A Legend's Journey
Disclaimer: I don't own attack on titan, all copyrights go to the creator, not sure what his name is but I'll find out and put it in the future chapters. Anyway…. Yeah I don't own the series please don't sue me, and have a nice day.
A/N: I hope to provide you with a story that is the first of it's kind in the SNK FanFiction community. One that expands the world of Shingeki no Kyojin by showing the beauty that is rarely shown in the anime/manga. But do not be fooled. This world is just as cruel as it is beautiful and I will do all I can with my literary abilities to make you feel its cruelty.
-There will only be Author's notes in the first page of the story.
-A Fanfiction based off the realities in the world of SNK, I present to you "A legend's Journey"-
Year 832 December 29th
"I'm home" announced Carla (Author note: For those of you who can't remember this is Eren's mother's name)
"Welcome home dear I'm almost done with dinner. I prepared fish-lamb soup just like you wanted" Said Grisha (Author note: And this is obviously Eren's father) with an incredulous look on his face.
"Tch… you know I can't help these cravings" replied Carla as she rubbed her six month pregnant belly.
"Be that as it may dear you wouldn't believe how difficult it was to create one homologous flavor instead of two separate flavors. I even had to use some of my lab equipment to get the mixture right" said Grisha pointing towards the flasks and graduated cylinders in the sink.
Hormones or no hormones Carla couldn't help but to laugh at her husband's actions. His work often kept Grisha in doctor mode and there had been many times where she's caught him drinking his morning coffee with one of his flasks. She guessed that this is one of the crazy reason she loved him till death do them part.
"It's been a long day dear why don't you bathe and get dressed and I'll have supper ready when you get back"
Nodding her head in acknowledgement she turned around and walked up the stairs to their bedroom and past the unoccupied baby room that Grisha had set up three weeks ago.
Grisha looked at his wife with sad eyes as she walked up the stairs. Hoping she would one day forgive him for what he was not only about to do to her but also their unborn child.
Once she walked up the stairs he opened the cupboard to his left to reveal a small metal case and a small flask that contained the most powerful sleeping drug that he knew. He walked over to the fireplace and took off the hot kettle, which contained the tea for tonight's dinner, and placed it on the brick counter top. Then he grabbed two porcelain cups and filled them with the steaming hot liquid.
Taking a deep breath and calming himself Grisha took the flask and poured some of its contents into Carla's cup. Then he walked over to the two bowls of hot soup and poured the rest of the contents of the flask into her bowl. This would guarantee that she would consume at least one dose of the sleeping agent.
'Am I really going to do this? There are so many variables, so many things that could go wrong tonight. Is it worth risking Carla's health and our baby for this? Maybe I should continue with the other serum before testing this one'
'NO, if this serum works it could help prevent the deaths of thousands if the titans were to ever break the wall. This is the best choice for humanity. I'm so sorry Carla'
Dr. Yeager was brought out of his musings by the sounds of his wives footsteps on the staircase. Looking up he saw his wife give him a happy smile as she took her seat on opposite side of the table.
"Dig in dear and if you're still hungry I made some extra for you"
"Thank you" said Carla before she attacked the food like the pregnant and hormonal women that she is. Making Grisha smirk at his wife, whether it be from his wives behavior or the fact that she would without a doubt consume enough of the sleeping drug to pass out.
"Oh god this hits the spot.. mhm… thank you so much darling" commented Carla as she slurped up her meal.
"You're welcome dear" replied Grisha as he smiled happily at his wife.
He watched both with anticipation and unease as her eyes began to droop in her obvious battle to fend off sleep.
"Ohh dear you're looking ill, let's get you to sleep shall we"
"Mhm sleep so-" She never finished her sentence as her head banged against the top of the dining table. Indicating that she was now passed out, as was expected seeing that she drank both the tea and ate from her bowl of soup.
Getting up quickly Grisha walked around the table to confirm that his wife was completely under the effects of the drugs.
"Carla dear are you okay" he said rather loudly into her ear.
Getting no response Grisha gently lifted her head up so she was now sitting up and not slumped over. He then opened both of her eyes to see that there was no pupil dilation, meaning that the drug was indeed in full effect. And that it was now time to begin.
Picking up his wife from the chair Grisha carried her upstairs into their bedroom and placed her on their bed. He then quickly went back downstairs to grab the metal case that was in the cupboard.
'God help me' were Grisha's thoughts before he opened the metal case to reveal a hypodermic needle filled with a thick black liquid.
Taking deep breaths Grisha took the needle and injected its full length into his wife's pregnant belly. Taking great care to make sure the needle would in fact reach the child inside.
Slowly squeezing the serum out of the needle Grisha noticed his wife's pained expression and quickly went to sooth her by brushing her cheek. Reaching the end of the syringe he squeezed out every last drop of the serum before removing the needle.
Placing the needle in the metal case he then went to take the case downstairs before placing it within his medical bag. From which he grabbed another small pack, one which contained a basic medical kit.
Taking a seat beside his wife Grisha opened the pack and retrieved a roll of linen cloth, which would be used to cover the small wound the hypodermic needle created.
Dabbing a cloth with alcohol Grisha went to clean the injection spot only to drop the cloth in shock at what he saw.
There at the point of injection was a mesh of black veins that seemed to extend from the small needle wound. He wasn't really sure what they were, he had never seen anything like it, and the feel of it was almost unnatural. But then again the goal of this entire scheme was to create something unnatural.
"Damn it. This must be a physical reaction to the serum, it must have a stronger effect than I thought it would to have on a fully developed human." He mused.
'This isn't good, if Carla see's this she'll ask questions that I can't possibly answer. I need to cover this up so she can't ever see this, she mustn't know.'
With a plan of action in mind Grisha opened his wife's night stand and opened the top drawer to reveal a mess of his wife's personal belongings. Grabbing a small handheld mirror, her favorite possession, he took it and broke it. Making sure that all the pieces were collected he quickly ran downstairs and threw the mirror in the garbage bin.
Coming back upstairs he proceeded to take out a scalpel from his medical pack. Putting the cool tip of the steel against his wife's belly Grisha paused and took deep breaths to calm his nerves, it would do no one any good if his hand slipped.
Slowly and agonizingly Grisha made a small cut that went right through the black marking on his wife's plump belly. Grabbing a piece of cloth he dabbed it in alcohol and cleaned his wife's wound.
The cut itself was barely skin deep and wouldn't bleed much or leave any visible scars. But the scars of these memories, of Grisha's folly would no doubt haunt him.
Wrapping his wife's belly in a nice thick layer of linen the scale of his betrayal, of his deceit, caught up to him and his eyes began to water. The lack of adrenaline in his system helping along with his discomposure.
How could he be a husband if this is what he does to his wife? How could he become a father if he inadvertently ends up killing his own child. How? How? How?
'Never again. I'll never do anything to hurt you ever again Carla. I'll make sure you're happy even it's the last thing I do on this green earth.'
Slowly rubbing his hand over his wife's belly Grisha sat there and hummed his wife's favorite little tune. The one she swore the baby could hear and would one day recognize as his mother's call. He snorted at the thought, it was completely illogical to think that a baby could remember a song from inside the womb.
After ten minutes of slow rubbing and humming Grisha got up from his seat and cleaned up the house. He later went to bed with his wife's hand wrapped around his own in a light embrace.
To say that Carla was surprised in the morning was an understatement. She woke up with a slight jolt, instantly feeling a pressure and slight pain across her belly. Throwing off the covers she was terrified to see blood spotted linen bandages wrapped around her pregnant belly.
"Grisha! Grisha!" She began yelling hysterically as she started sobbing thinking that the child inside of her was dead.
'My baby's dead, my baby's dead, my baby's dead' repeated Carla the worst case scenario coming to mind as she began shake and hyperventilate.
A clattering of furniture was heard downstairs and seconds later Grisha bursted through the door to their bedroom.
"Carla!" yelled a panicked Grisha
"Grisha!" yelled a hysterical Carla as she started crying at the simple sight of her husband.
"Carla honey calm down there was an accident y-"
"My baby's dead isn't he, or she! We'll never know will because she's de-" She never finished her sentence. Or rather she couldn't because of the silent screams of horror and chocked sobs that escaped her.
"No, no the baby's fine" He knew because he had felt a kick in the morning when he was rubbing her belly and the fact that the baby had survived the first six hours after serum injection meant that it would grow up to be a perfectly healthy baby.
Almost instantly Carla sobbing stopped and she was able to keep herself to sniffing as she replied "What?"
"Like I said there was an accident. You were walking down the stairs with your mirror, you know the one I got you two years ago for your birthday?" He questioned, to which she nodded affirmatively.
"You fell and hit your head, when that happened a piece of the broken mirror cut along your belly, it's a blur past then for me after that as well. All I could think about was saving you and our baby. The next thing I know you're up here laying on the bed and I have you all wrapped up.
Carla processed all the information that she received from her husband and finally started to gain control of her composure.
"So then our baby is going to be fine?" she asked.
"Yes, but we need to make sure that you stay still for a while. I don't know what type of damage the fall could have had for our baby so I need you to stay in bed for at least a couple of days."
She nodded affirmatively at his words before grabbing his hand for comfort, she would do whatever it took to make sure that their baby stayed healthy. All the while though curiosity and concern were getting the better of her and she attempted to look underneath the bandages to see the wound on her belly. Only for a strong hand to grip her wrist before she could lift the linen.
"Carla keep the bandages on we can't risk the wound getting infected." he paused as he took a breath for dramatic effect.
"The baby could die if it did Carla." he stated.
Eyes widening at her husband's words Carla could only nod and proceed to get into a more comfortable sitting position. Seeing his wife getting more comfortable Grisha thought it would bed a good idea to get her some food, and maybe a book or two to keep her mind occupied.
"Alright dear you get yourself comfortable and I'll go get you some soup and may-" he was cut off.
"Grisha…"Carla whispered in a sad tone.
"Yes dear?" he asked in response.
"I'm so sorry"
Shocked by her out of the blue apology Grisha couldn't think of a response, not that his wife would give him time to respond as she continued "This is all my fault isn't it? I'm such an idiot. Our baby could have died last night, I must have been behaving recklessly. Will you ever forgive me Grisha?"She asked with pleading eyes that were on the verge of crying.
He unconsciously flinched at his wife's words.
'How reversed this whole situation is. I should be the one begging on my knees for forgiveness' Thought Grisha with a heavy heart.
"Ohh Carla…. You don't have anything to be sorry for. All I care about is that you're okay, I know this might sound somewhat heartless but if the baby died and you lived I think I could deal with that. But if you had died along with the baby…. Well I would have been lost" he then chuckled Chuckled grimly "and drowned in alcohol by the end of the week" he said as he brought his wife into a tight embrace.
Rubbing away the tears that were threatening to escape from his wife's eyes Grisha brought his lips upon hers into a sweet and loving kiss. One that Carla was all but too happy to receive in her grief filled state. When they separated she felt cold without his affection and almost demanded another kiss before her husband cut off that train of thought.
"I'll go get you that soup okay dear" he stated as he began walking towards the door. Opening the door he looked back to see his wife's rather down expression. And it was then that he realized he had made a rather rookie mistake when it came to comforting a spouse in a time of turmoil.
'Maybe all the time in the lab has regressed me back into an inexperienced man' he thought as he brought his hand to his chin.
"Carla" he said grinning, which garnered her attention from her belly as she looked up to meet his eyes.
"I love you, and you mean everything to me" the words themselves made Carla's eyes widen and her mouth opened to respond, but before she could say anything the door was closed shut and she could hear her husbands hurried footsteps go down the stairs.
Smiling and looking towards the window Carla couldn't help but let happy tears stream down her face. Everything would be alright, her baby would live, her husband still loved her, and all she had to do was rest and relax so that her body could heal.
'Rest' she thought as she yawned.
'I could use a nice nap'
Letting her heavy eyelids shut Carla let herself drift off into a blissful state of sleep. Unaware of the thick black lines that encased her belly underneath the linen bandages. Hours later these lines would recede back into their point of origin, never to be seen again on the skin of Carla Yeager.
Year 841 September 10th
Awaken!
Jolting out of his bed the eight year old boy started breathing heavily due to the panic induced way he had awoken. This had been happening rather frequently lately, he couldn't sleep, he had also been a lot less hungry in the past week. He couldn't understand what was happening to him, so he just guessed it was a common thing for every boy is age, it sounded right….. right?
Getting out of bed he grabbed a candle that was on his nightstand and maneuvered his way out of the pitch black room. Opening and closing his door quietly he began his slow descent down the stairs.
His room was one of two that were located steps away from the stairs on the second floor. The other belonged to his younger brother Dante, whom was two years younger than him at the age of six.
Down at the end of the short hall was the master bedroom where his mother and father slept, the rather close proximity of the rooms was the reason why he was taking such slow steps down the stairs. Being especially careful not to hit any of the squeaky sections of each floorboard.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs he went to the still red coals in the fire place and re-lit the wick of his candle. He then proceeded to go to the wash room, where once inside his candle sticks light illuminated the room revealing a tub of water with a pump spout right next to it.
Washing his face with a handful of water the boy looked into the one mirror in the house to reveal the form of Eren Yeager. Older brother of Dante Yeager and eldest son of Grisha & Carla Yeager.
Looking into his own reflection he was greeted with teal eyes and dark brown hair, although in the candle light it looked more black than brown.
Sighing Eren grabbed the candle and walked out of the washroom, right now there was nothing to do and he was going to go crazy of boredom soon. Placing the candle on the fireplace mantle Eren then went and grabbed his jacket and scarf from the hanger. Extinguishing the flame of his candle, with his two fingers, Eren walked over to the front door.
Opening the front door Eren took in the darkness of the night.
'Not as cold as I thought it'd be" thought Eren as he took his first step outside.
Looking up at the night sky Eren could see only see the sparkling stars that weren't blocked from his view by the massive wall that encompasses the city of Shiganshina. He guessed that he had at least 5 hours of darkness before the sun started to rise.
Closing the door as silently as he could Eren walked out into the dark city and straight towards the giant wall on a path that he knew all too well. He had to be careful around this time of night all the drunks would be at the height of their intoxication, right before they crashed within another hour of alcohol consumption.
But this made it all the more fun for young Eren, who preyed on these drunken men.
Going from dark alley to dark alley it was all but too easy for Eren to pit pocket from the intoxicated fools who roamed the streets.
A quick pass behind a man there.
A little distraction with a stone.
Stealing from a man's coin pouch as he fumbled with his house key.
Using the stone itself to knockout a man who was about ready to fall down.
These were all but a small taste of the treats that Eren contained in his big bag of tricks. One of his favorite tricks was located at his current heading, near the now towering wall that was fifty meters away from him.
Making sure to stay hidden within the back alleys of the semi lit streets, there were only partly lit due to some increase in candle prices. The city couldn't afford to keep all the lamp posts lit, at least that's what Eren had heard his father tell his mother.
Either way it made it all the easier for Eren to steal from drunken men, albeit what he stole was little from each man. But collectively Eren had stolen enough to buy himself something nice if he so desired. But he had no such desires much less any real desires at all, but he wasn't content with his life either.
It was an interesting position to be in, wanting something but not knowing what it is you want. It's why Eren was heading to his destination right now.
Stopping at the last alley before the wall Eren looked both ways for any of the men Hannes worked with. Seeing no one Eren made his way over to a lift system that sat at the base of the wall.
Levers, pulleys, ropes, buckets, wood, and bricks were all meshed into a disorganized and rather old lift system. But this is why Eren liked this place so much, no one ever came by to check up on it.
Grabbing a rope he gave it a good hard tug and then ran back. After waiting for a minute he figured nothing was falling down to crush him, and thus safe.
Grabbing the rope again young Eren began the fifty meter climb up the wall. Unknowingly performing a feat that many adults and no child at the age of eight could ever hope to accomplish.
Pulling himself up and onto the ledge of the wall Eren laid down and took a few deep breaths, slightly tired from the climb up. Looking towards his right Eren saw what he came to see, the full night sky uninterrupted by the walls or candle light that surrounded him in the city.
'Beautiful' he thought. The night breeze that is usually snuffed out by the walls of the town now began to tickle his face. His red scarf dancing in the very same breeze that meet his face.
'Why can't I see this all the time' Eren mused as he got up and made his way towards the other side of the wall. Sitting down at the edge he let one foot dangle off the edge and touch the other side of the wall. It was very unique sitting on this side of the wall as the breeze also comes straight up because of the large wall blocking the horizontal path of the wind. Placing his hands behind him and leaning back Eren looked up towards the half moon and the stars that sparkled in the night sky.
Chuckling Eren though how funny it was that he was probably one of the very few people who had ever touched this side of the wall. No one would believe him if he told them he had. He doubted those in the wall guard had ever even touched the other side either.
'Has anyone ever touched those mountains?' Eren thought to himself as he stared off into the distance where a mountain range stood. He could barely see them in dark tonight, but last time when the moon was full and not in its half state he could see them clearly.
'They did once, before the wall ever came up' his thought, answering his own question.
Eren didn't know much about what's happened to humanity but he did know that the walls weren't always here and that humans roamed freely. The titans, he had just learned in class, live outside these walls and in the forests that stretched all the way to the mountains. He also learned they were evil. He hadn't learned why just that they were, and that they were supposed to run to the inner wall if they ever saw one inside the city.
"The inner walls. Are they the same as wall Maria?" Eren mused, he had never seen the other walls before. He has always known and lived in the Shiganshina District. A city that was one of four that were located on the periphery of the outermost wall of humanity, Wall Maria.
He liked living inside Wall Maria.
He had heard how it was better to live in the inner cities along Wall Rose and Wall Sina from the gossip and talk of adults. He also learned that you were truly blessed if you got to live within wall Sina at the heart of the kingdom, where the king lived.
His mother always talked about living inside the capital one day when his father decided to settle down and make a clinic for himself. His mother told him that his father was one of the best, if not the best, doctor in the kingdom. Eren's dad had learned the trade from his father who had learned from his father before him, so he had a lot of secret family remedies for rare illnesses.
Sometimes Eren's parents argued about moving into the capital and settling down there. His mother would talk about creating a better future for Eren and Dante but his dad would always say that he was trying to save children here in the outer walls that weren't going to have a future if he didn't help them. His mom would always look away and stop talking and mumble to herself after his defense.
But he could see it in her eyes, how badly she wanted for them to live in the capital. If there was one thing Eren wanted it was for his family to be happy. It might be why he steals on the street, other than for the fun in it. Collecting all that he takes, which in total isn't all that much, and placing it in a leather pouch under the loose floorboard in his room.
Sighing Eren removed his eyes from his hometown and gazed back upon the stars and moon. He stayed like this for hours, just contemplating his life and what he was going to do later in the day.
Noticing the night sky's starting to gain some color Eren hopped up and walked towards the upper lift system.
Grabbing ahold of the very same rope that he had used to climb up the wall Eren began his slide down. Going down was much more fun than coming up, but it was a slow process of sliding down the rope and slowing himself down with his legs. Being a little impatient with himself Eren began to slide faster than he usually does, a mistake that he wouldn't make again as he received a very deep cut along his forearm as he reach the cluster of wood panels and pulley systems at the bottom of the wall.
"mhhmhmmhh" the pain was excruciating to young Eren as he held on to his profusely bleeding arm. Which was beginning to scare him.
He had never seen this much blood before in his life.
He was about to take off his t-shirt, and try to stop the wound from bleeding, when he felt the pain vanish from his body. It was as if the pain had gone with very breeze he had felt atop the walls.
Looking down at his arm Eren's eyes widened as steam, not blood, was now pouring out of his wound. A wound that was now glowing red hot along it's edges.
"What the Fuck!" Eren didn't know a lot of curse words and his mother forbade him from ever using them but he felt the current situation very well deserved their use.
Seconds later and young Eren watched in amazement as the wound sealed itself as it continued to steam and glow red hot. Muscle and skin were literally being created and conjoined to his current arm at high speeds from the steam that was spewing out of his body.
About a minute later and the wound was fully healed and the only sign that Eren had ever been wounded was the blood on his clothes.
"Ohh no. Mom will kill me" Eren said as he looked down at his trousers.
He knew he had to get back home and wash these out before they dried and stained permanently. If they stained his mother would probably kill him for ruining his clothes and going out late at night. And so with gusto Eren ran back to his home taking care to stay out of the eye of any adult that could catch him roaming the streets. Luckily though the darkness before the dawn was the time of death in Shiganshina, no one was up and about and Eren could almost guarantee that he was the only one up in the entire city.
Making it to his house Eren climbed the stone steps and slowly opened the front door. Closing the door behind him Eren grabbed his candle from the mantle and re-lit the wick with some of the last dying embers of the fire.
Quickly heading towards the washroom Eren opened and closed the door behind him. Stripping down Eren put all his clothes in the tub, luckily his scarf didn't have any blood on it so he just put that off to the side.
Grabbing a hold of the water pump Eren kept lifting the lever up and down as water began to pour out of the spout and into the tub that was now filled with clothes. Once filled about half way with water Eren went to the small closet in the room and grabbed a wooden bucket, a washboard, and some soap.
Eren worked tirelessly to remove every single spot of blood from each article of clothing. Having to refill the tub of water twice to make sure that the spots were all completely gone.
Now all he had to do was figure out how to dry them, as well as get some new ones since currently he was in nothing but his undershorts. Wringing his clothes as best he could Eren collected them all and quietly walked up the stairs to his room. But not before he quickly double checked to make sure everything he touched was back in place, and that he locked the front door.
Hanging his clothes on any and every possible hanging spot in his room Eren went to his dresser and grabbed another pair of clothes to put on.
Lying down on his bed a now fully clothed Eren looked up at his roof and ran through the nights events in his head. The fact that an hour ago he had a long deep cut going up along his forearm was surreal to Eren.
It both frightened and amazed him. He could heal from cuts so quickly now, or at least he believed he could. There was no way of knowing if the accident had been his imagination or if he now possessed the ability to rapidly heal.
'Is this normal? Are there others like me? Or am I the only one?' These thoughts would consume Eren for the next two hours before a knock on his door jolted him out of his bed.
"Eren wake up! Dad's taking us to work today" came the voice of Eren's younger brother through the wooden door.
"I'm already up Dante just getting changed" Replied Eren who went to his dresser and began opening and closing his drawers in an attempt to fake its use to his brother.
Hearing his brother walk down the stairs he waited inside his room for about another minute before he too headed down the stairs.
Down stairs Eren was greeted with the sight of his mother coking some duck while his brother was persistently asking his father a multitude of question. All pertaining to what they were going to be doing today during his father's work.
Sitting down at the table Eren took a look at his family.
His mother was smiling and humming a tune as she prepared their breakfast. He could tell she was delighted, but he had no idea why.
His brother Dante was doing what he usually does, asking his father questions and talking about what he learned in school this week.
His Father was both reading the paper and listening to Dante talk. Eren snorted at the situation. His dad made it seem like he was paying attention to what Dante was rambling on about but most of his attention was in fact directed towards the paper currently in his hand.
"Dante isn't Armin's birthday coming up soon?" Asked Eren, who was trying to save his dad from his brothers rambling.
"Armin's birthday is after next next month silly" replied Dante. Armin Arlert was Dante's best friend and had been since their first year of school. Armin's birthday was on November third and he was turning six, just like Dante did in January.
"It's the 15th today right?" asked Eren who looked around at his family for a response.
"It's the 10th Eren" came the reply of his mother who was looking at him with an incredulous look.
Pouting Eren grabbed a piece of bread from the basket in the middle of the table and started to eat it.
"It's not my fault, schools so boring it makes it feel like years pass by mom" said Eren as he was eating his bread.
Putting on a serious face Carla glared straight at her eldest son until he noticed her glare and immediately averted his eyes down to the table.
"Eren Yeager you had better not think school is boring in fact I think you'll start to love school, wont you. I expect you'll come back next Monday singing about how wonderful school was and how you learned so much. Do you understand mister?
Nodding his head fiercely Eren stayed silent, afraid any type of defense would be used against him by his mother.
Seeing her son's scared expression Carla put on a triumphant smirk and went back to serving their breakfast.
Breakfast itself was rather quick everyone ate their duck, milk, vegetables, and bread in relative silence. Only Eren's mother and father talked during breakfast, and it was about what they had planned for today.
His father discussed how he was taking the boys on a small trip inside wall Maria to visit a small town called Brema. There he would see a couple of old patients and see if there were any new patients that needed treatment.
Soon all the dishes were cleaned and Eren, Dante, and their father were heading out to leave. Kissing his wife and telling her Goodbye Grisha then led the boys outside, closing the door behind him.
Once her husband and sons were out of the house Carla quickly ran up the upstairs to her bedroom. Opening the door to their second story patio, where she had several articles of clothing hanging from the previous night to dry. She looked down the street to see her baby boys walking by her husband. Eren in his jacket and red scarf, the one she had bought for him because he thought it was girly.
"Men" she snorted.
'Even as children they act like big tough guys.' She thought reminiscing on how Eren had refused to wear the scarf until she had threatened him.
'And now he doesn't leave without it' she thought chuckling to herself. She wondered how long it would take for Eren to realize that her threats of braiding his hair were little white lies.
"Honestly he would look awful with braided hair" she said as she shook her head.
Looking towards her youngest she saw him leading the pack of her boys. With his big goofy smile.
'Dante'
He was her youngest son and she had given birth to him when Eren was only two years old. Dante was the sun in her family, always full of energy and radiating warmth. While Eren was the beautiful full moon, her first child. The one in the family that guided Dante and always looked after him in the dark.
They were her two beautiful baby boys and it always broke her heart to see them leave the house.
Knowing that one day they would grow up, move out, find a girl and start a family of their own. Her biggest wish would be that someday she could still be a part of their lives and that they would still love her.
Seeing her boys disappear into another street she turned around and headed back inside the house.
Walking in the hall she noticed that Dante's room was left open. Taking a peek inside Carla saw that it was a mess of clothes and books. Sighing she quickly picked up her son's room and closed the door behind her.
Heading towards the stairs she stopped before she could reach the stairs and looked over at the closed door of her eldest son's room.
"Eren's always cleaned up after himself." she mused before heading downstairs.
"Hey Eren why won't dad let us go inside with him this time?" asked Dante
"Because the lady here is really sick Dante, we'll get sick too if we go inside" responded Eren.
"But dad went inside"
"Dad has his mask for when the patient is really sick Dante"
"Why didn't he bring masks for us?"
Sighing Eren looked over at his brothers pouting face.
They had reached the small town of Brema at noon and had been following his father around as he went from patient to patient. And everywhere they went people stared in admiration at Eren's father, the people were always saying hello and being extra polite to all three of them as they walked throughout the town. Even Dante could understand that his father was well liked in the small town of Brema.
Everyone waved and said hello to Eren's father like he was a hero. Every single lady that they'd passed had cooed at Dante and Eren, complimenting them on how adorable they were. Dante took it all in stride grinning boastfully at having a dad that was popular and adored by the village residents.
Right now they were outside the house of a Mr. Becker waiting for their father outside, where he had instructed them to wait until he was finished.
Looking around Eren saw people of all trades going about their business. He saw the Blacksmiths hammering out horseshoes at their shop, the small baker taking an order from an old women, and a farmer entering town with his wagon full of potatoes.
Putting his head against the wall Eren let a small smile come to his face, taking in the peace and serenity of the town around him. Everyone here lived for each other and they all supported one another, but above all it was peaceful.
While Eren was relaxing and taking in the sun's rays Dante was getting more and more annoyed that he was standing outside waiting for his father to return.
Soon getting fed up with waiting Dante went to open the door to the house, but was stopped by Eren's outstretched arm.
"Dante dad said that we can't go inside"
"But I'm so bored"
"Dad said to stay outside Dante, we'll ask him to bring more masks next time. Until then we have to wait out her okay" said Eren in a soft pleading tone.
"Okay Eren" whispered Dante as he looked down at the ground and began to kick the dirt in an attempt to entertain himself.
Sighing heavily Eren looked around for something his brother could do. Putting a hand in his pockets in an attempt to think Eren felt the touch of cold metal. Digging his hand deeper into his trouser pockets Eren's hand curled and rubbed the metal objects in his pockets in an attempt to discover their identity.
Realizing that they were the coins he had pickpocketed off of the drunks last night, or rather very early this morning, Eren twisted his body so his brother couldn't see what he was doing.
Taking out the coins Eren counted twelve copper coins and one gold coin. An impressive haul overall for one night especially the gold coin. If memory served correct the gold coin was worth twenty silver coins and the twelve copper coins were worth just over one silver coin.
Putting away the single gold coin Eren turned around to face his brother who still had his head facing the ground and was grinding his foot into the dirt.
"Dante" Eren said gaining his brothers attention.
"Take these and go buy some cookies at the bakery over there"
Placing the handful of coins into Dante's hands Eren was pleased to see that his brother's eyes were wide and his mouth agape in surprise.
"Just get me something too okay"
"Okay Eren" said Dante as he smiled and took off for the Bakery.
Sitting in the dirt of the road Eren let his head fall back once again and meet the wooden frame of the Becker household. Closing one eye and keeping the other partially open, to keep watching his younger brother, Eren took the time to daydream.
He imagined castles, adventures, and all sorts of mysteries. Him and his brother side by side as they scaled the mountains outside of the wall. No more schooling at the Shiganshina district public school. And flying in the sky with the wind blowing past his face.
"Eren where's your brother?" asked a concerned Grisha who brought Eren out of his daydreaming.
"He's over their eating cookies" said Eren who pointed at his brother who was currently consuming the cookies he had bought. He also noted that his brother failed to get him anything.
Palming his forehead at his brothers two second hyperactive memory Eren got up and walked with his father to go collect Dante, before they headed off to their next destination.
Just before they got to his brother there was a loud scream in the distance.
His father, Eren noted, quickly stopped and looked off into the direction of the scream before continuing on to grab Dante.
"What was that Dad?" questioned Eren
"I'm sure it was nothing Eren." Replied Grisha.
"Dante where did you get the money for all those cookies?" asked Grisha.
"Eren gave me the money to buy them"
Turning his questioning gaze to his eldest son Grisha quirked a single eye brow as a way of saying he wanted an answer.
"Some lady came by and gave me some coins and I gave them to Dante so he could buy some cookies." Eren said as he came up with a quick lie, hoping that his brother would be too consumed in the sugary treats to question him.
"Eren you can't just send your brother out all by himself, something could have happened to him."
"I'm sorry" said Eren as he looked down in shame at his ignorance.
"'Just remember to stick with your brother next time, you always need to watch after him."
"I know it's not fair because your just a child too Eren, but as the oldest I expect you to watch over your brother when your mother and I can't okay" said Grisha as he kneeled down and put both his hands on Eren's shoulders.
"Okay Dad" Eren said as he nodded his head.
"Good now let's see if your brother will share those cookies with us"
Getting up off his knees Grisha was about to ask Dante to share his cookies before he heard his name being called out.
"Dr. Yeager! Dr. Yeager!" came the cry of a man who was running towards them.
"Oh thank god we had thought you'd left" said the man as he tried to catch his breath.
"There's a little girl who fell out of a tree she was climbing I didn't see exactly how bad it is but I was told that I needed to find you and that it's an emergency." He said in one breath, making him take in a large gulp of air after he finished speaking.
"Lead the way" Grisha said calmly.
Nodding the man turned around and began to walk in the direction he had come from.
"Dante we're leaving"
Looking up Dante saw that everyone was heading somewhere and that he was expected to follow. So he quickly rolled the top of his bag of cookies before running to the side of his brother.
It took all but a few minutes to reach a small crowd off people that were surrounding what Eren presumed to be the small girl that the man who they were following said had gotten hurt. That and he could hear her cries of pain.
"Watch your brother Eren" was the command of Grisha as he made his way through the crowd and into the center. Obviously going into his doctor mode, as his mother liked to call it, and getting ready to work.
"Is she going to be all right?" asked one man.
"Don't worry I'm sure Dr. Yeager will have her all fixed up within the hour" said another
"Yeah but... she's so young she could get the fever from that wound"
"Let's not talk about that right now okay. That's my neice your talking about and I'd rather you two help in any way possible than gossip like women." Said a taller beefy man that was looking at the other men in disdain.
Realizing their mistake the other two men quickly nodded and turned their heads back to look at Dr. Yeager inject the little girl with a needle into the neck.
Eren and Dante were currently outside the group of adults and could barely see what was going on through the gaps between the legs of the larger adults.
So far all Eren had seen was a small girl in yellow dress laying down on the floor, her dress though had large blood smears across her torso, where her arms were curled up.
Her whimpering cries of pain soon faded and Eren caught a glimpse of her motionless figure on the floor, his father over her and grabbing something from his bag.
Before he could see anymore the crowd shifted once again and his vision was cut off. Huffing in irritation Eren turned his attention to his brother who was holding his hand. Dante must have even more irritated by the whole situation, if his angry pout was anything to go by.
This went on for about another half hour before Eren's father said they should move the girl inside. The crowd, understanding that this marked the end of their show, began to disperse and go about their own business.
With the crowd now leaving Eren finally got his first good look at the girl. She had blonde hair and tan skin, but those weren't the main focus of Eren's observation. Rather the extremely large gash that was down her arm was, it looked exactly the same as the cut he had received earlier. The only difference was her wound wasn't healing like Eren's was, in fact her skin was only connected back together due to his father's stitching.
Keeping a firm grip on Dante's hand Eren followed his father into the house of the little girl. He watched on as they placed her in a bed and Eren's father and the father of the girl stepped outside of the little girl's room. Leaving only the mother and another women in the room, leaving more than enough room for Eren to squeeze himself and Dante inside.
Eren stood inside the girl's room and stared at her sleeping figure looking for any signs that she would begin to recover. He blocked out everything else and focused all of his attention on the sweating figure laying on top of the bed. Waiting desperately for her arm to begin to heal. For his questions to answered, for his doubt to be nulled, and his fears to be conquered.
He waited and waited but the steam and all of its effects never came. The girl just continued to sleep there with a pained expression on her face. Her mother and another women continued to watch over the girl and replace the wet rag that cooled her head.
Eren was literally shaken from his starring by his father. Who motioned for Eren, and by default Dante, to follow him out of the bedroom.
Pulling on his brother's arm Eren made his way out of the room, taking one final glance at the girls swollen and stitched arm.
The sounds of hooves and wood along the dirt road echoed into the forest as Dr. Yeager and his sons made their way back to Shiganshina district.
Before they left the town of Brema Eren decided to ride on top of the carriage with his father. He had made his father agree to it by saying that he wanted to learn how to drive a carriage.
His father was more than eager to teach Eren how to drive a carriage and began with a whole speech on reading the mood of the horses.
During his father's speeches Eren kept imagining the arm of the girl. Her arm looked so deformed, and so weak that the girl herself looked like she was dying of a sickness.
Looking at his own arm Eren found it almost impossible to think that it had been close to the same state.
'They were both the same. But mine healed and her's didn't.' thought Eren.
Looking at his father he saw that he was paying attention to the horses and watching the road. He needed answers to his questions, he needed to know what was happening to him.
But would they think he was a freak, would his father hate him for being unnatural? Would his mother still love him like she said she does, or would she hate him as well?
Gulping Eren asked what he needed to ask.
"Father?" asked Eren
"Hmm yes Eren?" his father responded.
"How do we heal?" Eren asked
"How do we heal?" Grisha said as he looked at his son with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah. How do we heal?" replied Eren with a more timid voice.
"Heal from what Eren?"
"From wounds, like that small girl. How do we heal from wounds like hers?"
"Ahh good question Eren."
Grisha paused to think of a good way to tell an eight year old how humans heal wounds. He doubted Eren could understand the whole speech on vasoconstriction, clotting proteins, and fibroblasts. So he would have to simplify it a little for Eren to understand.
"Well when we get cut scabs cover the cut, then your blood brings in all the nutrients you need to heal. From there on it's just a waiting game, in a couple of days or even a couple of weeks the cut will be healed. That answer your question Eren?"
Eren nodded before turning his head to face the road.
"Is that the only way to heal cuts dad?" Eren said looking forward.
"It's the only way I've ever seen any human heal from a cut"
'Any Human?' Eren thought.
"How do other things heal?"
"Other things?"
"Yeah like dogs or birds"
"Ahh well interesting enough they heal just like we do, in fact almost all animals heals like we do Eren."
'Then why am I so different' thought Eren. His father's only furthered his unease.
"It's very fascinating when you think about it Eren. We share the same healing process as animals, did we all have them in the beginning or were they inherited over time by all organisms? Some of the professors at the University are working to answer those questions. Would that type of work interest you Eren?" asked his father who turned his head slightly to look at his son and still keep an eye on the road.
Eren shrugged in response, he couldn't really provide an answer. Right now he was in his own little world of thought. Any and every bit of information he could recall that could possibly answer Eren's question was currently being processed by his brain.
In the end that too proved useless in providing an answer to his question, in fact it just gave him one final question to ask his father.
"Dad are there things that can heal really fast. Have you ever seen animals that could heal really fast?" asked Eren, who rephrased his question.
Looking at his father he could see that his father face started forming into a scowl. Before he could ask what was wrong his father responded.
"Yes, Eren I have seen things that could heal very fast, amazingly fast….." Said Grisha who now adorned a frown on his face, his concentration still focused on the road in front of him.
Eren's eyes widened as he heard his father's words. But he needed more, he needed to know that he wasn't the only one before he told his parents.
"What are they?" asked Eren with eager and anticipating eyes.
Grisha turned his head and looked at is son. He saw his son's eager eyes, but was he ready to learn of the true terrors of the titans. Was Eren ready to learn of their neigh invincibility against humans, or should he wait to tell Eren when he was older and less innocent.
'This world is cruel and unforgiving' Grisha thought, his mind made up.
"They're monsters Eren that we call Titans" said Grisha.
Eren wasn't expecting this at all he just sat there on the top of the carriage not breathing as his father's words sank in.
'Monsters'
"They can heal entire limbs in a matter of minutes. I've even seen them regrow their own heads Eren."
"I hope you never have to see one in your life Eren, but if you do I want you to promise me to run. Run far away and as fast as you can because they will kill you." Said Grisha who began tear up at the thought of his son dying.
"They'll kill your mother and brother as well…" said Grisha as he took in some shuddering breaths trying to calm himself down.
Eren was utterly terrified, tears were rolling out of his eyes, and his breathing became sporadic. Was he a monster, was he going to kill his little brother, his father, his mother?
Grisha looked over at his son and saw that he was scared, he felt the guilt of making his son cry weigh heavily on him. Scooting over he pulled his son into a hug.
"Shh… shh… it's alright Eren we're safe right now. The titans can't break through the wall." Said Grisha as he began rubbing his weeping sons back.
Time passed by slowly as Grisha rubbed his sons back, whispering soothing words to him, and he slowly brought the carriage to a stop.
Putting down the reins Grisha grabbed his now sniffling son and looked right into Eren's eyes.
"Someday I'll show you that there's nothing to be afraid of Eren." Grisha said as he looked straight into his son's tired eyes.
"Why don't you get inside the carriage and take a nap, it'll take us thirty more minutes to get home"
Nodding Eren climbed down the stairs and opened the carriage door.
Dante was passed out on one of the cushioned benches and cookie crumbs littered his mouth.
Climbing inside Eren closed the door behind him and moments later the carriage began to move forward again.
Grabbing the bag of cookies Eren noticed that there was one lone cookie that was left uneaten. Smiling at the fact that his brother hadn't forgotten his promise Eren took the cookie and quickly devoured it.
He stared at his brother's sleeping face for a moment as the carriage began to pick up speed. Eren saw his brother shiver as he slept and in concern Eren removed his jacket and draped it over his brother's torso. Then sitting back down on the other cushioned bench of the carriage Eren rolled his back onto the bench and let himself lay down.
Laying down on the cushioned seats Eren discovered what he wanted.
He wanted this day to be over.
He wanted this day to be a dream.
And not the nightmare that it was.
Taking one large breath in and taking one large breath out Eren focused on his desire.
And the darkness of sleep soon took hold over him.
A/N: And so it begins brothers. Join me in the next chapter on Eren's legendary journey. The next chapter will introduce Mikasa, and bring her into this story in a different, yet familiar, way. I do hope you enjoyed this first chapter of mine.
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