I think this will be a 3 part story but again, I will state that there will be manga spoilers. Especially after Chapters 100. If you don't like to be spoiled, beware, or please read the manga.
And please do because holy crap it's good stuff.
The sky is serene and cloudless. The cheerful chirping of birds echoes through the air, bringing a sense of peace that reminds Armin of when he used to lay on the grass and stare at the sky with his friends, dreaming together of how they will one day reach the birds flying up high.
Armin would give anything to be up there now; the mood of calm winds and the blessing of a beaming sun doesn't fit the desolation resting below. The ground smells of decomposition and pungent sewage, littered with bodies which bloat and rot under a sun they've been under for too long.
Armin keeps his eyelids shut. He doesn't want to look anymore but the memory has been seared into his brain— the faces powdered with dust and streaked with tears, the shoulder-shaking sobs as loved ones are yanked out from beneath the debris he's created. A scream sharp in horror and pitch springs Armin's eyes open and a sea of rubble greets his vision. Bodies burst open like melons or charred as black as burnt meat are scattered amongst the Naval fleet's ruin. He watches a mother and father sob, cradling a young boy whose lower half has been crushed. Armin remembers seeing the boy struggle beneath the rubble, staring fearfully at him before Titan feet swept away any life the coast had left.
Vomit burns in Armin's throat. He's never wanted to scream so much, goes so far as to open the large jaw of his Colossus to release a long-drawn-out bellow, but nothing escapes. He's stuck in this torturous hell with no way out of the hot, meat sarcophagus he hides in.
"I had no other choice."
The soldier within the Colossus freezes. The world around Armin seems to rumble and groan as he repositions the massive neck of his Titan and peers down at its shoulder.
Eren crouches there, his long hair shifting from the gentle breeze, his face stoic. Emerald spheres devoid of remorse or accomplishment roll up to stare at the Colossus.
"You of all people understand why I had to do this." Eren coldly remarks.
Armin's response bobs up on his Adam's apple only to be swallowed thickly down his throat. He doesn't know why. He wants to know why, but all he knows is that this man at his side is a stranger, calm and empty and so much unlike his passionate, short-tempered friend.
Eren's eyelids close as he stands up. "We are a speck amongst the rest of the world, objects to be trampled and demonized. It's the same smear job the nobles and First Interior Squad did to us years ago. And what did all that fighting do for us? To escape from being scapegoats and villains from our own people only to be seen as the same thing in the world's eyes?" His fist closes, clenching so hard, Armin sees rivulets of blood drip between his fingers. "I refuse for it to be this way. For you and Mikasa—everyone—to be seen as lesser. To be used."
Eren points his finger forward and as the thick neck of the Colossus shifts to follow Eren's line of sight, the bloody tragedy below is replaced with the calm, lapping waves of an ocean coastline. "Our enemy has always been beyond this sea." The conviction is firm in Eren's voice. "They're on every land we ever hoped to step on and explore. They planned to bring the fight to us, but we stopped them and we will do it again. We'll show this world we won't lie down and be erased. We will fight."
Armin gapes at his childhood friend as blood drips down from his hand and splashes into the water below. Eren looks up at his Titan-shifted friend, his determined eyes fiery and features solemn.
"Sacrifices have to be made, Armin. And if I have to, I will sacrifice my humanity for you. For all of you." The wind in his hair covers Eren's face as he redirects his body toward the sea. "Because it's always been like you said—People who are unable to abandon anything will fail to bring about change."
Icy dread cascades over Armin. The jaw of the Colossus opens, like it's trying to respond while Eren breaks out into a sprint. He jumps off the Colossus's shoulder, a crack of thunder crashing down from the clouds onto where he falls. A light that's as bright as the sun explodes into the sky, blinding Armin.
When his sight returns, the battered remains of Wall Maria and Marley's nuked coast fill both of his eyes, the destroyed towns resting side by side. Eren's Attack Titan bolts past the devastation that birthed his desire to fight and past the history he's repeated. He runs toward the lands across the sea on a carpet of bodies that fans out farther and farther and farther.
Armin inhales sharply, shocking himself awake. His palm is sore from his chin resting on it and his neck is painfully stiff. As he carefully cricks his neck, grimacing all the while, Armin notes how the nature outside has become icy. A sigh Armin wished could be one of relief leaves him; his dream is over, but as he looks out the carriage window, he sees that they are beyond the walls, riding away from the chaos stirring within them. He's stuck in another form of hell.
"Armin, what's wrong?"
The young soldier flinches. Armin doesn't need to look to know that Mikasa's concerned onyx eyes are burning into him. Annie sitting across from them—iron-bolted shackles encasing her hands and ankles and gagged with a cloth that's tied between her teeth—furrows her brows; he knows she shares the same concern.
"It's nothing." Armin answers both of them. "I was just jolted awake from the cold."
He could almost feel the heat radiating off Mikasa's narrowing eyes. She doesn't believe him and Annie blinking slowly at him from across the carriage explains she doesn't buy it either, but Armin isn't worried about one white lie right now. Eren is consuming enough of Mikasa's mind and the last thing she needs is to hear about his dream, to be reminded of what Eren's becoming and what he might be planning. She loves him and he's betrayed her deeply; it's a feeling Armin knows all too well.
The winter sights zipping by distracts Armin from the two women voicing their frustration of him with bone-shaking death glares. The forest of pine trees and berry bushes are dusted with snow, stretching out far and wide over a white-blanketed plain. Armin hasn't seen the snow or felt the cold's icy tendrils wind through his hair since the Survey Corp's training days. Titans and pondering the world outside the walls was stressful enough but it was nothing compared to what weighed everyone down now. A part of Armin almost wished he could be that blissfully ignorant again.
Using the fringes of his hair as an eye cover, Armin shifts his gaze onto Annie. She wasn't granted so much as a blanket—her prison garb leaving her legs and forearms uncovered— and yet, Annie doesn't fidget at the frosty air seeping through the carriage's cracks. Her face is a marble statue copying his form, staring out at the ice-covered lands with eyes as grey-blue eyes as the frozen lake they ride past. Her dedication to appearing unphased and uncaring is as firm as ever. It's a will that Armin admires.
Annie's eyes dart toward Armin faster than he can flinch. Nervous blue register a cocky twitch of her eyebrow, telling him she knows he is watching before Armin tears his eyes away. A flush burns Armin's face, Annie straightens her back in pride that she's unnerved him while Mikasa sits quietly, emitting a dangerous dark aura beside him and damn it, Armin swears he is hearing lightning crackling in the space between the two girls.
Both of them are so similar— protective, gifted in combat, and sharing a determination that would shake the boots of high-ranking officers—but rivalry and pain keeps them apart. Armin wished both of them could see that one day...if they ever could.
"We're here." Mikasa flatly points out. The lean soldier opens the door and the brisk air rushing inside raises gooseflesh on Armin's skin. The smoldering black orbs from the Ackerman fall onto Annie. "Out."
Annie complies, though both of the girls keep their eyes locked like lionesses homing in on a kill until the blond hops off the seat and crunches into the snow. Armin follows after, his boots sinking in snow half-a-foot deep. Trees surround the carriage like fish trapped in a bowl while stony cliffs tower over them. Jean trots over on his horse, his glare as venomous as Annie's before he dismounts and secures the reins on a nearby tree. Connie gallops over soon after and performs the same, though Annie sees that his frown and the look in his eyes are more uncertain toward her than bitterly suspicious.
Her iceberg-blue eyes are clear of emotion but Armin notices the tips of her fingers are trembling. To be wearing a thin gown on top of freezing cold shackles must have been torture and while it was tough enough to convince the squad not to mummify her during transit—Mikasa especially—Armin couldn't leave her like this.
Armin unbuttoned his coat and settled it over Annie's shoulders, going so far as ensure her arms were securely shielded from the icy wind and removes her gag. An emotion passed through Mikasa's eyes just as Jean's eyes narrowed. The instinct to curl into himself and stammer out an explanation itched but Armin pushed the urge down. He had to maintain some kind of conviction, especially when it came to Annie being their new ally. He didn't expect her to be given the respect other allies receive, but she should at least be made comfortable.
"I'm cold, not disabled." Annie scolds him. She holds the rim of his jacket to secure the heat in better. "I can wrap myself on my own. But you know what would really help me? Taking off these shackles."
"Not a chance." Jean immediately answers.
"What if I say please?" Her tone appears expressionless but Armin detects the playful lilt to her voice.
"It's either the shackles or we cut off your arms and legs. Pick your poison."
"Does the second option include you carrying me?" Annie deadpans. "If so, option two doesn't sound so bad."
The goateed man's jaw sets and fists clench until a voice suddenly yells, "Hey!" A boot hits Jean in the back of the head, evoking a loud yowl from him. "I didn't risk my skin getting you guys here to have you beat up on each other. Knock it off!"
A brown-haired girl hops off the front of the carriage and into the snow. She gives Armin a genuine smile, though to him, he always suspects mischief is behind it. Jean holds his head while the brunette picks up her boot. "I swear, you're all temper and no tact. I can't believe people say you're smart."
"Oh, criticism from a woman who shuts me up by throwing a boot." Jean snarls. "Great strategy. What's your attack plan if you were caught behind enemy lines then? Offering them sex?"
"That's none of your business." Hitch dismisses. "Though I'm sure you'd love to know."
Hot air blows out Jean's flaring nostrils while Connie gives him a comforting pat on the shoulder. Hitch pulls her boot back on then rests her hands on her hips.
"We'll walk to the outpost from here. There isn't much but it's off the radar and it's a good place to set up operations." As Hitch examines the state of the group, her eyes rest upon Annie. Her eyes then settle on Armin standing in the freezing cold with only a button up shirt. "Humph, now one of you decides to be a gentleman. None of you couldn't have handed out coats before we left? You knew where we were going all along, Armin. If you're cold, you've done it to yourself."
Armin's lips tighten into a straight-line, put on the spot and unamused about it. The sharp exhale through Annie's nose could be interpreted as irritated, but Armin and Hitch know she's amused.
Hitch shrugs. "Come on then. I'll show you all around."
The remaining loyalists to the Survey Corp surround Annie in a triangle formation. Mikasa watches Annie's back, holding the chain from her wrist shackles while Connie and Jean remain alongside her right and left. Armin and Hitch guide the group from the front, taking them away from the carriage hidden within a maze of trees.
The frozen sting rubbing against Annie's ankles is annoying and the shackles only slow down her wadding around in the snow. She grips the edges of her jacket tighter, desperate to keep in the warmth. As they trudge through the snowy forest, a guttural grunt amongst the trees snaps Annie's neck to the right.
A bison stands with their young beyond the trees, the nearby deer now scampering away as the large creatures nibble at the surviving clouds of green brush. There are even horses in the distance trotting happily through the snow, falling on their side and kicking up white powder as they flounder about with their hooves in the air. They consume a piece of nature that simple creatures like animals and kids can appreciate, but Annie has never experienced it. Her mission kept her away from everything, even from enjoying the seasons.
A snap of fingers in front of Annie's face brings back her focus. When she gazes up at their destination, her pupils shrink and heart skips.
The dark opening of a cave rests before them, it's mouth large and tunnel within deep. An iron portcullis sits upon the cave's rocky threshold, appearing like teeth waiting to bite down on her. A fear born by years of her father and commanders drilling how dangerous caves were for shifters prompted her body to move backwards. A firm hand pushing into the middle of her back stops her.
"The only way you'll move is forward." Mikasa asserts dryly. "Move."
Natural defiance motivates Annie to ignore the Beast, but fear wins and keeps her where she stands. She still doesn't know the plan, doesn't know if they will barricade this place and lock her up again. Even with her hardening ability, she isn't sure it can penetrate the thick iron gate.
"I take it I won't be staying in the outpost." Annie posits.
Armin's chin falls down a fraction. "We had to agree to some...conditions. With our clearance to take you out of the city, we had to agree to find a cave to put you in. But it's not like we won't be nearby. The outpost is a little further into the forest and we can see the cave clearly. We'll also have someone standing guard so you won't be alone."
"Standing guard." Annie mockingly repeats. "You mean someone to throw down the gate if I try to leave."
"Exactly." Jean and Mikasa affirms matter-of-factly. "You say that you'll fight with us; whoop-de-doo." Jean continues. "But that doesn't mean we believe you or know how long your desire to help us will last. I wouldn't be surprised if you turned tail and ran the minute the fighting starts."
"A partnership starting with doubt…" Annie scoffs under her breath. "We're failures already. And here I thought you were all a little more trusting than me."
Connie's lips downturn into a deep scowl. "You're comparing us to who you knew 5 years ago. Those kids are dead now."
Annie's eyes are fixed on the buzzcut man, inwardly surprised. She isn't used to Connie of all people being so serious, more so that he is capable of frowning so fiercely.
"We may have finally found something we have in common then. The kid in me is dead too."
The frowning man looks away, more interested in how cracked the frosty bark of a nearby tree is. Connie at least had a childhood. Annie isn't sure the child in her ever even lived.
"This isn't a trick, Annie." Hitch reassures her. "We came this far to be away from the epicenter of anything. We have nothing to gain by bringing you here."
"You have everything to gain." Annie argues through clenched teeth. "You can lock me in there and leave me to be found by Marleyians or starve to death. You can trap me so another Titan can eat me. If you so much as try to do anything, I'll make sure it won't just be me trapped underground."
Armin's blue irises are soft and knowing as he says, "And that's exactly why you have nothing to fear. Both sides can easily screw the other, so there's no need to try."
The hand Armin extends to her gives Annie pause. Jean and Connie flash Annie and Hitch an uncertain look while Mikasa locks her focus on Annie's back. The blond prisoner stares at his hand like it's a relic carved with an ancient language.
Once more, a pit of darkness stands before her and Armin is a light opposing it. Even Hitch being present is comforting and slowly unravels the knots tightening her stomach. Annie never expected such vile romantic poetry like this to actually become a real-thing and through some unspoken link Hitch forged through months of endless nagging and yammering to her about boys and good looks, a knowing smile curves the brunette's lips. Hitch knows a romance when she sees it.
Annie lifts her hand and when her fingertips graze over Armin's, his heart flutters. Then she shoves his hand into his chest, pushing so forcefully that he teeters backward.
"I'm handcuffed and freezing, you idiots." Annie snaps. "So, if you know the way, hurry up and lead before I'm frozen. Again."
Hitch swivels around, hiding her growing smile as she walks into the cave. Armin follows suit with the group following behind him until the darkness of the cave swallows them whole.
Annie had never been in a cave before. She's never experienced claustrophobia before either.
This cavern was everything her commanders lectured it was: a dark, dank prison with a nose-stinging stench you can never fully snuff out. Lanterns with bright white light lit up the man-made tunnel, revealing the misshapen holes within the rocky walls from which Annie assumed ore was harvested. There was no greenery, no flora, only the dusty, grey atmosphere of uninteresting rock.
Great. She traded one shitty living quarters for another one.
Walking through the tight confines of the tunnel put Annie on edge, her hands balling underneath Armin's coat. "How much longer are we going to keep walking?" Annie asks irritatedly. "It feels like you're escorting me to my tomb."
Jean made a snort, sounding almost delighted while Mikasa responded, "We haven't been walking for long. We're almost there."
"Easy to say when you have boots on."
Mikasa didn't respond. She only stares down at the smaller girl, keeping close to her back so Annie keeps walking forward. A large opening at the end of tunnel brings a relieved smile to Armin's face. He jogs forward a bit while the others follow behind more slowly. After passing through the opening's craggy threshold, the blond prisoner's eyes widen.
Before them stood a large pocket of open space where iceburst stones riddle the walls and stalactite ceiling. A small lake rests nearby, the humming light above reflecting off the water's surface like sparkling crystal. In spite of the lack of sun and the consistently depressing atmosphere, a hauntingly beautiful blue glow illuminates the cave.
"The water is fresh." Armin comments. Gravel crunches beneath his boots as he walks along the lake's pebbly shore. "We often use it to keep the outposts and incoming scouts supplied. If you're worried about bathing, there are showers in the barracks."
Barracks. Now there's a word she's never been happy to hear until now. She looks to the small wood building settled nearby the lake. "Odd that you'd build barracks in a cave when there's a perfectly good outpost nearby." Annie observes. "Especially one so deep underground."
Armin scratches the back of his head. "We didn't exactly…finish mining and there have been reports of cadets stealing and selling the stones on the black market. Building the barracks deeper with more guards helped us to not bleed resources. We're always running against time."
Annie only blinks. She doesn't really care about why, only that it was odd. As they approach the shabby wooden building, Annie finds it definitely smells like barracks; sweat, old socks, and a bodily smell that Annie hopes wouldn't reek on at least one bed. She is surrounded by empty bunk beds and it brings about a strange feeling in Annie.
This was stable shelter with a firepit nearby and untouched wood to help keep her warm. To be given so much as a pillow from people she backstabbed was baffling enough.
"I was hoping to get a little more sun on my pale skin." Annie couldn't resist commenting. "But I guess the pretty stones will do." Past the row of beds, Annie spots a small kitchen empty of both food and knives. She snorts. "I won't be of use to you if I can't keep my strength up. Or do you expect me to eat the rocks?"
"We have provisions in the outpost." Hitch answers. "I'll make sure you're fully stocked later tonight. The catch is," Hitch twists on her heel and makes a circle outline with her finger toward Mikasa, Connie, and Jean, "There is no meat, so you three need to help hunt. I've done a good job of leading you to it. Now all you need to do is catch them!"
"In other words, you're leaving us to do all the hard work while you sit on your ass." Jean criticizes condescendingly.
"No. I'm going to be warm and sitting on my ass while you do all the work." Hitch fights back with a sneer. "You all have more experience anyway. Armin and I will just fuck it up."
"Why are you speaking for me?" Armin frowns.
"I've seen you shoot. It's not impressive."
Armin sports a frown with flattened eyebrows while Annie keeps her eyes closed. "As long as it's not that garbage gruel from the dungeons, I won't complain. But I do have a request." She brings up her red, chafed wrists, her finger pointing to the chilly shackles. "If I'm going to be alone down here, you can at least take off the restraints."
Mikasa, Connie, and Jean exchange a quick glance as if they were telepathically deciding their next move. Annie can't transform and the one person who could challenge her held the keys and would be sleeping nearby. They should know they have the advantage.
Mikasa then takes off the ring of keys alongside her belt and walks up to Annie. As she inserts the key into the lock, the formidable soldier whispers chillingly. "Remember, you're out of practice. I'm not."
A frightful tingle runs along Annie's spine but her frigid eyes denies the Beast from smelling fear. Undeniably, she is out of practice and her time spent in the dungeons has degraded some her muscle mass. Jean and Connie are taller and stronger, appearing deadlier than ever and even if Annie wanted to escape, her uncertainty of their and Mikasa's evolved strength was too high.
The shackles on Annie's wrists unlatch and fall to the pebbly floor with a clank., the restraints around her ankles falling off soon after. She winces slightly as her hand nurses her wrists.
"Connie and I will have first watch." Mikasa says. "If you need something, transform and the falling rubble will alert us."
Armin groans and Hitch rolls her eyes. Annie purses her lips. "Don't start giving me ideas."
"Alright, alright." Armin interjects, his fingers holding the bridge of his nose in frustration. "We're leaving."
"Don't forget this." Annie shrugs Armin's coat off her shoulders and throws it at him. "This will save the others ears from hearing you whine about the cold."
"No, I think you should have another coat." Jean says as he looks at Connie. "Armin was a man about bracing the cold but you bitched about it the entire ride over here."
"What?" Connie icily challenges. "Our scarves barely covered our faces. And you'd be complaining too if your face felt like it was becoming a block of ice!"
"Having a beard helps."
"Yo-...you have a goatee, you asshole. And a wimpy goatee like yours would be lucky to fight off a breeze."
"You're just lashing out because your beards come in all patchy."
"The only hair that comes in patchy is your-"
"Leaving!" Armin addresses again. He pushes the arguing men forward with Mikasa and Hitch walking up at his sides. Annie can't help but be entertained; Jean and Connie are annoying, but watching them fight is a nice distraction. It's a reminder of simpler times.
Once Armin buttons up his coat, he peers over at Annie and to her, he almost looks happy. "The barracks have a lot of clothes and blankets stored away. Even some boots. Everything may be a bit dusty, but they'll do." He turns around to follow the others but his eyes linger on her for a long moment. The softness around his eyes paired with the deep whirlpools of blue sinks Annie's stomach to the floor like a falling anchor.
I'll see you soon, his gaze tells her.
Mikasa's neck turns and Annie quickly twists around before the Ackerman can see her red face. Annie's heart beat as rapid as a hummingbird's wings in her chest. It's amazing to her; after all these years, the way Armin looked at her hadn't changed.
As Annie walks into the barracks, she stands in the middle of the room, taking in the quiet atmosphere. She quickly throws wood into the firepit and sets it aflame with a match, rubbing her hands over the waves of fire until the cold in Annie's muscles finally thaws.
The blond prisoner then examines each bunk as every mattress retains a clear outline from large, sturdy men. Annie settles atop each bed to feel it out, finding that the only remotely soft mattress is nearby the fire. She sets up her home there, harvesting the smallest clothes she could find—the smallest being two times her size—and tightens the laces of boots one size bigger. Her body then falls back over the dusty pillow and sheets, folding her hands behind her head.
The sound of wood crackling echoed along the empty building, hues of orange and red dancing along the wall. This was a setting where Annie truly didn't mind being alone. It was quiet, peaceful even, so much so that Annie felt time propel her back to the last time she felt this way, of when Mina's skinny legs swing back and forth from the top bunk as she hums and ties her hair. Ymir and Historia walk by while Mikasa changes into her fitness clothes down the aisle. Sasha sneaks in from the dead of night, hiding loaves of bread under her shirt and drooling waterfalls.
A sudden gloominess hangs over Annie. She had been stuck in a crystal chrysalis for so long, she doesn't know what happened to more than half of the cadets who bunked with her. Mina is gone, she hasn't seen Historia, Ymir, or Sasha in forever and the only information she had was Armin speaking to her, her eyes closed for years as she listened to the evolution of his voice.
"I know everything, Annie. Where you came from, what you are...what we are."
"Annie, the train is done! I wish you could come see it. It took a while and we almost died from dehydration because of Sasha, but it's done!"
"Eren, he—he's left us. I don't know where or for how long, but he's gone…"
"We obliterated everything. Marley is defenseless and the city is calling this a victory, but it doesn't feel like one. One of our friends…. we ...oh god…"
"Annie, say something. Please…"
Annie chews on her thumbnail. She didn't need the many years of military history lessons to know that civil war is on this island's horizon. Marley's army is an apparent ruin and Annie wishes so fiercely that her father was spared from the carnage. The very thought of him lying dead like the Walldians she crushed made ice flood her bloodstream.
She hopes Armin is right. She hopes in some way she could help because all that remains of those who can bring about change are here in this outpost...and Annie isn't sure if they can so much as come together once the fighting begins.