Welcome to my fic! I'd like to point out a few things before you get started reading it. This fic takes place after the end of the anime. In manga terms, that'd be right after Annie turns into "Sleeping Beauty" (as Jean so eloquently puts it). We're gonna just take that time, and insert a whole two years!
I'm using the Kodansha Comics version of the manga (yes, I buy it- I hate reading it online). My spellings and terms come from there (for the most part- I might have screwed up a couple of things here and there). I've gone back and edited the hell out of this thing from the first time I posted it. But, if you catch any mistakes, let me know!
I don't own anything, ya know, 'cept for my characters.
I'll leave ya alone now. :)
Read and (hopefully) enjoy!
Chapter One: Discovery
How many days had it been? Two? Three? There was no way to tell, trapped here in this darkness. Fumbling around, she located her bag and dug out the last of her rations. She'd only had enough for three meals. She'd tried to make them last as long as she could. She settled her back against what felt like a cold stone wall. With a tired and defeated sigh, she tore into the little bag. One bread half, a few remaining bites of a wedge of cheese, and some old dried meat were all she had left. She nibbled on the wedge of cheese, finished off the bread, and forced herself to replace what little remained. She licked the greasy residue from the meat off of her fingers and sighed again. She curled her cloak around her shoulders and huddled against the wall, hoping for sleep to bring better fortune.
She dreamt of the sound of horses hooves on cobblestone. It was not the first time. Human voices filtered down from somewhere above. Her imaginary rescue party was searching desperately for her, she was sure. They'd known she was scouting this area, of course. This small city was such a long way from her own village, but it was one of the few that she hadn't raided yet. It was too close to the Wall, though, too dangerous according to Christophe. A necessary trip, she'd insisted. She'd only be gone for a few days… She knew she should have been back long ago. But what day was it anyway? She groaned, trying to force the nightmare away. No one would find her down here. Something was blocking the door she'd escaped into, running from the tiny Titan that had been pursuing her. In her dream, she covered her ears, shouting, yelling for them to leave her to die. They'd never get to her!
The worst part of the all-too-familiar nightmare had just begun. Light flooded the dark, cramped basement, revealing the wreckage of the cottage she'd hidden in. People were shouting. She tried to tell them to run, to get away, but they never listened. Two people descended the stairs, trying to get around the rubble blocking her in. She screamed.
"Run, you idiots!" she shouted for the hundredth time. "Get out of here before they come back!" Their voices tried to sooth her, telling her that they'd get her out of there. She felt ground shaking- the wall at her back rumbling from the heavy footfalls of a coming Titan.
"Come on!" they shouted, reaching out to her. She refused, curling herself into a ball. She could not tear her eyes away as the massive face loomed down, grinning its absurd, foul grin. It was going to devour them right before her eyes- yet again.
Something wasn't right. Hissing sounds and commands shouted from nearby followed the appearance of the Titan. Every other time she'd had this nightmare, it had eaten her friends, swallowing them whole to mock her. She watched now, tears streaming down her face, as the little green streaks of color darted around before and behind the Titan. They'd distracted it, drawing it away from those on the ground. She continued to watch, stunned as the flash of steel blades sliced open the flesh on the back of its neck.
"Captain," someone shouted, "she won't budge!" More faces appeared at the top of the stairs on the other side of the rubble from the sunken floor of the house.
"Then take her by force!" Orders given, three people advanced on her. She darted her eyes around the pile at her feet. Her swords were just a foot away from her! She scrambled towards, them and gained her feet.
"What's going on?" she shouted. "Who are you?" She didn't understand! Was she really awake now? Two of the men, a petite blond and lanky brunette, started shifting rocks and large chunks of wood to make a path. The third stared down his nose at her, his black hair falling in his eyes.
"I have the same questions for you," he replied. His condescending look made her shake with rage. What sort of nightmare was this? "What's your name?"
"Captain!" someone shouted from above, "there's two more Titans headed this way! One six-meter, the other about ten!"
"Take care of them!" the man staring down at her just his head over his shoulder just long enough to bark the words at the questioner. The two men broke through a support beam and the path was clear. She panicked. She drew her swords up, ready to fight these people if necessary.
"Lower your weapons," the blond on the left said gently. "We aren't here to hurt you."
"Who are you people?" she demanded. She could feel her head spinning. Was this crazy nightmare finally going to end?
"We're soldiers from the Survey Corps," he answered. "My name is Armin." Shock flooded her down to her core. Soldiers? All the way out here?
"H-how?" she breathed. Her guard dropped as her mind grew foggy with uncertainties and questions.
"Tell us who you are first," he prodded.
"I… I'm…" she debated with herself about answering that question. She didn't trust them- even if they were Scouts. "My name is Yvette Marks." Her knees gave in and she heard her swords clatter to the floor. She felt nothing more, and couldn't speak. She forced her eyes open, though, to watch as they descended upon her. The brunette grabbed her arm and hauled her up over his shoulder to carry her out. The movements were too much, and her body ceased functioning.
"Hey!"
Someone was shaking her shoulder.
"Yvette Marks!"
She grimaced. That hurt! Wait… It hurt! She was alive! Her eyes snapped open and she attempted to jerk herself upright. Someone stopped her, using the same hand on her shoulder to press her back down. She glanced over at the same man from earlier. Armin.
"Don't try to move just yet," he said gently. "You've got a couple of broken ribs." When had that happened? "Where did you come from? How long were you down there?"
"I…" Eve hesitated. "I don't know how long I was down there… a few days, I think."
"Why didn't you eat?" he asked. "We found food in your bag…" So… they'd gone through her things. Surely they'd found her map, then.
"I didn't know how long I was going to be trapped," she whispered.
"Were you waiting for someone?" he asked. She did not answer. Even if they had her map, they didn't know what anything on it meant. She could not reveal the others to them- not yet. "You don't trust us… I wouldn't either."
"Armin!" someone shouted. The man jerked his head up and looked behind her. She stared up at the clouds through the tree branches. They were blocking out the bright sun. How far had they taken her? She felt anxiety creep into the pit of her stomach.
"What is it, Eren?" he asked. Her palms began to sweat.
"Get her up!" the voice demanded. "There are others! I'm sure they're looking for her. The Captain says he wants to negotiate- using her." Her stomach churned. Armin nodded once and cast her an apologetic look. He scooped her up into his arms, pressing her shoulder into his chest and supporting her knees with his other arm. She was blinded momentarily with the pain from her abdomen. Her hand clutched the back of his cloak as she bit her lip to keep from crying out.
"Eve!" She recognized that relief-filled voice- Christophe!
"Release her!" The scream was high-pitched and female. Eve knew that was Rosa without a doubt.
"We have no intentions of harming her!" the voice of the Captain shouted back. "Tell us who you are!"
"Go to hell!" Rosa screamed. "Give her back to us!"
"Hang on!" Armin shouted. She looked up at him. His thoughts were flashing in his pale blue eyes. In that moment, he did not look like a soldier. The image of him reminded her of her uncle- always thinking and coming up with plans. "We just want to talk! We didn't know anyone could survive outside the wall! We're just as surprised to see you as you are to see us! We don't want to hurt anyone!"
"What's there to talk about?" Christophe asked. He was definitely closer now. She could hear his horse stomping at the ground- trying to prance around as always. "We don't want anythin' do with you people! We were abandoned and left to die when the Wall fell! What good could ya possibly do us now?"
"We have your comrade," the Captain answered. "We will take her prisoner and interrogate her back at our headquarters if you do not agree to speak now!" She turned her head away from Armin's chest and vomited. When she opened her eyes, she found blood on her hands and cloak.
"Oh God!" Rosa screamed. "Eve! What did you monsters do to her?" Rosa was irrational and wild by this point. Eve could hear it in her voice. She was panting, trying to push herself from Armin's grasp. He knelt down and placed her on the ground, supporting her with his arm around her back. She was gasping for air, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes from the pain in her torso.
"Red flares, Captain!" someone shouted. Eve could hear those closest to her curse and tense up. Armin scooped her back up. Before she realized what was going on, she knew she was moving- and fast. She could not open her eyes, the urge to vomit again was too strong, and she didn't want to risk that at the moment. Unable to properly control her muscles, she felt her head flop back.
"Hey!" Armin shouted. "Eve!" She couldn't open her eyes anymore- even if she'd wanted to. Her awareness was dim- that she was still conscious felt like a miracle in and of itself.
"Get her to the village now!" someone shouted. She frowned internally. Had that been Christophe? "Doc'll take care of her!" The sudden shift in direction had her head flopping around more. She lost herself to unconsciousness before she knew anything more.
When she finally came to, all she wanted to do was turn over and go to sleep. Her body felt drained and exhausted, her head was pounding, and her mind was weak. She knew she was fairly comfortable- the majority of the pain she'd been in earlier had lessened. There were distant sounds of chatter not quite drowning out the tunes of thousands of bullfrogs chirping. She relaxed- she was home. The familiar sounds and smells invaded her mind, if not relieving her headache, then at least distracting her from it. Freshly-baked bread and apple butter covered the smell of mild disinfectant closer to her. She'd spent enough time in this particular bed to know she was at Doc's place.
"Yvette?" came a soft whisper. Eve couldn't resist opening her eyes. Doc's wife, Susanne, stood at the threshold to the tiny room, peeking in on her. The plump woman always had a bright smile to match her permanently rosy cheeks. "I didn't want to wake you."
"I was already awake," Eve answered honestly. She was mildly surprised by how coarse her voice sounded. "What happened?"
"Oh, dear," Susanne chuckled. She placed a silver tray on the table by Eve's bed. It contained a cup of water, a small bit of bread, and some applesauce in a chipped clay bowl- Eve's favorite. "Well, those Scouts sure caused a ruckus around here. The boy who brought you could hardly be forced to leave you alone with Doc. I had to shoo him away with promises of my famous apple pie." Eve let a small grin form before she fully thought Susanne's words through.
"They're here?" Eve demanded. Susanne nodded once. "Why? What happened? Why would Christophe and Rosa allow them to come here?" For a moment, she was ready to toss aside the faded red quilt that covered her and bolt from the room.
"Eve, dear," Susanne began slowly, patting her clenched fist, "you were vomiting blood and the group was being chased by Titans. There was nowhere else to go- for you or any of them. We might not trust them, but we couldn't shut them out and leave them to die."
"Shit!" Eve cursed. She flinched instantly, fully expecting a slap from Susanne. She glanced over at the older woman sheepishly.
"I'll forgive that one because you are in pain and confused," Susanne muttered, still somehow holding a threatening tone. She ran her fingers over the skirt of her bleach-white apron, smoothing out the wrinkles. "Now, try to eat that and I will send Doc in with that young man who brought you and hopefully they can explain everything to you." Eve nodded and whispered an apology as Susanne stood and stalked out of the room, floor-length pale blue skirts swishing against the dirt-free wood floors.
Only a few brief moments later, Christophe, Doc, and Armin all entered the room. Eve eyed them all warily. She wasn't sure of the situation, and she didn't want to say much in case they were keeping certain details from the Scouts.
"Glad to see you awake, Eve," Doc said cheerfully, the wrinkles around his eyes growing deeper and more defined- magnified by thick, round spectacles. He grabbed the small wooden stool from the corner and sat it by her bed. Pulling back the quilt and lifting the clean brown shirt that covered her, he began to poke and prod at her ribcage, being gentle over the ones he knew were broken. "We thought you might've punctured a lung there for a while, but you didn't. Just three broken ribs. You're pretty malnourished, though, so you won't be able to do much of anything but sit in that bed for a few days." Eve groaned, but nodded. Doc would never put her on bed rest without good reason.
"God, Eve," Christophe whispered, "we all thought you were a goner. Rosa was screamin' at everyone." His tall, broad frame filled the room despite the way he slumped his shoulders. He ran an errant hand through his long dirty-blond curls and sighed.
"Where is she?" Eve asked. Christophe smirked as he dropped his hand.
"Lettin' some of the Scouts have an earful," he answered. "They wanted to put up their horses, but ya know how she is about the stables… She'll be busy for a while, though. I'll keep her away from here as long as I can." Eve nodded her thanks. She didn't need the fire-cracker ginger screaming at her just yet. Her attention turned to Armin. He looked nervous. His eyes were focused on Doc's fingers as they prodded her ribs. He seemed to flinch along with her each time Doc hit a tender area.
"Well…" Eve began slowly. "What's going on? How much do these soldiers know?"
"Everythin'," Christophe answered. Eve narrowed her eyes, but she was distracted by the painful prick of a needle into her arm. She did her best not to snatch her wrist from Doc's light grasp. "Not my call, Eve. It was Lacey. She and that Captain Levi had a real long talk, the he went and gathered 'em all up and she introduced 'em." Eve let a whispered curse slip through her lips and her eyes drifted across the nearly-bare room. A small wardrobe had been shoved into the far corner of the room by the window that held all sorts of medical supplies- supplies she'd risked her life numerous times to get for the people in this village. She hated that she usually wound up using most of the bandages and stitches herself.
"Why do you not want us to know about this place?" Armin asked, brows furrowing. Her gaze found him at the foot of the bed. "Captain Levi hasn't explained anything to us. We only know what we've deduced on our own."
Eve sighed. "Seven years ago, when Wall Maria fell, everyone panicked. In the chaos, our little village wasn't informed until it was already too late. At one time, we had plenty of livestock and this particular village raised horses for the military. We all felt betrayed by the government. Then, when some of us made it all the way to Wall Rose to seek sanctuary, we were turned away for real. I was part of that party… It devastated all of us. Our group of thirty was reduced down to only six. Your government abandoned us and turned us away when we needed help. How can we trust you?"
Her small, impassioned speech seemed to move Armin to tears. He stared at the floor, looking ashamed. "How… how did you survive outside the wall?" Eve looked to Christophe. He nodded.
"Look kid, I know ya saw those fences we put up. Well, they ain't much, but it's enough to let us know when one's comin'. We don't have all that fancy gear you guys do, but we still manage to kill Titans- when we have to. The trees are a natural shelter for us 'cause the big ones can't make it through." Christophe stopped for a moment when Doc shot him a look over his shoulder.
"Eve," Doc snapped, "eat. You know Susanne'll force it down your throat if you don't." Eve sighed and picked up her water first. She sipped at it, testing out her stomach. It roared with hunger at her. Christophe chuckled. She grabbed the bread and nibbled at that for a while, trying to calm her stomach enough to eat without puking it all back up again. Doc helped her sit up, then stood to grab bandages from the wardrobe.
"How long were you in that basement?" Armin asked. Eve shrugged as she tore off another piece of bread with her teeth.
"Let me put it to ya this way," Christophe began, "she left seven days ago. It's about a half-day's ride to that town. If everythin' had gone according to plan, she'd have come back two days after she left. It was just reconnaissance. She was supposed to see what she could see and get the hell back here. I reckon she was attacked on the day she was supposed to leave, and we've been here for almost a day. That makes four, maybe five days." Armin looked horrified. Doc returned to the stool and began wrapping the bandages around her middle. She managed to finish the loaf of bread around him as he worked. When he was finished, Eve grabbed the small bowl of applesauce. She licked at a small spoonful of it.
"You're gonna be alright, Eve," Doc said, relaxing back on his stool. She relaxed into the pillows at her back. He'd doped her up with whatever was in the shot, but she hadn't noticed the effects until she sat back and the world spun slightly. She scowled at him. "Don't give me that look. You needed it. Take the night and enjoy it pain free. You don't get anymore." She rolled her eyes when he turned his back on her to replace the stool.
"I'll take care of her, Doc," Christophe promised as the older, balding man left the room. He shut the door and Christophe took his place on the stool, relaxing with his back against the wall just a meter away from the left edge of her bed. Armin remained standing awkwardly by the door. Eve finished off her applesauce and licked her spoon clean before leaving the bowl on the tray.
"How…" Armin began. Eve sighed, interrupting him. She wrapped one arm around her middle. Despite the drug she'd been injected with, she still ached.
"How did we learn to kill Titans out here?" she asked. He looked up at her and nodded. She sighed. "Trial and error. It was our luck that Christophe here was a member of the Garrison. He and a friend of his had come home for a visit when everything went to hell. We don't have access to much steel, but we've happened across some supply carriages and managed to use what we found sparingly. That 3d maneuvering gear was a bitch to learn how to use, but we got the hang of it."
"Why didn't you have any when we found you?" Armin asked, confused. Eve sighed and Christophe cursed.
"You left it behind again, didn'ya?" he shouted, jerking upright on the stool. "What the hell, Eve!"
"Leave me alone about it, will ya?" she grumbled, sinking further into the pillows at her back. "You know I don't like it."
"Why?" Armin asked. She looked over at him. It was obvious by the way he gnawed on his bottom lip that he'd instantly regretted asking the question, but his curiosity lingered in his wide eyes.
"I watched my brother die using it," she answered grimly. "He was fooling around and ended up slicing off his arm and hanging himself at the same time." Her bitterness found its way out in her words. Armin's eyes darkened and he lowered his head. "I only ever use it if I'm on patrol- and that's because I have to."
"It would'a saved you all this pain and those days in that basement if you'd taken it!" Christophe bit coldly. Eve sighed and stared down at the ragged red quilt. She knew he was right, but she didn't regret not taking it.
When she glanced back up, she found Armin was focused on Christophe. He was still far larger than Armin, as was noticeable even when he was sitting on the tiny stool. "You have no desire to go back inside the Walls, do you?" A suffocating silence filled the small room to the point where Armin was fidgeting slightly, and Eve was about to drift off to sleep.
"I think we should…" Christophe muttered at long last. Eve's half-open eyes drifted towards him and she lifted one eyebrow. "No one will agree, of course, and it'd probably cause a panic inside- people surviving for so long outside and all. But we'd be safer, and I wouldn't have to keep watching people die." Eve bit down on the inside of her cheek, chewing it thoughtfully. Armin stared at her, waiting for her to say something to refute or support her friend.
No one spoke for a long moment. Christophe seemed unable to deal with the silence and tension, though, and he stalked out of the room. Armin remained, still looking unsure of himself. She gestured to the stool and he took a seat. A cool breeze drifted in through the open window, bringing with it the familiar scents of apples and manure- a strange, yet comforting combination.
"I take it you've been fed since you've been here?" Eve drawled. He nodded once. "We've lost a good bit of what makes us hospitable, but we aren't savages- yet. We don't have much of a population left anymore- there's probably only about a hundred of us now." Her tongue had grown loose with the drug making her sleepy and distorting her reality ever so slightly.
"Why were you screaming at us to leave?" Armin whispered. Eve tensed, frozen for a long moment as she stared at him in horror. For just a moment, she'd seen the images from her nightmare once more. Rather than Christophe being snatched up and bitten in half, though, it was this soldier before her. She shook the image away and forced herself to relax. She inched her way down into the bed to where her head was on the pillows.
"I thought I was having a nightmare," Eve answered with an equally soft whisper. "I thought you were the people from this village and were going to be eaten by that Titan." They settled back into silence. Eve yawned, her eyes drooping closed despite her best efforts to keep them open.
"I'll let you get some rest," Armin muttered. He stood and made to leave the room. Eve caught his arm as he passed her bed. He stopped and looked down at her, eyes full of curiosity once more.
"Thanks," she slurred, "you know… for saving me." He nodded once and she let go of him. Before he could turn to leave, she'd fallen asleep.
Well, what did you think?
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On to the next one!