Hey all, sorry for the brief delay as this chapter was supposed to dro only a few days before the last one, but it went through a fair few re-writes. Part of the reason was that I kinda felt like I had written myself into a bit of a corner (I'll explain more at the bottom) and to avoid getting writers bloke I decided to just cut the gordian knot as it were.
Hopefully, you all still enjoy it!

Also, I have set up a discord for NTT (link can be found on the AO3 version of story as FF hates links apparently) so feel free to join and ask any questions/make suggestions/or just be kept updated on progress or future plans.

At the age of twenty-one, Historia Reiss had not had what most would call an easy life. In fact, most people would agree that she had a pretty terrible life.

Neglected and ignored by her 'parents' since birth, and with the memories of Frieda locked away, Historia had spent the first thirteen years of her life honestly believing that no one cared about her and that her one possible worth as a human being could be to die for someone else's sake.

That's what she had told herself anyway, repeating that mantra over and over again when she had been signed up for the military. Better that, then continuing to live her pointless empty life.

But, in an ironic twist of fate, the place where she had been sent to die was the very place where she'd found a will to live.

Because for the first time in her sad, miserable existence, Historia found friends. Sasha and Connie, Jean and Marco, Eren, Armin and Mikasa, and yes, before she knew the truth, even Reiner and Bertholdt.

But while they had all been dear to her, only one person had seen through the mask she had worn. Only one had continuously tried to break down that facade and force her to live for herself despite her frequent stubborn refusals.

Only her… Only Ymir.

Because of her and them, those three years of training had been some of the best years of her life. Historia hadn't cared that they had to wake up every day at the crack of dawn, scoff down a bowl of watery gruel, then train until they nearly keeled over from bone-deep exhaustion. She hadn't cared that practically the only thing they had eaten for lunch and dinner for three whole years was bread and soup, or that the barracks were always freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer. She hadn't cared that the beds were as hard as nails, or that the blankets were scratcher than a pissed off cat.

She hadn't cared, because during those three years Historia had finally found people who truly cared about her. It had made her so happy that she almost forgot about her own past and wished those years of bootcamp would have lasted forever.

But, of course, as Historia would soon learn whenever she found happiness it became almost inevitable that something would come to put a stop to it. For as Mikasa was fond of saying, this world is cruel, and it cared little for what was fair or not.

A single month. That's all it had taken for those three years of bliss to be burnt to cinders. Trost and Annie, Ragako and Zeke, Reiner and Bertholdt's betrayal, and Ymir's decision to leave. All of it happening one after the other, until it left behind only dead friends, shattered lives and broken hearts.

But then it just kept getting worse.

The return of her father, persecution and revolution, remembering Frieda and that fleeting moment when Historia had been seconds away from eating one of her friends for the sake of a man who didn't give a single shit about her. Then a crown being placed on her head, a circlet of gold and blood-red rubies which might as well have been an iron chain. For despite all the power that crown represented, all Historia could do was watch as her friends had to fight the most devastating battle in their history in the ruined city of Shiganshina, paying an unprecedented price only to uncover a truth so daunting and disheartening that ignorance might have been preferable.

And as the years passed and Paradise desperately tried to grapple with their impossible situation, her life had spiralled to perhaps its darkest hour. As despite choosing to live for herself in that crystal cave, in the end, Historia had been forced to give up her own body for her people and knowing that, eventually, she would have to inherit the beast Titan to maintain the loophole around the founder's oath.

On some of the worst days when she had been isolated on her farm, alone and friendless, and pregnant with a child she never really wanted, Historia found herself thinking more and more about her own mother and wondering if this is how she felt when pregnant with her. The gallows humour of that being the only connection Historia had to dear old mum except for their hair colour had kept her going through some of those laugh or cry moments.

In the end, it looked like her life had gone full circle, with the only path left was to die for the sake of others.

But then something happened - something beyond her wildest dreams.

Just as the night was at its darkest and Historia had started to go away inside more and more, as she sunk deeper into depression and despair, dawn finally broke, and it came in the form of muddy forest path and Mikasa's outstretched hand.

In an instant, the slate was wiped clean. No more crown and gilded cage, no more pregnancy, no more loneliness. All of it just… gone. Somehow Historia had been given something most people could only dream of; a second chance at life.

Oh sure, it wasn't perfect, she still had a shitty past that had partially caught up with her again, and she had to re-adopt the Krista masque for a while. But apart from that all she had to do in return for this second chance was love Ymir and help Armin and Mikasa to secure a better future.

It was a deal she accepted without a second's hesitation. But when she had agreed to play her part in that small beige tent in the middle of the woods, flanked by a baffled Armin and an apologetic Mikasa, Historia never thought she'd end up in this situation; standing before Erwin Smith in Ragako Village with that question hanging in the air.

"Miss Reiss, are you the Female Titan?"

Seriously? What the actual fuck?

However, even as her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets in shock and her heart started hammering away in her chest so hard that it hurt, Historia still had the residual semblance of mind to croak out a reply that wasn't just a confused scream. "I-... you-... w-what?!"

Smooth could have been her middle name...

"Are you the Female Titan?" The Commander calmly repeated as if it was the most normal question in the world.

Historia could have stood there, mouth agape, for a very very long time. A part of her wondered if this was some sort of vivid dream or stress-related hallucination, because there was no way Erwin Smith had just asked her that. Surely, in a moment or two, she'd wake up back at the ranch cuddling up to Ymir, or snap out of it and come back to reality back in the forest freaking out about Reiner and Ymir again. Or even back on her farm if she was really unlucky.

But as the seconds slowly ticked by and the fingernails she pressed into her palm didn't wake her up, Historia realised that this was really happening and that, yes, Erwin had just asked her that and this was now the next instalment of the absurdity that was her life.

"N-no!" She finally blurted out, suddenly feeling rather trapped between the imposing Commander and the back wall of the barn. She hadn't quite realised it before, but Erwin had positioned himself in such a way that trying to run past him would be nigh impossible. "I'm not- I'm not a Titan!"

The panicky refusal sounded weak even to her own ears, and it was clear from the look on Erwin's face that he thought so as well.

"We mean you no harm, Miss Reiss, in fact, I believe we can help each other. Your actions during the expedition against Reiner Braun saved a great many lives and prevented him from reaching Eren. Allow us to repay this debt." Erwin offered his hand out to her in invitation. "If you are willing to work with us again, we can protect you from the MPs and whatever it is they want. If they are holding something against you; a family or friends, we can help them as well. All I need is your word that you will fight alongside us."

Mind still reeling, Historia just stared at the offered hand with wide eyes, her mouth soundlessly moving as she desperately tried to process what was happening right now.

'Holy crap... He really does think I'm Mikasa.' That realisation caused her heart to skip several beats. 'What the hell do I do now?!'

The sickly feeling of being trapped intensified as she desperately scrambled for an answer but came up short. She could have gone toe to toe with Erwin had he asked about her identity or what happened at the ranch, but this was something she had never anticipated.

For the bottom of her heart, Historia wanted to believe that Erwin was sincere and that if she revealed the full truth, he would be willing to help them, but she knew just how enigmatic and ruthless the Commander could be.

This was a man who only weeks after having his arm torn off by a Titan, organised and carried out a successful coup of a decades-long shadowy regime, and installed a military junta with herself as Queen in its place. And he had done that because the old regime had started to get in his way.

Erwin Smith was not a man who could be taken lightly or at face value. Deciding to trust him with the truth at the wrong moment could very well be their last mistake.

Averting her gaze, Historia wetted her painfully dry lips as she forced her vocal cords to start working again. "I-I'm sorry, Sir, but I'm not a Titan. I'm..." 'An illegitimate, time-travelling princess, who is friends with the actual Female Titan, and, judging from that quick look Armin gave me, the Colossal Titan as well. Oh and I'm in a relationship with another shifter.' "...just a soldier."

Erwin looked at her for a long moment, his face unreadable. "I see…" He said slowly, the offered hand dropping back to his side while the other slipped into his pocket. "Would you be willing to prove that?"

"Prove it?" Historia looked back and echoed his request in confusion. How was she supposed to prove it? She started to rack her brain for a way before her thoughts ground to a halt as Erwin pulled out a blood speckled knife from his pocket.

For a single terrifying moment, Historia thought he was going to attack her, to try and force a shift that would never come. Snippets of Shadis' lessons on hand to hand combat flashed before her eyes, and Historia found herself starting to shift into the defensive stance he had taught them. It wouldn't be enough to stop him, for the size and weight difference between them was just too great, but it might buy her a few precious moments to call for help. She wasn't fast enough, however, as before Ymir's name was even half-formed on her lips, Erwin made his move.

However, rather than lunging or slashing at her as she had feared, the Commander of the survey corp casually flipped the blade around, catching the tip of it between his forefinger and thumb, and held it out to her hilt first.

Historia's mouth snapped shut hard enough to rattle her teeth, strangling Ymir's name down into a low gasp. Her heart hammered even harder in her chest to the point where it felt like a dozen canons were firing against her ribcage with every beat.

"We know from Eren that shifters rapidly heal from injuries. So unless you wish to change your mind, I must ask again for proof." Erwin prompted, lightly motioning with the offered blade. "Oh, and should you attempt to change and flee, Captain Levi and an entire squadron of veteran scouts remain close by."

The "and your friends as well." remained unsaid, but the warning was still clear as day. Erwin was no longer playing around.

Historia fought to get her breathing back under control, but it was an uphill battle. This was insane! How the hell did she even get into this situation?!

At the very least she had learnt that Erwin didn't know about shifters being able to stop their healing from kicking in if they wanted as Reiner had done during their first life. Or maybe he did know, and this was all part of a plan to lull them into a false sense of security. With him either could be possible.

But what it did mean however was that Historia was now stuck between a rock and a hard place. A refusal to comply at this point would all but scream "Shifter" to the already sceptical Erwin and could lead to him trying to force the issue to everyone's detriment. And she couldn't tell him that his method of seeking proof was fundamentally flawed since the only way she could know that was if she was either a shifter herself or was familiar with one. Which only left one option for Historia to take if she wanted to maintain their deception.

'Damn it… you owe me for this Mikasa.'

Stiffly, Historia reached out and gingerly took the blade from the Commander's hand, feeling the weight of it in her clammy palm, knowing what she needed to do. She didn't bother asking whose blood that was, and truthfully she didn't want to know.

Biting her lip, Historia hesitantly wiped the edge against her sleeve with a trembling hand, cleaning off the worst of the semi-dried blood, and hoping against all hope that Erwin might back down when he saw she was willing to do it. That was not to be, however, as he just continued to watch her with those cold, emotionless eyes.

'You REALLY owe me for this Mikasa!

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Historia placed the knife edge down against her palm, the sensitive skin tingling where the cold steel rested. Her stomach clenched and rolled at what she was about to do, so in response, Historia simply scrunched up her eyes and exhaled.

'...Fuck it. Let's just get this over with.' Historia settled her nerves with the curse and gritted her teeth in determination before pulling the blade back across her hand.

Pinpricks of light exploded behind her eyes as the cold steel bit deep and hard, slicing through her flesh as if it were wet tissue paper. Historia gritted even harder to stifle the pained cry as blood quickly pooled in her hand from the red line she had carved into her hand.

She was no stranger to pain, but deliberately cutting herself like that was like nothing she had ever felt before. Was this her brain's way of telling her not to be so bloody stupid? If so, how can Ymir and Mikasa do this every time they shift? How the hell does Eren do it by biting?!

Sucking in a shaky breath, Historia allowed the bloodied knife to slip from her hand and hit the ground with a muted clatter. Blinking away the tears of pain that threatened to fall, the non-shifter presented her bloody hand to Erwin's searching eyes.

For a long moment, the Commander inspected the offered appendage, carefully watching for any sign of healing. But when the steam he had been hoping for did not billow from her palm and the bloody cut did not stitch itself back together Erwin bowed his head with a quiet apology.

"My apologies, Miss Reiss, I was wrong. Here, for your hand." From another pocket, the Commander pulled out a half-finished roll of bandages and offered it to her. "And, while I appreciateyour... dedication, a small nick on the thumb would have sufficed."

After debating the merits of slapping the Commander for not saying that before and kicking herself for not thinking of it first, Historia took the offered roll with a terse nod and quickly set about wrapping her self-inflicted wound.

"I have other questions, Miss Reiss, when you are ready." Erwin firmly asserted as if he hadn't just ordered one of his recruits to cut themselves to satisfy his curiosity.

'It better be about Eren this time.' Historia silently grumbled, still annoyed at herself and the Commander as she flexed her hastily bandaged hand. 'Ymir is going to flip when she sees this.'

Strangely, that thought brought a small smile to her face. 'Over-protective dummy…'

Remembering where she was and who she was with, Historia allowed the smile to fall away and cradled her injured hand against her chest. It still hurt like hell, but at least she didn't have to worry about getting blood everywhere now.

"About the MPs, I guess?" She asked, wanting to regain some semblance of control over the situation.

Erwin nodded, "At first we believed they targeted you because you were a shifter since another group attacked us earlier today and kidnapped Eren, but that idea is obviously no longer viable."

Historia's uninjured hand clenched into a fist as her fears about Eren were confirmed. Even with her expecting such news, it was still a body blow to hear. 'Damn you father…'

"Eren was attacked? Is he alright?" The concern in her voice was genuine, even if the surprise was not.

"We don't know, which is why we must find and recover Eren as swiftly as possible. So if you have any information about what happened today or why you were targeted, then you must tell me. The fate of Humanity may depend on it." That was probably the closest thing to pleading that Historia had ever heard from Erwin Smith. It was perhaps the closest thing to it anyone had ever heard.

Fortunately for Erwin's pride, it was a plea Historia was more than willing to answer. All she had to do was carry out the careful balancing act of explaining her life and informing him where Eren was while avoiding any possible connection to royalty or her own out-of-time-ness. Luckily Historia had learnt how to spin a tale or two in her life.

"I think this may be my father's work," Historia answered softly, tentatively locking eyes with the inquisitive Commander. "He's a wealthy nobleman and a powerful member of the Wall cult. He… He liked to think of himself as a God…"

And as Historia gave her carefully curated story, bringing up the cult, her childhood and the chapel where Rod would surely be holding Eren, Erwin's eyes grew wider and wider.

Xxxxx

There were days when Jean wished he hadn't bothered waking up. Days which from the instant he opened his eyes was just one gigantic shitstorm with a side order of gut punches.

Today was certainly one of those days. In fact, Jean was already counted this day as second only to Trost on the 'why the fuck did I even get up today?' scale.

He should have known this day was going to be a mess when he discovered to his own immense horror and disbelief that Armin and Mikasa had been sleeping together having witnessed them leaving the same tent before the sun had even fully risen. But he soon discovered that ordeal was just the appetiser of today's gut punches.

The next blow was hot on its heels when less than an hour later Jean is lead to believe that Bertholdt had apparently deserted the corp during the night, only to then be informed a bit later that actually he had fled because he was the Colossal Titan, the piece of shit who nearly got them all killed in Trost!

That should have been today's 'main course' as it were, but Jean was quickly disabused of that notion. For if it wasn't bad enough that Bertholdt, the nightly contortionist whose sleeping dance somehow predicted the day's weather with 100% accuracy, was a fucking Titan, it turns out that Reiner, the 104th's older brother,was also one. But not just any Titan, oh no, that son of bitch traitor was the fucking Armoured Titan.

He had shared a barracks with the two greatest mass murders in human history. Literally sleeping in the very next bunk.

It made him feel sick to even think about it. How could they sit there and lie to their faces about being friends for all those years?!

But, astoundingly, that wasn't all. After all, if life had already served him up two courses of bullshit today, why not finish it off with a dessert?

And what a dessert it was, coming in two different forms. The first was that apparently Krista isn't actually Krista and is, in fact, some girl called Historia Reiss who is wanted by the MPs for some unknown reason. So that made another 'friend' who had lied to them all today, and possibly a criminal to boot.

And most recently (Jean refused to call it lastly since at this point that would be tempting fate) he's informed that their resident suicidal block headed idiot known as Yeager managed to get his dumbass kidnapped! Like how the fuck does someone who can turn into a 15m class Titan get kidnapped?!

'Damn it all to hell! This whole thing is fucked! Why didn't I join the damn MPs?'

Despite his frustrations, Jean immediately regrets thinking that. Marco had given him a quick rundown at what happened at the ranch and what the MPs had done. How they had attacked Captain Mike and his squad and threatened the rest of his cadet class. How, despite him being a traitor to Humanity, they had shot Reiner without any hesitation.

The MPs were supposed to be the best of the best, the most prestigious and noble wing of the armed forces yet nothing about what they did at the ranch had been noble. How could he look his mother in the eye if he joined MPs only to end up doing that?

An elbow lightly nudging into his side, draws Jean out his dark thoughts and back to the real world. It's an almost welcome reprieve.

"Oi, Jean, you listening?" Connie mumbles, trying to get his attention while also avoiding being heard by Hanji who was in the middle of interrogating Marco about Reiner. Marco had made the rookie mistake of being the first to reply to the section commander's questions when she sauntered over to them and was now paying the price.

Both himself and Connie were eager to avoid the fate that had befallen their freckled friend.

"No," Jean responded just as quietly, having not heard a thing Connie had said. "What do you want?"

In a move that was unsubtle even for him, the buffoon of the 104th cocked his head toward the other motley fool of their cadet class. "I think there's something wrong with Sasha. She's been acting all strange, and won't talk to me."

Blinking in disbelief Jean wondering not for the first time if Connie had been dropped on his head as a child. "We've got all this shit going on around us, and you're thinking about Potato Girl? How the fuck am I supposed to know what's wrong with her? I just got here."

"Don't call her that." Connie snapped back instinctually, his voice an octave louder than before. "She doesn't like that name. And I asked you cause you're always claiming to be the second smartest guy in the barracks, so figure it out genius."

"Then she shouldn't have eaten that potato." Jean scoffed, still able to recall that incident between her and Shadis in perfect clarity. Honestly, what was she thinking? "And it's not a claim, I am smarter than the rest of you. It's not my fault you're too dumb to see that." He quickly added with a derisive sniff.

Of course, they both knew that 'the rest of you' firmly excluded Armin. Jean didn't even try proclaiming himself the smartest with him around. It would be like claiming to be the strongest soldier while standing next to Captain Levi.

"Yeah? So why were you always begging Marco for his class notes?" Connie fired back with a victorious smirk. "Oh please, Marco, my freckled saviour, let me see your notes. I'll do anything. Anything!"

Jean pursed his lips, silently seethed at Connie's mocking impression. That was one time!

"Why don't you just ask her what's wrong instead of bothering me?" He ground out, refusing to give Connie the satisfaction of seeing him angry.

Naturally, such an obvious answer was instantly rejected by the shorter teen. "You can't just ask someone what's wrong, Jean!" Connie looked appalled at the mere suggestion. "You have to figure it out first, or you just look like a bad friend."

'Oh yeah, definitely dropped on his head.' "Well then maybe she's just sick of seeing your ugly mug. You do have a face only a mother could love after all."

Jean grunted as Connie's elbow dug itself into his ribs, an act which was dangerously close to catching Hanji's attention. Mercifully the woman was too engrossed in whatever Marco was telling her to notice his slipup.

"Bite me, horseface. But be serious dude, she was fine an hour ago, but now she's acting all weird and stuff. I'm worried about her."

'By the Walls, someone save me from this stupidity.' Jean pleaded, rubbing his likely bruised side, wondering what he had done to deserve this today. Alas, no help appeared to be coming, so Jean had to find his own way out of this mind-numbing conversation.

Fortunately, he had the perfect plan to get rid of Connie, or at least stop him from blabbering on.

"Well…" Jean scratched his chin after a moment of silence, pretending to give the issue some thought. "She's a girl ain't she?"

That remark got him an amusing reaction from the academically challenged prankster. Firstly, there was a noticeable stiffening of his posture as the boy drew himself up to his full, rather lacklustre, stature (compared to Jean's own anyway since the top of his head barely reached Jean's shoulders). The next was a setting of his jaw and a narrowing of his hazel eyes as Connie regarded him in suspicion.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He demanded, causing Jean to roll his eyes.

'Fucking hell you really are dense. Fine then, you asked for it...'

"Use that walnut-sized brain of yours, Connie. Remember those lessons the camp doctor gave us and what he said about the girls and what happens to them?" Jean casually remarked, watching with a toothy grin as those dusty cogs in Connie's head slowly started to turn. "Maybe that's what's wrong with her."

'And in 3… 2… 1…'

"Urgh!" Connie cried out in disgust as what Jean was implying finally dawned on him. The horrified expression on his face and his loud shout quickly drew the attention of all their friends (including the girl in question, who promptly turn away again with a blush... okay fine that was a bit weird, but Jean wasn't gonna admit that) and Hanji, all of which stared at the short-haired boy with looks of confusion or annoyance (the latter being exclusively from Ymir).

After a few seconds of awkward silence, the spluttering Connie realised everyone was eyeing him and muttered an apology, gazing down at his feet to avoid eye contact. After a few more lingering moments, the others gradually returned to whatever they were doing before his outburst.

Jean's smug grin stayed firmly in place, even as the thoroughly embarrassed Connie punched him in the arm and hissed under his breath. "Arsehole! I don't want to think about that stuff, man. That lesson was bad enough without you reminding me of it."

"Then don't waste my time with stupid questions." Jean fired back with a shrug, satisfied with Connie's public humiliation. He'd gotten his fun.

"Fine! I'll go ask someone who is actually smart, unlike your fake ass." With that the red-faced Connie stalked off, heading towards Armin who was standing slightly apart from the rest of the group beside Mikasa.

Of course, as Jean watched Connie's retreating form, it also meant he got a direct view of the two highest-ranking cadets having another one of their renowned 'silent conversations' judging by the odd looks they were giving each other and the tiny facial quirks they were making.

It was hardly the first time Jean had seen them doing that, but before today he had always stomped down that flicker of jealousy by filing their closeness away as a sign of their totally platonic long term friendship.

Jean quickly looked away from the pair with a huff. He knew the truth now though.

'Fucking Yeager…'

Xxxxx

Levi had no love for villages. In fact, they made him profoundly uncomfortable.

Many people might appreciate the quaint little communities as a safe place to live or raise a family, but to Levi, such places felt like traps ready to snap shut around him at a moments notice. Everything about villages screamed innocence to him, and for someone who was 'raised' in the shithole known as the underground city, it had long been drilled into Levi's head that if something looks too good to be true, then it is.

In the underground, if someone approached you with a smile, it was because they were distracting you from the pickpocket reaching for your coin pouch.

In the underground, if someone walked up behind you, it was because they were planning to shove a blade between your ribs.

In the underground, the closest thing you got to a 'community' were the gangs of cutthroats and rapists who ruled over their portion of the city and its residents like petty tyrants.

Ragako with its sleepy streets and buddy-buddy people was the total antithesis of everything Levi once knew, and it didn't sit well with him. Not one bit.

Even as the hamlet slowly returned to normal once word got round they were not MPs, Levi kept his hand still firmly on his sword hilt, tapping his forefinger against it with the slow beat of his heart.

He could say he was only doing that in preparation to fulfil Erwin's silent order, but that would be a bald-faced lie.

As the minutes dragged by, Levi almost wished that Hanji was beside him, yelling in his ears about her latest dumb shit theory about Titans. Instead, he had to silently put up with the curious gazes of the villagers and their hushed murmurings alone as shitty glasses was in the middle of questioning the recruits about that Braun piece of shit.

His sword hilt made a low creaking noise at the name and Levi had to force himself to loosen his grip. He'd get his chance soon enough.

Fortunately for the longevity of his gear and the pack of village children who had nearly mustered up the courage to approach him and ask questions, Erwin had finally finished his chat with the Reiss girl and was making his way back to him from the barn.

Levi raised an eye when he saw the Reiss girl quickly darting from his side towards her friends with a freshly bandaged hand cradled at her chest. 'So not the Female Titan then…'

"We have a possible location," Erwin informed him once he was close enough to not have to shout. "A chapel located up north, situated somewhere between Orvud and Utopia district."

Levi suppressed a grimace at that. He didn't like the north much either, too cold for his taste and the pristine snows that often blanketed the land made dirt stand out more.

"According to Miss Reiss, the church is owned by her father, a nobleman and a fanatic with powerful connections to the Wall cult and the MPs they have bribed. They were the only ones who knew Reiss's real name so it would explain why Reiss was targeted."

"And this is all linked to my squad because…?" Levi urged, failing to see the connection between the apparent cult baby within their ranks, and his missing team. The wall cult might have considerable wealth and influence, but he doubted they had enough to launch two separate attacks on the military, and he sure as hell couldn't see Kenny taking orders from a priest.

After the MPs, those religious nuts were his favourite targets.

"It seems Eren's kidnapping may be part of some religious ceremony wants to carry out. We know the Wall cult does not approve of Eren's existence and have openly expressed their disgust at his admittance into our ranks."

"So, what?" Levi snarled as his uncertainty gave way to anger. "Those fuckers planning on sacrificing him to the Walls or some shit?!"

Erwin's grim expression did not fill him with hope. "That does seem to be a distinct possibility."

"Then why do they want the girl? Why did they take Petra as well? Co-sacrifices?" Levi spat, already picture the terrible vengeance he will reap on those bastards if they've laid a finger on either member of his squad.

"I do not know. They could be using Petra as a hostage against Eren to prevent him from shifting and escaping, and as for Reiss she claims to have no idea why they want her, but it seems likely she would be forced to take part in whatever it is they are planning."

With a disgruntled sigh, Levi looked over and eyed the Reiss girl carefully. Having reunited with her little posse of friends, Reiss had immediately been set upon by that tall, freckled girl who grabbed her injured hand, cursed loudly, then shot a positively murderous gaze at Erwin. If Reiss wasn't pressing her uninjured hand against the girl's chest, Levi was sure she would have come storming over to them with swinging fists.

He could also see Hanji trying to not look openly disappointed at the girl's injury, but that creepy pout on her face ruined the effort. She really wanted Reiss to be the Female Titan.

'Probably had a whole bunch of fucked up experiments planned out for when we got Eren back...' Levi made a face as he thought about what kind of tests Hanji might carry out with Eren and a 'female' Titan at hand.

"And you trust her?" Levi asked aloud, directing the question at Erwin as he shoved the mental imagery of those potential experiments away.

"Of course not." Erwin replied, sounded mildly offended at the suggestion, "The girl is clearly an experienced liar, but she's not stupid. Reiss knows that her fate and continued freedom depends entirely on us right now, especially with her not being the Female Titan, so helping us find and retrieve Eren is in her own best interests."

Levi clicked his tongue. "Tsk. Or she is sending us on some wild goose chase to the other end of Rose so she can disappear and leave us with our thumbs firmly up our arses."

Despite a small sigh at Levi's choice of words, Erwin hummed in agreement. "I had considered that possibility, which is why she will be coming with us. Same as the other recruits."

At this, Levi stopped. Slowly he pulled his unblinking gaze away from Hanji, Reiss and the other recruits, and looked up at the irksomely tall Commander, hoping he had just misheard. "Say again?"

"They will be coming with us to assist in the retrieval. If Reiss is lying to us about the church, or Eren and Petra are not there, then she won't be able to escape." Erwin answered, complying with his request despite Levi wishing he hadn't. Having his hearing failing him would have been preferable to this.

"Are you drunk?" Levi demanded to know, seeing no other possible cause for this insanity.

Erwin raised an eye. "I assure you, Levi, I am quite sober."

"Really? Then perhaps you could explain to me why the fuck you want to bring a bunch of damn kids along with us? I could maybe understand you wanting to bring the girl along, but the rest will just be in the way."

"They may be young, Levi, but they are hardly children any more. Considering what happened at Trost and during the expedition, they have already been through more than most adults."

"They could have faced Titans half a hundred times for all I care. Titans are nothing compared to Kenny. They might be big and dangerous, but they're also dumb and predictable. Even abnormal Titans are child play compared to facing him!"

"The 104th have proven themselves to be a formidable force and highly adaptable despite their age. You should not underestimate them." Erwin countered with infuriating calmness.

"They don't even have their gear, Erwin. Except for little miss Archer over there, all those kids could do is shout rude words at the bastards before they get their heads blown off. You ever heard of someone who can 'adapt' to losing their head?"

Erwin ignored the jibe, and instead focused on the main point of his argument. "The Garrison quartermaster at Yarckel owes me several favours. We can call in there on the way north and get all the supplies we may need for this operation."

Once again, Erwin's words gave Levi pause, but this time for a totally different reason. Quartermasters, regardless of their division, were known to be notoriously tight-fisted, and reluctant to part with even a single piece of equipment if possible. So the fact Erwin was apparently owed enough favours by one that they would willingly give a whole bunch of supplies to another division during a time of crisis was almost inconceivable.

Actually, no, not almost, it was utterly inconceivable. So in its own fucked up way, it made total sense that Erwin Smith somehow managed it.

'Probably used some magical power from his fucking eyebrow. Makes as much damn sense.'

With the excuse of the lack of gear now pulled from under him, Levi, while never desperate, was growing increasingly annoyed and frustrated at Erwin's insistence on bringing these brats along. He didn't want to see more kids being murdered by Kenny.

"Then why not use those favours to make the Garrison give us another squad or two? If you want some meat shields at least use adults instead of a pack of partially trained children, cause I promise you that if you send them against Kenny that's all they will be!"

The corners of Erwin's lips twitched into a small frown, and his eyes narrow just a fraction of an inch. Levi had worked with him long enough to know that was a sign of real anger at his sharp remark.

'Good. Maybe that will cut through to him.'

"I have no intentions of using them as meat shields, Levi. I have never thrown away lives without good reason, and I don't intend to start now." There was a sharpness in Erwin's voice that would have sent most soldiers (and likely civilians too) running to the hills, but Levi didn't waver for a second.

"Then send them back to HQ. Or better yet, send them back to bootcamp so they can at least finish their shitty training before we send them out to die."

Before Erwin could even muster a response, Levi stepped towards him and jabbed a finger against his chest, violating at least a dozen military regulations in the process. "Five of them abandoned Mike and his squad at the ranch, quite literally running to their mummy for help. The other three allowed the Colossal to slip through their fingers while on watch, screwing up their one actual job for the night. And these are kids you want to help rescue Yeager and Petra?! They are untrained, undisciplined and unprepared for something like this. They'll-"

"Yes," Erwin cut through Levi's growing rant with a single word and firmly removing the jabbing finger from his chest. "The 104th is rough around the edges, I don't deny that. They have flaws, but they have enormous potential as well, far more than most. Even you must have seen that."

Levi was about to reject that assumption out of hand when he saw the briefest flash of that reddish scarf Ackerman always wore in his mind's eye. '40 Titan kills.' Levi remembered Pixis nonchalant announcement during Yeager's trial. '40 dumbshit Titans in one battle…'

Humanity's strongest he might be, but Levi was man enough to admit that killing 40 Titans in a matter of hours could be a struggle, even for him. But then again, he had never fought Titans in an urban environment quite like Trost before. But regardless of if it was easier to fight in a city rather than out in the field or not, he could recognise Ackerman's potential even if his pride was still chafing from her near-insubordinate attitude earlier (even if it was annoying familiar).

But she was just one of the eight brats, and just because she might survive a battle with Kenny's band of cutthroats, that didn't mean the rest would. Sure some of them got a single Titan kill in Trost, but that didn't mean shit here, even if it did admittedly put them a fair way ahead of practically every soldier outside the scouts.

"And while you say they abandoned Mike, I see it another way." Erwin continued on, heedless of Levi's inner debate over the potential of the 104th. "The recruits found themselves in an impossible situation; attacked by the MPs and betrayed from within by the Armoured Titan. They had no gear, no orders and no idea if help was coming. But, rather than panicking and hiding in the woods like their comrades, they secured a vital asset to the corp and withdrew to a secure location to lay low for a while before they could make their own way back to us."

The scoff Levi let out did not faze Erwin in the slightest. "Even if that wasn't their exact reasoning, it still shows a great degree of strategic and tactical thinking whilst under pressure. Had they waited in the forest there was a chance the surviving MPs could have pursued them after Braun fled, and taken Miss Reiss. The potential is there Levi, it just needs to be nurtured."

A scathing retort froze in Levi's throat as his blood ran cold. Now Erwin's insistence for dragging these brats along was starting to make sense.

'You bastard…'

"What they need is a teacher. Someone to smooth out the edges, and teach them what they are missing, and to guide them towards their full potential. Someone with an equally unorthodox entry into the corp who they could relate to and confide in... Someone like y-"

"No," Levi cut him off with a growl, so low and dangerous that it would have sent Titans running. "I have a squad." he spat, furious that Erwin would try and force a bunch of shitty kids onto him when most of his actual squad had only just been lowered into the ground, and the surviving members had been kidnapped by a bloodthirsty psychopath.

"If you want them trained up send them to Mike, or Dirk, or even shitty glasses if you're so insistent on bringing them along. I am the Captain of the Special Operations Squad, not a fucking nanny for your pet project."

Erwin was taken aback by the sheer intensity of the venom in Levi's words. He had, of course, anticipated an adverse reaction to his suggestion, remembering Levi's response when the S.O. Squad was first assembled, but not to this degree. This wasn't just reluctance or mild irritation, but outright hostility.

Realising he may have misjudged the situation and Levi's current disposition, Erwin took a figurative step back. "This is not a permanent assignment Levi, merely a temporary one until we have found Eren and Petra. We need to maintain a working chain of command if we are going to rescue them." Erwin explained rewording his suggestion as to be more amenable to the Captain. "Even if it's only a day or two, I believe being under your command would benefit the 104th immensely."

With acid still in his voice, Levi glowered at Erwin. "I don't care. Make it 'temporary' for someone else. Four eyes practically drools over Arlert, so give the brats to her, she'll probably thank you for it."

"Levi... Hanji cannot effectively command a squad of fourteen people." Erwin states slowly as if explaining something to an unruly child.

Levi's eye twitches at the tone. "Then I'll take command of her squad, and she can be babysitter. Or, if that's not good enough, why don't you do it? You were a Captain once, so consider it a throwback."

The two men stared at each other, refusing to back down as they both privately bemoaned the other's stubbornness.

But as before it was Erwin who was first to break the standoff. With a minute sigh, the Commander switched tactics from asking for Levi's cooperation to using his previous words and actions against him. "I remember you saying something quite similar when Eren was first assigned to you. Yet now he is as much a member of your squad as Petra."

'Oh, you son of a-'

"Yeager is my charge. I have to give a shit about him unless you want Zachary stringing us up." Levi quickly fired back but found the strength behind his own words lacking.

It had been little over a month since Yeager had been forced upon him and his team both as a charge to protect and a possible threat to contain or neutralise. Yet despite the boy's annoying hero-worship, both of himself and his squad, it seemed like most of his team had quickly taken a liking to him, especially Petra.

Levi had seen the two of them amicably chatting numerous times both before that ruinous mission beyond the Wall and had been nigh-inseparable in the days after it. The two of them had supported each other through the worst of the immediate grief and loss when Levi hadn't known how to help. And now they would have to rely on each other until he rescued them for Kenny and the Wall cult.

Perhaps Yeager hadn't been truly part of his squad before the expedition,but once Levi got him back… Once he got them both back… Maybe that would change.

"Then he is a charge we have lost and now must retrieve." Picking up on Levi's inner deliberations, Erwin went for the kill. "I know this is not ideal or desirable, Levi, but as you said before we must move quickly if we want to rescue Eren and Petra. I know I said we would wait for further reinforcements before going after them, but the situation has changed. With Hoover's and Braun's withdrawal, and the cult's failure to capture Miss Reiss, we have been given a golden opportunity to strike back while both our opponents are planning their next move. If we delay now that window of opportunity will be lost. We must settle with what we have and make the best of it."

There was a long, uneasy pause as he digested Erwin's request, with the silence only broken by the growing gusts of wind which tore through the village and the muted buzz of others conversations. Levi could feel the annoying pulsing of a growing headache.

He could see what Erwin was trying to say, but it was still just as reckless as his original plan, if not more so. For reasons beyond Levi's comprehension, Erwin clearly believed that with only seventeen people (and eight of them being partially trained children), they could successfully sneak north avoiding any MPs or cultists on the way during the middle of a partial evacuation of the south, find this damn chapel, beat Kenny and his gang, rescue his squad, and get back to HQ before that bastard Braun and Hoover made another attack on the Walls.

But what bothered Levi the most about this 'plan' wasn't how it basically relied entirely on luck and staying covert the whole way north, but was the simple fact that Erwin didn't seem to get that they were going to have to fight and kill other people for this to work.

And if there was one thing Levi knew it was that killing Titans and killing people was two very different things.

Even the most battle-hardened soldier with a dozen Titan kills to their name could be reduced to a sobbing, broken wreck after taking a life, even by accident. Hell, he had seen it happen before.

Before the fall of Maria, the corp had been on another one of Shadis's missions to secure a forward base of operation in one of the forests beyond the Wall. At the time Levi was only a lieutenant and was part of a forward detachment tasked with clearing out a small pack of Titans amassing below the tree base. It was nothing they hadn't done before, but on that day the weather had been unusually shitty; the wind was strong and unpredictable, and the heavy rainfall messed with their manoeuvrability and reduced their visibility way down.

At the tail end of that relatively minor skirmish, two veterans were working together to take down a 15m class which had been slowly clambering its way up the tree. Both of them had killed numerous Titans before and this one should have been no different, but thanks to the terrible conditions they were fighting in, one had strayed a bit too close to the Titan in her turning arc as she swung round to target its nape. Unaware of this error and the looming disaster it would entail, her comrade had launched his own attack on the Titan, darting forward with his swords already sticking out to cleave through the Titan's flesh. It was a textbook kill, or at least it would have been had the other scout not come spinning round and colliding with his blades at max speed. The impact was so devastating that it practically cut the woman in half, killing her instantly.

The accidental killer, a veteran of nearly a dozen expeditions, had been left utterly catatonic by what happened, refusing to speak to anyone, even Commander Shadis when he arrived on the scene and didn't move a muscle even as he was bundled onto a wagon and carried back to Maria.

They found him two days later barricaded in his room and lying in a pool of his own blood.

If a veteran like that couldn't handle the guilt of an accidental killing, then how could a bunch of kids already semi-traumatised from their battle in Trost shoulder the burden of internationally killing someone, even if its for a cause like this?

And the kids weren't the only weak link. Levi could tell that not a single person in Hanji's squad, including its namesake, had taken a life before, and that for all their skills and experiences when the moment came, they would panic and hesitate just as much as the recruits.

But as Erwin so bluntly put it, they were all Levi had available to rescue his squad. So if they were going to have any chance of success in this insanity, he would have to mentally prepare this entire group to cross that line from soldier to killer, and to make sure that when the moment came they didn't hesitate. Not even for a second.

"...I can't promise any of them will survive this." Levi grumbled, with unusual softness. It was a final plea for reason; a last-ditch effort to make Erwin reconsider so he wouldn't do this to save his squad.

"I understand," Erwin replied in what he supposed passed for a reassuring voice. "But it's a risk we must take. All of us are replaceable compared to Eren."

"Tsk."Levi pursed his lips and once more looked closely at the gaggle of children he'd have to turn into killers for this to work. '...It's for my squad.' He told himself, latching to that excuse like a child might cling to a blanket. It made him feel weak and made him feel like he was once against in the underground. 'And the rest of Humanity. We need Yeager. We need him...'

Levi wasn't a religious man but he knew if he somehow wasn't going to hell before, he certainly would be after this.

"Fine." Levi ground out, gritting his teeth at the bitter taste the word left in his mouth. "This is a terrible fucking idea, but fine. But if this falls to shit and we end up dying for nothing because of this, I'm blaming you."

Erwin was lucky he didn't smile right then, cause if he had flashed that damnable smile of his Levi would have kneed him square in the groin, Commander or not. Instead, the crafty bastard just nodded with a maddeningly straight face. "If that happens, I will not hold it against you."

He couldn't tell if that was a joke or not, but to prevent himself from giving in to the temptation of headbutting a senior officer, Levi decided now was a good time to just walk away. So that's what he did, making sure to loudly mutter under his breath about what he thought of this plan as he left.

And as the cursing Levi strode towards the recruits now had under his command, wondering just how the hell he was going to do this, the sky above grew darker and darker as the ominous grey storm clouds crept ever closer.

Well, there we go. As mentioned up top I felt like I had written myself into a bit of corner by having Erwin say no to going after EP immediately for reason x a few chapters ago, then having him do a 180ish change this chapter to take the 104th with them to rescue Eren. I felt like it was unrealistic since unlike canon they are a fair bit more green than before since they didn't go on that impromptu expedition etc so it seems unlikely Erwin would bring them along, but at the same time I couldn't just not have them go with since this is SNK and the gang need to be there to rescue their princess- I mean their Titan shifter as a group.
So I decided to just go fuck it and cut through my own spindly web of BS so the gang can go find Eren lol

And speaking of Eren... chapter 131 was certainly something wasn't it. I won't say much since the typeset only just came out but it's certainly a hard hitter (and good if you're an AA shipper I guess). Does make me wonder how the hell MAPPA is going to get season 4 through the censors though...

And finally, before you go, I want to start building the hype for my next chapter by revealing that it is the long-awaited Reiner PoV which I teased many months ago. And I promise I will do my best to make it a worthy successor to a soldier's armour. Its certainly going to be a heavy chapter that's for sure though!

Review answers:

Isil'zha BLZ: That was very cruel of me to end it there but hopefully this will make up for it.

Yeah I can easily see Yams going down the Evangelion route of ships with him never confirming either way. That way he keeps the EMs and EHs on board and they can continue to sell merchandising for either pairing if they wished lol

As of right now, Erwin is operating on a bunch of different theories and ideas not all of which are correct (as shown in this chapter) however his suspicions about Armin were more of him being one of the few people who might have been able to pull off what Reiner did with him being from Maria, having no familial ties left to check with (ignoring eren/mikasa), was present in shigashina, Trost and the expedition etc (and of course the unexplained improvement in bootcamp caught his eye as well). And while Erwin does trust Eren he is still a rather suspicious person and would be reluctant to take what Eren says as gospel without checking for himself first.

David Daniel B: I am determined to give one of our time travellers a heart attack before this fic is over and AM had there one over the last two chapters so its hisu turns now. I feel like she handled it a bit better than her fellows though at least.

Traitor of All Traitors: The NTT-verse is around 8 odd months earlier than canon so you don't need to worry about Zeke for now, he will turn up later down the line (evil laugh)

Junhuamin: Hope this chapter lived up to your expectations! And I am also looking forward to writing the moment when Erwin finds out the truth. Should be a fun one!