𝟹𝚛𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙿𝙾𝚅

It was three years ago...a time when they might have been able to change something.

"They're here." Y/n announced, finally opening her eyes after using her Eagle Vision for a long period of time.

Eren, in his Titan form, lifted the ship, where brave volunteers from Marley cowered in fear.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen of Marley! Welcome to the island of Paradis!" Hanji screamed, excited to meet them.

Hanji introduced herself and offered them to join her for a cup of tea. Obviously, they weren't going to give in to that.

Hanji introduced Niccolo, a warrior they just captured earlier since he arrived there before the others did, as a friend and claimed that they were getting along very well.

"Captain! Don't mind me! Just shoot these darned devils!" Niccolo yelled, immediately making Hanji worried.

"Why would you say that, Niccolo?" Hanji nervously chuckled, sweat trickling down her forehead.

"He's clearly not interested in playing along with your dumb skit." Levi scoffed, his blade pressed against Niccolo's back, just in case.

"Listen up, you darned devils! Marley isn't interested in hearing from anyone with defiled blood. What makes you think we'd ever sip pig's piss with you, tarnished rascals?!" a warrior yelled.

"Watch your mouth." Y/n scoffed. She was disappointed. Just because their ancestors did unimaginable things, why do they blame this generation now? She wished to change their views.

"W-We will not bend to the power of devils! This is all that Marley has to say to you!" the man continued before getting shot.

"Hanji! I'm honored to receive your invitation. How about that tea?" Yelena, an anti-Marleyan, brought up.

"What exactly are they after? That big lady shot her comrades to death..." Y/n mumbled, staring at Yelena.

The said young lady that Y/n mentioned, Yelena, glanced at Y/n's direction and gave her a sweet smile.

A smile that showed her eagerness to meet Y/n, the person who inherited the Soaring Titan from a former warrior of Marley.

Yelena is a very tall woman with her blonde hair styled in a short bob with straight bangs.

She has large dark eyes and somewhat androgynous features due to her build and style.

"Who knows." Connie shrugged.

"Well, we can't trust them. Whether they're on our side or not." Jean stared at them suspiciously while Mikasa tried to wake Sasha up.

"But being able to talk to them is an incredible chance to gather intelligence." Armin argued, making Y/n agree.

"Yeah, we really got lucky there. It wasn't anything that we did that kept them from landing here." Eren spoke up. He had just left his Titan form.

"If the Marleyans were serious, they would have come in force. We'll have to do something." Y/n sighed.

Zeke Jaeger's, the man that Y/n's older sister was supposed to marry, requests are as follows:

Accept him onto the island of Paradis for the remainder of the time he has left.

Introduce him to the soldier who possesses the Founding Titan, his half-brother, Eren Jaeger.

Allow him to take the soldier in possession of the Soaring Titan, Y/n Voland, under his right wing. In simpler terms, he wants to take Y/n Voland into custody.

In return, he will guarantee Paradis's safety.

He will provide them with the latest technology, including weapons.

He will act as a mediator between us and friendly nations, which he claims exist.

And finally, he will provide support for intelligence activities targeting Marley.

All this could be done to rescue the Eldian people, whose existence is now threatened.

"Absolutely not! Who would ever agree to such a ridiculous offer?! We're dealing with the Beast Titan here!" the man continued to ramble on.

According to him, Zeke Jaeger turned the people of Ragako, Connie's hometown, into Titans.

He spread terror inside the walls. He's responsible for hunting the Survey Corps to near extinction.

The man found it extremely absurd, how Zeke Jaeger was suddenly making requests. He claimed Zeke Jaeger as someone who is shameless.

"Their one and only goal is to retake the Founding Titan. If force doesn't work, they will use any other means at their disposal." Zachary mentioned.

"Our enemies must realize that as well. Why don't we hear what their leader has to say?" Pyxis beckoned for Hanji to continue.

According to Zeke Jaeger, there's still a secret plan that can be carried out that will solve all of the Eldian people's problems at once.

But in order to carry out this secret plan, he needs the Founding Titan and a Titan with royal blood.

The world can be saved if they have those two things. However, he can only reveal his secret plan after the conditions are met.

"He even highlighted the third condition in red with a heart next to it." Hanji mentioned, referring to Zeke's request of taking Y/n into custody.

"The old man wants to adopt me? I understand why, but we're in war..." Y/n sweatdropped, finding Zeke's request unreasonable.

"I've heard enough."

"It seems like he truly thinks of us as fools."

Eren confirmed this to be true and recalled his encounter with Dina Fritz's Titan and how he was able to control pure Titans for a brief period of time.

Zeke Jaegar figured out how to get around the vow renouncing all war, how to activate the one hope left to them, Eldians, the way to use the thousands of Titans sleeping inside of the walls to crush the world to dust.

"Eren..." Armin stared at Eren, concerned. Y/n rested her chin on top of her palm, pondering about all sorts of things.

She still couldn't believe Zeke's true intentions. If Lada didn't escape from that place, what was he planning to do with Lada?

Was he planning on letting her join him in crushing the whole world? Was he planning on betraying her as well?

"You...why did you keep quiet about that this whole time?" Levi inquired, turning around to face Eren.

"Because I was concerned about Historia. I couldn't allow her to become a Titan based only on my own uncertain information. I didn't want that." Eren explained.

Hanji admitted that the plan does fall in line with Zeke's plan, much to her surprise.

Nile's still against it, with other members of the Military Police chiming in and calling for Yelena's death due to her not being trustworthy.

Hanji insisted they need her forces and technology to help them. She then turned to Y/n, who looked back at her in confusion.

"What do you think about this, Y/n? You must know Zeke Jaeger more than the rest of us." she asked.

Y/n thought about it for a while, wondering if they should trust the man. She then recalled all the times Lada had spent with Zeke.

"To be honest, I trust this plan of Zeke's. I say we give it a try." Y/n suggested. This made everyone relieved, except for those who were in doubt.

If they wanted to protect Paradis from Marley's survey boats, they would need volunteers to cooperate with them.

If Yelena doesn't contact them through her wireless communication, then they'll know.

Later, Yelena used her wireless communication to come in contact with the second Marleyan survey fleet heading towards the island.

As the fleet approached, Armin and two other Survey Corps soldiers lie in wait behind a rock in a boat.

As three Marleyan rescue boats attempt to approach the fleet, Armin transformed into his Colossal Titan.

The crew was forced to dive overboard and swim to shore.

They then meet Levi, Y/n, and other Survey Corps members, who pointed their guns at them.

"Greetings. I hope you enjoy your stay here." Y/n greeted.

They then took the Marleyan soldiers as prisoners in their island.

𝚈/𝚗'𝚜 𝙿𝙾𝚅

True, as Eldians, we were feared and hated by the world. By people on the other side of the ocean whose faces we didn't even know.

But not all those people across the ocean were our enemies. We'll just have to wait and see.

Onyankopon explained something called a 'Port'. It's a place where ships can safely lower anchor.

The world was so complicated and full of unknowns. I can't even comprehend the amount of knowledge I'm absorbing.

"What is this food?" Connie stared at the plates filled with delicacies displayed on the table.

"Is this stuff edible?" Jean's face was filled with doubt. Y/n and Armin glanced at each other and shrugged.

Sasha then began to gobble down the...seafood as she burst into tears at its taste. Niccolo seemed to have gotten flustered.

After a while, we settled down and took a seat, beginning to eat the food in front of us that Niccolo made.

"L-Learn some manners." Niccolo bashfully scolded, approaching us with two more plates in his hands.

"I've never had something like this before." Sasha sniffled, holding a lobster in her hand and the other held a fork.

"There's still some left, no need to rush!" Niccolo scolded once more. He seemed to have taken an interest in Sasha.

"Armin, try this. It's delicious." I ushered, holding a spoon of a creature's meat with sauce on it. Yelena told me it was crab meat.

"Thank you for the food." Armin widened his mouth and ate the food on my spoon. For some reason, his face flushed red and he immediately turned away from me.

"Is it spicy?! I don't think I added anything spicy, though. I'm sorry, I should've checked." I panicked.

"N-No, it's not that. I just...uh...realized that it was your spoon, so I-uh got embarrassed." Armin admitted.

"We're a couple now, there's no need to be embarrassed of such things." I reminded.

As the two sides share advancements and train, Eren's at a shooting-range with Armin, Mikasa, and me.

"The port will be done soon. Progress has been so fast since those Marleyan military engineers decided to help." Armin mentioned.

"I'm surprised they agreed to." Mikasa stated. I'm surprised as well.

"Sure, we were suspicious of each other at first, so we started off slowly, but once time passed and we started looking at each other as people, not lables..." Armin trailed off.

"I think we can understand one another." Armin seemed hopeful of the possible future.

Eren then asked Armin if he can see anything useful in Bertholdt's memories.

Zeke should only have 3 years to live.

Armin said there's nothing of use he could see and sadly reflects that this course of action will result in more causalities.

He hoped there was another way, a peaceful way to clear the misunderstandings we, Eldians, have.

"What do you mean by misunderstandings?" Eren glanced at Armin, surprised at what he said.

"You know...like people thinking we're scary." Armin brought up. I mean, Armin's right, but...

"Still, the world sees us as monsters that can turn into Titans. They aren't wrong about that." I reasoned.

"But...we've been able to get along with some Marleyans." Mikasa argued, reminding us about the Marleyans we kidnapped.

"How many? Most of the warriors, who came here, are still glaring at us from prison cells." Eren reminded.

"Well, if we just spent more time..." Mikasa stared at the ground as she played with a few loose threads from her scarf.

"We need time..." Armin declared.

"Yes. And to buy us that time, we've got to keep them from messing with us." Eren retorted, aiming his gun at the target.

༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛

The day of the welcome ceremony in the harbor...

Despite completing the harbor and increasing goodwill between both sides, Levi still refused for them to meet with Eren.

Soon, a ship arrived bringing Kiyomi Azumabito. She's the head of her clan, a nation friendly to Paradis.

She has significant influence over Hizuru's foreign affairs, which she can use to have strong historical ties with other nations.

Later in a meeting, Kiyomi shows a seal showing her bloodline, the same one that Mikasa has tattooed on her wrist.

Despite some reservations, Mikasa reveals it and confirmed her heritage. Mikasa showed this only to Eren when they were kids.

Kiyomi stated that her ancestors were allied with the Eldian Empire due to friendly relations with the Fritz family and the shogun of the nation of Hizuru.

When King Fritz relocated to Paradis, the nation's reception plummeted and did not improve over the years.

She told Mikasa that she's the hope for the nation of Hizuru. We then took a break during the meeting.

The meeting then ended with more requests from Zeke. Asides from that, we were advised to relax for the rest of the day.

"Y/n." I heard. I turned to my right to see a room slightly ajar. It was Armin's room. He shouldn't leave the door open.

Just as I was about to close his door, a hand, from inside the room, pulled me inside, which made me gasp.

"A-Armin? What is it?" I questioned before he placed a finger on my lips. I kept quiet and followed his orders.

"Oh, you cut your hair. I liked it the way it was before, though." Armin brought up, stroking my hair.

"I thought it'll be a hassle when we fight. It wouldn't look too pretty if my face was covered with hair and sweat, wouldn't it?" I joked.

"Why? Do you think it doesn't suit me? If it doesn't, I'll grow it out again." I panicked. I don't want him to think it's ugly.

"What are you talking about? No matter how long or short your hair gets. No matter what style you tie your hair in, you're beautiful." he caressed my cheek.

"You can be so sweet at times, Armin." I chuckled, my cheeks heating up at what he just told me.

"Stop, you're gonna make me blush as well." Armin huffed, his cheeks turning into a cute shade of pink.

"Also, why did you drag me into your room? Surely, it's not just to compliment my hair, is it?" I mentioned.

"I was wondering if you could cut my hair. Perhaps a shorter but modern cut would be good enough." he requested.

"Eh? I understand that it's getting long, but it looks good on you." I gasped. His hairstyle is adorable.

"Well, it's too childish and cumbersome for me to sport any longer. It's grown a little bit too long." he explained.

I reached for his hair, running my fingers through his blond locks affectionately.

"Sure, I won't mind. I'll just miss your, 'childish', hairstyle." I teased. He seemed to have gotten embarrassed.

"I'm not a child anymore. I'm 18, just like you. Thanks, though. I'm grateful." Armin said with a smile.

I put out a chair for him and apologized for not finding a sheet to keep the hair from falling onto his clothes.

He brushed that fact off and told me that it's good enough that I'm cutting his hair for him.

He closed his eyes as I clipped his hair, listening to the metallic sound of the scissors as I cut his bangs and sheared the hair on the back of his head.

It doesn't take long before I'm done. It doesn't seem as if I cut a lot, but I hope it's enough to satisfy him.

"Take a look in the mirror. If it's uneven, I'll cut a little more for you." I ushered, brushing the bits of hair from his face.

I watched as he patted the hair off of his clothes and walked over to the mirror to look at his reflection.

"It's probably not the best...but do you like it? I'm sorry if it doesn't satisfy you. I usually just cut Mikasa's hair since Eren wants to look like a hobo." I apologized.

Armin smiled as he touched the back of his head, relishing the spiky tips of his freshly cut hair.

"I love it. It feels...lighter. Thank you so much, Y/n." he thanked me, turning to me with his charming smile.

"It's no problem." I played with the hems of my shirt. He looks a lot different from last time.

"Is something wrong? You're suddenly red." Armin pointed out as he grabbed a shirt from his closet.

I watched as he took off his shirt in front of me, revealing his chest. I quickly covered my eyes with my hands.

"Why are you changing right in front of me?!" I questioned, sitting on top of his bed and hugging my knees.

"You should get used to it. I want this relationship of ours to grow. I want it to be a long-term relationship." he explained.

"You mean..." my eyes widened when I realized what he meant. We've been a couple for 2 years now. I think we're going too fast.

"We're still 18, so I want to take this relationship to the next level when everything's over." Armin continued, sitting down next to me.

"You mean, when the war between Marley and Eldia ends?" I questioned. He nodded in reply.

"I wonder...will we even be alive by then? We only have 10 years to live, you know?" I reminded, placing my hand over his.

"I know that. We'll just have to keep fighting until the war's over." Armin sighed, giving my hand a tight squeeze.

"Until the war's over, huh?" I repeated, sighing. I wonder when that day will come.

That small little vow of ours during that day meant a lot to me. It was the only thing that kept me hopeful of the future.

༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛

In 853, Eren had persuaded the 104th Survey Corps to help build a train track in the heat, which was super annoying.

"Armin, careful!" I warned, catching him before he fell down after tripping on one of the wooden planks on the ground.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I should've been more careful." Armin chuckled, standing back up as he rubbed his nape sheepishly.

Hanji and Levi arrived on horseback, bringing word of the reply from the Azumabito's.

"You all got so big, how dare you." Levi scoffed, whispering that under his breath. Unfortunately, I heard it and accidentally chuckled. He rolled his eyes.

Negotiations had turned up empty-handed, with Hizuru wishing to keep its monopoly over Paradis's resources.

Other countries were unwilling to grant rights to Eldians, preferring the idea of keeping Paradis Island pinned as the world's common enemy.

"So, does that mean we just have to rely on the rumbling, and that we have no choice but to sacrifice Historia?" Eren stared at them in disbelief.

"It does. It's in our treaty with Hizuru that we'll enter into a military alliance backed by the rumbling." Levi confirmed.

"So, does the world want us to repeat the same evil acts our ancestors committed a hundred years ago?" Armin spoke up.

"They've decided for themselves that we're devils, regardless of what our own intentions are." he stated.

"Why can't we all think of a path toward peace together?" Armin sighed. That's...

"Probably because they don't know. They don't know who we are, so they're scared of us." Mikasa explained.

Hanji agreed, saying that we should meet other nations themselves to create an understanding between us.

In the locomotive, the former 104th Survey Corps explored the idea of sneaking into Marley.

"Huh, what should I bring? Hope I don't get a stomach bug." Connie began to daydream about the stay in Marley.

"Antacids, a toothbrush, and a snack that tastes of home." Sasha began to enumerate the stuff she was planning to bring.

"Were you listening at all?" Mikasa deadpanned. Jean reminded us that Niccolo said something about Marley having different kinds of alcohol.

"Fortunately, Eldian is a common tongue. We should be able to communicate in many countries." Armin mentioned.

"Though, we'll have to be careful with our accents, and about our reading." Armin retorted.

"If the world finds out that all we want is