Chapter Text
╒══════╕
Part 1
RESTORE
╘══════╛
With a hard push, Reiner was forced down onto his knees in a position that made him look out into the crowd of potential buyers. It was a familiar sight, and no matter how many times he’d seen it throughout his life, it was no less nauseating.
Like always, he didn’t know his current location, and he had long since stopped caring to find out. It didn't matter where he was, when he would always be nothing but a slave in every place he was brought to. That's why he'd grown numb to the idea of sightseeing every new Nation; every new town.
With ropes harshly tying his wrists together, burning into his already bruised skin, he watched everything pass by in a blur. Still, he always found himself hoping and praying that someone, anyone, would save him from this misery.
He wanted a normal life.
He wanted his freedom.
But after being born into a world filled with pain and torture, maybe that was asking for too much…
~*~
“We really shouldn’t be here right now,” Jean said, trying his hardest to keep up with Prince Eren as they made their way through the crowded market plaza.
The surrounding townspeople were bustling with life; buying, selling, and eating. From flying blimps, and air balloons, to kites, the evening sky was filled with the same amount of bustle. Jean bet it would be even more lively if the townspeople knew who exactly was bumping arm to arm with them at this very moment.
“Your Highness," Jean whispered. "We can’t risk being this far away from the capital, even if you’re wearing a disguise.”
Having said that, Jean made sure his heavy cloak covered up the Royal guard attire he wore underneath. The Royal garments were black with silver linings and stood out amongst the crowd of citizens who, every once in a while, got to see them flying around on their ODM Gear.
If anyone saw what he was wearing, it would draw unwanted attention to himself and the Prince. Therefore, Jean double-checked the cloak's opacity, especially after the Prince stopped at yet another stall.
Laid out on the wooden plank were multiple jewelry pieces that the Prince gladly took to sifting through. One wouldn’t know when first looking at the Prince, but he had a few earrings adorning his left ear. Most of them were hooped, a few studded, and Prince Eren made sure to always add to his vast collection when he could.
Jean sighed from having to watch the Prince shop. He was extremely picky so it often took him a while, which would explain why they were still out late into the evening.
Jean eventually looked over his shoulder to make sure Connie and Sasha weren’t too far behind. He then looked to the right and left of the Prince, seeing Armin and Mikasa steadily keeping their guards up. If anyone happened to recognize the Prince, he’d either be bombarded with praise or spotted by a random assassin who'd made it their mission to kill the Royal family at any given opening.
“Your Highness,” Jean whispered again just as the Prince snagged several pairs of earrings and handed them off to Jean to pack away. Jean tried not to sigh as he was tasked with holding all the things the Prince had bought today. Unfortunately, he couldn’t hold back a sigh when he saw the Prince drop a bag of coins on the merchant’s stall in return.
“My goodness,” The merchant lady gasped in awe, staring up at the Prince with adoration, reaching for the Prince’s hand. “Bless you, young man. I pray you will always be in Ymir’s graces.”
The Prince stared blankly at the lady and allowed her to kiss his hand until she’d had her fill of his charitable compassion.
Jean clicked his tongue and took out a handkerchief. He waited until the Prince began to walk away from the stall before wiping off the Prince’s dirtied hand. “Your Highness, I get it. You want to be generous and all, but isn’t wasting your allowance on little trinkets doing a bit much?” He asked, knowing that this was the seventh bag of coins the Prince had given away in the last three hours. Instead of answering, Eren dismissed Jean by choosing to ignore him and started wandering through the crowd once more.
Jean let out a breath, knowing all the guards were unhappy with the current events. They all knew the Prince of Paradis was spoiled to a tee and did whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. Even though he harbored a rare Alphan Dynamic and was the successor to the Attack Titan, he had no regard for his safety.
“Your Highness, please,” Jean begged for the thousandth time that day. “Queen Carla will be worried if you stay out for too long.” Not only would Eren get a scolding, but the Royal guards would as well. And no one wanted to face the Queen's wrath, especially Jean. Sadly, the Prince didn’t want to listen.
Suddenly, the Prince came to an abrupt halt, causing Jean to run right into his back. From Jean’s peripheral, he could see Armin and Mikasa come to a sudden stop too, causing a few people to sneer at them for being in the way.
“Your Highness?” Jean questioned, watching the Prince pull back his hood, showcasing a bandage over his left eye, and his unruly hair. As far as disguises went, it worked out great, seeing as the Prince didn't look of nobility. Plus, the scent-blocking armlet he wore made it so that his Alphan Dynamic wouldn’t be exposed. No one should be able to recognize him this way.
Still, Jean and the others weren’t used to seeing their Prince as anything less than the grand and luxuriant Royal he was raised to be. And yet, somehow, he allowed himself to be seen like a commoner at any chance he could get. Perhaps it was the smothering of his elder brother and parents that made him as rebellious as he was. Or perhaps it was his will as the bearer of all things righteous that kept him coming back to watch over the citizens of the Kingdom.
“What’s going on?” Connie asked when he and Sasha caught up with them. Armin and Mikasa stayed off to the side, not wanting to draw unneeded attention to the group of hooded individuals. They continued to keep a lookout but were also equally curious about why Eren had stopped.
“Your Highness, what do you see?” Jean looked at the Prince and found his expression hardened, with his sights focused straight ahead.
Jean peered over the Prince’s shoulder, trying to spot what he was staring at and when he did, he showed Connie and Sasha. It was growing dark outside, but from afar, they could see a small gathering of people with torches, assembled amongst the trees of the forest. If Eren hadn’t noticed it, then Jean would’ve definitely missed seeing it, since it was half-hidden between the trees and behind a line of market stalls.
Eren suddenly started walking forward, his cloak billowing behind him as he did. The guards did the same, scrambling to follow the Prince on his unyielding trudge towards the strange setup. Closing in, they kept their distance. Prince Eren chose to enter the woods from the side, keeping his footing light as he snuck through the trees.
From their concealed position behind the tree trunks, they could now see the full structure: a group of people, holding torches to light the area due to the darkening sky, stood around a small stage-like setup. On the stage were Omegas—women and men alike, and they were all tied to posts, looking beaten and withered. Three large goons watched over the Omegas with weapons pointed at them in an obvious threat to shoot if they tried to escape. The announcer in front of them was cheerily calling out prices to the crowd of eager buyers.
“Human trafficking bastards.” Jean grit his teeth in disgust.
“That’s illegal here,” Connie whispered softly. “How did they even get on the island?”
“Someone let them in.” Armin deduced with furrowed brows.
“I thought we got rid of all those bastards years ago,” Jean said, eyes flitting across to what he counted as ten Omegas in need of help.
“There will always be crooks amongst us, Jean. We can’t always spot them.” Armin had to wonder why they were doing this so close to the plaza? It was hidden amongst the trees but still, it was too out in the open. Armin also knew that the further away from the capital they got, the fewer Stationary Guards there would be. Even if this was the most peaceful part of Paradis, he would have to talk with General Erwin about placing more SG’s in the market plaza areas.
Eren shrugged off his cloak and held out a hand, silently waiting for what all his guards knew he wanted.
“No, Your Highness. Don’t do anything stupid. You’ll get scolded again.” Jean warned, but Mikasa was already handing the Prince one of her rifles.
“Mikasa-!?” Jean whispered into a scream. “You’re Highness, please think about this, what if—”
“Jean…”
Eren’s dull yet menacing voice stopped the guard in his tracks, and he dared himself to look over at the noble Alpha. When he finally did, he found the Prince to be staring at him, his wonderful eyes piercing him with a callous bitterness. If Eren weren't wearing a scent-blocking armlet, Jean knew his Alphan scent would have him, a simple Beta, backing down as well.
“Look there.” Eren turned away from the Beta, lifting a foot onto a rock as he stared out at the row of battered Omegas. “Lives being made to waste… being sold around into slavery… being made to serve,” He grumbled darkly, clenching the rifle in his hands as he got into position to aim the gun.
“B-But,” Jean stuttered. “You can’t just kill people because—”
“Miscreants… scum.” Eren’s eyes squinted through the scope, fingers toying with the trigger. “Not people.”
Jean gulped, backing off in light of what was about to happen. He knew that their Prince was righteous, then again… he was also reckless and oftentimes... deadly. Connie touched Jean's shoulder comfortingly, for no one could go against Eren even if they wanted to. Jean closed his eyes, flinching with every gunshot that sounded throughout the woods. The sounds of birds squawking, a symphony of screams, and fleeing footsteps followed right after Eren’s death sentence.
“Arrest all of them,” Eren ordered as he lifted the rifle onto his shoulder.
Jean felt Connie’s hand leave his shoulder as he went to detain the people from the audience. Before long, Jean opened his eyes, trying and failing to keep his eyes averted from the dead bodies of the announcer and the three goons who were bleeding out on the ground.
“Jean.”
Jean slowly looked over at his Prince, straightening up a bit so as to not look wimpy. “Y-Yes?”
“Never hesitate to kill.” Jean went stiff when Eren’s hand touched his shoulder, his eyes a little manic as he spoke, “Not for low-lives like them.”
“Y-Yes Your Highness.” Jean saluted with a fist to his heart, before letting himself relax when the Prince began to walk away.
It was just like he thought: his Prince had no hope in him. Jean was the newest of the guards. After all; he, Connie, and Sasha were. Unlike him, however, Connie and Sasha seemed to pick up on situations like this one easily. They could handle the bloodshed.
Jean knew that if he wanted to climb the ranks and make it to positions like the ones Captain Levi and General Erwin held, he would have to buck up and take charge. With that, Jean straightened up and went to detain the people Eren deemed as scum.
— —
With wide eyes, Reiner watched a man approach him from the midst of the trees, carrying a rifle on his shoulder. The fire from the stationary torches cast shadows on his face, making it so that Reiner could see the intensity in his eyes; they were expressionless and downright frightening to look at in the low light but he was the one carrying the rifle which meant… he was the one that shot those traffickers.
“Release them.” The long-haired man ordered his guards, keeping his sights on the two Omegas directly in front of him. He first stopped in front of the Omega next to Reiner, bent to a knee, and began untying the ropes.
“Don’t worry,” The man—a scentless man, Reiner realized—told them. “You’re free.”
Reiner blew out a soft breath of relief when the man finally moved to untie his bindings. The Omega was still having a hard time fully believing this was true. To have someone save him? A lowly Omega who’d been a slave all his life? It didn’t seem real; he felt as if it wasn’t, but... it was.
This mysterious man had come to his rescue simply because he was a good person. Reiner hadn’t met a good person in such a long time, and he sure as hell hadn’t expected to meet one today.
Reiner flinched when the man cut away his bindings, distress permeating through his scent. The mysterious man quickly caught on, moving to slip a hand up his own jacket sleeve. Renier watched him pull out a silver armlet, and what followed was a powerful scent blowing through the surrounding space. It was tender, compassionate, and all-around comforting, instantly calming the Omega’s distress.
It was… an Alpha’s.
Reiner stared up at the Alpha, mouth slightly agape with shock. Alphas were extremely rare, with them only being born every once in a blue moon. In the world, only the rulers of the Nine Great Nations carried the Alpha gene, which meant that... Reiner’s savior was of Royalty.
Reiner watched the Alpha examine the bruises on his wrists made by years and years of being roped and scuffed together.
“These need to be treated,” Eren murmured before helping the Omega stand up. Reiner stumbled as he did before feeling a warm hand splay on his lower back to help balance him.
Fully balanced and finally able to stand on his own two feet, Reiner still hadn't taken his eyes away from his savior. Especially after being surrounded by such an attractive and soothing scent. He wanted to properly thank him.
“I-I…” Renier was parched and struggled to speak, but he wouldn’t let that stop him. “I can’t thank you enough f-for freeing me.” He moved to bow, lowering his body so his forehead was touching the dirty ground. “I-I’m in your debt.” His arms trembled from the uncomfortable position, but he stayed down, wanting to give his savior the highest of thanks.
“You misunderstand.” The Alpha said and Reiner went still, feeling a hand on his back coaxing him to look up. “You’re free now. You owe no debt.”
Reiner stared at him, star-struck by those deep green eyes that seemed to hypnotize him. “But I-I would feel better if I could just... repay you somehow.” He bowed low again, his injuries stinging in this position. “P-Please, tell me how I should repay you.”
“Raise your head,” Eren said, but chose to lift the Omega’s chin, staring into his pained eyes. “Your debt is paid in full.”
“B-But—”
“Hush.” Eren lightly reprimanded, letting his scent comfort the Omega. “What did I just tell you?”
“...T-That I owe you nothing.” Reiner shivered slightly when the Alpha rubbed a gentle thumb across his cheek.
“Good,” Eren said, letting go of the Omega’s face and moving to stand up once more. He held out a hand for the Omega to take, watching as the hesitant blonde grabbed it. “You will go live in the Sanctuary now. You’ll be safe here, in Paradis.” Eren reassured, making sure the Omega was stable enough before pulling his hand away.
Reiner continued to stare at his savior, soon hearing someone call him Your Highness. So, Reiner was right. This Alpha was Royalty, and he was... one of the Princes of Paradis?
“Sasha, Connie,” Eren called out, pulling Reiner out of his thoughts just so he could listen to the voice of the man who saved him, “Take the Omegas to the Sanctuary.” Reiner went still when Prince Eren’s eyes landed on him once more. “And make sure they’re properly dressed and well-fed.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” They saluted in unison.
Reiner watched after the Prince’s retreating figure, his brown hair catching the light from the torch's flame as it blew behind him and Reiner wanted nothing more but to thank him again and again until his voice was hoarse from overuse, for he’d been saved from a lifetime of slavery that he never thought he’d escape from.
If he could, Reiner wanted to properly repay the Prince. He had to. No matter how profoundly the Prince rejected the idea of repayment, Reiner knew he wouldn't feel satisfied until he did.
~*~
“What were you thinking, Eren!? Sneaking out again?”
Eren had long since removed his disguise, including the eye bandage and the fake goatee and mustache. He let his hair hang loose and split down in the middle. That way, it was masking his peripheral vision on either side of his face. He listlessly stared at his half-eaten plate of food, attempting to zone out his mother’s disapproval.
“You even took our best guards with you!?”
Eren sighed softly, choosing to focus on eating once again. “I didn’t ask them to come along. They followed.”
“Of course, they would follow!” Carla refuted. “You’re a Prince, Eren. What is it that you’re not understanding about that? Do you not know how valuable your position is?”
Eren said nothing, essentially ignoring his mother as he proceeded to finish the rest of his dinner. The massive, nicely decorated dining room was where Carla usually expressed her grievances about Eren’s days out. She always did it in the same exact manner as she did today—berating and scolding her son, instead of congratulating him.
“Eren, how many times do I have to tell you about the risks of leaving the palace?” Carla continued to argue. “There are assassins that want to put an end to the Royal family—you know that. They could be anywhere in Paradis, waiting to strike at any moment—”
Eren briskly stood up and slammed his fist on the table. “You wanted me to just watch them suffer!?”
“Eren.” Carla was exasperated. “That is not what I meant,” She spoke in a softer voice this time. “You know that is not what I meant. Of course, those Omegas deserved to be saved but… you are a Prince and our son and—”
“Whether or not I’m the Prince or your son, doesn’t make my life any more valuable than theirs.” Eren glared at his mother. “If you have a problem understanding that, then you can piss off!”
“Eren, sit down and watch your tone,” Grisha warned with menacing anger in an attempt to quell his son’s irritancy, but that didn’t stop the Alpha from trudging out of the room.
Carla looked saddened, watching Eren exit the room. She sighed, wondering where she’d gone wrong in raising that boy. He was nearing the age of 21 and yet, he still carried that spike of brashness with him and he was always so quick to anger. She expected her son to know that she truly sympathized with the victims of that auction, but also that her child's well-being would always come first.
“I’ll talk to him,” Zeke spoke up, pushing his chair away from the table and giving Carla a reassuring smile.
“Thank you, dear. I can always count on you, Zeke.”
It didn’t take long for Zeke to find his little brother's whereabouts. As enormous as the palace was, there was always only one place where Eren went to mope. Zeke found Eren in the east wing, sitting on the large balcony that looked out at the Kingdom of Paradis.
“Making Carla mad on a daily basis. I’d say today you set a new record, seeing as you actually finished your dinner before leaving this time around.” Zeke watched as dark green eyes peered his way.
“Zeke,” Eren murmured dully, a small frown adorning his features.
“And here I was, still hoping that you’d call me Zekey like you used to when you were younger.” Zeke went to lean against the stone railing next to the other Alpha. “You were so adorable back then. But even now, I see that my cute little brother can’t be stopped.” Eren sneered and slapped away the hand that tried to ruffle his hair.
Zeke chuckled, readjusting his glasses as he looked out at the Kingdom. “I’ve never once talked to my mother in the way you do with yours. Perhaps it’s because she wasn’t as outspoken as Carla.”
“Hn. Let’s switch then.” Eren said, but both he and Zeke knew he didn't mean it. Eren wouldn’t give his mother up for anything. And Zeke was a product of Grisha’s first wife. Unfortunately, Dina died during childbirth, taking with her the child that would’ve been Zeke’s younger sister.
“Cut her some slack, Eren.” Zeke ruffled Eren’s hair, glad that the Alpha didn’t push his hand away this time around. “She’s right. The assassination attempts have picked up as of late. We need to keep the Crown Prince safe.”
“Why don’t you just take over after father instead?”
Zeke sighed softly. Even though he too was an Alpha. “Uncle Kruger chose you to inherit the Attack Titan, Eren. Because of that, it’s your right to take our father’s place.”
“My right?” Eren scoffed disdainfully, knowing what Zeke said was false. He didn’t have to become King just because he was inheriting the Attack Titan. It wasn’t a requirement, but Zeke insisted.
“You’ll do good.” Zeke encouraged him. “You hold the might of a great leader.”
“Don’t regret your decision when I run this place into the ground.” Eren mused.
Zeke chuckled. “Ah, I’d be long gone before that happens.”
“Traitor.”
Zeke shrugged. “There’s always another alternative out there. No need to stick to one path and stay loyal to one person your entire life.”
“Try saying that to Yelena.”
“...Nevermind. Maybe some loyalty is needed.”
Eren shook his head, a small grin curling his lips.
“It’s a good thing you saved those Omegas.” Zeke praised. “They need a good home. And I know you wouldn’t have stopped until they had one. It’s no wonder Uncle Kruger chose you to be the next host.”
Eren sighed. He always wondered why Uncle Kruger chose him as the successor of the Attack Titan. But seeing as the man was able to see the next hosts’ future memories, he most definitely knew things that no one else knew.
Still... There were some cases when the previous Titan users went against fate and passed down the Titan to someone else entirely; thus creating an alternative path and a new set of future memories. His Uncle was one of those alternative paths and since then, he’d always been a free spirit, wanting to do nothing but to help those in need in any way he could.
His Uncle Kruger had instilled in Eren that same sense of justice and for that, Eren was grateful. He wished to see his Uncle again, but he wasn’t here right now. He was traveling the world on the King’s orders. All Eren had from him now were letters, and even those were rare.
“You need a Mate,” Zeke said randomly. “Before you’re old and brittle.”
“Heh… you should be worrying about yourself.” Eren retorted. “Yelena won’t wait long, brother.”
Zeke cleared his throat and pushed up his glasses as a nervous tick of his. “Unlike me, the Crown Prince needs heirs. I’m telling you this because I heard Carla and our father talking about it the other day—about pairing you up with someone.”
Eren exhaled, moving away from the stone railing. “I have better things to worry about. Having a Mate would only distract me.”
“As you grow older, you’ll learn to love the idea of having a Mate.” Zeke also moved away from the railing.
Eren let out a hushed laugh. “Make no mistake, Zeke. I won’t fall for such distractions, and I think it’d be better for you to have a child. That way, they could be the next heir.”
“As I said before,” Zeke locked eyes with Eren, seriousness in his expression. “Uncle Kruger didn’t choose me, Eren... he chose you.”
Eren didn’t reply. He simply stared back at Zeke, not missing the bitterness in his tone.
“It’s about time you start taking your role seriously,” Zeke murmured, staring off into the distance once more.
“Whatever.” Eren scoffed softly, giving his older brother one last look before making his way off the balcony. Sauntering down the hallway towards his bedroom, he let his thoughts roam away from the frustrating topic of crown princes and heirs and suddenly couldn’t help but wonder if those Omegas were doing well at the Sanctuary.
Maybe he'd go there later on and check it out.