Matthias yawns and brushes a few stray strands of his light brown hair back behind one ear. "Do you think this is far enough?" he asks his companion. "We've got to be at least an hour's ride away; I doubt anyone will be disturbing us." The sandy haired teenager's companion is a girl, about his age but about a foot and a half shorter than him. Her blonde hair is tied back behind her head in a ponytail and her blue eyes have a kind of brilliant sparkle to them even when she's in the shade. There aren't many people who can look at Historia Riess without admitting that she's outstandingly beautiful.
"I suppose so," she replies with a shrug. "That spot over there on the edge of that clearing looks rather nice." The two of them swing their horses away to the left and bring them to a stop. Slipping easily out of the saddle they tie the reins around a nearby tree. Historia rubs her horse's head affectionately and the animal lets out a slight whinny. Matthias smiles to himself at the girl's affection for her mount.
'It seems so strange that only five years ago I would have thought her insane for feeling affection for a horse,' thinks Matthias, shaking his head.
Historia looks across at him curiously. "What?"
"I was just remembering when we met."
"Oh yes. You were an equinophobic weren't you?"
"Yeah; I wouldn't have gone near a horse if you payed me to do it." Almost as if he knows what is being said, Matthias's horse tosses his head irritably. Matthias laughs at that, "don't worry boy, I don't have that problem now."
"It took rather a long time to fix that though," points out Historia. "I remember that I had to spend nearly an entire month coaching you before I could get you to ride a horse at a walk."
"Well you did a pretty good job I can say."
"I should hope so. It didn't end there you know; we had to keep practicing for three more whole months after that."
Matthias turns slightly red at that and looks down at the ground. "Well," he says, examining the toes of his boots rather intently, "by that point I didn't actually have all that much of a problem anymore. Granted I was still a little uncomfortable but that wasn't really the reason I kept coming."
"Oh, and what was?" asks Historia, even though she's already guessed what it is.
"I wanted to see you," admits Matthias a little awkwardly.
Historia laughs, "Matthias Quinn, the mighty titan shifter and warrior of Humanity couldn't find the guts to just ask a girl out on a date? You needed an excuse of some kind to see me?"
"I was afraid you'd say no," Matthias protests.
"Did I?"
"Well, no. But I didn't know you wouldn't at the time."
"You really are a different person when we're alone Matthias," says Historia, shaking her head. Matthias looks at her questioningly. "Normally you're reasonably confident when you talk-even a bit sarcastic at times-but when there's no one around you suddenly get all shy on me." Matthias splutters as he tries to come up with some kind of an answer, without success. Historia smiles, "don't worry it suits you; it's kind of cute."
"Hey!"
"What? It is! Besides, I never said that was a bad thing."
"Yes well, you're no better Miss Krista Riess or Historia Lenz or whatever it is right about now."
"Oh come on; that's not fair!" Historia says, slightly uncomfortable at the mention of her false identity.
The discomfort in her eyes gets to Matthias and he realises he's upset her a little. "Yeah I guess so, sorry. But in seriousness, how's that whole thing going for you right now?"
Historia pulls a sour expression. "Better than it was I guess. I don't know, some days I feel one hundred percent me and I have to try really hard to keep a lid on certain aspects of my behaviour. Then other days I feel so incredibly uncertain and insecure that I have no choice but to fall back on Krista to show me who I am."
"Which one are you right now?"
Historia thinks carefully to herself before replying. 'To anyone else I'd probably just say whichever one they felt most comfortable with,' she thinks to herself. 'I'm not about to lie about that to Matthias though.' "I'm Historia," she says firmly.
"Well then Miss Riess," says Matthias offering his hand, "Would you care to accompany me to the shade?"
"Mr. Quinn that is a most delightful idea," replied Historia in a mock upper class accent. "I believe I shall accept." She takes Matthias's hand and the two of them walk in a comedic display of seriousness over to a tall oak tree. When they reach it they both burst out laughing.
"You know, I'm not sure you're dressed appropriately to be a proper lady," says Matthias snatching his hand away. "A lady should be clothed in a dress, not trousers."
"You can't talk," responds Historia. "A gentleman wears a suit, a hat and a proper tie, not some work worn leather jacket and knee high boots."
"Ah yes well, the Army isn't exactly the height of fashion is it?"
"No. I don't think I can even say the height of comfort a lot of the time. These boots have a nasty tendency to leak when exposed to large amounts of water."
"Ugh, tell me about it. After the brief downpour at Trost I spent the rest of the Battle with numb toes."
"On the plus side I guess that means that if a titan bites your toes off you won't feel it."
"Yes well," says Matthias a little more seriously as he rubs his right leg with his left foot, "I'd rather not discus getting parts of the leg being bitten off by titans if you don't mind."
"It grew back," points out Historia.
"That doesn't mean it didn't hurt when it happened! Plus I had to hobble around on a crutch for the next day."
"And then you went all rage monster and it grew back." Historia pauses and her face turns a little more serious. "What was that like anyway?"
Matthias sinks down into a sitting position, "hot and uncomfortable. Like being outside in the middle of summer with winter clothes on." Historia sits down next to him and watches his face curiously. "Apart from that it isn't actually that much different from being a normal person really. You're just really big and you have to watch your temper a little more."
"Seems a little underwhelming for such an extensive change," muses Historia. "I mean you have all those extra teeth don't you?"
"That part is kind of odd. Plus the inside of my cheeks are really thin because I can dislocate my jaw and-
"Okay, that's plenty of information thank you Matthias."
Matthias grins teasingly, "Can't you accept my body for what it is?"
"That thing is not your real body."
"I sure hope not," says Matthias with a shiver.
"What do you mean?" asks Historia with a trace of concern.
"I mean that I don't know which is my real body: my human one or my titan one. I have memories of being a titan out beyond the Walls you know."
Historia bites her lip a little nervously. "Isn't it up to you which one you are?" she asks. "I mean, you've spent most of your conscious life as a human right? And you can choose whether or not you want to be on our side can't you?"
"I guess that's true. If I did turn out to be a titan that had somehow been turned into a human though, what difference would that make?"
"For me, none at all," says Historia, leaning her head against Matthias's shoulder. "So long as you didn't eat me anyway," she adds with a smile.
"I think I'd rather die," says Matthias in complete seriousness. "Besides," he adds on a more jovial note, "you'd probably taste awful; all skin and bones I'm sure."
"Hey!" exclaims Historia, punching him in the shoulder.
"Ow!" exclaims Matthias through his laughter, "All right maybe not entirely."
"Can we not discuss the subject of what properties I'd have as a culinary dish please?"
"Are you sure? I reckon there are a few comments I could make about-
Historia's menacing glare silences him. "We are not discussing this any further. Is that understood?"
"Yes ma'am," says Matthias holding up both hands in a sign of supplication. "So," he says after a few minutes of somewhat awkward silence, "when do you guys leave tomorrow?"
"Ten hundred hours," replies Historia looking gloomily down at the grass, "We're expected to arrive there at around eighteen hundred."
"Hmm, we leave at nine hundred hours. Since Granarber is so far to the north we can't expect to arrive there before two days have passed."
Historia as a member of the Scouts recently drafted from the 104th Cadet Corps is to be sent out into the wilderness on a 'special assignment'. Of course there isn't a single person involved who believes anything but the real reason for their reassignment. Since the Stohess incident the Military has become increasingly wary of the probability of more enemy titan shifters within the 104th and the brass has decided to have them all sent out far away from populated areas where they can be placed under observation.
Matthias is scheduled to leave for the village of Granarber where his mother is currently staying. After the revelation of his titan powers two days earlier it's been decided that any possible information that she can provide on Matthias's past would be invaluable. Matthias himself has begun to have more numerous flashbacks to memories as a titan outside of the Walls. None of those memories are particularly pleasant, mostly consisting of brutal hunts after human flesh and blood.
"You know," begins Matthias hesitantly, "if you were a titan shifter you could tell me."
Historia looks at him in surprise, "why would you think I was?"
"I don't really; it's just that no one in the 104th is above suspicion right now. I'm just saying if you know anything you can tell me that's all. I won't turn you in to the Commander or something like that."
"I'm afraid I really don't. I've already told you the only secret I'm keeping, and that doesn't have anything to do with the Titans."
"Well, I just want to be clear that's all," says Matthias a little awkwardly.
"You don't trust me!" exclaims Historia sitting bolt upright.
"No, that's not it at all!" says Matthias hurriedly. "It's more that I want you to know you can trust me!"
"I don't know anything all right. I don't have any kind of special powers and as far as I know no one else in the 104th does either. Of course, that doesn't mean none of them do. I certainly hope they don't."
"So do I. If you find out anything though, even if it's just a kind of inkling, I'd like to know about that as well."
"Is this why you brought me out here; so you could fish for information?"
"No! Honestly Historia the Titans were the last thing on my mind when I suggested it. I'm only saying this as a kind of afterthought."
Historia sighs and slumps back against the tree. "I'm sorry," she says after a few moments, "I'm just a little stressed out by all of this. I would have trusted Annie with my life if it had come to it, and then well..."
"When it comes to that I think we all would have. We knew her for three years and I myself could have sworn she was trustworthy."
"I simply can't stand the idea that any of the others could be monsters of some kind!" She breaks off when she realises that the person she's sitting next to just happens to be one of those monsters. "I'm sorry I didn't mean..."
"Don't worry about it. In some ways you're right; the titan is a monster, regardless of whether or not I'm in control of it. In that way I suppose that sort of makes me a monster as well."
"Well, not all monsters are bad," says Historia moving closer to him and taking his hand in her own. "It's like dragons in the old stories really. Sometimes they're incredibly evil beasts but sometimes they're wise, powerful and noble. It depends on the preference of the author, the one who's in control."
Matthias smiles at her and brushes some of her hair out of the way of her eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes that mean so much to him. "Then I suppose it's up to the one who's in control to decide if the titan is good or bad then?"
Historia nods. "I have faith that yours will always be good Matthias. I trust you." She hesitates for a few moments and then looks him straight in the eyes, "I trust you and so I'll tell you that I do have my suspicions. They probably don't any real basis but well, when we found out about Annie Bertolt was particularly quiet. It was almost like he was well, frightened."
"You think it might have been because he was like her?"
"I don't know what I think really. I mean, Connie spent ages trying to convince us not to believe it so I guess that's something as well. And Bertolt wasn't the only one who took it really quietly either, Ymir was pretty much silent. Though she didn't seem to be frightened, just like she was filled with some kind of pent up emotion. Anger might have been the closest thing I'd say."
Matthias sighs. "I know you don't like her," says Historia, "But she's my friend and I trust her. In fact, if it wasn't for her I might never have told you who I was at all."
"Why's that?"
"Something she said to me once. For the first two years of my training all I was focused on was dying in some sort of noble way. I couldn't see any meaning or purpose in my life that was enough to hold me down. Part of me was really sad about that; I wanted to be able to live my life properly and not to have to leave you behind. But I didn't really care enough to keep myself alive. I figured that I could never be with you for real because of who I was, and that really my life wasn't worth all that much to begin with.
"I thought that if I died in some brave way then that would help to give my life some sort of meaning and purpose to it. Ymir told me differently though. She said that if I wanted to be brave I should admit who I was and not just throw my life away in some kind of falsely noble endeavour. I think that's the very thing that pushed me to tell you my real name, and all about my real life."
"Then I guess I owe her something pretty important," says Matthias. "If she hadn't said that and you'd never told me who you were, I'd never have met the most important person in my life."
Historia turns red and looks away. Matthias puts a hand to her face and gently turns her back to face him. "I really mean that you know. Historia, I have to ask you something. It's pretty serious."
Historia turns her head slightly to the left, curiosity and seriousness etched on her face. "What?"
"I know it might seem a little bit well, presumptuous of me but I have to know."
"Know what?" prompts Historia after his voice trails off again.
"When this all over-or at least when things are going a little more steadily again-what exactly is our plan?"
"Our plan?"
"For our relationship. What happens for us in the future?"
"I, I'm not sure really. I don't know what the circumstances will be in the future so I can't say what will best, but I can say what I want." Historia looks Matthias straight in the eyes, her gaze carrying a great mass of intensity. "I want to be with you for the rest of my life." Before Matthias can say anything she leans forwards and kisses him. She wraps her arms around his shoulders and he slips his around her waist. They sit together like that, holding each other tightly as both of them wish that they never had to let go.