PARTING OF THE WAYS

Calamity

After a week of drafting and proposing the policy for peace, they finally had it ready. Today they were going to the Palace to sign the treaty. All of the peace entourage members from Marley of course had to be there to sign the treaty with Historia.

When Annie went out of the hotel, she was surprised to see a few cars waiting to bring them to the palace.

"But I thought there were no cars in Paradis...The Queen picked me up in her COACH" Annie exclaimed.

Jean who heard her, being one of the representatives, chuckled.

"Historia picked you up in her coach? Yeah she's weird that way...Maybe she wanted to have some time with you"
Annie was, truthfully, amused.

The front cars started moving, Jean hopped into one and there was only one left so Annie went in, sat at the passenger seat and her heart stopped. She could swear she heard Armin's voice smiling (Yes, smiling). He was sitting next to the driver. They had an interesting conversation considering the driver was excited and Armin was all smiles. Annie was about to open the door to get another car when the driver stopped her. He said there was none left and as if he could read her mind, he told her she musn't get a cab. For security purposes he said.

Armin offered to get out of the car but the driver disagreed. The military already planned this. That was when Annie realised the driver was a military personnel and he was wearing the green long coat. Annie had no choice but to stay in the car. Armin was then quiet but the driver was very chatty. Armin was of course all polite and his charming self. The driver was in his 50s but the way he talked to Armin proved that he wasn't a yeagerist. Annie actually enjoyed listening to the conversation though she refused to join in.

Lost in conversation, suddenly the car stopped at a junction. There weren't a lot of cars but horses and carriages crossing the road. That of course separated their car from the rest of the group. Armin grew restless. When they continued driving, the driver noticed something. He told Armin and Annie to put on their seatbelts. He then hit the pedal and increased speed. Annie turned around and saw they were being followed by a car. "Damn Yeagerists" the driver cursed under his breath.

Annie knew they were in danger. In the briefing yesterday the military did say that they were taking extra caution because rumours abound about the yeagerists aiming to stop the peace plan. And of course they would target Armin, the betrayer who killed Eren Yeager. They had put decoys inside all the cars and Armin was supposed to be in the fourth car, not in this one. Annie could feel how tense it was. The last minute change must be another way of keeping the secret safe. The car behind came very fast and rammed on the side. Annie shouted and cursed. She instinctively, out of habit, swiped her right thumb against the inner of her index finger, only to feel empty-her ring with pointed metal wasn't there. She used to be able to draw blood from that mechanism and turn into the Female Titan. Unable to do anything, she only looked at Armin, and in a split second, she heard a gunshot and and the car was turning over. Suddenly Annie remembered the moments before she was encased in the crystal. How fearful she was, crying because she wanted to see her father. And flashes of a boy of 15 who had called her a good person, before her vision became dark...