JDthebeast's Beauty and the King

Chapter 14: The Fate of Trost

(K/N: Sorry I haven't posted in a while I had some family issues to handle anyways Enjoy!)

Eren: I'll do it! I don't know if I can, but... I will. I swear!

Pixis: (Patting Eren's shoulders) Excellently said. You have the heart of a lion.

The Garrison commander then rose to his feet and walked to the wall's edge, yelling down to his officers.

Pixis: Staff officers, hup! We have a plan to flesh out!

Armin: (Shocked) Wait, we--? We can't actually be moving forward with this as our linchpin strategy. It was just something I tossed out there.

Eren: I was thinking the same thing. 'Cept, he seems like a guy who knows what he's doing. Has it all under control, like we can't see the forest for the trees, but he's got a bird's eye view.

Armin: Y'think so?

Eren: I do. Either way, though, we've got a whole other problem to address before we can get your plan off the ground. And my gut tells me that the Commander's keenly aware of it. Which would be? Titans aren't our only foe.

Y/n: (Gripping Armin's shoulder comfortingly) You've got this. I would dive into hell and back if it were riding on your plan. And with our current situation the way it is, I might very much well be diving into hell. 

Armin: (Nervous) Oh, that's comforting.

Mikasa: We believe in you, Armin.

Armin smiled at Mikasa and Y/n, who both gave him words of securement. He nodded in agreement.

Pixis: (Walking back to their position) Look sharp, soldiers.

The four teens turned to face the Commander, flanked by two of his officers, ready for their orders.

Pixis: The fate of mankind rests on your shoulders.

Pixis walked off with Eren, while Y/n, Mikasa, and Armin stayed behind with the two officers, going over the plan to retake Trost. They had a map of the city spread out across the wall's jutted-out section. The blonde strategist started to go over his plan. The two officers were hunched over the map, listening to what Armin was proposing. Y/n stood nearby, watching their interaction, while Mikasa was looking off in the direction Eren went.

Gustav: What do you mean we don't actually need to fight them?

Armin: There's an easier way. Sorry, I know it's not my place to interrupt. I mean no disrespect.

Gustav: It's alright. Just go on with what you were saying. 

Armin: Right. Thank you, sir. See, whatever else is going on around them, Titans are generally drawn to large groups of people. If enough of us collected in the corner away from the breach, we could lure the Titans out of Eren's path. He could be discrete about moving the boulder. He also won't have to slow his pace while we fight the others off of him. And since the Titans will all be in one area, we can pick them off via cannon fire without incurring causalities of our own. Now I'm not suggesting we leave Eren defenseless. That'd be too risky. We'll need a modest band of Elites to act as his bodyguards. There's no way of knowing how many Titans might come through the hole while he's trying to patch it up. His security detail will need to be able to handle them. Easy enough, I think. We can retool the plan around that. The thing is, we're making a huge assumption here. Namely that Eren, even in full-on Titan mode, is strong enough to move the rock. I mean, to be perfectly honest, there's very little reason for us to suppose he can. I have my doubts.

Gustav: As do I. Sending people to their doom on a whim isn't a tactic, I'm fond of. Uncertainties killed too many already. But the Commander's right. We must do this.

Anka: Agreed. We're working against the clock here. Titans are still lumbering into Trost as we speak. There already may be more than we can handle, frankly. The longer we wait, the worse our chances of success become.

Gustav: And it goes without saying, the better our chances They'll bust through Wall Rose and wreak untold havoc.

Anka: There's something else, too. Even the bravest of us can't indefinitely bottle our fear. Not before something gives.

Y/n walked over to Mikasa, who still had her eyes trained on Eren and Pixis.

Y/n: You know he isn't going to disappear if you take your eyes off him.

Mikasa: I know that.

Y/n: Mikasa, having him back is great and all. But with this new information, Eren's abilities, you know he is going to be taken after this battle.

Mikasa: (Frown etched on her face) Let them try.

Y/n: You not even a small bit concerned about this whole Eren Titan thing?