From Marley, with Love.

Chapter 49: History

Rosanna calmly sipped her tea while Hange sifted through some notes Rosanna had written down for her. It was mainly medical knowledge and some titan science. But while speaking to Hange, Rosanna realized that the knowledge of the titan was far more advanced than the continent had expected. "You really are ahead of us..." Hange whispered, finishing one note and putting it in her journal. "We have a good archive, even though it is heavily curated and biased by the Marleyan forces." Rosanna explained, finishing her tea before pointing at the teapot. "Want one more?" she asked, Hange wrote something down and nodded absentmindedly. "Alright." From the early morning to the late afternoon Rosanna and Hange had been cooped in the north wing of HQ. Rosanna was a captive, and was thus ordered to be kept inside. But her view through the barred window was not half that bad. She looked out over the main square and a few small alleys of Trost district. Rosanna looked at a few kids running across the square, playing tag. "Rosanna, how did you get to know Zeke Yeager?" Hange asked. Rosanna turned around slowly, feeling uncomfortable about the question that was sprung onto her. She stopped; a cup tightly clutched in her hands. "I've always known him." She answered coolly. Hange looked up frowning, "Since diapers?" she asked, "Did you know he betrayed his own parents?" Rosanna froze. She felt a deep pang of emotional pain go through; they knew about that event?! Rosanna turned away from Hange, making the tea. Hange waited patiently, casting down her eyes, "I am sorry, don't answer that if you are uncomfortable." Rosanna stared down at the cup of tea, seeing the dark leaves colour the water a deep amber. "No, I should be able to explain..." Rosanna whispered. Hange looked up, concerned. "I am not the easy-going doctor you witnessed that night at the port." Rosanna walked over to Hange, handing her a cup of tea. Rosanna carefully sat down again, clutching her tea. "Zeke's betrayal...saved me, more or less." Hange tilted her head looking curious. "23 years ago, I was born to Joseph Bauer and a Marleyan woman who's name and face I've never known." Hange leaned back in her chair, thrown aback by this confession. "For about two years, I was kept in a small room in one of the backstreets of Liberio, that's the internment zone." Hange nodded, "Yes, Eren told me about it. His father grew up there." Rosanna nodded, "Grisha Yeager, yes..." she swallowed hard thinking about the final destination of the restorationists. "Then you might also know what happened...or they tried to make happen to him. My father was among them, he was an inactive restorationist. But he should've been arrested and trialled years earlier for taking off his armband and playing charades as a Marleyan." Rosanna felt a strong bitterness towards her parents. "I don't know how I feel about Zeke, I never have, and I will never be. But I am grateful for saving me from that stuffy room where I would've rotten away." Rosanna looked up from her cup of tea to see straight into Hange's hazel eyes. The commander looked calm, almost indifferent. "I guess... it is not what you want to hear from a possible ally. But. it is the truth, for me at least." Rosanna mumbled. "I don't doubt you." Hange said calmly. "Please, continue. How did you get so close to Zeke? He does not seem like an easy person to get along with." Rosanna shook her head, "He is a tough son of bitch to crack. I never know what is going on in that blonde head of his. Anyway, I met him for the first time when he was playing catch outside with his mentor, Mr. Ksaver. Zeke had lost the ball and came bounding over to me."

"I didn't know who she was until Mr. Ksaver told me." Zeke said before taking a puff of his cigarette. He and Reiner had taken the time to rest and eat before going to the next battlefield. "Not soon after that Mr. Ksaver talked her parents into joining the warrior program." Zeke had a look of disapproval on his face. "I was surprised to see her get so far in the program, even making it second place in the line-up for the beast." He smirked through his sour face, "She had always been the least disciplined one... well, if she could've been disciplined at all." Zeke took a big sip of his coffee. "And that is one of the reasons why I am the war chief." He concluded his story, stubbing out his cigarette in the dry sand. "I always wondered about you two." Reiner disclosed, sipping from his water pouch. "About what?" Zeke asked. "A while ago you told me how Rosanna had a child." Zeke nodded conformingly. "Yes, around the age of 16 or 17." Reiner frowned; her age had changed slightly over time. He had heard the Liberio inhabitants' notion 15 years old, some even 14. But he did not understand how she would've become pregnant. "I am just wondering, how on earth did she get pregnant. She barely ever had time off, to get away and... y'know." Zeke rolled his eyes. "Just name it the way it is..." he sighed, "I don't know either, Reiner. Like I said, it's rumours. Just like the tabloids published at the Marleyan HQ." Zeke said irritably. Reiner saw the opportunity to ask his question. "You are not the father of said child? Are you?" Zeke's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Wha..." he could not comprehend the question; he clenched his hands into fists to get hold of his temper that was flaring up. "No...I am not." Zeke said through gritted teeth. Reiner tilted his head, "Are you angry about that? You were one of the closest men in her life after all." Zeke raised one hand to shush Reiner, "You completely misinterpret our relationship. We were never romantic, our rivalry and opposite personalities would never allow that, Braun." Zeke snarled, getting more and more fed up with Reiner's curiosity. "Just because you are bit closer in rank to mine, doesn't mean you get to interfere with such questions.' Reiner defensively raised his hands. "Just allow me one more question..." He asked politely. Zeke raised an eyebrow. "Why did the Brass send her to that devil island? Securing Colt's succession? Getting your rival out of the way?" Zeke blinked and shrugged apathetically

"Because I said so."

"And so, you become a doctor for the titan unit? Because Zeke was closer to Ksaver?" Hange asked as she skittled a pebble over the lake. The two had asked for permission to leave HQ for a short time to get some fresh air. "Pretty much." Rosanna replied, examining a familiar plant she found. "I too was close to Ksaver, but not familial like Zeke was. They were like father and son those two." Rosanna remembered. "And besides that, anything that comes out of Zeke's mouth sounds believable." Rosanna grimaced, "I truly can never tell if he is lying or telling the truth." Rosanna plopped down in the tall gras, watching the setting sun. "Is that why he got the beast? Because he said so?" Hange asked. Rosanna nodded, "Yes, because he said so."