Chapter 1: Old Acquaintances

Eren was silent in front of Ymir who was pacing back and forth. The brunette was anxious and drops of sweat were running down her face. Eren sighed at her attitude. Since the Battle of Shiganshina, hestopped acting like that. Having access to his father's memories sure had changed him as part of his father lived inside of him.

He had told Ymir everything: the truth about the titans, the 145th King Karl Fritz's actions to destroy the Eldian empire with the help of the Tyburs and their complicity, the reasons for Marley's attack, his father's life, the warriors' intentions, the non-aggression pact, the Rumbling, developments since her death and the origin of her resurrection.

Obviously, Eren who had lived and learned these things over time was handling it very well. On the other hand, it was a lot to take in for Ymir who knew the origin of the titans and the existence of the outside world and was overwhemed by these facts so much  that she was somewhat confused and frightened.

For Ymir to process all of these revelations,they went to a small forest near where they had awakened.

Suddenly Ymir stopped pacing and sat down on a fallen tree trunk. Her breathing was still rapid. No doubt it would take her some time to grasp all of this.

Being compassionate, Eren went to sit next to her, while she kept her gaze fixed on the ground. He put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "Will you be alright? "

Ymir nodded. "Yes. Well, I believe. It's ... it's a lot to take in." She responded with her tone still revealing her anguish.

Eren inquired."Ymir, what's the last thing you remember? "

Without looking at him, she closed her eyes and placed a hand on her forehead. "Uh ... it's the transfer of my titan  i think. Yes, I was in the ritual room. I was tied up, weakened for several weeks .There was this boy in front of me. He was blond, his hair slick,and an angry face."

"Porco Galliard?" Eren suggested.

"I think that was his last name. He gave himself an injection. After that,he became a ten-meter titan and devoured me.Suddenly I found myself lying down in a place I don't know with you above my head. "

Eren thinks about it."That's how I imagined it. "

An uneasy silence settled in until Ymir looked at Eren. "Eren ... Why me?" You said you could only bring one person back with you. Your choice should have fallen on Armin or your brother Zeke. You would have had a human or artillery bomb on your side. Why did you choose me? "

"Because you deserved to live."Eren replied simply.

Ymir gasped in shock and then frowned. "Me deserving to live?! Why do you think so?"

Eren sighed. "Historia had shared your letter with us. Reading it with my father's information, we all had a pretty good idea of what you had been through. We still held a grudge against you for your abandonment. However, we held compassion for you. Nobody dared to admit it but Ymir, you are special to us, just like Marco. "

Ymir had tears in her eyes. She had always neglected her comrades other than Krista. In the end, she had abandoned them to save Reiner and Bertolt. But that hadn't changed her friends' feelings for her. She had regretted it, even to Connie despite her lies about his village.

"Eren… I'm sorry about everything. I beg your pardon. I should never have gone with these two motherfuckers. I just should have stayed and fought with you. "

Without holding back, she threw herself into Eren's arms, sobbing. At first surprised, the brunette finally hugged her back, smiling and shedding a small tear in his turn.

Finally, they parted ways.

"Sorry, I don't usually lose myself like that." "

Eren laughed. "I noticed that. "

Ymir smiles a little embarrassed. But the subject was quickly brought down to something more serious.

"What are you going to do now Ymir?" 

Ymir hesitated. "Until now, I have only fought to protect Historia or myself. In my case, I failed miserably. For Historia, her status as a Royal Blood makes her a threat to Marley. If they got their hands on her, they would kill her on the spot or use her to bear children for the rest of her life. No, I was blind at the time. The only future for her is alongside Eldia."

Eren stood up and held out his hand to Ymir. "You know what to do to save Historia right? So get up and fight! "

Ymir was shocked at Eren's will and determination. Nonetheless, she nodded in the end. She took his hand and stood up to look him straight in the eye. "Before I was in debt to the Marley warriors for freeing me from my endless nightmare. However, I was only offered a reprieve. This time it's different. Eren, despite my actions, you brought me back. I owe you my life, no doubt. So know that you can count on me. "

"Thanks Ymir. I promise we will save our friends this time. But first of all, let's find out where and when we are. "

The two brunettes walked for several hours. They had first verified their power by biting their hand. For both individuals, the bite had instantly healed. So Ymir still had the Jaw Titan. For Eren, it was more uncertain. He previously had three titan powers. It was hard to tell if he still had them. If so, what had happened to the new holders? If not, who owned them now? It was a question they would care about later.

For now, their goal was to find civilization. They had started by surveying the forest until they found a flowing stream. From there they had followed it to find a river bordered by a road. It was on this road that they were currently walking.

Their priority was to find food. Both were hungry and couldn't say no to some bread. City or town whatever, as long as they could eat a little.

After that, they would try to know without being noticed, their location and date. Using the latter as a guide, they would then make a plan to follow. The only clue to the year was their size. Each of them had rejuvenated. Eren appeared to be 11 and Ymir 13. This would have placed them in the year 846. However, things might have changed and none of them were supposed to have existed in that timeline. Their age therefore did not necessarily reflect their year.

Until now, they had passed by a few coaches on the road. None had wanted to take them. Surely those people are pretentious nobles not wishing to be in contact with the common people.

Eren glanced at Ymir. She walked with her head basked in the sunlight.

"You seem to be very thoughtful Ymir, Something bothering you? "

Ymir shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I still have a hard time getting used to the idea of still being alive, even though I had agreed to face my own death." 

"It's true that you must be confused. Besides, your choice was stupid. "

Ymir complained. "Hey!"

Eren snorted. "You're welcome. You acted just because you thought you owed something to Reiner and Bertolt. But they would never have wanted your first resurrection. If they could, they or Annie would have killed you at the exact moment when you were about to devour Marcel. You owed them nothing. And even if it was the opposite, you had already paid your debt at the Castle of Utgard, where Reiner did not even lift a finger, and during the chase,letting him take you to Marley as a guarantee of their survival.It was just a foolish move. "

Ymir took those words and thought about it. "So I did a stupid thing that I didn't have to do. And all it brought back was grief to my friends? "

"Well summarized. "

Ymir contented herself with this scathing remark and continued to move forward.

It took them another hour to arrive in a small town. It looks nothing like Trost, Stohess or Mitras with its height  much larger. Nevertheless, the river and the few carts  make it a rather prosperous place. The town was named after Jena. In Eren's mind, the name sounded familiar, but the boy continued walking .

They were now in the central aisle. It must have been a market day with all the stalls lining the road. It would make it easier to get food.

Ymir leaned towards Eren. "Good listen, I lived on the streets for two years. I don't think you have a real experience of the street? "

"Not too much, no. "

"So here's how we're going to do it. You see this merchant with the bread and the fruit. ? Eren nodded, looking in the direction Ymir pointed. "You go behind the stall and you  drop some stuff. He'll think you want to steal from him. This is where I tumble down and grab whatever I can. As soon as he notices me, I run off and you walk away as if nothing had happened. We meet where we arrived earlier in town. Understood? "

Eren was impressed. He had never noticed Ymir's tactical spirit. Where Armin was good at thinking about a large-scale strategy, the brunette managed to lay a small plan instantly. Her mind was very sharp. If the two had cooperated, they could have given very good results.

Eren was running with all his might. Being younger was annoying. In addition to his size, his muscles had also regressed. By extension, his endurance was much more limited.

Ymir's plan had worked. With the merchant distracted, she had managed to steal some food from him. It was a total success if they excluded one fact. Eren had taken some time to leave to see if Ymir was fulfilling her role. Because of that, he  was  accused of being an accomplice by the merchant.

So he found himself running in the alleys with a man who was on his trail. Luckily, he came to an alley where an open bass drum was lying around. He hid behind it. The pursuer arrived in the alley and continued without seeing him.

Eren smiles for the success of the maneuver. He was about to get up when a door on the other side of the cash register opened. Preferring to remain hidden, Eren didn't get up and overheard an interesting conversation.

"It feels good to be rid of all those unnecessary mouths to feed."

"It is true that since the fall of Wall Maria, the shortage was severe. Sending the refugees to cultivate the land was not enough at all. If it continued like this, it would have ended with a revolt on our hands."

"It would have been up to us to watch them. Luckily it didn't happen. I chose this job to be quiet."

Eren understood that they must be part of the Military Police  because of their selfish behavior and laziness.

"But the situation remains tense. We may have got rid of part of the population but food production remains limited for the entire population."

"Yeah, we should have thrown a little more at the titans. It would have allowed us to fill our stomaches more like before."

If Eren had still been a brawling and impulsive teenager, he would have hit both soldiers without hesitation. However, his self-control was much more developed now. He was therefore able to focus on the information provided and estimate that it must have been in the middle of the year 846 given the season. The so-called "Operation to reclaim Wall Maria" at the start of the year was only a pretext to reduce the population with no noble who participated.

"Okay, come on! If we don't do the patrol, they're going to screw up for us."

With that, the two soldiers left. Eren was finally able to come out of his hiding place. Without waiting, he went to the meeting point.

By the river at the exit of the city, Ymir was waiting for him. She had her booty with her and was already munching on an apple.

She motioned to him. "Sorry I didn't wait for you but I was too hungry."

"It's okay. I'm starving too."

She tossed him a loaf of bread. "So let's enjoy these delicacies." Her tone was sarcastic and gave Eren a small smile.

They ate in silence but without discomfort for several minutes. They watched the comings and goings of passers-by, enjoying the sound of the water nearby.

After one last bite, Eren exposed his discovery. "I overheard a conversation between two soldiers .. It looks like it's a few months after the reconquest operation. And given the weather, I would say it's summer."

"Well done. As for me, I overheard an official complaining about his movements between Trost and Ermich. If he takes a break here, then Jena must be halfway between the two."

"So we're south of the Wall Rose enclosure in the year 846. It's a start."

Their attention was caught by a boy who approached them handing them bread.

"Here, it's for you."

Eren took the piece of bread. He looked at the boy's face and was unsettled by his appearance. Brown hair, an air of innocence , a spirit of kindness ... It was their friend Marco Bott then aged 11 who was in front of them and very much alive.

Eren almost lost his mind. He knew he was going to see some loved ones who had died again. He just didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Then his memory came back to him. Jena was Marco's hometown. The dark-haired man had grown up here, far from the direct threat of the titans. Therefore, he had not developed a runaway spirit like Jean.

Despite the shock, Eren and Ymir managed to keep their composure.

"Thank you very much. Not many people give food like that." Eren remarked in a friendly tone.

"I saw you stole from the market. I thought something more wouldn't hurt you."

Eren and Ymir nodded gently.

"By the way, my name is Marco Bott."

Eren was quick to answer. "We are Eren and Ymir…" Eren thought for a moment before coming up with a last name. He had done the same in Marley. Why not here ? "Kruger."

"Nice to meet you. And don't worry, I won't report you to the military police."

Ymir raised her eyebrows. "Really? Why is that?"

Marco rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't approve of theft as such. But in some cases, I don't condemn it either. Although for me to help you would be dishonest, it would be cruel to prevent you from having your fill."

"Thanks Marco. Few people have your generosity these days."

"You're welcome." Marco watched them for a moment. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen you around before."

It was Ymir's turn to answer. "We are orphans. Our parents are dead. We go from town to town to feed ourselves and not to be recognized."

Marco had an idea. "I'm sorry for you. If you wish, you can stay with me for a while. My mother won't have a problem."

Eren had to reluctantly refuse. Although he was glad to see Marco again, they had much more urgent things to do. "Thank you, but we prefer our nomadic life. Above all, don't take it badly. But when you grow up alone, you learn to be wary of everyone. It's very difficult for us to trust someone."

Marco was disappointed. "Oh! Uh ... I get it. Anyway, I live just around the corner if you change your mind. You will be welcome. Goodbye."

They waved to each other. Marco then left.

Ymir looked at Eren. "How are you feeling ?"

Eren whispered. "He's alive. Marco is alive. They're all alive."

Ymir grimaced. "Maybe alive. But they don't have any memories of us."

"I would rather know that they are amnesic than dead." Eren replied.

Ymir raised her hands. "Me too. I'm just saying it's hard to talk to someone you've known but who doesn't remember us."

Eren waved his hand. "Okay, let's forget about that. We have to decide what to start with."

"Find our friends maybe." Ymir suggested.

"To tell them what?" countered Eren. "Already Armin, Mikasa and Historia are in the cleared lands. We cannot show up there and tell them everything. We will look like crazy. Besides, the military will probably keep us to help in the fields. We will no longer be able to move, nothing to do unless we rejoin the training corps. And from then on, our room for maneuver will be very limited. "

"What about the others? We just ran into Marco. Jean is in Trost, Sasha in Dauper and Connie in Ragako. We know where they are." Ymir recalled.

Eren sighed. "Still, it will be useless. They will never believe us and even less help us. Currently, Jean is a pretentious guy who thinks he knows everything, Sasha is surely gorging and Connie is just thinking of being proud from his village. None of them would join us. And Marco believes so much in the monarchy that he would never go underground. "

"What about the warriors?"

"Same problem as for Armin, Mikasa and Historia. Impossible to know where they were sent. The only one we could catch is Annie. She has to roam the streets of Mitras in search of the real king. But it would be one,huge lucky catch to catch her. And even if we find one of them, there are three of them and two of us. Not to mention that you may not fully control your titan. It's too risky to attack them directly."

"The royal family in that case?" Ymir suggested with a wicked tone. "It's because I really want to kill Rod Reiss for the damage he did to Historia."

"It would be a good start to clarify the situation regarding the Founding Titan." Eren held up a finger. "Nonetheless, I think it would be smarter to start with something else."

"What do you mean?"

"Wall Maria of course. According to the Survey Corps, it took three years for enough titans to enter the Shiganshina breach and make the expeditions as dangerous as they were before the fall. We need to secure a strengthened ally in the future." Ymir frowning thoughtfully.

"So far things seem to be going pretty much like in our timeline. It gives us an advantage because we know the events to come. But the more we interfere with the future, the more different it will be. There will be a time when our predictions are out of date or clouded. From then on, we will have to rely on trustworthy allies like the Scouts. "

"So you want to limit the number of titans within the walls of Wall Maria  in order to reduce the Regiment's losses in the years to come? That's a good plan."

"Thank you. After that, our first target will be the Royal Family. We will already have to find out whether or not they are in possession of the Founding Titan. In which case, the latter will be duplicated so we will be ready by the time we act in the future."

"Ok. So getting to Shiganshina should be pretty straightforward. With our titans, we can easily go back and forth. But it would be much safer to have our ODM gear."