It was a two hours till noon when the survey corps ventured out into Titan Territory. Hardly anyone had the stomach to eat breakfast, but who could blame them? After today, the people who stood beside me, may or may not be beside me. Even I might not be returning. That was the thing with expeditions. You never knew if you were going to return home alive or not at all. It was always a hard call, but my father always encouraged everyone to keep fighting till the very end. He was a great leader, and probably one of the best commander's humanity has ever had.

Levi's special ops squad and I were riding near the middle; the safest place to be in the formation. I rode next to Levi, and we all were on high alert for Titans. My heart revved hard in my chest from the possible danger of Titan that could possibly come out any moment, and my hands gripped the rein to my horse till my knuckles were white.

"Don't shit yourself yet, Aurora. We're safe." Levi said with his cold voice, but it sounded more soothing. He was staring straight ahead, but I guessed he could feel the tension I had in me.

"Yes sir." Like butter, my fingers loosened their grip and my shoulders relaxed. It was shameful how quick I calmed down just from Levi's command, but he had that effect on me. He could make my world down right up, or completely upside down. He had me in the palm of his hand and he didn't even know it—at least I hoped not.

The ride was going smoothly so far. Signals from the East rearguard guided us to go west, away from Titans in their section. Then the West rearguard signaled that there were Titans in their section.

Shit. This was fucking perfect.

"Where to?" Levi asked and the Commander kept completely calm.

"Prepare yourself, Aurora." He said, and I felt myself tense.

This was it. My father was telling me to be ready, and I knew in a matter of moments I'll be fighting against a Titan.

During the last few moments of peace, I thought about Levi. Five years ago was when I first laid my eyes on the raven haired man. The first thought I had of him was how beautiful he was, and he was still beautiful now. He always had an air that shrouded him like a blanket, and he gave me a vibe that he was hiding something. Something about him made me attracted to him. You'd call it whatever you liked to, but I swore I was connected to him in him some way.

My life before Levi or the survey corps was very dull—especially after Benny died. Then, my life was a colorless void and I was walking through the daily motions of life. Mother taught me how to be a well housewife, and prepared me to marry someone one day. I can't help but wonder if I kept living the way I was would I marry just anyone? I don't know. I'm thankful for whatever reason faith decided to bring Levi into my life. He impacted me in more ways than one, and I couldn't be anymore grateful.

So, why was I unable to kill three Titans?

I don't quite remember, but when I woke up it was late afternoon. The sun was setting and my eyes burned from the light.

What happened?

I tried to turn my head, but there was a throbbing pain in my neck. It could be fatigue from sleeping too long, but I wasn't sure.

A gasp was heard from my left side, and I was able to turn my head the very slightest to see Bekah. She had an astonished look on her face and she leaped from her chair to me.

"You're awake!" She cheered.

I winced from the force of her hug, but didn't push her away. Her embrace was welcomed and I liked the warmth of her body. When she pulled away, my vessel cried from the loss, but I gave her a small smile.

"How long was I out of it?" I finally asked her.

Bekah looked a little sheepish, debating whether or not if she should be the one to tell me, but she opened her mouth and spoke, "Three days."

My jaw dropped. "Three days!? What happened?" I asked and tried not to sound panicked, but I miserably failed. I stared at Bekah, and I took the time to notice she was changed from her survey corps uniform and traded it for a pale blue dress with a white apron tied around her small waist.

A loud sigh passed her lips, but she looked at me with weary eyes. "I'm not for sure what happened, Aurora. I wasn't told all the details. All I know was that you fell off your horse during a panic attack and you hit the side of your head against a rock. Levi carried you back home and the expedition was cut short."

My eyes were wide and my face was red with embarrassment. Not because Levi carried my unconscious body back home, but because I reacted in such away. I was a soldier! I was trained to face all danger and fight. It wasn't like I haven't fought against a Titan before, but my nerves were high and I failed the mission…and I lost my hand…

There was a knock on the door, and Bekah looked at me to see what I wanted. Before I took the chance to tell the unwanted guest to leave, he ventured on in here.

The raven hair short man stood in the room, and Bekah stood straight up. "Sir!" It was a habit of Bekah's to stand up whenever a superior walked in the room, even when she wasn't a soldier anymore.

Levi looked at her with a solid expression, and she continued to stand in position. "You no longer have to stand when I walk into the room, Rebekah."

My pregnant friend relaxed and she was about to take her seat once more.

"Before you sit, why don't you go take a dump? I need to speak to the shitty soldier over there." He nodded toward me, and Bekah stopped herself midair.

"Yes, captain." Bekah moved across the room and she gave me an encouraging smile before she left.

Levi took the seat that Bekah was sitting in and he crossed one leg over the other. He folded his arms over his chest and he gave me a pointing look. "I trained you better than what you performed, Aurora."

My face fell and I looked at my hands that were folded neatly in my lap. Disappointment washed over me and my fingers rubbed my left hand nervously. This was it. I was going to be lectured by Levi and then dismissed. "I-I'm sorry…" I stuttered over my words and I felt hot tears brim my eyes.

I failed. Dammit. I failed the mission. I lost my hand in marriage. And worst of all, I failed Levi. No amount of apologizes could ever go out to Levi. What did I ever think that I could actually be a great soldier and catch the attention of humanity's greatest? I was so embarrassed that I didn't even want to show my face to Levi.

"I told you not to take a shit, but guess what you did? You had diarrhea and then you passed out. You're fucking lucky to be alive." His voice rose, and I flinched. He was disappointed in me, and I understood that. I told myself this was what I deserved right now; his harsh words. I wanted him to carve his distaste into my heart, that way I have a lifetime of remembrance that the love I held for him was real.

I kept my head hanging low. It was so hard to look at him right now and see the look of disappointment on his face, but instead, he cupped my cheek. The warmth of his hand spread across my cheek, and I stared at him dumbfounded. What was he doing? His thumb gently rubbed under my eye to wipe away any tear that dared to leak through. He stared at me, his façade unchanged, but his facial features looked softer. My heart fluttered, and I bit my bottom lip. Was he about to kiss me again?

Agreeing with the thoughts whirling in my mind, I closed my eyes and let my shoulders relax. My breathing was slightly heavy from the anticipation, but his hot breath tickled my ear instead.

"At least you're alive," he whispered gently and he released my face. As quickly as he pulled his hand away my skin grew cold. My blood vessels ached for his touch again, and I wanted him so bad, even though I knew very well he was too good for me. He was smart, cunning as a fox, and he was strong. His nature was the complete opposite of mine, but that never stopped this yearning desire burning inside of me to win him. It was as if he was a fox looking at his prey, and I was a stupid white rabbit to fall for his trap. Without his knowledge, he had me trapped in his web and he could wield me to his every command.

My throat felt dry, and I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. Levi stood from the chair and he walked over to a dresser where there was a pitcher of clean water and a cup.

"Your father has picked out a suitor for you."

The room silenced and I felt my heart sank to my stomach. Levi's words didn't necessarily shock me, but I didn't expect my father to already have found someone for me. I remembered the agreement we made, but why so soon?

Water was poured into a glass broke the silence in the room, but neither of us said a word.

After having a moment to let the information sink in my head, I gripped my hands and spoke. "Who is he?" My voice was low, and my bangs hanged over my eyes.

Briskly walking back to my bedside, Levi handed me the cup of water. "Erwin hasn't said specifically who, but mentioned it was Commander Pixis's son."

That stunned me. I didn't know Commander Pixis had a child, let alone a son, but it didn't necessarily surprise me. I heard back in Pixis's younger days he was quite the handsome fellow that a lot of women swooned for. Same thing went for my father, but it was still the same for him since he didn't look like a day over fourty. A lot of women liked the rugged look my dad had. Even my mom admitted that my father was a very handsome man, but he lacked in the personality department.

Sipping the water quietly, I felt the coolness of the water run down my dry throat and I realized how thirsty I was. It felt like a waterfall was going down my throat, and Levi had to remind me not to drink too fast or I'll end up sick. In other words, if I puked, I would clean my own mess and he'd keep away from me with a ten foot pole.

When I finished my water, I stared at the glass in my hands. Thoughts about the survey corps ran through my mind, and I wondered how they would fare without me now. Probably better since I was humanity's worst.

A soft chuckle left my lips and I shook my head. "I really am humanity's worst, aren't I?" I asked to particularly no body, but nobody else was in the room.

"What makes you think that, shitty soldier?" Levi asked with a slight huff, his form a laugh.

My shoulders shrugged and I twisted the glass around in my hands. "Just the fact I can't fight or be useful to humanity." I replied, not looking at him still.

Silence veiled the room once more, and Levi cleared his throat after a few minutes of nothingness. "You're clumsy and you fail to easily. You're not that strong, and you are not exactly witty. You have low confidence and your self-esteem sucks." I bit my bottom lip as I listened to Levi's words, and each one hit me with a blow to my heart. "But you don't give up easily. You keep fighting and pushing forward with no regards to yourself. If you want to call yourself humanity's worst, go right ahead, but don't forget there were people who weren't strong enough before you that had already died on the battlefield."

My eyes widen and I looked at Levi with wonder spread across my face. Did I just hear him right? Did Levi just praise me even though I failed a mission? I had to mentally check myself that I wasn't asleep. If I was, I didn't want to wake up, not yet. My heart soared with happiness and I smiled slightly.

I didn't thank him for his kind words. Instead, I leaned forward and I kissed his cheek. For the first time ever, Levi looked bewildered by my sudden move and he stared at me. He didn't say anything about the kiss, and he didn't disapprove it. Surprisingly, he kept quiet about it and he looked at the glass that was empty in my hands. Realizing I had an empty cup, he got up and took the glass from my hands.

"Are you still thirsty?" He asked calmly, but he was already pouring me a glass of water.

A smile spread across my lips, and I felt my heart flutter for some reason. His silence to my affection wasn't exactly good, but it wasn't bad, either. He accepted it, and I couldn't be any happier.

"I am." I replied. In a matter of seconds, I had a glass of water in my hands, and this time, I sipped it much slower. I enjoyed the coolness of the water going down my throat, and Levi sat back in the chair next to the bed I was in and stayed in a comfortable silence. My stomach eventually growled and I realized how hungry I was.

"I'll go get you something to eat." Levi stood, and he looked at me. "Is there anything in particular you'd like?" He asked.

With a shake of my head, Levi left the room to prepare a meal for me.

I looked out the window to see that the sun has almost fully set, and a soft, dreamy sigh passed my lips.

I'm not going to give up. Not just on Levi, but not on myself. Not now, not ever. I will continue to fight till my very last breath.