Chapter Text
Karina stood near the main entrance of the internment zone in Liberio, feeling quite anxious.
The people of Liberio had heard about the battle at Radgend, but unfortunately they had been provided almost no details. They weren't even entirely sure who had made it through the battle alive, and who had died. From what they had gathered, there had been many casualties, and many families were both hoping for and dreading the day more information about the battle arrived.
As he was the Armored Titan, Karina was fairly certain that her son was okay, as they would have said something if their strongest Warrior had perished. But she knew that others would likely be less fortunate.
Standing next to her were other members of her family, all of them looking as nervous as she felt. To her left was her brother Charles and his wife Jennifer, along with their son David. To her right stood her sister Carolina and her husband Thomas, both of them clearly worried about their daughter Gabi.
A fairly sizable crowd of people had gathered at the gate, as they were waiting for the Warriors to return home that morning.
In addition to the battle at Radgend, there had also been a series of attacks on various coastal cities and ports all along the coast. Liberio was the only remaining major port in Marley that had not been attacked yet, and so much of Marley's army was being relocated there to bolster the defenses. As many of the Eldian soldiers hailed from Liberio, they were permitted to stop by the internment zone in order to visit their families.
As she scanned the crowd, Karina recognized many of the people there who had also come to greet the returning soldiers. There was mister and misses Grice, who were awaiting the return of their two sons, Colt and Falco; mister and misses Galliard, who were expecting their son, the keeper of the Jaws Titan; and an older man she recognized as the father of Pieck, keeper of the Cart Titan.
She noted several people who were absent, namely mister and misses Yeager, and mister Leonhart. She couldn't blame them for not coming, as it would likely reopen old wounds.
She felt particularly sorry for the Yeagers. They were good, honest, hard working people. But their daughter had been murdered, their son had turned out to be a traitor, and their grandson had been killed during the mission to reclaim the Founding Titan. Now they had no one left but each other.
As for mister Leonhart, he was in an arguably even worse situation. While the deaths of Marcel, Zeke and Bertolt had been confirmed, there was no clear indication of what had happened to Annie. She could be alive or dead, and not knowing which one was the truth was likely causing mister Leonhart a great deal of grief and anxiety.
After waiting for what felt like an eternity, the gates of the internment zone in Liberio finally swung open, revealing the returning Warriors.
Karina felt a mixture of relief and nervousness as she saw her son near the front of the group.
Before long many reunions were taking place, though some were happier than others. Off to one side Porco greeted his parents, reassuring them that he was fine. Further away, Falco approached his parents alone, his arm in a sling. After he spoke quietly to them and they both abruptly burst into tears and hugged him, Karina was able to guess that Colt had not survived the battle.
Carolina and Thomas rushed forward as they saw their daughter running towards them.
"Gabi!" Carolina cried.
Gabi's eyes teared up. "Mom! Dad!"
The two embraced their daughter, thankful that she was okay.
Thomas smiled warmly. "We got your letter yesterday. You have become one of Marley's Warriors. We're so proud of you."
Gabi smiled nervously. "Yeah…"
Carolina gently patted her head. "We knew you could do it. Be careful out there."
A moment later, Karina's son was in front of her.
"Reiner." She breathed.
He nodded, a small forced smile on his face. "Mother."
She smiled warmly. "It's good to see you."
Gabi turned toward them. "Hi Aunt Karina!"
"Oh, hello Gabi. We're having dinner tonight at our house."
Gabi nodded. "Sounds good."
Before long the crowd of people began to disperse, with the returning soldiers heading for their homes alongside their loved ones.
During the walk back to their house, Reiner was silent.
She spoke up. "So, how have you been? You haven't written any letters, so I've only heard about you second hand from the guards and the newspapers."
Reiner winced. "Yeah, sorry about that. With everything going on with the war, General Magath and I have been extremely busy."
She nodded. "Yes. I heard about Colt, and Pieck. Those wicked island devils have killed so many people and caused so much suffering."
Her face tightened with anger. "Yet they have the nerve to portray themselves as the victims. Utterly disgusting. What's worse, other nations seem to be buying their ludicrous lies. It's just appalling."
She looked at him seriously. "Reiner, you spent five years on that island. You of all people must know the truth about these devils. They claim that the 145th king took away their memories of the outside world and left them helpless and ignorant. Surely that ridiculous claim is a lie, yes?"
Her question was met with a stony silence, and Reiner kept his eyes forward, not looking at her.
"Reiner?"
He shook his head. "What I saw on that island is classified information. I'm not allowed to talk about it."
He pushed the front door open and stepped into their house without another word. Karina watched her son's retreating form, feeling worried and wondering what was bothering him.
That evening the entire Braun family gathered around the same table for the first time in over a year. The eight of them sat down at a long table weighed down with a modest feast that had been prepared by Karina and her sister in law Jennifer.
Charles looked at his nephew and niece fondly. "It's good to have you two home. It's been a while since the whole family has gathered together like this."
David beamed at his cousin. "Hey Gabi, congratulations on inheriting the Cart Titan!"
Gabi ducked her head shyly.
Karina smiled softly. "Yes. It's wonderful that our family has been able to offer up two Warriors to Marley."
Charles frowned. "Although I'm a little puzzled. I thought Pieck still had two years of tenure left."
Carolina spoke up. "She did, but the guards gave me the report about the battle. Apparently during the battle of Radgend Pieck rallied the troops after Marley's leaders were killed by the devils. Thanks to her leadership Marley was able to win the day. However, she sustained serious injuries during the battle, and they were severe enough that not even her Titan powers could revive her. So her power was passed on to Gabi."
Gabi glanced to the side uncomfortably, while Reiner kept his eyes on his plate.
Jennifer bowed her head. "It's a shame that she died prematurely, but at least she died with honor, giving her life for our homeland."
Thomas nodded. "Yes. And it looks like your hard work paid off. Well done Gabi."
Gabi forced a smile. "Yeah…"
David looked at her in awe. "Wow, it must be so cool to be able to turn into a Titan. Have you done it yet? What's it like?"
Gabi stammered. "N-no, I haven't done it yet. My training starts tomorrow, with Reiner supervising in case I lose control."
She then went back to her food, hoping the others wouldn't ask her too many questions.
Sensing she didn't really feel like talking, Charles interjected. "Well, I'm sure she must be nervous. It's a big responsibility to possess one of the nine Titans. But with Reiner to help guide you I'm sure you'll do just fine."
Karina frowned darkly. "Yes. If only this damned war would end. Victory was so close, but then those island devils had to enter the war and prolong this conflict. As long as those wicked monsters are on the loose, the world will continue to be in turmoil. Us virtuous Eldians won't be able to rest at night until every last one of those devils has been wiped out."
Charles nodded gravely. "True. Those islanders could end the world at any time. As it stands, the world has good reason to hate the Eldian race."
Thomas glanced at him uneasily. "Although, that article in the international newspaper said…"
Carolina looked at him sharply. "Dear, I told you not to talk about that."
He flinched. "Sorry."
David looked at them curiously. "What? What is it?"
Carolina shook her head. "Nothing."
Karina waved her hand dismissively. "I don't think there's any harm mentioning it."
She looked at David seriously. "After the battle at Fort Slava, those devils and their Mid East Allies published a propaganda piece. It painted themselves as the victims and Marley as the evil aggressor, all in a transparent attempt to engender sympathy from the international community."
Her eyes narrowed. "While many countries around the world remain against these devils, a regrettable number of nations appear to have fallen for this pack of lies. Or perhaps they think that currying favor with the island devils will protect them from the rumbling should the islanders unleash their Titans. Spineless cowards."
Charles sighed. "Indeed, it's a troubling state of affairs. But at least we have brave soldiers who are willing to fight the good fight against these devils."
He gestured at Reiner and Gabi, his gaze proud.
Jennifer concurred. "Well said."
David looked at Reiner curiously. "Say, didn't you fight against the devils on the island itself? That must have been dangerous."
Karina shook her head. "We shouldn't ask Reiner about it. Everything having to do with his time on that island is classified. Besides, I'm sure he doesn't want to relive such unpleasant memories."
David ducked his head. "Oh, I'm sorry."
From there, the meal and the conversation was fairly normal and happy, but it was slightly strained as the other members of the family quickly noticed that Reiner and Gabi were being unusually quiet. They only engaged in the conversation when necessary to be polite, and otherwise gave monosyllabic answers to questions before becoming silent once more.
In Reiner's case, he'd been that way ever since he returned from the island, and most of the family attributed it to the traumatic experiences he had during the five years he spent on the island, so hadn't pressed him on it.
Gabi, though, used to be extremely talkative and outgoing, enthusiastic about her role as a Warrior cadet and one of the final candidates for the Cart Titan. For her to suddenly mirror Reiner's more withdrawn and troubled demeanor after finally achieving her goal worried them.
Eventually the meal came to a close, and they began to disperse. Charles, Jennifer, and David left first, and before long Gabi's family also headed for the door.
Carolina looked at her sister regretfully. "Well, we'd better get going, it's almost curfew."
Karina gave her a quick hug. "Very well. It was lovely having you over."
Thomas held up his hand. "Have a good night."
Thomas pushed the door open for his wife and daughter.
Gabi paused. "Wait. Is it okay if I stay here tonight?"
Carolina looked at her in shock. "Huh?"
Gabi glanced at the ground. "It's just, Reiner and I have to get up early in the morning for training tomorrow, and Reiner's been really helpful with making sure I don't oversleep."
Carolina blinked. "Oh, okay. Is that a problem?"
Karina shook her head. "No, not at all."
After a moment of hesitation, Carolina stepped through the door her husband was holding open, looking at her daughter uncertainly.
"Well, see you tomorrow. Goodnight Gabi."
Gabi smiled softly. "Night mom, night dad."
A short while later, the three remaining people in the small house were getting ready for bed. Reiner finished first, and after pulling out a sleeping mat for Gabi he sat down on his bed, staring absently out the window.
After putting her sleeping clothes on, Gabi made her way up to Reiner's room. She slowly walked over to his bed and sat down next to him.
For a few minutes, neither of them spoke, instead simply staring out the darkened window.
Gabi murmured. "...so that's why."
Reiner glanced at her. "Hmm?"
Gabi looked up at him. "Ever since you returned from the island, you always seemed uncomfortable at these family dinners. I could never understand why...but now…"
Reiner looked away, his expression unreadable.
Gabi looked down at the floor. "I...saw some of Pieck's memories from her time on that island. That hole in the wall...those abandoned houses...that field...full of...corpses…"
She shuddered. "Not only that...but I heard what Pieck was thinking...both on and off the island...she was smart, really smart...and…"
She looked out the window, observing the faint outline of neighboring houses. "They have no idea."
She looked back at Reiner. "There are no devils on that island, are there? There's only people. People who...who have every right to hate Marley...for what was done to them nine years ago."
Reiner remained silent, though his posture had stiffened.
Gabi watched him sadly. "Reiner, please say something."
After a few more minutes had passed in silence, Reiner leaned forward.
His voice was very quiet. "I...everyone thinks I'm a hero, the brave warrior who fought against those island devils. But the truth is...I'm a fraud. I'm nothing but a mass murderer who snuffed out the lives of thousands of innocent people who never did anything wrong."
Tears had started to slide down his cheeks. "And maybe that wouldn't be so bad if I'd completed our mission, but I didn't. I failed. And on top of that...Marcel...Bertolt...Annie...Zeke...they're all gone because of me."
He bowed his head. "I'm not a hero...I'm a murderer and a failure."
Gabi hugged him. "No you're not. Not to me. You've struggled and worked so hard, and no matter what happens you keep getting back up. You saved my life and the lives of others countless times over the past four years."
She lowered her eyes. "And...I'm no better than you. I also thought they were nothing but devils. If it wasn't for Pieck's memories, I still would."
She looked at him uncertainly. "What...what should we do? What should I do?"
Reiner wiped his eyes before looking at her seriously. "For now, we have to keep this to ourselves. We have to be the strong Warriors of Marley, committed to the motherland and our continued fight against the island devils. We can't let the others know the truth, not yet. We don't want to get them into trouble. Beyond that we have to trust in Magath's plan. If anyone can bring this war to an end, it's him."
Gabi nodded slowly. "Okay…"
Reiner smiled sadly. "I'm sorry this burden was forced on you. But...it is nice to know I'm not alone anymore."
Gabi's eyes began to water. "You're never alone."
Reiner pulled her in for a proper hug, and the two of them shed more silent tears.
Just outside of Reiner's room, Karina stood still as a statue, visibly disturbed by the conversation she had just overheard.
Gabi burst out of her Titan's nape with a gasp. It was unbelievably hot in there, and she could tell it was a sensation that would take some getting used to.
A moment later, the Armored Titan lay still, and Reiner emerged from its nape.
Gabi clumsily climbed down from her Titan as Reiner approached her.
Reiner nodded approvingly at her. "Not bad for your first time. A little rough around the edges, but still well done."
"Thanks." She panted, still feeling slightly overheated.
They were a few miles away from Liberio in a series of underground caverns that were used to train new Titan shifters. It had been an important place for most of Marley's Warriors, with only the Colossal Titan being too big to train there.
For her first day, they'd just had her transform and practice moving around in her Titan form, getting used to the feeling of using the power of the Titans. She managed to maintain control almost immediately, and they soon found out that she had the ability to speak while in Titan form, which made communication easier. After several hours of training, Reiner had decided it was time for a break.
Reiner clapped his hands. "Now, let's go have some lunch, since I know using the power of the Titans can be very tiring."
The two of them made their way up out of the caverns and into the military building that was just above them.
As the two of them got lunch in the building's cafeteria, Reiner sat down next to some of the older Marleyan and Eldian soldiers, while Gabi chose to sit down next to some familiar faces.
She grinned. "Hey guys!"
Her three fellow cadets perked up once they saw her.
"Gabi!" Udo exclaimed. "It's been a while."
Zofia let out a small smile. "Congrats on getting the Cart Titan."
Falco nodded at her. "We saved you a seat."
While she and Falco had been chosen as the final candidates for the Cart Titan, they hadn't been the only cadets up for consideration. And after the events at Radgend, Udo and Zofia had also been chosen as Warrior candidates. With Colt's premature death, Falco was next in line to inherit the Armored Titan. Their job was to serve as backups in case something happened to Falco. If nothing did, then they would be the final candidates for the Jaws Titan once Porco's term was up.
Gabi sat down and slowly began to eat her lunch.
Udo looked at her in concern. "Is something wrong?"
Gabi shook her head. "Oh, no, I'm fine. I'm just a bit tired from training."
Zofia glanced at Falco. "Plus, they've been in real battles, unlike us."
Udo winced. "Oh, yeah. Sorry."
Falco looked down at his plate. "It's okay. I just hope we can win against those island devils."
His face darkened. "I'll never forgive them for killing Colt. Evil bastards."
Zofia picked at her food. "Still, this means that you're next in line for the Armored Titan, right?"
Falco grimaced. "Yeah, but... I'd rather have my brother back."
He straightened up. "Still, getting the Armored Titan will enable me to punish those devils for their sins."
As he and the others went on to discuss the evilness of the island devils, Gabi found herself feeling uncomfortable.
Back at the academy, she had often been the one to bring up the island devils, and how she would be the hero that would liberate the Eldian people. Things had been so simple back then. They were the good Eldians, the good people, and the islanders were evil. Her goals and her enemies were clear, the nature of the world black and white.
All of that was gone now. Her discussions with Reiner and the memories she'd inherited from Pieck had shattered her simple mentality and shown her the reality of the morally grey world they lived in. It made the boasts and proclamations her younger self had made seem silly, and now it was uncomfortable hearing her friends continue to spout the same ridiculous rhetoric.
After chatting for a while and trying to steer the conversation onto more cheerful topics, Gabi eventually had to leave for further training.
As she left, the three cadets watched her carefully.
Udo frowned. "She seems...different."
Zofia nodded. "Yeah, she used to be so lively and full of energy, not to mention loud. But now…"
Falco grimaced. "She's been like that ever since she inherited the Cart Titan."
Zofia blinked. "But why?"
Falco shrugged. "She hasn't really said. Well, I think she has told Reiner and General Magath, but she hasn't talked to me about it. She's seen at least some of Pieck's memories."
Zofia looked puzzled. "Really? I thought you could only see memories of the past holder if they were a blood relative."
Udo shook his head. "No. Being related certainly helps, but it isn't a requirement. Memories play a huge role in forming who we are. So in a sense, part of her has become Pieck, and that would affect her personality to a certain extent."
Falco frowned. "Maybe. Pieck was rather quiet. But she wasn't this serious. What could Gabi have seen in Pieck's memories that would affect her this much?"
Udo shook his head. "I don't know."
Zofia glanced at Falco. "Why not try asking her?"
Falco looked away. "Well…"
Udo smirked. "What, are you scared?"
Falco blushed. "What? No, I'm not scared!"
After that Udo and Zofia teased Falco for a while, much to his dismay. Ever since the academy, it had been painfully obvious that Falco had a crush on Gabi. Well, painfully obvious to everyone except for Gabi, of course. While she was smart when it came to combat and most of her studies, when it came to romance and certain other social situations, Gabi seemed completely clueless.
Or at least, the old Gabi had been. While he didn't completely understand her change, Falco hoped that perhaps now she would be more receptive to his feelings.
As the cadets headed back for their own training, all Falco could think about was what he should say to Gabi. While he was too late to save her from becoming a shifter at a young age, he could still try to make her happy.
Once I inherit the Armored Titan, I'll help Gabi wipe out those island devils. Then, I can work on building a future for us.
Several days later, an important meeting occurred in one of the office buildings just outside of the internment zone.
General Magath looked carefully at the only other person in the room. "So, everything has been arranged?"
Willy Tybur nodded. "Yes. Now we just have to wait for the enemy to make their next move. It shouldn't be too long. Liberio is the last major port Marley has, and we have a military base just outside of the city. If the enemy intends to invade, they will have to strike here first."
"Yes. But will they actually try to invade?"
Willy grimaced. "I'm afraid that possibility is looking more likely."
He pulled out a copy of the newspaper and handed it to Magath. As Magath looked it over, he frowned grimly at the bad news.
The paper revealed that Hizuru and several other nations had joined the coalition against Marley. Other nations had declared that they would remain neutral in the war, but it was clear that, for the time being, Marley was on its own.
Magath folded the paper. "I see. It will take them some time to organize their forces, but once they're ready…"
Willy inclined his head. "How are things proceeding on your end?"
Magath glanced out a nearby window. "Fairly well. Losing Pieck was unfortunate, but at least we still have the Cart Titan, and Reiner and Porco are working with Gabi to hone her Titan abilities. We may even be able to reuse some of the weapons we designed for Pieck with Gabi, though obviously we'll need to make some adjustments given the size difference."
Magath looked back at Willy. "As for the more discreet parts, well...one of my agents has been keeping tabs on an underground resistance group, hidden within Marley's military. He managed to get inside this group, and has uncovered some interesting information. Apparently this group was originally started by Zeke Yeager."
Willy looked up sharply. "The former Beast Titan?"
"Yes. It seems that he was gathering forces to undermine Marley. However, we aren't sure of his reasons for doing this, nor do we know what his goals were, and his death at the battle of Shiganshina prevented any of his plans from getting off the ground."
Willy frowned. "Hmm. To think one of our own Warriors was plotting to betray us."
"After his death, the group was briefly lead by a woman called Yelena, before she disappeared three years ago during one of the reconnaissance missions to Paradis. After that, the group was largely inactive until Yelena mysteriously returned about two months ago. Turns out during those missing three years she had been working with the islanders, and now the resistance group has been helping Paradis and the Mid East Alliance, primarily by providing information about Marley's military from the inside."
Willy frowned thoughtfully. "I see, this is a disturbing development. Are you going to shut down this group?"
Magath shook his head. "No, I am not."
Willy looked at him in shock. "Why?"
"For one, we still don't know who all of the members are. For another, given what we're trying to do we could use this to our advantage. If we 'accidentally' leak the military strategy Marley intends to use for the war, our enemies on Paradis will quickly see an opportunity to end the war immediately. And if the leak comes from this group, they will have every reason to believe that the intel is genuine."
"I see. The perfect bait for our cleverly hidden trap. But will they take it?"
Magath sighed. "I don't know. As I said before, we don't have all the information we need, and a lot of our planning has been resting on assumptions and guesses. Reasonable assumptions and educated guesses, but still, not on verified facts. But as you've said, we can't afford to wait any longer."
Willy folded his arms. "Yes. If this plan succeeds, we will be in a position to force Marley's enemies to halt the war. If this plan fails, we will have no choice but to surrender. But either way, the war must end, and it must end soon. The longer it lasts, the greater the damage to our country. And whether this plan succeeds or not, we will be getting rid of the dead wood in our military, leaving those of us with cooler heads to steer Marley towards a better future."
Magath was silent for a moment before slowly extending his hand.
"Eldians may be descendents of devils. But it is also certain...that we too are devils."
Willy shook his hand, a solemn expression on his face.
Author's Note: As far as I can tell, Reiner's extended family didn't have names, so I just made up names for them. I used chapter 94 as a reference for a lot of this chapter, as there are a number of parallels.
Someone noted that since Gabi's last name is Braun, then her father should have been Karina's sibling rather then her mother. Well, I'm just going to say that Thomas elected to take his wife's last name instead. Maybe he didn't like his original last name, I don't know. In the world of Attack on Titan there seems to be an anomalously large number of female soldiers given the time period, so it seems that this world got a head start on equal rights for women compared to our world. Maybe one of the Founding Titans of the past was a woman, and decided to promote gender equality, and since the Founding Titan basically gives you god like powers, everyone just went along with it.
Anyways, be sure to let me know what you thought of this chapter.