Hey guys, here is the next update in this story.
Hope you will enjoy the read.
Chapter Cover: Sarah standing there with a noose tied around her neck as the large shadow of a titan stood behind her.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Day of the Execution
Reiner was riding on his horse by himself through the trees. The young man was glancing around himself as he continued to approach the area in front of him, a certain look upon his face. When he had seen that message lying upon his bed, he hadn't wanted to believe that it was really him but…since what Eren told him about that Sarah girl being a Gray Titan…he knew that he couldn't ignore the note.
As he continued to ride, a large Titan form, a twelve meters burst from the trees causing him to pull the horse into a stop. The Titan stared down at him and with a growl it came down at him with his jaws ready to swallow the young man whole…
"Stop," a voice called out.
The Titan actually froze in his movements causing Reiner to look toward where it had come from. There was a figure seating in the trees above them, the glinting of the glasses he was wearing illuminated by the sunset. The figure jumped down from where he was standing before landing upon the ground in a crouch.
Reiner stared at the man who was approaching toward him.
"It really is you," he said.
"I've seen you've gotten my message," the man with the glasses said looking at him.
Reiner got off his horse and onto the ground.
"I couldn't really believe that it was you," he said, "What are you doing inside the Walls?"
"You should know why I am here," the man said, "There is a Gray one here within the walls. She once worn that same outfit that you are wearing."
Reiner frowned to himself.
"So she is really one of them," he said, "I thought they were extinct or at least moved on from this side of the world."
"She is the last of the ones that were created in Everest," the man said, "She carries the entire history of our species and I can't allow that traitor to find out what she really is."
Reiner glanced at him.
"And this is why I am going to need your help," the man told him.
"My help?"
"Yes," the man said walking past Reiner, "The execution is going to take place in a place called Trost District, and from the conversation I have heard while I was around, you besieged that city just like you have done five years ago but stopped your attacks midway through…while I don't really care about what your reason are for doing so, I'm going to need you to destroy the Inner Gate."
Reiner stared at him.
"Destroy it?"
"Yes so that I can let my little Army through," the man said looking toward the trees in front of them.
Reiner did the same and could feel his eyes widening lightly at the numerous shapes that were within the trees.
I've heard the talks of the missing soldiers…I should have realized that it was him responsible.
"I already have my own mission," he said, "I can't abandon it now…You know fully well why we entered the Walls. If I do this, I won't be able to return to the Walls for a second try."
"I will leave the Coordinate to Annie," the man told him.
Reiner shook his head.
"Annie?" he repeated, "She was already found out and what's more she locked herself up in a Chrysalis…"
"Then I will wake her up," the man said turning toward him.
"You don't understand," Reiner said, "The Scouts have already faced her. They know how to fight against her and she lost her battle against the Coordinate..."
Suddenly the man approached him and took hold of Reiner by the throat and slammed him in to a nearby tree. Reiner's feet were dangling in the air at the iron grip that was on his throat causing him to gasp out as he tried to pry the fingers off his throat.
"If she lost…then she can try again," the man said, his voice a deadly cold, "if she continues to fail, she will continue to try until she is dead. Remember one whose side you are boy, unless you want to see that little village of yours burned to the ground and every man, woman and child there devoured."
Reiner stared down at him.
"You wouldn't want that now do you?"
He shook his head.
The man let him go and Reiner fell down upon the ground coughing as he stared up toward the man who was walking away from him, both of his hand behind his back.
"So…I just have to destroy the Inner Gate right? What about my companion?"
"Tell him to be ready for my signal," the man said.
Reiner nodded and got back to his feet. He made his way toward his horse but then stopped before turning toward him.
"Why all of this?" he asked, "I know you could have convinced her to follow you."
"She has grown too attached," the man said, "I could see it in her eyes when I saw her in that cell. I'm going to make her see, just how much of a mistake it was to get attached to these people."
It's been two days since Sarah had spoken to that strange man that had come from outside the Walls. She was still chained inside the prison she was in, and not once did anyone had come to visit her during her stay here. The blonde girl could hear the sound of the city from where she was but she couldn't make anything from the numerous noises that were echoing.
She had her head bowed down from where she was seating. She couldn't make sense of anything that the man had said to her but there were some parts of what the man said that stuck with her. When he talked about her memories, it was like he instantly knew what was going on with her by just one look. That man knew what she was going through…
But how did he know? She thought, How did he knows about my memories?
He had claimed to have come from the Wall as well and he was going to bring her back to where she comes from whether she wanted to nor not and does that mean…she'll go back to the mountain she had been seen in her dreams all this time and maybe find some clues about why she had all those memories in her mind…or about some clues about her past before she was found wandering Wall Rose by herself and completely nude when she was younger…
The girl let out a sigh.
But the cost of all that…will be the trust I gained with the Scouts…and everyone? She thougth to herself, If I go with him…I'll be betraying everyone….even Mikasa…
When her thoughts turned to the dark haired girl, Sarah could feel a level of sadness within her heart. Mikasa had been her rock throughout all of this ever since she had became a Titan back during the Expedition. Despite the mistrust that had grown since she was revealed to be one of them, Mikasa had been so helpful through out everything along with Armin, Eren and all of the others she had come to call friends…
Even Hange…
I have to talk to Commander Erwin or Hange about that man, she thought, I have to tell someone that the danger is closer than we think…I have to warn them about him…before he…
The image of the Titans that came after her that day during the Expedition became vivid within her mind again as she thought about it. These Titans acted with purpose unlike the Normal Titans that they usually see, and they were even more dangerous than the Abnormal ones…
Intelligent Titans then, she thought, They were acting like me and Eren…when we are in our Titan forms but I know they aren't shifter…and no one is really trained to fight against Titans like that…
Sarah let out a soft sigh. She knew that people feared the Titans, and never wanted to fight against them. With the Walls protecting them, these people will want to go outside of it. She knew that many people didn't like the Scouts because they saw them as a waste of resources and back when she was a Cadet, she could hear the talks of the instructors talking about the government wanting to disband them…
But it was just talk of course…
Why can't they see that the Walls can't protect us forever? Sarah thought, Humanity can't stay inside the Walls forever…there is an entire world out there waiting for them to retake it…so many wonders and mysteries just out of reach because of the Titan there…
That same fear is going to have them kill her…
I know it's a very high possibility, she thought, I know the Scouts barely lost Eren in the Court and even after what happened with the Female Titan inside Wall Sina, trust is very low for him too…That is, if they can even get to whatever is in that basement…
Sarah let out a soft sigh again.
They took me from suspicions of being a Titan spy, she thought, Could that man be the one who told them about me…if he did, then why would he come here and convince me that he will take me away from the Walls…and with what he did with the Titans during the Expedition…is he really planning to unleash them here within the Walls?
The sound of a door closing loudly caused Sarah to look up toward her cell wooden door. The girl moved a little, the chains clicking as she did. An orange light appeared underneath the door in front of her as well as a set of footsteps. Then with a clicking of keys, the door was thrown open and two soldiers wearing MPs uniform entered the room with a third aiming a gun at her.
"Make a move and I'll kill you," he said coldly.
From the look on his face, Sarah knew that he wasn't kidding around. The two soldiers released her from the chains that were holding her arms up before placing her arms behind her back and placing a set of irons around her hands. They were moving her that much she was aware of, but where they were taking her, she had no idea.
She was pulled up her feet and then taken outside of the cell door. The soldier with the gun was following behind them and the few minute passed in silence as they walked down the empty hallway and into a courtyard which was filled with soldiers.
Sarah glanced around herself recognizing the place she had walked in a few days ago when they had first taken her in and they even had the same carriage there too. So they were taking her somewhere but the girl didn't know where she was going nor why she was going there but at least she was out of that damn room.
The sky above them was cloudy and from how cool it felt, Sarah wouldn't be surprised if it started to rain later during the day. The wind was also a little cooler but it might be how little she is wearing. She had on nothing but her undershirt as well as the dirty pants of her soldier uniform and her boots. The cool wind felt refreshing against her skin as she stood there for a little while before she was pushed forward.
"Move it, we don't have all day."
She glanced back toward the man who pushed her before moving toward the cart that had her. They were Garrison soldiers everywhere too and Sarah was thrown into the carriage that she came in before. She glanced around herself as they locked the door.
"Move out," a soldier yelled.
A few took off in ODM gears and took to the roof to be able to keep a look-out while others were on horses which were now moving forward. Sarah didn't know where they were taking her, but at least, she was out of that cell.
It took some times before they got there, leaving wall Sina behind long ago and in the distance as they were approaching, Wall Rose was approaching. Sarah could see through the bars of the window that was in the cart she was in, a light frown upon her face. She can hear people talking about what was going on as they entered the district that they had chosen to take her in.
She glanced at the many people that were outside of her cart, and could see a large number of soldiers around too as her thing came to a stop. Sarah then turned her attention toward the door which opened, finding guns pointed at her.
"Come on out," one of the soldier said.
Sarah did as she was asked and stepped out of the cart she was in. The young girl glanced around herself and noticed the many damaged buildings that were around her, making her wonder where she was as she walked forward, seeing the number of peoples that were around her and staring, some of them talking. Sarah glanced around herself and her eyes fell upon the raised stage right across her, and the noose that was tied in front of her…
Her eyes widened…
No…
"There is a lot more people here than I first imagined," Narissa spoke out.
She was standing there along with Damian and Leon. The girl's attention was upon the number of people that were gathering around the execution stand where it was going to happen. They were all dressed up in their uniforms with their ODM gears. They were sent out to Trost District where the execution of Sarah was going to take place. Narissa couldn't understand why Hange had the Scouts scattered around Trost.
"It's an execution," Damian said, "The people have always enjoyed seeing violence. Since the Garrison have been setting this up since this morning, I think everyone is waiting to see who they are going to be hanging."
"I never thought that I'll be here to see Sarah's execution," Narissa said, "I can't believe they are actually going ahead with this."
"You heard what Hange said," Leon told her speaking out for the first time, "The Scouts can't rebel like this…there is already too much at stake with their original mission to take back Wall Maria. Going against the crown isn't such a good idea."
Narissa turned her gaze toward the Inner Gate seeing al lot of people moving about as well as soldiers. She could see the numerous soldiers around them moving and the people as well.
"What I don't understand is why the Scouts are spread all over the city," Narissa said, "I mean, the only reason we came here was to watch the execution take place… I mean, what exactly is Commander Erwin thinking?"
Leon gave her a glance before letting out a sigh.
"I'm curious about that as well," he said, "And it's not only that..."
He trailed off his eyes catching something. Narissa glanced at the direction as well and instantly saw why the young man had fallen silent. A prisoner cart had just entered inside the District from the Inner Gates and it rolled through the crowd of people that were around him until it came to a stop. The door opened and a blonde figure emerged.
"Sarah," Narissa whispered unable to stop herself from gasping.
It's been a few days since Sarah was taken and seen the girl now caused her heart to jump in her chest. Leon had a frown upon his face and even Damian was staring her. She didn't have any visible bruises upon her body, something that Narissa can feel a little lighter about.
Sarah stared at the noose in front of her, unable to comprehend what she was seeing at first but then she was pushed forward straight toward the execution stand and then, she knew now why she was taken here.
She was going to be killed.
The blonde girl now stood in front of hundred of peoples, glancing around herself and her eyes were drawn toward a gate with a large boulder in front of it and cracks running through the Wall…Sarah could feel shock coursing through her. This was Trost District…where the Colossal Titan appeared five years after the lost of Wall Maria…
The city where Eren became a Titan…
The girl glanced at the man beside her, noticing the leather mask he was wearing and she knew that he will be the one to tied that thing around her neck and the one to pull the lever which will end her life.
He was right, she thought, thinking about what the strange man had told her, They were going to simply kill me because they're afraid of me…they're so afraid that they will kill me…
She lowered her head.
The entire crowd became quiet as a soldier, an MP walked forward. He was dressed importantly and Sarah recognizes him as Nile Dok, the man who arrested her a few weeks ago. The man barely spared her a sideway glance before turning to face the crowd in front of him.
He opened his mouth and was about to speak when a sudden explosion came from within Wall Rose as well as a flash of yellow lightning coming from the corner of her eyes. Sarah instantly turned her head at the direction it came from a sudden apprehension coursing through her.
On the top of Wall Rose, the Garrison soldiers who were standing upon the wall, all turned toward where the explosion came from finding a tall tower of smoke coming from within Wall Rose. They all turned their attention toward it, completely taken aback by how sudden it was.
"What was that?"
"And explosion?"
The men on the wall stared at the place where large tower of steam was coming from and then, a large shadow form stepped out of it causing all of the people on the wall to actually freeze in shock and terror at the sight of the tall being that had stepped out of it.
Standing across them, in the interior of Wall Rose, was the Armored Titan.
On the day of execution...The Armored Titan appear...
Next Time: Siege of Trost, The Armored Titan Return
Jacques0 out.
R&R