Violets (Mikannie)

27 - Rowena

When I've finished this story I'm going to upload it to ao3, so don't worry if you see it up there. Also, I've published the prologue for another fic on archive, I'll probably publish it on Wattpad as well after I've finished Violets.
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"Rowena," Hanji said. She shifted Eren so that he wasn't falling over. Armin grabbed his other arm. 

"Yes, that's me," the woman, Rowena, said. "Zoe Tritschler. I should have known that you were the one leaking company secrets."

"Oh, that's not a name I've used in a long time," Hanji said, through clenched teeth.

"Her name isn't actually Hanji?" Mikasa whispered.

"She wasn't born in the same family like you were, duh," Annie whispered back. "Clearly she just uses the name she used to have because it's easier."

Rowena surveyed the room. "I think the lot of you had better come with me."

"And what if we don't want to?" Mikasa said, loudly. Everyone looked at her, Armin and Hanji in shock, Rowena in amusement, and Eren... well, he looked like he might have passed out. "Annie, you know what to do."

She looked at Annie in total seriousness, who looked at her in surprise. She knew that Mikasa wanted her to shift. But truth be told, she wasn't sure if she could. If she was bleeding, then that meant she hadn't healed from the scuffle in the bush hours ago. And if she hadn't healed...

"Annie?" Mikasa asked, unsure. Annie stared at her, and bit her finger.

Nothing happened. She tried again, and again, and she stopped and cursed the fact that she was underground.

Rowena only smiled, and stood up straight. "Come along now. You'd better follow me if you want to not be shot."

--

"What do you want with me?" Annie asked, as she trailed behind Rowena. Despite having a gun aimed between her shoulders, she felt defiant. 

"What do you think the answer is?" Rowena said. She strode onwards, down another corridor, and Annie wondered how she walked in so tight a pencil skirt and heels.

"You know that I might not even have the power anymore, right?" Annie said. 

"Oh, don't assume it's gone because you couldn't transform just now," Rowena said. "This building is specially designed so that you cannot harness your powers. My grandmother built this whole company just for you, did you know that?"

"No, we didn't know that," Armin said. He knew what he was doing. If he could keep Rowena talking, then perhaps that would give them a chance to escape. He looked sideways at Hanji, who nodded, knowing what he was doing too. 

"Hm. Yes. Ah, my grandmother would be so glad to see this if she was alive today, and my father too. It would be lovely if they knew that their work would come to fruition. You know, my father was supposed to be the one to take your power. He had both the arduous training from his parents and the blood of the Ackerman family running through his veins."

Hanji suppressed a laugh, and shook her head. "The kids were all adopted," she whispered. One of the guards rolled his eyes, but Rowena didn't hear.

"So, um, how did it take you this long to find Annie? Or any of the other titan shifters, for that matter?"

Rowena frowned. "The identities of the nine are closely guarded federal secrets. Only a select few members of the Marleyan and Paradis governments have the details. You've been through ninth grade history, you'll know all about the War Prevention Act of 877. Anyway, it took us a very long time to find any trace of Annie Leonhardt."