The Empire of Titans Chapter 68 (King Eren?) (Patreon)

"Where are you taking us?" Pieck demanded; she had woken up with her legs tightened up, her arms were reduced to stomps, and had metallic plates covering them, stopping her from regrowing her limbs so she couldn't turn into the Cart Titan and escape, but she was certain that in the situation she was now, she wasn't sure how much her Cart Titan could help her at this point.

She had seen glimpses of the ODM Gear in action, as Reiner called them, the way they could fly around like flies; Pieck wasn't certain her Titan form could help her. Her Titan wasn't made for combat, so for now, Pieck decided to be quiet and try to take any kind of information from her captures, but they were silent, and the one she was certain to be the Leader often gave her small glances.

Pieck and Reiner were put in an iron square cage and placed on the back of a wagon that two horses carried. Reiner was silent; his smell made her nose wrinkle, but she tried not to show it. Reiner had tried to fight back in any way possible, but not having his arms and legs made it impossible to do anything, and their captures made sure to keep Reiner that way since they knew he had the Armoured Titan.

Pieck looked around, but she couldn't tell where they were going; the forest went on as far as the eye could see. All she knew was they were located in the territory of the third wall, behind Wall Sina. The guy, Kenny, had stated it out loud when they reached Wall Sina, something Pieck found confusing but didn't mind.

Pieck heard them talking; she could hear the name Rod Reiss being brought up quite often by the Kenny guy. She didn't know who he was, but the way they spoke, she knew he was someone important.

"Reiner!" Pieck called him quietly; she couldn't help but feel bad for him. Reiner was still wearing the same dirty clothes he had been using since the Devils captured him, and he had lost quite a lot of weight; if he wasn't a Titan Shifter, then Pieck was certain that he would be sick and already burning with fever, but the Healing they had protected them from any kind of sickness.

"Yes, P—Pieck?" Reiner rasped; she could hardly hear him, his half-closed eyes looking up at the sky, dark bags under his eyes; he looked much older, as if he had aged a decade.

"Do you know who Rod Reiss could be?" Pieck asked quietly; she glanced furtively; there were five riders around the wagon, but they seemed to be discussing with one another and not really paying attention to them. Pieck knew they had been on the island for five years; she hoped he knew something about this man they were being delivered to.

"Reiss," Reiner said slowly, his eyes falling on the stomps that were his arms. Pieck hoped he would say more; now she needed him; they were in the hands of the enemy, and they needed to survive.

"Annie." Pieck looked at him; she ignored the flare of anger she felt upon hearing the traitor's name.

"What of her?"

"S-she... Before her betrayal, she told us that she thinks Rod Reiss is the true ruler of the Walls." Reiner said, his voice exhausted as he leaned back against the cage. His skin had turned pale, and almost all his muscle mass had disappeared.

Annie's eyes widened in fear; she understood what was happening now. No! They will feed us to the True King!! Pieck felt sweat on her forehead, breathing heavily, but reminded herself to calm down; if she didn't, then she and Reiner would die.

No, not yet. Even if something happens to me, I won't allow Reiner to die for nothing, Pieck thought with growing determination; she just needed to find an opening. For a brief moment, she wondered why Reiner had not brought up Marcel, not even once. During the small journey, Reiner had often talked about Bertholdt and Annie, but not once did he bring up Marcel; she wondered why; a part of her wanted to know what happened to him and how Annie's betrayal resulted in his death; perhaps she attacked him from behind, or maybe she gave him heavy sleeping pills, she didn't know the answer.

As Pieck lowered her gaze, her eyes were met with the sight of the cold, metallic plates that now concealed the stumps of her arms. These plates, meticulously secured by tightly wound ropes encircling her shoulders and chest, served as a steadfast barrier, not allowing her to regrow her arms. Once again, she glanced furtively; no one was paying attention to her; with determination etched across her face, she exerted pressure on her neck, forcibly tilting her head downwards. She clenched her jaws tightly, positioning her mouth precisely over the taut rope. Flexing her powerful neck muscles, she summoned all her might and sank her canine teeth into the resilient fibers that bound her. These canine teeth, the sharpest human tooth, firmly gripped the rope. As she persisted, she could feel the incredible force of her bite gradually slicing through each individual strand, but she stopped and lifted her head up.

No one seemed to have noticed her, but she knew it would be dangerous if she fully cut the rope; the metallic plate would fall and make a noise. No, she needed to cut just enough, and when the opportunity presented itself, she could cut the rope; once her left arm regrew, she would get rid of the second metallic plate.

As the journey continued, Pieck kept eating more and more through the stupid rope; she stopped every time she thought they might notice her. Eventually, they reached a small church. Pieck quickly noticed the roof was new with wooden beams around it; the wood used on top was different from the other parts of the structure. Pieck wondered if someone had attacked this place. The wagon stopped before the small church; Pieck knew they had arrived at the right place.

"Do not try anything, or I will happily blow your head off." Kenny threatened with a wide grin on his face as he unlocked the cage. Pieck said nothing as she walked out, but Reiner still had no legs, so one of them grabbed him by the back of the shirt and carried him inside like he was a sack of potatoes.

Upon entering inside, Kenny moved away a piece of rug that covered a door on the floor; he opened the door, and Pieck remained silent as they walked downstairs, walking into a crystal cave. Pieck swallowed hard, feeling growing dread. Marley had a similar place whenever the new Warrior would turn into a Titan and eat the previous Shifter. Pieck knew for sure now that they brought them here to be consumed. Her eyes went to the ropes around her chest and shoulder. There was no way they wouldn't hear the metallic plate fall on the ground, and even if they didn't, they would notice the steam coming out of her arms.

Pieck breathed in and out as they reached the end of the crystal cave; above them was a platform with a staircase on each side that led up to the platform.

"Kenny, so you finished the job." Pieck looked to her right; a short man strode towards them in careful steps, like he was wary of the people near him.

"Ahh, not even a 'Good Job, Kenny', where did our friendship go? Rod?" Kenny teased with a wide, horrifying smile. The man, whose name seemed to be Rod, gulped; he looked paler. Pieck was certain the man wasn't brave; she didn't know him, but she knew this man seemed to be bad at hiding his fear.

Rod was a short person. He was a slightly overweight man with a round face, short black hair, and a thin black mustache. He was wearing the clothes of a wealthy man: a white button-front shirt with a black pullover vest, loose black pants, and black dress shoes.

"We both know you don't care about that, Kenny. You would think of it as an insult." Rod said dismissively before looking at Pieck, before looking at Reiner, who seemed to have fallen asleep.

"Prepare both of them for the ritual. We need Titan Shifters in our army if we want to retake the Attack Titan." Rod ordered, ready to use one of his most trusted soldiers to consume both of them.

"Wait, Marley, can help you," Pieck said without thinking; this was her last card; they needed to survive.

"Marley? What's that?" One of the soldiers behind Kenny questioned in confusion, but Pieck could see from Rod's lack of reaction that he wasn't like the others; he knew of the outside world, which meant he was or had been the True Ruler of the Walls. Pieck wasn't sure anymore; at first, she had thought that the Founding Titan must still belong to the Royal Family, but she wasn't so sure anymore.

From Rod's words, he was against the Attack Titan, the same one that sealed the hole in Wall Rose. Pieck didn't know why he would be against that, but him being against Eren meant that he most likely didn't have the Founding Titan on his hands. If he did, he could have just used the Founder to forcefully take back the Attack Titan from this Eren Yeager, but he wasn't doing that. Instead, he was sending his own men to do his work, like capturing her and Reiner.

This was more than enough to convince Pieck that this Rod Reiss was against those fighting against the Warriors; she knew she could use that for her own benefit.

"Marley, you say," Rodd said incredulously as he walked up to her. "Kenny, bring her to my solar. I will talk with her; perhaps we can become friends; there's nothing wrong with peace between us." Rod said with a fake smile before turning on his heels and walking away. Pieck felt Kenny grab her shoulder, forcing her to move forward.

"What about the Armoured fucker? What should we do with him?" Kenny questioned as he pointed at Reiner with his thumb; his voice caused Rod to stop in his tracks before looking at Kenny over his shoulder.

"For now, put him inside a cell. But I want two guards there to make sure he doesn't turn on us."

Erwin

"Reiner is gone, and from the words we received from Zeke Yeager. Pieck Finger, another Warrior who holds the Cart Titan, has infiltrated the Walls." Erwin reported to everyone inside his office. He looked at everyone's faces; they all seemed understandably angry. Oluo was giving Annie Leonhart suspicious looks; everyone knew Oluo didn't fully trust her, but Annie had already given any information possible. She had fought against Zeke and had protected Mike during the fight. Erwin was certain she wasn't a traitor because Eren was on their side; as long as Eren was with them, then Annie wouldn't betray them.

But as he looked at Eren, his face didn't show the tiniest bit of anger he was expecting; Erwin wondered if Eren had started growing up and become better at controlling his anger. That would be good news for everyone.

"What should we do?" Captain Levi was quick to ask as always; they always asked him that question: How many times had Erwin wished he wasn't the one making decisions? Every decision he made always led to more blood, but not anymore. Since Eren showed up, the number of people that died had been cut in half, and once they took back control from Rod Reiss and turned more soldiers into Semi Titan Shifters, he was certain that number would only lower even more.

They lost friends and families; many turned their backs on a happy life to fulfill a dream. Erwin remembered Marie, her beautiful smile; he had danced with her once, and Mike had tried to convince him.

'Ask her on a date.' Mike had said such simple words to say, but not to Erwin. In the end, he chose the life of the Survey Corps; he had been there when Nile married Marie.

"Commander Erwin, can I propose something?" Eren's voice made him escape his thoughts; Erwin gave him a nod for him to continue.

"With Reiner gone, we need to feed Bertholdt to someone as soon as possible. While Reiner and Pieck are dangerous, Bertholdt holds the Colossal Titan." Eren said, with many agreeing with him, especially Mikasa and Armin. Erwin noticed the way Annie looked away. Erwin figured she felt conflicted, but he believed she would still do her job.

"The Military Police wants him, at least Nile wanted him as compensation for Erwin keeping his mouth shut about the outside world for over a year. Him and the Armoured Titan." Levi informed Eren.

"The Military Police cannot be trusted, yet. We still need to deal with Rod Reiss, he is the only one left from the Royal Family. I think is about time he wants my Founding Titan back." Eren said. Now, everyone was looking at him.

"What makes you think he would make a move right now?" Erwin questioned, intrigued, his hands knitting together for his chin to rest on.

"The news of the capture of Zeke has been spread, so those inside the Walls knows that another enemy shifter is out there. Let's not forget that he most likely knows the Attack Titan was the one responsible for eating Frieda Reiss five years ago, so his time is running out, the more time goes on, the more Titan Shifters show up, the less power he has, right now, I would say his connections and favours are the only things keeping him in the position of power. Before it was the Founding Titan, the ultimate power; after that, he probably lied so he could keep his power and at the same time try to find whoever stole the Founder, but now the time is running out. More people are learning the Truth about the outside world. If I were him, I would decide to act right now, waiting will do him no good." Eren said, almost commanding them. Erwin could see a new glint in his eyes; to him, it felt like Eren had changed a little. He seemed more sure of himself than he used to be.

"What are you suggesting we do, Eren Yeager?"

"You told us that a trial will be held tomorrow for Zeke, so if they are going to attack, it will happen tomorrow. Is a good opportunity to steal the Beast Titan, and important figures will be there during the trial, including you Commander."

"Me?"

"Yes, if I was in their place, I would make sure the attack would be blamed on the Survey Corps. Despite our recent win, the people in Wall Sina still see us in bad light, but most importantly, it's spread everywhere by newspapers that the Survey Corps already have their hands on three titan shifters, in the eyes of the rich behind Wall Sina. The Survey Corps attacking during the trial is simply them trying to have a fourth Titan Shifter on their hands, all the deaths during the attack, they are just casualties. I think we need to have a good portion of the Yeagerists there just in case." Eren explained. Nothing but silence could be heard around the room as Erwin pondered on his words.

Erwin knew Eren was right on his assumptions; he had come up with similar conclusions, but Eren talked about it as if he knew for sure that would happen. The Commander wondered if this was just a lucky guess or if Eren knew something they did not; whatever the case, he would listen to this advice.

"I think you might be right, Eren. Tomorrow, I want Levi Squad and Mike Squad there during the trial. Even if no attacks happen, I still have a plan to show everyone that Rod Reiss and his followers are the bad choice, and the Walls need a new ruler." Erwin explained. Levi nodded along, as did Mike, but one question remained hanging in the air.

"But, who will be the King and Queen of the Walls?" Hange questioned while eyeing Eren and Historia with a wide, teasing grin, much to Mikasa's annoyance.

"Historia should be Queen; she has Royal Blood," Armin quickly added; he didn't notice the way Eren glared at him.

Eren hated that they hadn't talked with Historia about this before this meeting. Instead, they seemed to have already made a decision for her, whether she liked it or not. He glanced at Historia, who, despite the words said, didn't seem insecure; she seemed almost determined; his hand found hers underneath the table, their fingers interviewed; Eren wanted to support her in any way possible and let her know that she had a choice if she didn't want to become Queen.

"There's no point in discussing it to begin with; the only reason the Reiss family kept their position in power is because of the Founding Titan. Now that shit is in Eren's hands, and Historia can become his Queen so it will give more legitimacy to his Reign." Levi said casually while eying both Eren and Historia.

"Eren as King, who would have thought the suicidal bastard would one day become King, and all of us will need to bow down to him." Ymir teased before nudging his shoulder; Eren rolled his eyes but still smiled in amusement, as did Historia.

"Well, Ymir, you will have the honor to be the first to call me 'Your Grace' and you will be the first to kneel to me." Eren couldn't help but tease, but Ymir quickly smiled back like a maniac.

"Ohhh, in what way should I kneel, my king, because I know quite several diffe-" "Anyway. Right now we are discussing something important." Erwin interrupted her, much to Ymir's annoyance, who murmured under her breath something about Erwin not being fun to have around.

"Eren Yeager. If anything goes according to plan, then you and Historia will marry after the Uprising. Do you think you can become King and rule over the Walls?" Erwin questioned with a commanding voice; everyone's eyes turned to him.

Historia gripped Eren's hand tighter, her thumb caressing his hand, letting him know that she was there for him. Mikasa gave Eren a nod as she stood right next to him.

"I'm not sure if I'm qualified to be a King, I was never taught how to be one. I was taught how to shot, how to use ODM Gear, how to kill Titans and how to follow orders, but I'm willing to learn, every King that ever existed needed someone to help them, to help him in things they didn't know. I was taught how to follow orders, and one day I might be the one giving them. I know what bad ruling will lead us to, what happened five years ago, what had been happening for a hundred years. King Karl Fritz doomed us all, when he made that vow, he didn't care that the Eldians would suffer, and because of his actions, The Fall of Wall Maria happened, and the countless soldiers that died fighting the Titans during the last century when the key to defeat them all was inside the Walls all along. The world hates our guts for what we did, whatever or not it was justifiable doesn't matter anymore. For a hundred years. We have suffered under these walls, living a lie created by a madman who believed in a false peace, in a paradise that would never exist. The walls that surround us. I will make sure that the newer generation will not live with a wall watching over them. They will be born Free, and I will make sure Freedom Lasts. Those that are willing to be our allies, we will welcome them with open arms and show them that we are not the same Eldians that we were a century ago, and those that will want to take what rightfully belong to us All. Freedom, I will be the demon they all fear. I won't allow the children of the future to grow up with a wall surrounding them. They will be born Free."