Chapter 2

Two Swords and a Shield

There was a loud knock on Rivaille's door, "Rivaille! Hurry outside it's urgent!"

Levi rolled out of his warm bed and whipped the door open. He was surprised to see Hanji but gave her a scolding anyways.

"What the fuck could be so important that you would wake me up at this time of night? If it's one of Irvin's shitty ass pranks again I'm going to kill him."

Hanji shook her head. Her normally happy glow was gone replaced by what seemed like worry and confusion. Not to mention that her pleasantly pink skin had become a pale white.

"Well damnit Hanji tell me what the fuck is going on!?"

A tear crept down her soft cheek, "It's Rachelle's squad. Rivaille they... They didn't even make it close to their objective."

Rivaille's eyes widened in horror as he pushed past Hanji. His walk quickly became a run as he headed to the cobble stone court yard of the Scouting Legions head quarters.

When he stepped outside a gust of cold hair hit him raising the hair on the back of his neck. Many scouts were wounded and being tended to. Rivaille stood in the center of it all watching and looking around for his little sister.

A man sitting on a horse caught his attention. It was corporal Nathan the one who had lead the 'expedition'. The man didn't have a single scratch on him and looked as though he hadn't used a single blade.

Rivaille marched towards him and when he was close enough yanked the corporal off his horse and onto the ground.

"Where is she!? Where the hell is Rachelle!?" he grabbed the scruff of Nathan's shirt.

Corporal Nathan's face flooded with fear and nausea, "There, there were too many. We had to retreat. I, no we , we panicked! The injured and those who were helping them they just.."

"They just what!?" Screamed Rivaille at the top of his lungs drawing in a crowd.

"They got left behind," mumbled the corporal.

"You, you left her behind?" Rivaille asked him in disbelief. He yanked on the shirt collar again drawing Nathan in close. Suddenly he punched him. Then he punched him again, and again, and again until someone stopped him.

It was Irvin, "Levi! Stop this right now!"

Irvin and Hanji pulled Rivaille off of the corporal. An injured scout stepped out of the crowd towards them. He had lost his right arm but was holding something very precious in his left hand.

"Rivaille is it?"

Levi as his friends called him nodded trying to control his temper.

"Rachelle, your sister, well she saved my life. She saved me from the titan that took my arm and bandaged me up. She and another scout gave me the only horse they had and sent me after the others. As I rode away..." He began to cry. "As I rode away I saw the titans coming over the hill. They sacrificed themselves so that I could survive."

The teary eyed teen stepped towards Rivaille handing him a necklace. He recognized it automatically. A small fine chain with a shield and two swords crossing over it as the pendant. Rachelle had worn it ever second of every day. It was a precious memento of their mother.

He let his body go numb and slumped over in despair. Irvin and Hanji helped him to his bunk. Rivaille curled up in his blankets clutching the necklace like a little kid. The corner of the pendant dug deeply into his hand drawing a bit of blood.

At that moment Rivaille realized that he was truly alone in this terrible place. And that he no longer had any reason to care.

*Present Day - Location: Unknown*

A man and a woman whirled around the rock path's corner in full sprint. They were on the ledge of a mountain running for their lives. The ground rumbled beneath the two as a titan peered around the corner.

The woman shouted something at the man and pointed, he nodded in reply. The titan stayed closely behind them trying to stay on the tiny ledge. It reached for the two humans but they had disappeared into a tiny little tunnel in the side of the mountain.

The man laughed, "Haha well that was fun. What the hell was a titan doing in your theoretical green zone?"

She lightly punched him, "Every now and again lone titans will wander around. Don't blame creepy smile face outside on me."

He poked her then pointed, "There's a light over there let's go check it out."

The woman with long brown hair lifted her pack off the ground and followed behind him. They followed the tunnel as it led them to an open cave full of glowing crystals.

"These tunnels might go full well through the mountains. If we can use these crystals as light we will have no problems at all," suggested Arthur the man. He stepped towards a pool of water and dipped down to drink some.

The brunette looked around, "Sure why not. Lets just stay here for a bit I want make a picture now while we have some peace and quiet."

Arthur nodded, his wavy blonde hair and brown eyes were charming. Not to mention his build. But he'd only ever seen her as a friend.

He chuckled at her, "You gonna draw me in there Rachelle?"

She leaned back against the cave wall not in the mood for his jokes, "We have one more area to map Arthur. One more and then we can go home. It's my twenty-third birthday ya know? I can't believe its been six years since we've seen that giant wall."

He looked at her with soft eyes, "I'm sure they all think that we are all dead. But those were the orders with the royal seal. Everyone was supposed to think that we were dead. I just hope my pa hasn't gotten into his old habits. He always had a problem with drinking after mom died. I finally helped him stop and then I had to leave."

Rachelle smiled at her tall blonde companion, "Well let's get this last area mapped and not get killed then you'll get to find out how well he's doing."