** NOTE ** Krista Lenz is not part of the royal family. The Reiss family does not exist in this fanfiction story. Also, Levi is twenty-four years old and Mikasa is nineteen.

Jada and Lucie stood side by side, watching silently as the senior cadets went back outside the walls to retrieve the bodies of the fallen cadets who died in the latest mission.

Thirty-eight people died only a few hours ago. Since then, the sky that was once sunny and bright darkened and became gloomy— just like the moods of those in legion. Lucie imagined that the townsfolk would become glum as well, some even outraged.

When the senior cadets came back, all of whom were safe and unharmed, it was apparent that they weren't able to find many bodies. They had only been able to retrieve twelve. Lucie's eyebrows furrowed as she looked over to her left to see Jada whimpering quietly, a hand covering the brunette's mouth. Her green eyes were locked on two particular limp bodies: Brad Arnette and Reina Heredia. The two had been in their squad. They were living, breathing people not too long ago.. It was hard to believe they'd been reduced to nothing but pale skin and sunken eyes.

Lucie tore her eyes away from the girl beside her and chose to stare out at the senior cadets and the three captains who proceeded to dig graves into the grassy fields. This was exactly what would continue happening if they didn't stop those monsters. Titans will continue terrorizing everyone and the humble soldiers from their military would continue giving their lives selflessly in order to preserve the hope for mankind and recover what had been lost.

Lucie sighed, crossing her arms. She took her eyes off of the senior cadets and the three captains; her eyes, instead, fell on Mikasa Ackerman. The onyx-haired woman's face remained stoic and passive as she looked out at the scene before her. Eren Jaegar stood beside his adoptive sister, Armin Arlert behind the two.

She turned and elbowed the man next to her, Holden Sage, sending him a pointed look. He shook his head.

"Not yet," he told her, and she gave him a small nod before returning her eyes to the scene in front of her.

Mikasa felt a pair of eyes on her back and turned around to see Cadet Braden and Cadet Sage take their eyes off of her before whispering to each other quietly, unaware of her stare. It was odd how old Cadet Sage looked; he seemed to be around Levi's age. And Cadet Braden definitely looked older than the age of sixteen.

"The king's secretary helped spread the news after Erwin reported the growing wave of titans. The townsfolk are in a panic," Levi tells Mikasa later that day as the settled into bed. She laid down next to him and pulled the sheets up to her neck; his arm stretched around her shoulder to pull her closer to him.

"Do you know how the king will handle it?" She asked as she lowered her head onto his chest. Their hands intertwined mindlessly, as if out of habit.

"The panic or the titans?"

"The titans," she replied, clarifying his question.

"Well," he whispered, turning his head to look at her, "there's this shitty rumor floating around that he's already sent his people into the Garrison and the Survey Corps to find more royal guards for him. So all that old pig is doing is protecting himself. Putting himself first before his people."

"If that 'shitty rumor' is true, that means there are already people here, in our headquarters, looking for new royal guards?"

"Tch," he said, a lilting smirk appearing on his lips. "I actually doubt that's true. The old man's withering away. He would drop dead before anything actually happens."

"Levi," she chastised, but a smile still appeared on her pink lips.

"Get some sleep," is all he says before he presses a firm kiss onto her forehead, and he falls silent.

Mikasa sighs and closes her eyes, waiting for the darkness to overcome her.

The next morning, Mikasa is slipping on her boots when she pauses to the sound of Erwin's blaring voice over the intercom system. Levi exits the bathroom, towel tied dangerously low on his hips and the bright lights above them casting a shining sheen on his toned abs; steam follows him out the door. He nonchalantly gets dressed as Erwin speaks.

"Good morning cadets, lieutenants, and captains. Please report to the main gathering room located on the north wing for an announcement made by the royal court. Attendance is required. Arrive within five minutes."

"The royal court?" Mikasa asks, turning around to look at Levi (who was tying his cravat around his neck) with wide eyes.

"It seems that 'shitty rumor' I told you yesterday might be true after all," Levi muttered, sighing. "We really can't afford to lose more soldiers. Especially to the Military Police Brigade. All those lazy shitheads do is parade their rifles around town and have tea with the king. Tch."

Mikasa pursed her lips. "Come on, Levi. We need to get going," she tells him as she steps towards the door and turns the lock before cracking it open. "We're going to be late if you keep on brooding."

"You see, Mikasa, this is why I keep you around. You keep me in check." He looks at her with a sardonic smirk, and she gives him a soft slap to the cheek.

When they arrive, there's a deep red carpet with gold trim going down the center of the room, royal blue velvet ropes tying off the crowds of cadets and liuetenants from both sides. The carpet leads up to a golden throne that was currently empty with red, plush cushioning. Commander Erwin stood to the right side of the throne, hands folded behind his back. Hanji and Mike stood slightly behind him, their hands folded behind their backs as well.

Noticing that the other captains were standing with the commander, Levi gave her hand a tight squeeze and pressed a kiss to her forehead before pulling back and walking up to stand with his fellow captains. Mikasa watched as he assumed the same position as the other three before she walked to the front and stood with Eren and Armin on the right side of the room.

"Silence!" Commander Erwin ordered, his voice loud and steady. Almost instantaneously, the room became quiet enough to heard a pin drop. Everyone stood, staring wordlessly at the commander and eagerly awaiting the news that would have to be paramount as the royal court was involved.

That was when the double doors opened and trumpets bellowed. Five people dressed in red overcoats, black slacks, and black dress shoes entered, each playing the trumpet. They continued to play until they marched behind the throne and stopped playing at once, lowering their trumpets and staring straight ahead, hands at their sides.

Mikasa and everyone else in the room save for Erwin and the royal trumpet players watched in confusion as Cadet Lucie Braden stepped forward from the right side of the room, composedly walking to stand by the left side of the throne.

"What in the world is going—" Mikasa wondered quietly, but she didn't get to finish her rhetorical question because the doors opened once more and the king entered. The room erupted in quiet whispers. Although he was decked out from head to toe in jewels, gold, and velvet, he didn't look too well. His skin was as pale as snow and his eyes dark and sunken. At his side was Cadet Holden Sage, who Mikasa automatically assumed was helping the older man make his way up to the throne. When King Windsor finally sat down on the throne, Cadet Sage stood next to Cadet Braden. Cameras and microphones followed them into the room.

'Is this appearance going on television?' Mikasa wondered, and she found that she was correct when she saw the beeping red light blinking on every single one of the cameras, all of which were labeled with the name of a national newscast.

King Windsor cleared his throat, which lead to the silence of every person in the room. "You all may be wondering why I have ordered this gathering this morning," he said, his voice gravelly and gruff. "There have been rumors floating around that I have hand-selected a few people whom I trust dearly to enter the premises of the Garrison and the Survey Corps." He paused, and Mikasa turned to look at Levi, who had done the same. They turned back to the king as he continued. "That rumor is true." Once more, the people around her began whispering, sharing their suspicions about what was about to come. "For months now, I have had two people gathering intellect, reporting back to me every week. I have here with me a recruit from the Military Police Brigade: Lucie Braden." Gasps echoed throughout the vast room; Mikasa's face held shock as she watched Lucie smirk. "And I also have with me my son, who I am proud to announce as the new king, for I'm stepping down from the throne." Everyone watched in revelation as the former king removed the royal crown from his head and beckoned his blonde son forward. He stood up shakily as Holden knelt down onto one knee, ready to receive the crown. Trembling hands lower the gold that was encrusted with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires and glinted in the light onto Holden's head. When he stood up again, the former king moved off to the side so that the new king could stand in front of the throne. "Everyone.. please bow down for your new ruler: King Holden Sage Windsor!"

Out of respect, the soldiers all bent down at the waist, coming back up again to place their right fists over their hearts and their left fists behind their backs. When the king sat down on the throne, their hands went back to their sides.

"At ease, soldiers," King Sage Windsor said, a small smile on his face. "Now, as for that rumor, Officer Braden and I have been examining you all in order to scope out the best of the best. And I do believe that we've found the best." The king's kind, yet stern green eyes wandered around the room... until they fell on her. Mikasa felt uncomfortable as others followed the direction of his stare and made the connection. She inhaled shakily, glancing at Levi, who seemed to be both shocked and worried, before directing her stare back at the king. "First Lieutenant Ackerman, if you could please step forward and stand by Officer Braden." She reluctantly did so, clenching her fists which were by her side. She could sense Levi's growing displeasure from the other side of the throne. "As you all know, First Lieutenant Ackerman has gone through many hardships as of late. And she has survived. She has gone on... finding the power to not only fully recovering from her eight months outside of the walls in solitary, but she has also been training nonstop to gain back her strength. But before all of this, she had risen from the position of a first-year cadet to the position of first lieutenant in a matter of only two years and earned herself the title of the Woman Worth a Hundred Soldiers." He paused, turning his head to the left to send her a warm smile. "And if that does not sound promising enough, I do not know what does." He took a breath and turned back to face the crowd. "That is why I have selected her as one of my royal guards."

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