?" Ymir asked again. "Closer together," she clarified, holding him closer. "All the time?"
"All the time," he confirmed. Az slowly moved closer to her lips and gave her the intense, long-awaited, and long-lasting kiss she was yearning for.
The humble tent wasn't completely closed, and adding to that, one could also see their silhouettes, reflected by candlelight, through the ordinary sheets.
"Look at that," a curious soldier commented while passing by, "the newbie is getting lucky on his first day." He stood, a little further away from the tent, and squinted for a moment. "Wait, is that the qu-"
"You should mind your own business," Lud interrupted the young soldier, before the brainless and toothless man could jump to any conclusions. "Don't you have some polishing and sharpening to finish?" the General asked, pointing at a pile of swords, axes and spears nearby.
Ludvík was very much aware of the love affair and he protected it. The old, heartless man was blessed with five sons, but he never had any daughters of his own. Over time he had grown very fond of Ymir; he safeguarded the young soul. Lud knew she had found love in the middle of war and that the foreigner made her extremely happy.
End of Chapter Eight: "Hizuru"