"You woke up early", he said. His hand gently placed on my cheek, as steel grey eyes looked at me. His gaze was calm, almost angry, but not cold. He would be cold towards his soldiers, towards the Commander, and even colder towards that crazy woman that loved titans so much.

But his eyes were never cold with me. His eyes were always looking at me in a calm way, as if, while being with me, he felt in peace with himself.

"Are you excited about today? I know how much you like to go outside the walls", he continued. I merely leaned into his touch, letting out a soft sigh. He chuckles softly, gently caressing my neck. "I know. It's always a hard experience."

I looked at him when he paused, and I could see him biting the inside corner of his lip, when he suddenly looked up at me, leaving me a bit flustered as he spoke.

"Promise me you'll take care of yourself, okay? We'll come back together after the expedition in one piece, you and me. I can't see myself going to a mission without you."

Gently I pressed my nose against his shoulder, this small gesture meaning all the words I would say to him. That I will come back, that everything will be fine.

Then realization hit me. Those were the same words I said to him four years ago, before that expedition from the one I couldn't come back alive. That time, we met with a bunch of aberrant titans, one of them advanced towards my squad, managing to break our formation and as soon as we charged against him, he caught my wires and slammed me against a tree, killing me instantly.

I broke my promise to him once, but that only worked for him to lock himself even more, not hoping for anyone to assure him their return.

But now, he said those words to me again. Does that mean I'm still special for him? Does he still think about me when I was alive? Does he ever say my name at random times, hoping for me to answer him?

I was so lost in thought that I flinched a little when he fixed the saddle on my back, causing him to chuckle in amusement. "What, is it too cold for the Princess?," he sneered, a soft smirk in his features, followed by a soft chuckle when I snorted a little, rolling my eyes.

We used to tease the other constantly, and as a reminder of those fun and somewhat romantic moments between both of us, he named his new horse "Princess". Little did he know that I was the same person, only in the shape of a horse. I didn't care though, because that put us even closer than before. When I was alive, I loved to fight titans. I was the first one to answer during an attack, and had a rate of killings that rivaled Levi's. I would always be excited during our expeditions, because that meant riding a horse while the wind hit my face, the clean air washing my lungs from that horrid smell of sewers that filled the land inside the walls. Now, I would still go outside and feel that free air at the top of my lungs, but now I was the one running, carrying someone on my back.

Carrying my loved one on my back.

Soon enough, he finished setting me up and guided me out of the stables, towards the front gates of the headquarters. He left me there for a moment, and turned to talk to Erwin. I followed him with my gaze, until I saw him coming back and climbing on my back, leading me towards the city.

Once standing in front of the gates, I let out a soft snort, my heart racing in anticipation to Erwin's words. I felt a soft pat in my neck as Levi shifted in his place.

Without knowing, we both shared the same thought as the gates were slowly pulled up.

Here we go again.