A/N: Hello all, hope you are enjoying the story so far! This is a bit of a filler chapter, so to keep you all engaged, I am will be uploading 2 chapters this week! I will still post another chapter next Wednesday as well so don't worry there! Hope you like and don't forget to review!

Chapter 3

The week has passed and Levi, Hange, Derrek and Malik all sit in Erwin's office waiting for the Commander to finish Hange's dissertation on Willow's progress and readiness to enter the field. The vein between his full set of brows grows prominent as his eyes dart back and forth down the page. He is not pleased with what is being presented before him, but Levi and Hange have agreed to stand their ground on this decision.

He places the paper down carefully and releases a heavy sigh as he formulates his response to his Lieutenants. " 'It is in the interests of Willow's wellbeing and in the interest of the Scouts that we do not proceed with the mission to use Willow against the Titans, until further training and sufficient results are seen', " Erwin reads as he finishes their assessment.

"Sir," Hange says straightening into a salute. "Willow has had difficulties learning how to use ODM gear properly, as well as shake any hesitations she may have when faced with a Titan."

"We gave her a week to work through these barriers," Erwin retorts.

"With all due respect, Sir," Hange begins, "most recruits get months. Not to mention their downtime before their first mission. Willow's success with the Titans will depend solely on the work that we put into preparing her adequately for what she will be facing."

"I told you, Sir that if you gave her to me, I could have done a better—" Erwin lifts his hand to stop Malik from finishing his sentiment.

"Lives are being lost every day, Lieutenant," Erwin directs to Hange. "The longer we wait, the more unnecessary lives lost."

"And she will die if we rush her training," Levi states bluntly from the back of the room as he leans against the wall with arm crossed over his chest. "So, if it is necessary for her to live for your plan to work, then I recommend you give us more time."

Malik fumes at Levi's familiarity with the Commander, but he stops Malik from arguing by speaking himself, "You will all be there to ensure her safety," Erwin retorts, "I understand the concern to have Willow sufficiently trained in ODM gear, and I share your sentiments. But our hands are tied in this matter. With lack of funding, and lack of headcount with this incoming group of new Cadets, we need to show the powers at play that the tide is turning, and the Scouts carry a new weapon that will give us the upper hand against the Titans," he says and none of his subordinates feel confident with what was presented before them in Hange's dissertation. Erwin reads the room and knows that they have no choice. "My decision is made. We will ride in the morning. Dismissed."

Levi steps to speak but Hange stops him, knowing that it is a moot point. Levi growls to himself and Hange follows him outside of the office. "She is not ready," he tells her and she knows as well as he does what will happen to her.

Hange frowns at Levi, "It is the Commander's order. We are here to see it through."

"Well then I hope you didn't like her much, since she won't be around for long," Levi says spitefully stepping away from her.

Meanwhile, Willow stands in the mess hall, looking for a place to eat while everyone's booming voices call out around her. It is her first time eating with everyone, and her heart races as there is nowhere to sit on her own. She holds onto her tray tightly, looking for an open space to seat herself, focusing desperately on not dropping the tray in front of all these Cadets.

"Hey Willow," someone calls out her name, waving her to sit with them. She smiles to herself, and heads over to the table with the group of Scouts. She sits down next to Eld, who called her over and introduces himself when she sits down. "My name is Eld," he smiles at her as she takes his hand to shake it. "This is Petra," he says pointing to the strawberry blonde as she smiles. "Gunther, Kira, Luke, and Oruo," he says pointing at each Cadet who waves at her with smiles save for Oruo, who greets her with a scoff.

"It's nice to meet you all," she says with a sheepish disposition.

A hush falls over everyone as they watch her carefully while she eats. There is a tension in the air and it is clear that they want to ask her what is on everyone's mind but keep to themselves for worry of how she will react, or if there is some rule against asking her about her background.

"Cabbage stew today," Gunther grumbles, taking over the silence that befalls the table. "I hate cabbage stew," he says pushing the cooked green strands around. "Were you able to get any of that hare stew?" he cocks his head to the side to look at Willow.

She swallows hard, not expecting him to speak to her. "Yes," she releases gently. "It was very delicious," she says pulling her curly blonde hair behind her ear.

Another hush falls over the table as they all watch Willow with skeptical eyes. Seeing her this close, she is tiny and insecure. The Cadets watch her movements with intent, expecting her to be strong and boast about her accomplishments against the Titans, but instead carries her head low and buries her eyes downward in her food. It is clear the group is disappointed by her in the least, and Willow can feel their displeasure in who she is, making her feel more self-conscious and outcasted.

"I hear they are moving you into the communal barracks with Petra and myself," Kira states with a small smile on her face.

"Oh yeah, we will be roommates together!" Petra says with shining amber eyes. "We can show you around your room and help you unpack if you would like?"

"That sounds great," Willow says with a small smile on her lips, feeling more comfortable with the group as they bring up more conversation. Willow thinks about boarding with the two girls, and wonders what their dynamic is like and how she will fit into their fold.

"So, I hear we are going on our first mission tomorrow," Gunther states moving the conversation to one that Willow dreads.

"Malik Squad is going to run point on the reconnaissance," Eld confirms, knowing more of the plan than the Cadets, but still in the dark with the granular details. "Derrek will provide backup and Levi and Hange are to watch over the rest of the non-elites."

"What is the goal of the mission?" Petra asks leaning in with entrancement.

"Umm," Eld hesitates as his eyes flash onto Willow who focuses on eating her food and not the conversation before her.

"They are going to test out the Titan Killer's abilities," Oruo states what Eld hesitates, watching the girl for a response.

Everyone's eyes flash to her, waiting for her to say something inspirational, or ominous, but instead she simply pushes her food around in the bowl, losing her appetite quickly. Her silence leaves them all to wonder what she is thinking. But deeply she is scared. She thinks about the last night she spent with Levi and Hange and the look on their faces when they told her that she was not ready. She understood the look on their faces; they were worried about her, and they were not comfortable with signing off on her training. She was still regularly falling and failing to hit her targets with her ODM gear. She was not nearly as ready as they comfortably needed her to be.

Willow thinks back at their faces as they convey concern at her progression. She asked them in that moment if they would stand behind their assessment of her, and they assured her that they would get her more time with Erwin.

She wonders what happened to that conversation that the mission is still scheduled for tomorrow, and why Erwin did not trust his Lieutenants to accurately report on her progress. With the knowledge that Willow is not as competent with ODM gear as either Hange or Levi would like, Willow cannot help but question how this mission will play out.

"Whatever it is, you're going to do great!" Kira's optimistic tone rings out as she lifts Willow from her foreboding thoughts. Willow looks over at the brunette who smiles at her. Kira has long dull brown hair, with matching dull eyes. Her brows are thick, and her nose is large, resembling a bird's beak, that gives her a distinct look. She has heart shaped lips with a deep philtrum ridge. She is both beautiful and plain in her features with each of them being unique but coming together to provide a simple look to her.

"I can't wait to see you take down those Titan bastards," Gunther affirms, bringing Willow back to the conversation.

Willow finds herself smiling at the collective support from the others as she feels more comfortable with them, knowing that they are eager to let her into the Scouts, rather than questioning her worth before them.

Her eyes flash over to a group of people she notices have their eyes fixated on her. She watches as a black-haired man looks her up and down with a prominent scowl painted in his expression. She scans his features to see that he is a very attractive man. His shoulders are large, and he is heavily built with muscle. His skin is pale, and contrasts against his black hair and thick angular brows. His eyes are icy blue and are accentuated by his thick black lashes. Thin strands of black hair fall in front of his eyes, shading him to appear more sinister. His face is sharp with a strong jawline, giving him a conventionally handsome look to him, like that of Commander Erwin and Captain Malik.

She presses her brows together at his harsh glance, wondering why he looks at her with intense eyes. The group notices her facial expression change, following her eyes to see what has captivated her attention.

"That's Hal*," Oruo tells her. "He's the Squad Leader of Malik Squad," he informs Willow. "Looks like he is not too happy you're the reason he's rushing into war with the Titans."

Just as he says this, Hal and the two other Elite Soldiers from Malik Squad stand and approach the table of Cadets. "So…" he begins with a chilling tone of voice, positioning himself above Willow to show his height over her. "It's finally time for us all to see the great Titan Killer in action," he says with a deep condescending tone that makes Willow feel an uncomfortable shiver roll down her spine. "I can't wait to see just how invaluable you will be to the Scouts," he sneers while the others laugh at his remarks.

"I am so glad I have you to protect us from those big bad Titans," another Elite, Laura* states. Willow's eyes glance over at Laura who is tall and muscular. Her brown hair is thin and flat, falling down just past her shoulders as her ears peak through the thin strands. Her face is plain with no distinct features to it, with thin brows and dull brown eyes, besides the clear strength her body holds, she appears to be completely ordinary.

"Looks like my measly kill of five titans separately doesn't stack up to your 3-in-1 kill," Colin* jests to the girl. The blonde Scout sneers at her, his mousey hair sits atop his head as it curls around his ears. He is shorter than Laura and Hal, with a stockier build. His dull blue eyes shine past his thin eyelashes and his cheeks hold a prominent blush to them as freckles from the sun paint his face.

"You guys don't have to be so rude," Kira mentions softly, feeling inadequate to them.

"Rude?" Hal speaks out with overexaggerated shock. "I am just expressing my gratitude for having such an invaluable asset to the team," he says with wide eyes, mimicking Erwin's description of her. "Finally, with you on the team, I won't have to watch all my friends die," he says with a more ominous tone that shakes Willow to her core. He scoffs as he sees her retract into herself as he encroaches on her space. He leans in, despite her lifting shoulders shielding herself from his advance, moving his head to her ear as he whispers to her, "Know something, Kid," he says in a hushed tone as she feels his breath brush against her. "I am the Titan Killer around here, and I am not going to let some skinny little bitch change that."

"That's enough, Hal," Eld speaks up, seeing the discomfort he is causing Willow.

Hal's lips tug upwards as a smile creeps up his face, pulling away from Willow and looking down to Eld. "Oh Eld," he begins in a condescending tone. "What is an Elite doing meddling with the new Cadets? You know that you could easily be welcomed into Malik Squad if you gave up your silly devotion to Lieutenant Levi."

"Give it a rest, Hal," Eld says in the same condescending tone. "I'd think you were in love with me with how desperately you want me to join your squad."

Hal releases a humored chuckle, proud of Eld for standing up against him. He concedes with a simple nod and says with a crooked smile that creeps up the side of his face, "See you on the field, Cadet. Try not to piss yourselves when the Titans come out," he laughs as the other join in with him. They turn from the group of Cadets and out to the training yard, leaving them all in silence.

"Don't listen to them," Petra says with a soft tone. "Elites have a way of going about like they are better than everyone else." Eld turns to her and she presses her fingers to her lips. "Well not you of course," she says with a soft smile.

"Hal's not that tough anyway," Oruo mentions. "Been in the Scouts as long as he has and only twenty Titan kills so I hear," he scoffs at the miniscule number in his mind.

"Oruo's got the Elite mentality down, and he's not even an Elite yet!" Petra laughs, hitting the brunette in his back with a playful smack.

Everyone erupts into laughter, and Willow finds herself smiling at the group of people and their varying dynamics, hoping that she will soon become comfortable enough to laugh with them one day.

After hours of watching the Cadets laugh and tease one another, Willow follows Petra and Kira to their room where she will board with them. They show her where she will be sleeping and help her gather her things and set up her space. She remains quiet during the process, smiling to herself at the girls' warm welcome of her.

They settle in for the night and Willow sits on her bed, cross-legged as the girls discuss their day and their annoyance towards some of the other Cadets. Willow listens to their gossip, finding it interesting to hear their opinions of the other Cadets within the Corps.

"I cannot believe Hal today," Petra says with an overexaggerated roll of her eyes. "Who does he think he is coming up to you like that and saying those things?" she says looking at Willow to join in on the conversation.

Willow shrugs her boney shoulders. "I guess he is just worried for his team," she says trying to understand where he is coming from. "They are going to be on the front lines tomorrow."

"Still," Petra says with a sigh. "He can have a little more tact."

"Guys who look that nice don't usually have any tact," Kira says with a giggle.

"Just because he is nice to look at doesn't mean he can speak to people like that," Petra declares with crossed arms.

"Do those same sentiments go for Lieutenant Levi?" Kira says with a cheeky smile.

"What?" Petra calls out in a mortified tone as her amber eyes practically bulge out of her sockets. "I don't know what you're talking about!" she calls out as her face turns unnaturally red.

"Oh, come on!" Kira teases her, "We all see the way you swoon over him!" she says with a triumphant smile that captivates her face. "Maybe that is why Oruo teases you so much. He doesn't like the competition."

Petra groans in embarrassment as she buries her head in the palms of her hands. "It is not like that!" she repeats. "I just respect Lieutenant Levi for his undoubtable talents."

"When you say 'talents'…" Kira lingers with a sinister smile on her face that drives Petra into a deeper embarrassment.

"That is not what I mean!" she calls out with a heightening pitch in tone.

Kira turns to Willow, wanting to embarrass Petra even further. "You've had some time with Lieutenant Levi," she begins to Willow. "What is he like? Do you think he's husband material for Petra?"

Petra tosses a pillow at Kira who snatches it with a cheeky grin on her face. Willow looks over at Petra who despite the playful comments, is interested in knowing the answer to the question. Willow looks down and thinks for a moment on how to respond to the inquiry of Lieutenant Levi's personality.

"Well…" Willow releases thinking about Levi and her week with him. "He isn't the best at inspiring people…" she lingers on the thought, thinking about his many offhanded comments. "But he does seem to actually care," Willow says with a shrug of her shoulders.

"There you go, Petra. He's like Hal, but not as big of an ass," Kira declares.

"Please stop," Petra groans as she buries her face in a pillow she places on her lap.

"What about you, Willow?" Kira turns towards the blonde. "Anyone catch your attention while here?" she asks with hungry eyes.

Willow swallows hard, not having had a moment to even think about something like that. "No, not really," Willow releases honestly.

Kira frowns prominently at the answer, wanting to tease her as she did Petra.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Petra says springing to her feet and opening the wardrobe in the room. "I saw that your uniform was a bit big on you, so I raided the supply room and found some that might fit better," she says with a soft smile, handing her a stack of clothes.

Willow smiles at her with enlarged eyes at her compassion. She has always had trouble finding clothes that fit her with her small figure, and when given the outfit by Commander Erwin, she found the baggy clothing to be uncomfortable to move in, especially when strapping the ODM gear on.

"You can choose any color of top you would like," Petra continues with kind eyes. She shuffles through the various shades of tops she brought from the supply room. Kira lifts herself from her bed and looks at the options herself. Willow looks down to see Petra wears a white button-down shirt like most of the Cadets in the Corps, while Kira wears a flat yellow color similar to Hange's button-down.

"What do you think?" Willow asks looking for guidance from the redhead.

"Hum," Petra says looking down at the options with intent, bringing her fingers to her lips. She glances over at Willow, then back at the options before her. "I think this is perfect," she says grabbing the light blue button down and holding it up to Willow's small frame. "It brings out your eyes," she says with a warm smile that captivates her face.

"Oh, that is perfect!" Kira beams behind Petra as she looks onto Willow. "Try it on!" she exclaims in excitement.

Willow smiles and puts on the new clothes that Petra lays out on the bed. She slips on the new pants that fit her better. Though they are still loose around her small legs, they are not bunching or falling off her hips. She buttons up the blue top and straps on the brown belts around her thighs, hips, and chest. She slips on the brown jacket and takes in a deep breath. Petra turns around to hand her the green cloak with the Wings of Freedom on the back of it. Willow takes the cape with shaking hands, unfolding it and swinging it onto her shoulders.

Petra smiles as her amber eyes shine with delight. "Now you look like a Scout," she beams and for the first time since she arrived, Willow feels welcomed.

Hours later, Willow tosses and turns in her bed as her mind wanders aimlessly worried about the mission that is before her. She thinks about the Titans and how she will react when she sees one again for the first time since she saw them feasting on her family. She feels her heart racing at an uncomfortable pace that makes her feel sick. She counts down the seconds until the sun rises and she will be on the field in front of death. She contemplates if she will be able to perform with the ODM gear, or if she will put everyone around her at risk.

She groans at the idea that everyone's life depends on her. All she wants to do is kill Titans, she doesn't want to be responsible for an entire squad of people's lives.

Aimlessly concerned with all these thoughts in her mind, Willow decides that there is no point in trying to fall asleep, and her best course of action is to go out and practice with her ODM gear one last time. She pulls herself into a seated position to see that both Petra and Kira are sleeping deeply, neither disturbed by her stirring.

She quietly lifts herself from her bed and gets dressed, conscious of every sound she is making so not to wake the girls. She sneaks out of the barracks without anyone's notice and makes her way to the stables to take a horse and head for the woods where she trained with the childish wooden cutouts of Titans.

It is a short ride to the training area, and when she arrives, she looks up at the smiling piece of wood that stand still before her, mocking her with its ominous smile. She thinks about the Titans when they came to her home that fateful day within the confines of Wall Maria. When word of Shiganshina's fall came to the Garrison guards within Wall Maria, no one seemed to take it as seriously as the people just a wall away from them. They were directly facing the Titan threat, but there was a 50-meter wall between the Titans and them, there was no way the Titans could ever reach them.

Tears stream down Willow's eyes as she thinks about the events of the day. Remembering the deafening crash of the Armored Titan bursting through the wall as though he was tearing through paper. She remembered looking up at the Armored Titan as he pushed through the wall.

Willow opens her eyes and looks at the wooden carving before her. A hot rage builds in her as she thinks about that day. She presses down on the right trigger, propelling her to the wooden statue. She holds the left trigger, expertly stopping her on the nape of the statue's neck. Without hesitation, she drives her sword into its neck. She lets out a woeful cry as she stabs the statue the same way she did the Titan who was clawing at her sister and niece.

Willow shuts her eyes tightly as tears strewn down her cheeks as the images of Titans destroying her home crash into her skull. She sees them tearing the roof off of their home where they foolishly believed they would be safe from the Titan threat. She remembers running, but when her sister and niece did not follow her, she turned back to see they were trapped behind fallen beams like a prison. She watched helplessly as the Titan reached out its hand, clawing desperately to get to them, but unable to reach from the awkward angle they were placed in. Nevertheless, the Titan persisted in its attack of her family.

Willow remembers the kitchen knife glowing in the light of the sun, blinding her vision as she watched her sister cry out helplessly. She remembered how strange the knife felt in her hands, suddenly changing from the common item she held every day, to the tiniest bit of survival.

Willow pulls out her sword from the Titan and stabs it again with a loud sob that comes off more as a grunt. She remembers how much her arms ached from stabbing the Titan relentlessly in the nape of the neck, remembering the Garrison guards speak of their weak spots on one of her trips to the merchants. No matter how hard she tries, she cannot remember how she managed to climb on the Titan's back to their neck, but knew that in that moment, she needed to save her family. No matter the cost.

"Do you not remember what Hange told you?" The voice startles Willow out of her memories. Her eyes shoot open and she looks down on the ground to see a curious Lieutenant Levi looking up at her. She frantically wipes the tears from her eyes, but knows it's futile since the Lieutenant has already seen her crying.

"Lieutenant Levi," she states trying to clear her voice to become strong. "I am sorry, I didn't see you there."

"Or heard me," he says, "I was calling out to you."

"I am sorry, Sir," she says pulling her sword out of the foam insert in the nape. She lifts herself up and propels herself next to him. She hits the break too late and lands heavily on her feet, stumbling a few steps behind him.

"Something on your mind, Cadet?" he asks looking back at her over his shoulder.

She releases a heavy sigh, "How did you find me out here?"

"I was patrolling the yards. I saw you in the stables with your ODM gear. Figured there weren't too many places you might go with tomorrow on your mind," he says simply still looking at her over his shoulder.

She turns towards him and he does the same, now facing one another. "I thought you said I wasn't ready."

"You're not," he says almost harshly, but keeps his tone as neutral as possible.

"Then why are we going on the mission?" she asks with pressed brows, wanting nothing more than another week for assessment.

"It's not my call, Cadet," he tells her simply. "The Commander has made the order. We are here to see it through."

"You've never questioned the Commander's orders?" she asks him and his eyes rise a bit, only to quickly move back to their characteristic lidded uninterested position.

"I challenge the Commander's judgement when needed to feel content with myself that I spoke my peace, but in the end, I trust the Commander to make the best decision."

"But you don't think this is the best decision, do you?" she challenges, knowing the answer as well as he does.

"That doesn't matter," he says not admitting his true feelings on the matter, "The Commander has given his orders. We are here to see them through. And I will do that to the bitter end." He watches as the expression in her face turns to a more dismayed one. She is scared and she is not a soldier or a savior. She is a frightened girl, that killed a few Titans in the heat of terror, and now she is expected to do it again, against her better desire. "I understand your hesitation, Cadet. But I will be there," Levi tells her. "I will be right next to you," he says, and she looks down, holding onto the blades of her ODM gear tightly. "I will not let anything happen to you," he tells her, knowing that is not a promise he can keep, but keeping that information from her.

"Thank you, Sir," she says as her tears return.