In Which Araminta Has to Make a Plan!
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Flightless Bird  ∕  Chapter Nine

Ever since she'd drank the blood of Lara Tybur, Araminta had been having weird dreams. Well, they weren't technically dreams. It was more like she was reliving the previous War Hammer Titan's memories, which was starting to get a bit frustrating.

To see the memories of her distant relative living it up in her giant mansion with her loads of money always made her feel nauseous when she woke up. So far, nothing very helpful had come from the memories except for when she learned that one of the weapons the Titan could summon was a bow. She didn't gain any interesting insight into what Marley might be up to, or what their weaknesses could be. It was pointless.

At first, she thought she was having another one of those dreams. She was in a vaguely familiar location, and she could hear voices shouting a few feet away from her. It wasn't real, she knew that, but she was still weary of creaky floorboards as she inched closer to the source of the voices. She turned down the hallway, through an archway, and realized she was in a dining room.

Not just any dining room, though. It was her own dining room. Or, it used to be her dining room, before it was crushed underneath rubble. She was in her childhood home, which meant this wasn't just one of Lara's memories. It was one of her memories.

Her mother and father were standing in the middle of the room, shouting at each other. Despite the fact that the sun had completely set which meant that Araminta and Marina should be in bed by now, they made no effort to lower their volume. Especially her father.

"Do you know how it makes us look, Eleanor? When our daughter is out punching random kids?" He hissed at his wife, and slammed his hand down on the table. Her mother flinched. "It makes us look like bad parents. Bad parents who can't keep their eight year old daughter under control. It's shameful."

"Well, let's think about where she might have picked up that habit from, hm?" Eleanor asked, gesturing to where he had smacked the wooden surface of the table. "If her own dad can barely contain his anger, why should she?"

Tiberius laughed bitterly. "You're the one she spends the most time with. Not me. You're the one who should be teaching her about manners and how to behave like a lady. If she's ever going to be successful in this world, she has to learn."

"You? Ladylike?" A new voice mused, and Araminta glanced up to see her older self smirking down at her. No, not her older self. It was her present self. She glanced down at her body, and realized she was her younger self. Her younger self who had probably been curled up in her bed with a pillow over her head to try and drown out her parents' voices. Now, she was getting to relive this memory in the room where it happened.

And she was watching it with her present self by her side.

"Why should the responsibility of raising her be completely on me?!" Her mother asked, then jabbed a finger into her father's chest. "You wanted her. You wanted another child so bad, you just made the decision for me. I never asked for another kid."

Oh.

Araminta remembered this fight. It had been after she beat up an older boy who had been tugging on her ears and making fun of them. She remembered crying herself to sleep, wracked with guilt for causing her parents to fight like this. But she didn't remember her mom saying that.

"Here you go..." Tiberius shook his head, looking down towards the floor. "You should be so lucky I gave you another child. Once Marina grew older, you'd have nothing to do anymore except be a bored housewife. The only thing you've ever been fit for is motherhood."

"I should be lucky?" Eleanor spoke in a hauntingly cool tone, taking a step towards her husband. "Is it lucky that you waited until I was vulnerable? Is it lucky that you made this decision for both of us? I didn't want another child."

Araminta paled.

"You hear that?" Her older self asked, and knelt down so her lips were close to her ear. "Mom never even wanted you. Isn't that hilarious?" She asked, but when Araminta turned to look at her, she wore a blank expression. "Nobody ever wants us."

Araminta swallowed and looked back to her parents fighting. She was realizing now why she had no recollection of these comments from her mom. She had blocked them out. After all, what child would want to remember hearing her mother say they never wanted them to begin with?

Nobody ever wants us.

The scene in front of her begins to warp and fade away, and suddenly she's in her old apartment she shared with her mother in Trost. Her mother is sitting in her usual chair, her dark eyes lost in a thousand mile stare. But it was impossible for Araminta to miss the tear that sparkled slightly under the sunlight that slid down her cheek. It was the tear she used to think about every night before she fell asleep.

The door slammed shut, and Araminta realized this was right after she left for good.

"You know why she turned into this... This shell of a person now, right?" Her older self asked her, the blank expression still painting her features. "Because all she had left was you. All she had was the child she didn't even want."

I thought I still had you.

Araminta began to wonder if she ever had her mother to begin with.

And then, echoing throughout the dream, she was reminded of something someone had said to her recently.

I didn't mean any of it.

I think that's why you can't love me; because you don't know how.

No. It wasn't her mother that didn't want her.

Nobody wanted her.

Nobody ever wants us.

When she finally woke up, she was being tossed onto the floor of a holding cell.

"Araminta. Stop."

The fresh blood gushing from her hands was starting to spill onto the table, dripping onto the wooden surface and staining it probably forever. She had already pricked each of her fingertips several times each, and she had even tried nipping at her flesh the same way Eren did, but it wasn't working. Nothing was working.

She couldn't trigger her Titan transformation.

At some point she had started to cry, but all of the hot tears that sprung from her eyes were lost in the crimson sea that coated her skin.

Useless. She felt completely, and utterly useless.

Mikasa finally had enough, and reached over to firmly grab onto Araminta's wrists. "It's okay. We'll figure something else out. Don't push yourself too hard." She spoke to Araminta in a voice so soft it was a stark contrast to the strong grip on her.

Araminta slowly looked up to make eye contact with the girl, and though she wanted so badly to fight her, the pleading look in her grey eyes gave her no choice. She relented, and let her arms relax. Mikasa released her grip, and Araminta moved her bloodied hands to her lap.

Don't push yourself too hard.

Honestly, Araminta wasn't sure she was pushing herself hard enough.

"Armin, can't you transform and break us out?" Connie asked, and there was a subtle bite in his words that didn't go unnoticed by Araminta. She glared up at him, and he stared back at her as he sipped the tea that Mr. Braus prepared for them.

Right, because not only did Araminta have to look like a failure in front of her comrades, her best friend's family was in here, too. Mortified was an understatement.

Armin, who sat across from Araminta, shook his head. "No, I would just destroy the entire city. My transformation's not as precise as Eren's or Ara--" he paused, blue eyes flickering over to her, then cleared his throat. "--as other Titans."

Araminta hated the fact that Armin felt like he had to walk on eggshells around her. The fact that he and Mikasa had seen her falter so easily under Eren's words already bothered her enough, but now it seemed like he thought if he pushed her any further, she would fall off the edge. She had become something fragile.

"So," Jean cleared his throat from behind Araminta, directing his question to the blond, "are you going to tell us why Eren beat the shit out of you?"

"He... was saying hurtful things to Mikasa and Araminta. I got mad, swung at him, and he hit me back." Armin hesitantly explained.

There were a few gasps, and Araminta's gaze darted down to her hands. Her bloodied, fragile hands.

"What?!" Jean demanded, and she could hear him push himself off the wall to come closer. He set his teacup on the table, and tugged her shoulder to force her to look at him. "What did he say to you?"

For a moment, Araminta was so stunned by how out of character his reaction was, all she could do was blink up at him. There was a fire burning behind his eyes unlike one she'd ever seen in him before--definitely never aimed at her, at least. It was kind of scary. But she got ahold of herself, and shrugged his hand off her shoulder.

"Nothing. It's fine." She muttered, and without thinking she reached up to swipe at a tear, leaving a streak of her blood on her cheek.

"It's not fine. What did he--Jesus, Min..." He huffed a frustrated sigh, and Araminta was confused until he started to wipe her face with a handkerchief.

"Does it matter?" Connie asked with a scoff. "We already knew he was a piece of shit, and now he's deliberately hurt the people that are supposed to matter most to him."

To Araminta, it all sounded like a cleverly disguised I told you so.

"I'm just wondering... Maybe there was a reason he did that." Jean said as he gently cleaned the blood from Araminta's cheek, then began to work on her hands. "Like, maybe he's trying to push you away on purpose, or something."

The room was quiet. Araminta stared down at her hands as Jean finished cleaning them for her, leaving behind her wounds that were already starting to heal. It seemed like Jean was always cleaning up after her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, though she wasn't sure who she was apologizing to.

"Why?" Jean asked her, his eyebrows furrowed together.

"Because I'm so useless." She leaned forward, propping her elbows up on the table and cradling her face in her palms. "I couldn't get Eren to tell me his plan. I couldn't convince him to stay with us. And now I can't even transform and break us out of this stupid cell!"

"It's not your fault he didn't tell you more, Araminta." Mikasa spoke up. "You did everything you could. We all did."

"And besides, remember how hard it used to be for Eren to transform?" Armin added on. "You've only been a Titan for a couple of weeks. Nobody expects you to be perfect at it yet."

Jean started to rub her back. "We'll try again in a little bit. It's been a weird 48 hours for you, you just need to recharge."

Araminta glanced up at Connie, the only one who had yet to say anything. She didn't really expect him to say anything. He was probably still mad at her, and could she really blame him? If she was in his shoes, and she watched herself continuously try to make excuses for the guy that laughed when her best friend died, wouldn't she be a bit mad, too?

He lowered his cup, and his lips parted like he was about to say something, but he was cut off before he got the chance.

"Hello, heroes of Shiganshina. Long time no see." A familiar, deep voice greeted them, and Araminta felt her stomach flip when she saw Yelena emerge from the shadows. Behind her were a few other members of the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers, as well as Onyankopon. "Though, it pains me that we have to be reunited this way."

"Hey! You're on their side, too?" Connie demanded incredulously, and turned to grip one one of the metal bars. "Let us out!"

Onyankopon narrowed his gaze at them. "That's a lot to ask, considering you guys put me on house arrest. Just sit quiet and wait for Eren and Zeke to meet." He told them.

Being in this cell, trapped by cold iron bars under the searing gaze of their captors, Araminta felt like an animal in a cage. Like livestock. It was the same kind of feeling she got all those years ago, as she watched Titans graze on the citizens of Shiganshina like they were nothing more than fodder.

Things were supposed to be different, now. She was older, smarter, stronger. She was supposed to have all this power now, yet she couldn't do anything with it. Never in her life did she feel as frustrated as she did now.

"Must be nice for you, Yelena." Jean stood up, and walked over to the edge of the cell so he was facing the tall woman. "Everything worked out how you wanted. Through you, Eren moved how Zeke wanted. Raiding Marley, gaining people's support, using wine to take over the military... Now you've got Eldia and the Founding Titan under your control. Now you can crush Marley and avenge your homeland. I mean, that's the real reason you came here, right?"

Yelena stared back at him with an unreadable expression.

"This place was primitive. We brought it out of the past." Onyankopon snapped, which caught Araminta a bit off guard. Out of all the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers, Onyankopon was the one she'd spent the most time with. She could recall multiple late nights poured over blueprints and notes, sharing their hopes for Paradis' future...

"Yeah, so you and your pals could enjoy it." Niccolo suddenly spoke up, and honestly Araminta had forgotten he was there. "Once it was under your rule, that is."

"You were tricked and lost. That's all there is to it." One of the volunteers said plainly.

Niccolo grabbed onto the bars, his jaw clenched together. "Griez. Looks like you sold us out to be promoted to Yelena's lackey, you dirty snitch!" He hissed.

"Are you dumb?" The man Araminta guessed was named Griez replied. "You're the one who sided with these filthy island devils and betrayed us!"

"Excuse me?"

"You had the hots for some devil spawn that reeked of potatoes!"

Araminta stood, and if it weren't for Mikasa grabbing her arm, she would have leapt over there to knock the lights out of this guy. "Who the fuck do you think you are?!" She shouted. Niccolo also had to be restrained by Jean, reaching through the bars to try and grab Griez.

"We had to listen to you drone on about her day and night. I was an idiot for thinking you'd finally get a grip once the stupid bitch died."

"What the fuck did you just say?!" Niccolo was fighting so hard against Jean, trying his damndest to reach the man and tear him apart with his own hands.

Araminta was fuming to the point she was pretty sure smoke must be billowing out of her ears. Not only had these awful people caged them up like livestock, now they were spitting filth about her dead best friend. Now she was even more angry that she couldn't trigger her Titan form.

"Let me make it clear for you: that fucking spawn-of-the-devil whore--"

Yelena lifted her handgun, and put a bullet through his skull. Sasha's siblings began to cry as the shell casing clattered against the floor, and Griez dropped like a sack of flour. Everyone was quiet.

"I apologize for his disrespect." Yelena said, and sunk into a bow. "This island has no need for those who still call you devils. Believe me, our true goal is nothing as hollow as just wanting revenge on Marley. Our goal is to end this cycle of hatred--to save Eldia, and even save Marley. No more secrets. I'll tell you everything about Zeke's plan to save the world: his 'euthanization' plan."

Araminta felt the color drain from her face. "Euthanization...? You mean, like..."

"He wants to stop Eldian children from being born?" Armin finished her thought.

Yelena pulled up a chair and sat in front of them. "Yes, that's correct. All suffering brought about by Titans will disappear from the world. Gradually. Peacefully."

"Wait--How is that peaceful?" Jean asked. "If the Subjects of Ymir slowly die out, we'll only have a bunch of geezers to defend it in the end. How are we gonna protect ourselves? Do you really think they'll just leave us alone?!"

"The Rumbling can serve as a deterrent, so long as the Founding Titan and the royal bloodline are preserved. And fortunately, Queen Historia was blessed with an heir. As long as Subjects of Ymir continue to inherit the Founder until her child passes away..."

"You talk about this like it's a sure thing." Araminta butt in, the corners of her lips pulled down into a frown.

Yelena glanced over at her. "Sure things... Certainties... No nation can claim to have them, each one has its own share of problems. However, there is one certainty, and that's the threat of Titans. Their history of tears and bloodshed will be put to an end by Eren and Zeke. I don't know how long humanity will last, but it's hard to imagine that a greater feat will ever come to pass."

There were tears in her eyes. "The brothers will be known as legends for millenia to come. Like gods of the past. Even after their deaths, they'll be seen as saviors who shone over humanity."

Araminta could hardly believe what she was hearing. This was their plan all along...? To prevent Eldians from having any children, to just let their entire race die out...? She could believe that Zeke made this decision. Eren told her once that from what he could gather from his father's memories, Zeke had a rough childhood. It made sense that his solution to prevent suffering would be this.

But for Eren to make this decision...?

Araminta thought back to what felt like eons ago now, when Eren sat across from her at the table with his blood spilling out onto the white tablecloth. Mikasa had insisted he was being manipulated, but he claimed he was acting completely by his own free will. Maybe Mikasa was right, and he was being manipulated. However, she felt pretty certain that Eren was smart enough not to get caught up in lies being fed to him.

So, either he really did agree with Zeke, or maybe... Maybe he was working towards his own ulterior motive. Maybe he was the one manipulating Zeke.

Armin started to cry. Yes, he was crying. Araminta looked towards him incredulously.

"Is something wrong?" Yelena asked.

"No, it's just... To think, your cause was so noble... It touched my heart!" Tears spilled from his eyes.

Araminta wrinkled her nose. Surely, he must be playing some kind of game right now.

"That's wonderful." Yelena smiled, and Araminta couldn't believe she was falling for this. Yeah, there was no way this woman was manipulating Eren. "I'm so happy you understand."

"Yelena!" The sound of boots clattering against the stone floor echoed throughout the space. "Come quick! We have invaders!"

"The enemy's here!"

"Someone was killed!"

As a group of soldiers started to flood the hallway, Yelena and Onyankopon exchanged a look. Araminta leaned forward, trying to hone in on the chattering to get some semblance of an idea of what was happening. But, she came up empty handed. It was too chaotic.

"Stay here." Yelena said to them before turning and leaving to follow the soldiers out.

"It's not like we've got anywhere else to go." Connie muttered.

Araminta stood again, walking over to the bars and trying to look down the hallway. The angle of the cell as well as the dim lighting made it basically impossible, though. They were quite literally left in the dark.

She turned around and rested her back against the iron rods, cursing under her breath. There had to be another way out of here. If she wasn't going to be able to do her transformation, then she was just going to have to figure something else out.

But her mind was racing too fast for her to keep up, and she couldn't put anything together. The only thoughts that stuck around long enough for her to process were the ones telling her all the things that could go wrong if they didn't find a way out. Her chest was starting to tighten, and no matter how hard she tried to catch her breath, it kept getting away from her.

This was really happening. Eren apparently didn't love her anymore. Despite all the hoops she jumped through to obtain the War Hammer Titan, she couldn't even summon it when she most desperately needed it. Eren and Zeke were going to stop Eldians from having any children. And they were all stuck in this stupid cell.

"Araminta? You good?"

She peeled her wide-eyed stare away from her trembling fingers and looked up to meet Connie's gaze. "No. No, Connie, I'm not good." She snapped at him, although it didn't sound very snappy when it was riddled with shallow breaths.

He pressed his lips together, and scrunched up his eyebrows like he was having some kind of internal debate. Then he huffed out a sigh, stepping towards her. "Hey. It's going to be fine, okay? We're gonna get out of here, and we're gonna save the world, or whatever."

"But, what if--"

"Do you remember when we were stuck in that Utgard tower, and we had no gear, and we thought we were gonna die?" He grabbed her hands, stilling her trembling.

She shook her head. "That was different! We had Ymir, and the Scouts came to save us!" She reminded him.

"Yeah, and what about when we were cornered in the Garrison Headquarters, and then Eren turned into a Titan and saved all of us? Look, for some reason, things always work out in our favor. As long as we keep our chins up and keep moving, things'll work out." The attempt to lift her spirits sounded a bit unnatural coming from Connie, but he was trying.

Stubborn as he was, he put aside his grudge to try and help her.

Araminta gave him a soft smile, and he immediately mirrored it.

"How'd I do? I was trying to channel my inner Sasha."

"You did alright. Next time, though, you need to include a little line about food. Like, 'we're going to save the world, and eat all the yummiest steaks in the world!'"

They both laughed through the tears they were trying to hold back, and for a split second, things felt okay. If Connie could forgive her for what happened, and if they could joke about their best friend, then maybe he was right, and they would be okay.

"Hey, I'm really sor--"

Whatever words Connie was about to speak were caught in his throat when the room started to quake, and dust trickled out of the ceiling. A few explosions could be heard--far enough away that they weren't destroying the holding cell, but close enough that the sound was almost deafening.

"Shit. I know what that sound means." Connie looked up to the ceiling.

"It's started." Armin was also staring above them, his blue eyes wide. "The Titans have started moving."

Jean cursed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Araminta gave her thumb ring a quick swipe, revealing the tiny dagger and she tried to puncture herself once more. Of course, nothing happened. She didn't even know why she bothered trying it again.

"Maybe we can ram the table into the bars until they break." Connie suggested.

"That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard." Jean responded.

"Well, I don't hear you coming up with any other ideas!"

Before they got the chance to bicker further, a familiar face was frantically running down the hallway. Onyankopon appeared in front of the cell, breathing raggedly as he fished for a ring of keys from his pockets.

"Hey! What's happening outside?" Jean demanded.

"M-Marley is here!" Onyankopon replied in a shaky, weary voice. "They came in on airships, there's about 500 of them! And they've got the Armored, Cart, and the Jaw! Eren's fighting them alone right now, but he's not gonna be able to last! They're going to take back the Founder! Please!"

He turned the lock to the cell, throwing the door open. "Help us protect him!"

In a flash, Connie wrapped his hands around Onyankopon's collar, and threw him against the wall. "Are you shitting me? What do you mean, us?! This is your fight! Why should we help you, you traitor?!" He screamed, spit flying from his mouth and voice cracking as he berated him.

"I'm s-sorry! But Yelena would have blown my head off if I went against her!" Onyankopon was barely able to get his defense out.

"Huh? So you were just pretending to be nice to us, while you were plotting how to take over Paradis with your wine?! I'm so fucking tired of getting betrayed all the time! Reiner, Annie, Bertholdt, Eren! I'm sick of it! I'm so sick of it!"

Reiner. Annie. Bertholdt.

Eren.

Though she wasn't sure Onyankopon deserved to be on the receiving end of Connie's frustrations, Araminta knew exactly where he was coming from. All of this misplaced trust being thrown out the window like it was nothing, over and over again... It was becoming too exhausting for any of them to handle.

"Why the hell should we help Eren if it means none of us get to have kids?! Huh?!"

Armin stepped out of the cell, and gently rested his hand on Connie's arm. "Hey, let's hear him out." He said in a soft voice.

As Connie released Onyankopon, letting him fall to the ground, Araminta picked up on some movement out of her peripheral vision. She glanced over her shoulder to see Niccolo cautiously guiding Sasha's family out of the cell, and towards the hallway. Her eyes flickered down and met the piercing gaze of Kaya.

After she went with Armin and Mikasa to check on Mia--no, Gabi--she meant to go back to check on Kaya.

I can't promise I'll be as good as Sasha was... But I'll be there for you.

But she left her to instead check on the girl that shot and killed their sister. The heart piercing screams that had ripped through Kaya's throat would haunt her forever.

Kaya didn't look angry, though. There was no anger, no hatred, none of that... She just looked tired. And Araminta hated that the little girl she wanted to protect was experiencing the same feeling that had plagued her since she was ten years old.

Was this really Eren's plan? From the moment they were born, it was the so-called Island Devils that suffered from the hands of Titans, and the hatred brought about by their existence. It was them who deserved to experience a life that wasn't ruled by fear, who didn't have to feel the toll that all of this took on a person. And his solution was to just... Prevent them from even being born...?

It just didn't make sense.

"--The Volunteers didn't know!"

Onyankopon's exclamation tugged Araminta back into the present, and her attention was turned to where he was still kneeling on the ground.

"Huh?!" Connie shouted.

"He's telling the truth," Niccolo spoke up. "Yelena told us not to say anything to the Volunteers."

"I don't want Eldians to be euthanized!" Onyankopon continued. "I wanted to build Paradis together, and to beat Marley side by side! That's why I threw away everything to come here! I gave everything I have to the people of this island! And I did it because I believe this island has a future! And children are the future! If the euthanization plan gets carried out, all of our efforts will have been for nothing! Please! Believe me!"

His eyes found Araminta's, and she felt her chest tighten. This was the Onyankopon she knew, the guy who wanted to help build a better Paradis. Why would he invest so much time and effort into their cause if it was just going to all crumble in the next century?

"I do." She told him.

Jean and Connie looked at her in surprise.

"Me too." Armin agreed. "You said this once: 'We exist because we're wanted--including Subjects of Ymir. It's more interesting with a mix of people.' You've already proved that your views are different from Zeke's."

Araminta nodded in agreement. "You're a good person, Onyankopon. You've more than earned our trust." She smiled, and held a hand out for him. He blinked at her in surprise as she helped him up to his feet.

"I mean, I believe you too, but what happens now?" Jean asked, stuffing his hand into his pocket. "If we help Eren and Zeke, that means letting the euthanization plan happen."

"No, we can stop that plan." Onyankopon insisted. "But if we lose them both now, we won't be able to protect the island."

"Then what's your plan?" Connie demanded, clearly growing impatient.

"If nothing else, we can show off The Rumbling's might to the world, right?"

"The Rumbling?!"

The Rumbling... Where the Founding Titan would awaken the thousands of Colossal Titans that currently made up the walls of Paradis, and unleashed their power on the world... She hated the euthanization plan, but she wasn't sure if this was the right plan, either. But maybe it could buy them the time they need to come up with something better?

"What are you thinking, Min?" Jean's voice cut through the chatter, and suddenly there were five pairs of expectant eyes on her. "Do you want to help him?"

The way he phrased the question was intentional. He didn't ask if she wanted to help them, or us, or Eldia. He asked, do you want to help him? Did she want to help the guy that had screwed her over and lied to her, over and over again? The guy who, in spite of everything he'd done, she's pretty sure she would rather die than live without?

Her hand dipped into the pocket of her pants, and her fingertips met the smooth surface of the pearl she kept there.

I'll always stick by your side, okay? No matter what.

Do you promise?

I promise.

"I... I do."

She slowly looked back up, meeting Jean's gaze. The way he looked at her bore a slight resemblance to the way he looked at her the night she rejected him. It wasn't really the answer he wanted, but it was the answer he was expecting. And once again, there was a dull pang of guilt in her chest.

"I just can't believe that he would want this. I mean, you guys don't really think that he wants to prevent Eldians from having children, do you?" She asked, glancing around.

It was quiet, until Jean spoke up. "I mean, I think it's unlike him, but it's not completely outrageous--"

"It is outrageous!" Armin exclaimed. "This is Eren we're talking about!"

"So then why doesn't he go against Yelena and Zeke?" Connie countered.

"Maybe he doesn't need to," Araminta thought out loud. "Because ultimately, he has the Founder's power. Not Zeke, not Yelena, him. He just needs them to think he's on their side."

Armin nodded fervently. "Exactly! And once he makes contact with Zeke, he can use the power to start The Rumbling! And once the world sees Eldia's power, nobody will dare to touch Paradis for decades to come!"

Araminta glanced to her side, where Mikasa had still remained fairly quiet. Her attention was locked on something in her hand, and when Araminta followed her gaze, she realized she was wearing that red scarf that never seemed to leave her neck.

"Hey. You know he probably made up the whole Ackerman bond thing, right?" She spoke in a soft voice.

Mikasa looked up to meet her eyes, and sighed. "But what if he didn't? It would make sense, wouldn't it? That I'm just... bonded to him, and that's why I want to protect him, no matter what?"

Araminta shook her head. "You want to protect him because you care about him, because he's your family. You want to protect him because--"

Suddenly her throat locked up, and she couldn't finish the rest of her thought.

Mikasa seemed to know what she meant, though. "Because I love him?"

You can't love me, because you don't know how. You only know how to obey an order.

"Yeah. Because you love him."

omg... hai all... guys we are FINISHED with act one! 😭😭😭🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 it's been a long year but we made it... anyways i've outlined the rest of this and it's giving me motivation so trust more updates will be coming...

sooo curious. are you guys team EREMINTA or team JEARAMINTA or team MIKAMINTA 😍😍😍 vote below......