You all were riding towards Wall Sina, right along the crawling titan. Ruby was still in the cart, but she hadn't taken her eyes off of Hanji who was wide awake now. You sat next to Historia.

"Let's put this all together..." Hanji said, "Basically, Rod Reiss was after the Founding Titan, the titan power inside Eren. However, unless it's in someone with Reiss blood, you won't get its true potential. Though, even if a Reiss obtains the Founding Titan's power, they're controlled by the First King's will and refuse to liberate humanity from the titans. Eh? Well, isn't that interesting... according to the First king, this is true peace? Now that's a weird way to look at it."

"Enough, Hanji," Ruby softly said, "That wound may not be serious, but it's taken you out of the battle for now. Save your strength." Hanji didn't argue with her. You watched them interact with each other.

'Normally Hanji never shuts up like that. She must really respect Ruby.' Your eyes flickered up to the aforementioned.

'And Ruby must care a lot about Hanji. So why is she never there, then?'

"In other words... we still have an option," Eren spoke up quietly, "If that titan eats me, Rod Reiss will return to a human. Which means it's still possible to have a true Founding Titan."

"Because that's worked out so far," you said humorlessly.

"Seems that way," Levi said from behind you on his horse. "We could capture Rod Reiss once he becomes a human. Undo the First King's brainwashing. If we could do that, it might open a path to save humanity." You crossed your arms and thought of the hundred ways that plan could go wrong.

"Plus, Eren... are you saying you're fully prepared to let that happen?"
Said boy slowly looked up and back towards him.

"I am," he replied.

"Don't give me that bullshit. You're forgetting our other option," you chimed in.

"Miss Y/n's right," Historia agreed, "First of all, the current plan is full of flaws. One, there's no proof that you can undo Rod Reiss' brainwashing. No matter how you restrain him, if he alters humanity's memories, it's over. Basically, there's too many factors about the Founding Titan that we just don't know."

'Took the words right out of my mouth.' You thought, letting out a sigh.

"True... even if Rod Reiss eats Eren, we have no guarantee that he'll return to normal," Armin turned to say to you all. Historia hummed in agreement.

"On the other hand, all we've ever known is destructive pacifists, but as it stands, the Founding Titan was taken from them. This is a once in a lifetime chance for humanity," she said. Eren seemed to come back after she said that. "Yes...  your father was trying to save us and humanity from the First King. He stole the Founding Titan from my sister... murdered all of the Reiss children... because he had no choice."

'A choice with no regrets.' You thought, looking up at the sky. Voices of agreement rang from the members of Squad Levi.

"That makes life a little easier," Levi said. You saw Hanji and Ruby exchange looks with each other.

"Hanji agrees with that choice, if it means anything," Ruby spoke up. All attention fell on her. "That's not how I would've approached the situation, but it's not my call." Her face suddenly got more serious as she spoke further.

"However, Historia, are you sure about this? Having a titan that big in the walls will cause at least some problems. Not to mention he's too big to restrain by normal means." Ruby leaned to the side and gestured with her hand to the titan. "You'll have to kill your father, and there's no way around it." That seemed to stir something inside of Historia, since she hesitated on answering. Her expression turned dead, then. No emotion.

"Eren," she said, "I'm sorry. Underneath the Reiss chapel... I really considered becoming a titan and killing you." You looked down at her in interest.

"What's more, not even to save humanity... only because I wanted to believe my father. I didn't want my father to hate me... but now, it's time to say goodbye." A breathy chuckle left Ruby's lips.

"Brave. How admirable." She leaned back against the wagon and crossed her legs. It didn't take long before her sharp gaze landed on you. "I want to talk to you later."

~
You all were now inside Wall Sina with the titan still crawling its way over. You were in the Orvud District, in the Regiment Branch. The horses were getting tend to, Hanji was being taken to the infirmary by Ruby and Moblit. To be quite honest, he didn't need to go with her, but you weren't going to question them. You walked up to and stood next to Levi who was petting the muzzle of his horse. Noir looked over at you and nuzzled against your head. You returned his kind gestures.

'Wait... where's Star?' You thought, your brows furrowing together.

"I haven't seen your horse in a while. Where is she?" Levi asked the question that was on your mind.

"To be honest, I don't know," you said truthfully.

"I don't even remember the last time I rode her." Levi looked troubled for a moment, but it was gone before you could fully tell. Before he could get a reply out, a soldier walked up behind him.

"Please gather your squad in the hall. The strategy meeting is about to begin," he said.

"All right," Levi agreed. He turned and walked towards Historia who jumped down from the wagon.

"Historia. Forgot to tell you..." He trailed off. "We need you to do something." Just at the right moment, the rest of Squad Levi appeared.

"Yes?" Historia answered.

"Erwin's orders. When this battle is over, since you're the true successor to the throne... become the Queen."
If you had water in your mouth, you would've spat it out.

"Qu-Queen?! Historia?!" Sasha exclaimed.

"The coup d'état was successful, but the people won't follow a regiment sitting at the top. What we need is a story to spread. That a true heir retook the crown from the fake," he explained.

'Wow... what pressure.' You thought, gently stroking Noir's head.

'Even I wouldn't want that burden placed on top of me.'

"I..." Historia trailed off.

"Um, Captain?" Connie raised his hand from the back. "I'm sure you heard what Historia said earlier, but... well, uh... by leaving her father, she finally broke free from that burden, I guess you could say... and yet, again..." He kept fumbling over his words, not really knowing how to string them together.

"What?" Levi inquired, "If you have something to say, say it."

"Uh, um..."

"Basically," you spoke up, walking through the group. "That stupid shit is trying to say that Historia broke free from the Reiss family and found herself. Yet, you're forcing her into another role." Your stare landed on Connie who flinched lightly.

"They don't think that's fair... isn't that correct?" You inquired.

"All right," Historia spoke up before he could answer. "My next duty is to be Queen, right? Understood."

"Wow." You whistled. "That was easier than expected."

"Thanks for you concern, but whether or not it's forced on me is up to me to decide, I think. However..." She turned her head away from Armin and looked back at you and Levi. "Captain, Miss. I do have one condition."

"What is it?" You inquired while Levi just hummed.

"Since my fate is my own, I want to lay it all on the line."

~
The strategy meeting inside was beginning. Members of the Garrison were also present along with Squad Levi. Hanji, Moblit, and Ruby were there too. You stood in line with the superiors in front of Erwin who was across the table. The door behind you opened, and you turned your head to see Historia walk in the room with gear on. She stood in between Mikasa and Eren.

'At least she's not some scaredy cat like I thought she would be.' You thought. A Garrison member walked up with a piece of paper in his hand.

"We've determined the location of Rod Reiss' titan. It southwest, approaching Orvud. At his rate, it should reach Orvud District by dawn," he explained.

"Understood," a fellow Garrison member said, "Commander Erwin, we'd all like to hear what your plan is. How do you intend to evacuate the citizens in time?" He turned to the blond.

"We won't evacuate," Erwin replied simply.

"Wh-what?"

"We'll have the citizens remain in Orvud District just as they are," he ordered. Several murmurs spread through the room at his plan.

"Are you insane?" The Garrison member questioned.

"It's better than letting the citizens panic," Ruby spoke up from the corner of the room. "Announcing that there's a behemoth of a titan coming straight towards them is absurd." The Garrison all turned their heads towards her.

"Who are you? I don't recognize you," he questioned.

"I'm not a part of any regimen, but I am allied with the Survey Corps. My name is Ruby Akuma. Nice to meet you." From the way her eyes sharpened, you could easily tell she was asserting her dominance over them. While she may not be a high ranking officer, she's a high ranking assassin, and she could kill them easily if provoked. You could see their shoulders tense from her icy introduction.

'Show off.' You thought, scowling.

Ja ne!

{Ruby Red}