♪ Opening Song ♪
I was born on a small farmstead
in the northern lands of Wall Rose.
It was owned by the noble Reiss family.
As far back as I can remember,
I was helping out around the farm.
But my mother was always reading books.
She didn't care to work.
And no one cared to make her.
She was a beautiful woman.
Most nights, someone would come for her in a carriage,
and she'd go off into the city, wearing fancy clothes.
[HORSE neighs]
[CHRISTA] For me, that was just life as I knew it.
But when I learned to read and write,
I started picking up books to imitate my mother.
And they taught me just how alone I was.
In all the stories I read in those books,
parents cared about their children.
They talked to them, hugged them, scolded them.
I had never experienced any of those things.
One day, out of curiosity,
I decided to try hugging my mother.
I guess I just wanted to see what kind of face she'd make.
--[CHRISTA] Mommy! --[ALMA gasps]
--[CHRISTA giggles, screams] --[ALMA grunts]
[CHRISTA] She ended up shoving me away from her.
But that was the first time my mother had acknowledged me.
So it actually made me happy.
If only I wasn't such a coward, I could've killed it.
[CHRISTA] Those were the first words my mother ever said to me.
She went to live somewhere else after that.
I didn't see her for a long time.
And then, five years ago,
just a few days after Wall Maria fell...
...I finally met my father.
Historia. My name's Rod Reiss.
I wish that we could've met sooner.
You see, I'm your father.
[gasps]
[CHRISTA] That man. He was the lord
of the land I'd grown up on.
The mother I hadn't seen in years
looked terribly frightened.
Now, listen. You'll be living with me from this day forth.
[ALMA gasps, screams]
[KENNY] You know what this is, Lord Reiss.
The fall of Wall Maria's got you acting a bit reckless.
I suppose you thought you'd get your pretty little secrets
to safer ground, huh.
--[ALMA sobbing] --Let Mom go!
No! I'm not that girl's mother!
I've never even met her!
Do whatever you want with her, but let me go!
Oh? You have anything to say about that, Lord Reiss?
Maybe it's just a coincidence the three of you
are out here at the same time.
[ROD sighs] So be it.
That's correct--these two have nothing to do with me.
I thought that might be the case.
[ALMA gasps] Wait? What are you--?
You were never employed at this estate.
And nobody here has ever heard your name.
Sounds to me like you don't exist.
No, I-- Master, please!
That isn't true, you have to tell them!
What are they... doing? Mother?
If only you had never been born, I could--
[CHRISTA] Those were the last words my mother ever said.
No. Wait.
[CHRISTA] Moments before I was killed myself,
my father proposed an idea.
That if I were sent somewhere far away,
to live out a quiet life,
perhaps they could spare me.
Your new name will be...
...Christa Lenz.
I beg for your forgiveness, child.
Please know that everything I've done
I did to protect you.
F-Father.
[ROD] Not a day has passed that I haven't thought of you.
Long have I dreamed of a day when I could hold you like this.
You are special. The blood of the king
flows through your veins.
Is that true?
[ROD] Yes, Historia.
The true royal bloodline is carried by the Reiss family.
And as its heir, the power to save all of humanity
now rests in your hands.
Please Historia, come with me.
And I'll show you where it all began.
[jingling, click]
[clang]
[RALPH] Sannes! Your face. What happened?
Wait, did you--? They didn't actually
make you talk, did they?
But we swore a vow of loyalty to the king--
[SANNES yelling]
I can't stand to hear another word out of you!
I would've died for you, and you betrayed me for a bed!
[RALPH groaning]
[SANNES] To think I trusted you!
Hey. He never told us anything.
He didn't get a chance to-- we never questioned him.
[SANNES gasps]
This is the conversation you heard.
We forced Ralph here to read off this script at knifepoint.
It was staged.
[BOTH gasping]
[coughing]
Then... it was me.
I'm the one who betrayed the king's secret.
You. You're a devil.
Yes, I think you might be right about that.
But I bet Pastor Nick felt the exact same way about you.
That's why I felt sorry for you, Sannes.
Not because your nails got plucked out,
but because of what you've done with your life.
You're pathetic! A grown-ass man wailing like an infant!
Are ya sad now? Well, boo hoo!
You get to spend the rest of your lives doing nothing
but eating and shitting in this cell!
Enjoy.
It's your turn.
There's an order to these things.
Perhaps it's a law of human nature.
When one's time is over, another must take on
the role that they used to play.
And thus, the world can never be cleansed of it.
Best of luck, Hange.
Section Commander?
[inhales, exhales]
[grunts]
Uuh!
I'm sorry. Seems I made a mess.
I encountered a large cockroach.
I see. Well, as hard as you kicked it,
I bet it learned its lesson.
It's time you filled them in.
Oh, yeah. I guess I might as well.
So they plan to eat Eren?
[HANGE] Yeah. Eren remembered a conversation between
Ymir and Bertholdt.
[YMIR] You hold that against me?
I don't think so.
I mean, I don't know.
Suppose I have to believe you didn't want to eat anyone.
Based on this, we can speculate.
Ymir used to be a mindless Titan just like the others.
Until she consumed someone.
Someone from Bertholdt and Reiner's group.
We've never seen a Titan turn back into a human
by eating one before.
That said, Reiner's comrades aren't normal humans.
And there's a different set of rules
for humans that can turn into Titans.
My thought is this: If a Titan eats someone
with that power, then it'll transform back into a human.
What's more, they'll obtain whatever powers that human had.
In the other day's battle, Reiner was throwing Titans
at Eren as he tried to run away.
He knew that Eren had the power to take command
of feral Titans with his scream.
If Eren's death would've meant that power was lost,
he wouldn't have risked it.
I think he hoped one of those Titans would eat Eren
and take his power.
My point is, if the government has a Titan of their own,
they'll use it to eat Eren.
Calm down. I know you wanna get Eren back,
but going on a rampage won't help with that.
Anyway, we're heading for Rod Reiss' estate.
Prepare to leave at once.
[ARMIN, CONNY, SASHA, JEAN] Sir!
[HANGE] I'll go tell Erwin everything we've learned
about the Reiss family.
I'm sure he's waiting to hear from us.
[LEVI] Right.
[HANGE] You head for Lord Reiss' estate.
I'll find you when I can.
[knocking]
Pardon, sir, but the commander of the Garrison
has just arrived.
Pyxis?
[SOLDIER 40A] Yes, he's asking to speak with you.
--Very well, then. --Sir!
Forgive me for dropping in unannounced.
But I just couldn't stand still, you see.
I finished reading your letter.
And I have a few thoughts of my own.
But first, I have to ask. You are serious, right?
Yes. I have a plan to retake Wall Maria
and to depose the government.
[PYXIS] Mm. I knew this would happen someday.
The state could only hold people in this cramped world
for so long before they began to lash out.
And I knew that when the time came,
I would have to point my gun at the king I'm sworn to serve.
Should a certain hunch of mine prove to be correct,
it may be possible for us to carry out this plan
without military force.
My objective, at least, is a bloodless coup.
Ahh. Then by all means, go on.
If such an option is plausible, I'm for it.
Well, the catch is that the groundwork for this
has yet to be laid out.
And if things don't go as I think they will,
there's no plan B. I, and everyone else, will be hanged.
Oh. Is that all?
So this is another one of your great gambles, then.
Seems I may be a betting man to the end.
I expect the news to come shortly.
If you care to wait, I'd like you to hear
a story from my childhood.
Huh?
About my father. He was a teacher.
[CROWD murmuring]
Damn. Too bad.
Section Commander, that was--
I saw it. Keep moving!
[knocking]
--[door knob clicks] --[door squeaks]
--Commander. It's done. --[door thuds]
[whispering] Reiss is the true royal house.
[ERWIN] I thought as much.
Looks like my gamble might pay off, Commander.
Might.
One of the First Interior Squad just confessed.
The current king is a pretender to the throne.
Reiss is the true royal family.
Are you sure?
I've deployed my scouts.
They're working to retrieve Eren and Historia.
Once they're secured, we'll declare that
Historia Reiss is of royal blood.
And crown her as this country's queen.
[BOTH gasp]
Knowing this is true, the ersatz king will have no choice
but to give up the throne.
Assuming that he does, we'll have staged a bloodless coup.
Then we'll go to the people and expose the system
that claimed to protect them for all its lies.
I'm convinced. You can count on my support.
That said. We could be in the wrong.
The final decision is out of our hands.
You do understand that, don't you?
I do. Yes.
[HORSE neighs]
[HANGE] Anything come of the Reiss investigation?
I found out as much as I could.
Not much to speak of. Just one curious incident.
Huh.
Commander Erwin! The Interior Squad's
put out a warrant for you.
They're making a scene in the middle of the city, sir.
Saying you had someone murdered.
What?
It would appear that the enemy
has been making plans of their own.
Hange. Leave town at once.
[HANGE] Huh? What are you planning to do?
[ERWIN] I need to be the face of the Scout Regiment.
I trust you to act at your own discretion.
Also, I've chosen the Scouts' next leader.
And it's you. Zoë Hange.
The Scouts are in your hands.
--[door knob clicks] --[door squeaks, thuds]
[whispers] Hey. That's him.
[MALE CIVILIAN 40A whispers] Erwin's here?
[CROWD whispering]
I take it you know who this is. Right, Erwin?
[ERWIN] That's Mr. Dimo Reeves.
He was the head of the Reeves company.
Just yesterday, at this exact location,
Eren Jaeger was abducted by a group of Reeves' lackeys.
However, Reeves was hired to do this by none other
than the Scouts themselves, in the hopes that they might
avoid handing Eren Jaeger over to the government.
And then, when Reeves had outlived his usefulness,
they killed him to stop him from talking.
The murderer is still at large.
We presume they have Jaeger.
What a convenient story that would be.
I can see what you scoundrels are doing.
You're trying to monopolize Jaeger's Titan power
and keep it all for yourselves.
That type of action violates clause six
of the Charter of Humanity.
I trust that you're familiar with that law?
One must never prioritize their own gain
over humanity's survival. Am I correct?
That you are.
And because the Scout Regiment is in violation of this law,
all Scouts must be arrested.
[FLEGEL] Dad.
[KENNY] Maybe this'll satisfy the fat cats.
Reeves ended up being just as useful
against us as with us.
But we still don't have any leads on Levi.
Like I told you, the runt's not gonna hide forever.
When he shows, we kill him.
What do you think we should do?
--Give me a moment. --What?
[gasps]
Get the hell away from my husband!
When the battle for Trost first began,
Mr. Reeves delayed evacuation efforts
in order to preserve his wealth.
Yeah? So, what's your point?
Are you trying to say he deserved to die?
No, I'm not. Because upon his return to Trost,
he found it on the verge of collapse.
And instead of abandoning it, he planted his feet.
He helped those who couldn't leave
by striving to revive this city.
But now, that dream has been cut short
by a knife in the dark.
I swear this...
...I will avenge him.
[ERWIN] My father. He was a teacher.
One day, we were studying history.
"Faced with the annihilation at the hands of Titans,
humanity took refuge behind the walls,
and realized 100 years of peace.
But in this process, we lost all records of what
humanity's earlier past might've looked like."
That's what all of us were taught.
Even back then, this seemed strange to me.
And so, I asked my father a question.
He gave me a fairly evasive answer
and continued with the standard lesson.
But, when we got home that night,
he sat me down and gave me the real answer.
He told me the history books he received
from the government were full of contradictions and mysteries.
He then proceeded to tell me a theory of his.
Even as a child, I was astounded.
There was a reason he didn't share that theory
with the entire class, but I wasn't smart enough to see it.
I told the other children what he had told me.
And one day, the MPs arrived to question me.
My father didn't come home that night.
They said he died in some kind of freak accident.
But I knew that wasn't true.
He'd been silenced by the government.
One hundred seven years ago,
when humanity fled to these walls,
the king altered their collective memory
to make them easier to rule.
That was my father's theory.
Yes. I can see why the first king might do that.
He must've believed that such knowledge
would lead to civil strife.
Yes. But ever since I was a child, I've asked myself:
Why would the government have to kill my father
for nothing more than getting close to the truth?
Despite the cruelty of it,
I'd hoped their motives at least might've been noble.
But more recently, I've realized something about these men.
What they're fighting to protect is not humanity.
But their own gardens, houses, and lands.
Which means, all they care about is suppressing those
who dare to question their authority in any way.
I no longer believe that there was any justification
for my father's death.
He was killed by human greed.
And by the sheer stupidity of his own son.
I can't tell you why, but I know in my gut
that my father's words were true.
I've made it my mission in this life to atone to my father
by showing the world he was right.
[MALE SOLDIER 40B] The Scout Regiment
has murdered a civilian!
Some of them have evaded capture!
These people are dangerous!
If you spot any of the people on these posters,
report them immediately!
I told you, didn't I?
These are the same bastards that unleashed a Titan here.
They destroyed half the town.
[MALE CIVILIAN 40C] I bet they're planning to use
that freakshow Jaeger to wipe us all out!
[JEAN] Captain, we bought the supplies.
The MPs were handing out these flyers.
If this is true, the Scouts will be disbanded.
They say they'll be hunting for us in the mountains tonight.
They're also posting guards on all the vital roads.
No one can get through them without a pass.
So, Captain? What now?
We need to hurry and find Eren.
He'll be fine.
They're taking him on a wagon.
That gives us one day before they reach Reiss' estate.
And we need every second we can get
to come up with a plan.
Captain. I hear footsteps.
Sounds like they're approaching.
♪ Closing Song ♪
[NARRATOR] Those who believed in justice.
Those who protected others.
Those who gave up their lives.
The courage they showed in our memory
is the same courage we use to fight.
Next episode: "Trust."