Shades of Grey

Summary: A boy from an outside village decides to go and explore the world around him, dodging Titans and nasty step-fathers along the way. What he finds, though, will rock the foundations of those within the Wall and outside.

This will be an OC/Annie pairing, there won't be any other blatant pairings. The pairings aren't the main part of the story, it'll just be mostly a secondary plot-line.

Thwack

I winced at the pain lancing through my right leg. My father, whom I affectionately call El Dicktator for his thoroughly amazing treatment of his own family, sneered at me.

"Che, I don't even know why I bothered to train you in the first place. Stand up, Fleischer, and this time if you space out once more I promise you will not have a fun time."

Fleischer, the name he forced on me. It's not even his goddamn last name, it's just something he thought up with.

You forced me into this, you moronic imbecile. Fucking prick, I mentally groused in my exasperation.

My father, thankfully, didn't see the angered emotions going through my face. After a year of this torment, I gave up trying to stand up for myself. The prick, in his high-and-mighty child abuse, would treat the protests as signs of rebellion against his commands. I soon learned that standing up to him meant I get more quality time with Mr Whip.

I gripped my blade, trying to channel my hatred to the man in front of me. My father lunged once again. I jumped into the air and pirouetted, parrying the blade while launching a diagonal slice in retaliation. I tried aiming for the chest, but sadly the SOB blocked it in time. I landed on the floor on the balls of my feet, ready to have another go at killing the man.

My father grinned sadistically at me, "You are still far away from killing me, mistake."

Mistake. That was the one insult I couldn't stand, and the bastard knew it.

I glared at him, trying to channel my hatred into a glare. I sincerely hoped that looks could kill, but sadly it was not to be.

He glanced at his watch, and his eyes widened.

"Well, it was certainly nice fighting you again. I look forward to your thousandth attempt at murdering your dear father. I'm off to drink with the boys, mistake! Be sure to not sully anything with your disgusting hands. "

I could only snarl at the man.

So you may be wondering what was the deal with my profound hatred at my father. Well, stepfather but he "insisted" that I call him father. You see, my mother divorced from my father because my current father, the head of the village, wanted her for her beauty.

He imposed higher taxes on our household for no reason. At first, it was bearable since we were rather well off as a family. However, you can only take so much of a 95% taxes on incomes and assets before you cave and started going into debt.

When the debt collectors came, armed with flintlock pistols, we had nothing. We moved out of our three story house to a tiny run down house on the edge of the village. Our most valuable possession was probably my dad's fur hat, the same hat he had considered throwing out mere months ago.

When they saw that we had nothing, the debt collectors grinned and took me and my mother away. We watched as my father shouted at the collectors in words that even my potty mouth couldn't bear to form. Once we left the house I heard shouting coming from the door.

The debt collectors pulled out his pistol and shot my dad through the brain.

I still remember the tears that ran down my face at that time, and how powerless I felt.

Later, we were taken to the village leader. My current "father" forcefully took my mother as a bride as repayment for the debts owed. Later on, my mother discovered she was pregnant with the bastard's child. I'm not quite sure just what she was thinking since by that time she was already almost clinically insane. However, I think that whatever sane part of her mind was left was so averse to bearing his spawn that she would rather die than give birth to it.

They found her body in the woods a few days later.

Naturally, I wept. What 7 year old wouldn't cry when your delirious mother died from her sorrow? Leaving me as an orphan in all but name, with a man who's only reason for taking me in was because my mother refused to be separated from her son?

My "father" quickly transformed into his true, cruel nature after my mom's death. He took me under his wing, saying I was to be trained to be a proper warrior or else I would be just another delinquent on the streets, ripe for a prison term. Of course, that was the official account of things. In reality, he has just used this as an excuse to use his coveted whip on me multiple times a day without being called a child abuser by the community.

Of course, he taught me techniques along with it so I actually had something to show when it came time for the inspections of the warrior apprentices. He can't let his image be tarnished by having a worthless apprentice, and he ensured that I would have just enough to stay ahead of the competition, both within our village and outside.

I gripped my blade until my knuckles turned white. I turned from my father and stormed off, sheathing the thin claymore back into the scabbard. I'm pretty sure the wretched man was smiling coyly at having gotten under my skin, and I wanted to wipe his smirk off so badly. And permanently, if possible.

I walked to the rations dispensary store, the place where all apprentices got their food. It wouldn't do for us lowly apprentices to have a choice in what lunch we had, would it? I glanced at the long line of apprentices all looking for their afternoon meal of a steamed potato and bread and inwardly considered whether it was worth it to stand in line or simply leave and try hunting for wildlife.

I decided it wouldn't be worth it to stand in a line and wait for upwards of two hours for something I can easily get for myself, with a bit of effort.

"Che, I don't think you are going anywhere punk. You see, me and my partner are hungry and it would be SO kind of you to donate your lunch to us."

I glanced up at the hulking forms of two apprentices that looked to be older than me by a few years, with large frames and and their hands placed on their swords menacingly.

I had to admit, I was looking for something to relieve the stress of failing to kill my "father" yet again. However, I doubt that would've helped my empty stomach. I shoved past them and continued onwards.

The two teenagers looked at the retreating back of my head, sorry little minds not comprehending that the skinny 10 year old kid had just brushed them off. One of them quickly came to his senses, however, and he dashed after me.

He lunged forward, right arm extended and his hand motioning to grab my shoulder,

"You brat...!"

I quickly turned and grabbed the hand with my left hand, right hand quickly pulling out my sword with a flourish that may seem as a blur to most people, and held it to the brute's neck.

"Brat, you say? I believe you are the one with your life on the line."

The brute had a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. After all, there IS a sharp blade held to his Adams apple, merely a few millimeters from drawing blood. The brute can even feel the cool air of the blade on his neck. He began stuttering something to the like of "mercy" while standing stock still.

All bark and no bite, eh?

I stared at him for a few seconds more, then withdrew my blade and sauntered off. I was fairly certain that the two were pretty scared by the quick reflexes, but just to make sure I sent them a withering glare.

They looked away and left the area.

I went back to my house to grab my trusty heart wood bow and a few arrows. Thankfully, my father and his lackeys were all out of the house so they weren't there to ruin my day even further. I went over to my bed and lifted the mattress without much effort, grabbing a tiny object and tying it around my neck. Nodding to myself in self-assurance, I left the house.

I walked to the edge of the village, where the rural folks lived. Not that the village was anything near urban or anything, but at least there were people around you. Over here, there was a single house every kilometer.

A few sauntering titans aside, there wasn't much moving. The smaller animals often fled from the lumbering titans despite their lack of aggression to the lesser forms of life. I pulled up my hood to hide my mouth, covering my breath so the titans won't see me, then continued into the trees making sure I stayed well on the top of the canopy.

I landed on a particularly thick branch and stood up, looking around for any game to hunt. A lone deer trotted into view and I had a small grin as I grabbed an arrow by the fletchings and notched it into my bow. I trained the arrow to aim for the creature's neck, making sure to account for forces like winds and gravity.

Shnk!

Heh, perfect shot. Bet you didn't even feel a thing.

I glanced around, making sure the titans were doing whatever they did when not chasing humans, and jumped down. I grabbed the still-shaking carcass and dragged it to a tree trunk, preventing the titans from sneaking up behind my back. I meticulously cut out all the large bones such as the femur of each leg to lighten the load, then proceeded to shave off any unnecessary parts such as the fat and genitals.

Che, this was a female. Pretty young one too, guess there is one less family of deer in the forest now.

Shaking my head, I finished the ritual with cutting off a large piece of meat that I can grab and run with, should a titan see me. After the boat of impromptu weight-loss for the deer and carefully slung the remnants across my back. Like always, the road back home is the scary one. You couldn't jump into the safety of the upper canopy where the titans can't see you, and you have a 40 pound carcass to lug around. I guess that's why no one does it, but whatever.

Danger is only dangerous when you are too scared to face it.

The forest, thankfully, was fairly docile at the time. The sky was cloudy and the air had the familiar smell that always precluded rainfall, so the titans had a slower metabolism with the reduced sunlight.

I dashed as fast as I could to the village, weaving in between trees and well out of sight of the menacing giants. A single mishap and I could be facing down a 15 meter tall class titan, which is something that I'm not quite sure I can kill with a claymore.

I turned around a tree, avoiding a small group of titans that were seemingly resting against a tree, and I instantly bumped into something.

Soft, fleshy, and extremely warm to the touch.

Shit

I gulped, and without even looking up I took off. No point in staring at something that can kill you in one move, you'll waste time that you could have used to high-tail it out of there. I grabbed the emergency cut I made and left the rest behind, trying to find a low branch to jump onto.

The titan roared and chased after me, seeing me the same way as I see the piece of deer meat in my hand.

The roar came from above and had a distinctive echo by the time it reached me. Must have been tall one, and thankfully pretty far back.

Regardless, I maintained my top speed as much as possible. I spotted a branch that was just tall enough for me to grab. I stuffed the venison into my quiver, making sure I speared it into an arrow so it didn't fly out easily, and grabbed the branch with both hands.

Using the branch as a pivot, I flung myself as hard as I could, slinging from the forest ground to the middle branches of the tree. I laid low, holding my chest against the branch, hoping that he wouldn't find me in the tree. It was then I finally got a good look at my pursuant.

Shit, a 15 meter class. And from the looks of it, it can be an aberrant also.

I grimaced when I realized the titan can easily grab hold of me should it see me. I was only somewhere around 17 meters off the ground, well within plucking distance.

The titan looked around for his prey, bright green eyes glancing for a tasty meal. I wasn't sure if I would've provided for a great meal, considering that I was a child that had yet to hit puberty and had very little actual meat or fat.

Nevertheless, I bet he wouldn't have minded a meal under this stormy weather.

The titan, though, turned and lumbered off in the direction he came from. I guess he didn't want to give chase when his usual source of energy wasn't emitting as many rays as it used to. Combined with the square cube law of volume vs surface area, I bet he must've felt completely famished and was more willing to just simply lie down and rest.

I yawned when I thought about the word 'rest'. The adrenaline rush gone, the familiarity of sleep threatened my senses. I took out the speared venison from my quiver and briefly considered ripping off pieces of bark from the tree to make a fire, when the sky decided to have a say in things.

BOOM

Rain quickly fell from the sky, droplets filtering through the canopy and hitting my hair.

Well I hate you too, sky. I guess I'll have extra-extra rare steak tonight, deer blood flavoring free of charge.

I glanced at the speared venison distastefully, and downed it in around two minutes.

Deciding that moving around while raw meat was slowly being digested in your stomach isn't such a great idea, I took my quiver off my back and propped it against the tree. Making sure I closed the flap, I leaned against the leathery fabric and slowly drifted off into dreamland.

I woke up in the dead of night, when every titan is on the floor and out cold. I grabbed my bow and quiver and jumped off the tree branch.

The night was very peaceful as opposed to the thunderstorms earlier in the afternoon. Tiny wisps of clouds floated lazily overhead and the moon was a waxing gibbous, providing much needed light for my journey. A cold breeze blew past me and I involuntarily shivered.

Oh, of course. The weather report called for an evening frost didn't it?

I ran past two titans that were lying against a single tree, eyes tracking my every movement but the lack of sunlight forced them to remain docile until daytime, allowing me to pass unhindered. I briefly considered doing something childish like sticking my tongue out at them while they were in this state, but I decided that running would be a much more productive use of my time.

I ran and ran, stopping only occasionally to catch my breath before dashing again. Until the sun comes up, running is the most important thing I can do. The forests surrounding our village, unfortunately, all looked the same. They surrounded our village in an irregular ellipsoidal shape, with the trees tight enough near our village that they provided camouflage for us inhabitants.

At least, that's what the official statement says. I personally find it easy for any titan less than 7 meters tall to fit through the gaps, but hey. As long as they don't come in and wreck our village, it's all good, right?

I came to a stop when I saw a clearing and narrowed my eyes at what I saw.

…there's another village right next to ours?

I shouldered my wet quiver and kept a hand on the hilt of my sword, looking at the sky to estimate the time.

Alright, the moon looks like it's about to set. Waxing gibbous plus setting moon, must mean it's around 4 AM

My teeth gritted involuntarily at that realization.

I doubt I can make it through the forest in 3 hours. Fuck, I hope that this village isn't chock full of cannibals.

I glanced around me. So far, it seemed like most people still aren't awake yet apart from a single stable hand checking up on his horses. He turned his head and found me staring. Slight confusion flitted across his features until he squinted.

Without a word he took off in the opposite direction.

I looked behind, finding no towering 15-meter tall giant trying to chew my head off. In fact, there wasn't anything behind me apart from a bunch of trees. I watched as the stable hand ran to his barn, only to trip and fall, slamming his head against a column supporting a shed. I, despite my tired legs, went as fast as I could over to his side.

The guy was sporting a bloody forehead and his eyes were wide in fright. He cried out when he saw me reach with my right hand,

"No! Stay away!"

My eyes widened when I saw him trying to scramble up for a rake normally used to push hay together. Thinking quickly, I grabbed his hand despite his protests and kicked his legs from under him, making him fall to the ground face first. I kept my grip firm, however, so he didn't impact the floor but rather was merely a few centimeters off.

I bent down and quickly righted his posture so he was leaning against the same column he crashed into.

"Where am I?"

Mentally I smacked myself for such an insensitive question. Here was a guy almost literally shitting his pants for reasons unknown, and my first question was 'where am I?' Hell, I could have scared the guy to actually shit his pants before asking something productive. I did, after all, have a sword – people tend to shit their pants when a blade was held to their necks.

Confusion flitted across the guy's frightened eyes until they turned defiant,
"Oh, why? So you can tell your friends where to attack next?"

Now it was my turn to be confused. Attack what? As far as I knew, our village was relatively peaceful despite having an abysmal leader that liked to take wives and torture children. The confusion must have shown on my face since the guy said,

"Stop looking like you have no idea what I'm talking about. What rank are you, some scout for your merry band of cannibals? Are you off to report this village to your band's leaders? Because I swear on my life, you won't find anything here but pain."

I looked down at my clothing in response. Sure enough, it was drenched in red blood. I took out my sword and stared at my reflection.

Oh, it was me alright. Me with a large red stain near my mouth.

Wow, talk about forgetting to wipe.

I looked back at the guy leaning against the column, and couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. Me, an 10-year old boy, mistaken for a scout of some cannibalistic group of wanderers. To my mind, it was one of those things that you hear from in stories, someone mistaking you for an antagonist just because you happened to have the wrong outfit on.

The guy, though, was less than happy to see my laugh. I bet he was really unnerved by the sudden laugh, poor guy.

I calmed down then replied, "I'm sorry, that was just too funny. No, I'm not a cannibal, nor am I part of a nomadic group of cannibals. That blood on my shirt is deer blood, and I'm just an apprentice lost several kilometers from my home, looking for directions. Does that make you feel better?"

The guy relaxed a bit, although the guarded expression never left his face.

"What do you have to prove that?"

I replied coolly, "Nothing, but you have my word as a warrior apprentice, is that enough? Anyways, hold still for a second. That welt on your head looks bad."

I took off my shirt and ripped off a part that wasn't caked in blood, wrapping it around his forehead. His face turned unreadable for a second as he stood up, then said,

"Warrior apprentice? You aren't part of this village though, how do you know about the rankings?"

I shrugged, "Coincidence? I mean, 'warrior apprentice' isn't a really original name."

The man offered a small smirk, "No, I guess not."

He beckoned me to follow him, which I did. We went around the barn and a small log cabin came into sight. I looked at him questioningly, to which he replied,

"That's my tiny abode. I'm hoping that the honor of a warrior apprentice is the same in your village as it is in ours, so I'll give you a place to stay for the day. My name is Ganz, by the way."

My unconscious smile slipped slightly when I thought whether to give him my official name or not,

"I'm Rowan. Rowan Vogel."

After eating a REAL meal that was actually cooked, I rested at Ganz's spare bedroom. Glancing around the fairly plain room, I couldn't help but notice the lack of furnishings.

Huh, guess he isn't used to visitors.

I took off my weaponry and ripped shirt, leaving just my undershirt on, and went to bed.

The next day (well, later in the day) I woke up at around noon. Ganz was already up and was preparing food. When I came over, wariness flitted across his eyes but he shook it off and said,

"Brunch is ready in a few minutes. You aren't adverse to beef and broccoli, right?"

I shook my head and replied, "That would be sufficient, thanks."

I decided to go exploring the cabin a bit to kill some time. Nothing in particular was of interest until I came across a scroll that was lying on a chair. It looked like it was carelessly placed aside, so I doubted that Ganz actually cared for the scroll. However, having no other form of entertainment

Important Notification from the Hall

I glanced back at the turned back of Ganz, then decided to sit down and read the scroll.

Time has come for us to finally solve the Titan mistakes. No longer shall we live in fear of the lumbering menaces to our society. Thanks to a collaborative effort between some of our most highly-esteemed doctors and tacticians, we have devised a way to take back what is rightfully ours. However, we will need warriors to perform a highly crucial part of this mission. Therefore, all apprentices nearing accession age must report to the Hall at 4 PM sharp in a month from this notice's date. That is all.

-High Minister of the Hall

My eyes widened when I finished reading the passage.

The ability to defeat the Titans?

I couldn't help but be ecstatic. The possibility of defeating the Titans? Hell, I would sign up for that in a heartbeat.

However, getting home was more important right now. Besides, who knows how long this scroll has been placed here? It was tossed on a chair that has like an inch of dust on its surface. I was about to keep looking for interesting things to look at when Ganz shouted from the kitchen,

"Brunch is ready!"

Not wishing to be a freeloader, I offered to help with shoveling hay and feeding the animals.

Ganz tried to refuse, but my adamant nature won through. He led me to the barn where the hay was stored and said,

"Half a bushel for every horse, remaining hay is to be stacked in the corner for future usage. Make sure the buckets are filled up ¾ of the way."

I nodded fervently and turned around to start my work. However, when I turned something peculiar stood out,

"Why is the ranch empty?"

Ganz replied smoothly, "We used to have more workers, but after the last titan outbreak most of us decided it wasn't worth it and left for the inner village. Those houses you see, they're all completely empty. The only ones that have people are to the north."

I looked over to the north. Sure enough, tiny wisps of smoke were floating out of chimneys in the distance.

"So you're all alone out here?"

Ganz smiled an awkward smile then said, "No, not quite. The lone building with smoke coming out the chimney over there, you see it?"

I nodded.

"A small family lives there. Their daughter is pretty nice, she occasionally comes over to help wash the horses and clean the stables, and the father is a swordsman by trade."

Ganz looked wistful for a second then said, "The mother died a long time ago to the titan raids."

I was speechless. What do you say when someone goes off on a tangent like that, then speaks about death?

Ganz continued, "You know, it's really weird the way this world works. The things you want in life, you tend to see other people get. Everyone else, just not you."

I had no idea what he was going on about.

Ganz shook his head to clear his head then said, "Anyways, I doubt that they're even here right now. They usually leave at the crack of dawn to do training. I'm going over to the sheep pen. I need the horses done before noon so they won't be full when it comes time for their midday meal."

I nodded and went off to the stables, looking back once to see Ganz walk over to the sheep pen without another word. When I neared the stable, the horses brayed in confusion.

I gulped when I realized horses' beady black eyes were following me wherever I went. Quickly, I filled up each bucket and carried them over to each of the horses' pens without looking up. Afterwards, I took the bushels and cut them in half, making sure that the strands of hay don't come flying out.

When the last half-bushel was placed, I looked around at the horses, all of whom are now content with their food.

…

I did it? I DID IT!

I ran out of the stable as fast as I could. It makes no sense, I know, that a kid who goes into a forest teeming with titans on a weekly basis is scared of something like a horse. But, at least you can see titans when they're coming, and they're fairly slow compared to the gallop of a horse.

I ran back to the house in haste, slowing down slightly at the door. I rapped it once, and then entered. Inside, Ganz was busy fixing a saddle with a broken stirrup. When I entered he waved at me,

"You're all finished? Great! Can you run to town and grab some ingredients? I forgot to purchase vegetables and salt last time I went there. Here's a list of the stuff I need, and here's a bag of coins to purchase the stuff with. Oh, and get yourself a new set of clothing also, on me. You'll need to wear something while I wash your clothes. Now, shoo!"

I was a bit dumbfounded at how fast Ganz shooed me out the door. I mean, one moment I was firmly within the house's boundaries, next moment I was almost at the ranch limits. I didn't even notice him pushing me.

I glanced at the list and sighed. I pocketed the coins and continued onwards to the town, trying to take in the view. I might not even come back, after all.

When I arrived at the village center, I was positively (or is it negatively) dumbfounded. Everyone looked so downtrodden here, it was scary. In fact, I WAS very scared by this town. Everyone just carried themselves to their destinations, not once looking or watching out for themselves. The coldness displayed by everyone was pretty damn spooky.

Trying to ignore the goosebumps on my back, I went over to the nearest fresh vegetable stand and looked at the list.

More broccolis and more salt. Huh.

I grabbed a few heads of broccoli and three cups of salt and presented them to the vendor, asking, "How much, sir?"

His small eyes glanced down at my little figure and snorted, saying, "Don't know how to read, kid? Prices are right there."

He shifted to the right, and lo and behold, the prices. Previously hidden by the vendor's horizontally-challenged body.

Well, fuck you too sir.

I took out the required amount of change, not even a single copper coin more, and handed it over to the vendor, then promptly left. I could literally feel the vendor's beady eyes on my retreating back as I went looking for the nearest tailor.

I returned to the house without a hitch, apart from a few stares and sideways glances. Ganz opened the door for me and said,

"Welcome back, kiddo. I was beginning to think you had gotten lost."

I grinned at the joke, then said cheekily, "Even if I was lost, your stench can guide me back even if it's a hundred kilometers away."

Ganz whacked me in the head playfully then said, "Silly kid. Anyways, go out and do something. I won't be finished with dinner for a long time. Dinner's always the big meal, y'know?"

I mentally snorted at that, but nodded anyways. Just as when I was about to leave, Ganz said, "Grab your equipment. This place is empty, slavers or cannibals occasionally come by. Pray that you never meet them, but if you do at least you have a sword to protect you."

I nodded and proceeded to the spare bedroom to slip on the shirt and the pants, idly noting that the style of clothing was similar to my home village's.

Grasping at my trusty bow, I pulled on the string a few times to test whether it's still fit for use. Thankfully, the bow was perfectly functional. Strapping on the quiver and slinging the bow behind my back, I grasped my sword's sheath and left the room.

Ganz watched me as I left the room and said off-handedly, "You know, the other family should have come back by now. If you want, you can go say hi."

I nodded absentmindedly. To be honest, I had no intention of going over to the other family but Ganz didn't need to know that. Well, judging from the lack of questions of where I was from I guess he didn't care for much either way.

I stepped out of the house quietly, trying to not disturb the horses from their evening meals. Thankfully, every single one of them was completely focused on their food. I left the gate and closed it, deciding to just rest outside. Looking around for a place to lean on, I found a convenient pile of hay stacked right next to the road (must be a recent shipment since Ganz doesn't grow grass on his lands).

I placed my bow and quiver on the side of the stack and climbed onto the hay, deciding to watch as the sky turned from blood-red to purple. Pretty soon, I was staring at the nightly constellations and the moon.

Now, if only I remembered my stupid constellations. At least the stars looked the same, it's pretty hard to miss stuff like Orion's Belt, considering it's 3 stars in a straight line.

I was feeling perfectly content waiting for Ganz to finish cooking. The evening calm, where the only sounds are crickets and your own breathing, always helped soothe your tensed muscles. The only time when a person truly lowers their guard is when they're at rest, be it sleeping or just resting like I was now.

I guess I should've paid more attention.

Poke

I yelped and jumped out of my comfortable position and landed on the floor. I looked around and my eyes immediately landed on a person right in front of me, and from the looks of it she may be the same age as well. The girl had a small smirk on her face which immediately sparked a tiny tinge of annoyance in me.

The amused girl said, "I haven't seen you before."

I gave her a slight glare and said, "That doesn't mean you can go around poking people."

She crossed her arms and straightened her legs a bit. I realized what she was trying to say almost immediately.

You didn't answer my question.

My annoyance only intensified and I fingered my blade to try and intimidate her. When her eyes landed on where my hand was, her eyes widened and I briefly thought I succeeded in scaring her.

That is, until a gleam appeared in her eyes that I was THOROUGHLY wary of. I decided to make my thoughts known,

"Hey listen, miss, I don't know what you're thinking of right now, but-"

"Annie. Annie Leonhart."

Oh, the girl had a name. Well then.

Ah, I wanted to just swat a plot bunny with this. Compared to my first story, this one was more of a "PUT THOUGHT ON PAPER BEFORE I LOSE IT" kind of thing. And yes, the other story will be on hiatus because this stupid bunny grew into a man-eating Australian rabbit.

Please leave a review, I'm not sure if I should continue this. I'm not very good at this kind of scenario, where you have to basically make up an entire place. Oh, and if you're wondering, Bertolt and Reiner do NOT come from the same village as Annie in this fic.