GIVE YOUR HEART, levi ackerman - book 1

an excerpt from grisha's book

The Extent of Our Knowledge of Titans and Their History.

Chapter 10

The Abertine Clan

Now that I have explained the history of the Eldian Royal family, ending with Karl Fritz's resurrection of the walls and his vow renouncing war, it is important to discuss those who opposed him. Arguably, one of the most notable families are the Abertines.

Loyal guardians of the royal family and the Eldian people, the Abertines were a clan of strong-willed and fierce soldiers dedicated to the service and protection of Eldia. Their name traces back to before Ymir discovered the founder. They aided the King in wars and many heads of the family were Generals and leaders in the military.

They fought countless years alongside the Fritz family, which produced a strong bond between the two. After the establishment of The Founder and Eldia's expansion conquest, the Abertines were granted high positions in government as well, including the royal executive officer. They were granted land and status that was second to none.

After the death of Ymir and the split of the Founder into the Nine Titans, the Fritz family bestowed a generous gift of a tenth titan to the Abertines. Rightfully dubbed The Protector, the Abertines used this power to further their defense of humanity. Little record is kept of who in the clan possessed the power, but it was passed down through the family for generations.

However, during the Great Titan War, there began a rift between the Abertines and the Fritzs. Due to their vowed loyalty to Eldia, they had no choice but to fight in Karl Fritz's war against Marley. During this time, it is noted that the Protector Titan was in the possession of Florence Abertine, who used it to win many battles for Eldia. The line of succession assumed that the power would be passed down to her only son, Christopher Abertine, when the time came.

Unfortunately, Karl began his resurrection of the Walls, successfully wiping the minds of all his subjects in an attempt to create peace amongst the world. Unbeknownst to him, however, the Abertines (much like the Ackermans whom they fought alongside with) were immune to the erasing of memories. Together with the Ackermans, they opposed the King and his ideology, attempting to force his hand and relinquish his ways, claiming it went against their vow for the betterment of Eldia.

Thus began the downfall of the Abertine clan. The King, in retaliation to the disloyalty, set out to persecute and eliminate every last Abertine and Ackerman, in fear that they would ruin his plan for peace by spreading what they knew. The Ackermans managed to argue for a pardon by promising to let their secret die out with newer generations. But the Abertines did not, and fought back the King, resulting in an almost total eradication of the bloodline.

Furthermore, it was no secret that the King demanded the Abertines relinquish the Protector Titan. In a desperate attempt to save themselves, Florence passed her power onto Christopher, who then took his wife and son (Henry Abertine) and fled beyond the safety of the Walls.

Fritz managed to execute the Abertines inside the Walls, and placed a bounty on any remaining members, should Christopher ever seek to return. This is where the record of the Abertines ends. We know they continued their vow to protect humanity, and fought on the forefront, preventing most titans from reaching the walls.

We do not know, however, of who inherited the Protector next. Rumors speculate that Henry had two children, a boy and a girl, and that the boy inherited the power from his grandfather, Christopher, but unfortunately we have no way of confirming this.

The name has now fallen into memory, and not many remember if they actually existed. Should there still be members from this family living beyond the walls, however, it is of the utmost importance that they are involved in the fight to free humanity.

The Protector Titan

The appearance of this titan varies from person to person, but its general form is around 13-16 meters in height. It takes on a similar build to the Female Titan, with exposed muscle and expert agility. However, it is accompanied by protective armor made from a bone-like material. This armor can be regenerated rather quickly when damaged, but it does expend a considerable amount of energy, depending on the size of the wound.

Along with the Titan's precision and dexterity, it is also often accompanied by a weapon formed from its muscle and bone material. This weapon can vary; there have been records of bow wielders, daggers, axes, swords, and more.

The attribute that sets it apart from any other titan, however, is its ability to camouflage with its surroundings, giving it the 'appearance' of invisibility. This takes direct focus from the host, however, and can't exactly be done during an active fight or during any other task that pulls away their attention. This power is mostly used for stealth surprise attacks, and also does fatigue the user.

Out of the rest of the Titan Powers, the Protector is a very formidable foe and/or ally, falling only second to the Founder in strength. There are weaknesses, though, such as regenerating armor or weapons when damaged in battle, which can exhaust the host as well as deplete the Titan's body mass temporarily.