"I told Dad I don't want to go further inside the Walls!" Ten year old Eren pouted. "Now we have to be where all the lords who won't let us go outside of the Walls are. It's not fair!"

That day, Grisha was alerted to tend to one of the ruling lord's ill daughters in Wall Sina. His expertise was trusted thanks to his miraculous treatment of his village from an awful plague before Eren was born. He was already well-acquainted with the ruling class and often provided medical advice to them, ranging from treatments for influenza to helping pregnant women give birth safely.

He almost never brought Eren to any appointments outside of the ones he sometimes let him observe in Shiganshina, saying that the lords would have no interest in watching an unruly little boy like him. But that week, Carla had received word that her sister was about to have a child in a village far away, and Armin and his family had to help in the fields with the upcoming harvest, so there was nobody to watch Eren and Mikasa. Ever since Mikasa joined the Jaeger household, she had helped to keep Eren in check whenever he confronted those bullies who picked on him and Armin, so after some convincing from Carla before she departed, Grisha agreed to bring Eren and Mikasa along to find things to do.

"Come on, Eren. There's lots of fields out here we can walk in. It's just like my old house in the woods," Mikasa responded, but she was more focused on an orange butterfly on some milkweed.

It had been several months since Mikasa and Eren saved each other in the cabin from those monstrous sex traffickers. It was taking her some time to adjust to and trust strangers in her new village, especially older men, but surprisingly she had a much more difficult time socializing with other children. A whole life of isolation in a cabin with her parents made her more mature in some ways but outcast in others.

"I don't want to think about your house. Those animals-" Eren broke a stick with his bare hands that he had been using to draw on the dirt road. "They would have just taken you to the Underground City full of yucky criminals and sick people. I'd take you outside the Walls so you wouldn't have to be in any of these places."

Mikasa tugged at her scarf, remembering the bloodsoaked bodies of her captors splayed before her. "You make me feel safe, Eren. Wherever we go, I'll feel that way. But what about your mom and dad? They love me just like they love you. Isn't it nice that we have a house together? I wouldn't want to leave again so soon after… my parents." Her voice trailed off quietly. She kneeled before the flowers and watched the butterfly take off.

"Then I'll take them with us too. And Armin. And we can see all the things in Armin's book together with no lords or military police to tell us we can't. And the Titans… I'll wipe them out too." He threw the broken halves of the stick into a weed patch.

"How will you do that?"

"I'll… I'll…" Eren groaned. "I don't know. But I'll find a way. I don't want to live here forever." He grabbed Mikasa's pale hand and helped her up. "Come on, let's look around." And the two, holding hands with Eren leading, made their way down a long gravel road toward a clear blue horizon.

A few local fieldworkers taking a break from the harvest took notice of the outsider children. "Hey, are you kids from around here?"

"No, but my dad is a doctor visiting here. He's making one of the lords' daughters better. He always makes his patients better," Eren boasted.

"Oh? Your accent sounds like one from the outer Walls. Must be a pretty good doctor like Dr. Jaeger.

"That's because he is!" The fieldworker looked surprised.

"And where are you from, little girl? You sure look like you aren't from here." A tanned man eyed Mikasa. She gulped. So many people had taken notice of her unusual complexion since she moved to Shiganshina. Eren's grasp on her hand tightened.

"Hey, what are you saying? Is something wrong with her?" He snarled.

"Easy kid, it was just a question," the worker displayed his hands.

"I'm from… Shiganshina too. It's my home now," Mikasa replied. "My mom and dad were from two different clans called the Ackerman clan and the Asian clan and lived in some mountains in the outer Walls, but they're dead, and I have Eren now."

The man scoffed. "Quite a story there, little girl. Just don't get yourself in trouble with it. Even I heard stories about the government persecuting those bloodlines growing up. Must have really pissed somebody off. They may not want you here." Mikasa backed down.

Eren growled. "That's enough! She didn't do anything to anyone! She was born just the way she is and doesn't need you to make her feel bad!" Mikasa's heart swelled as Eren helped her move again. The fieldworkers were muttering something under their breaths, but she didn't care to listen to them anymore. No matter how many times it happened, it still hurt.

Eren huffed and puffed as they continued their journey. He probably would have tried to beat up that man if Mikasa hadn't been there to restrain him.

"And when we go outside the Walls one day, I'm going to make a fence around our house to make sure no mean men get in, and…."

As he rambled on, they arrived near a country farm property with a lane to the house that was surrounded by a large wooden fence. There was some commotion coming from the outside of the fence toward the back. Some kids were standing there shouting and throwing something. Eren's eyes lit up.

"Hey, what are those kids doing? We should go see if they want to play. Come on!" He let go of Mikasa and ran ahead.

"Eren, wait! Can't you hear them?" Mikasa took off after him. Nobody else could ever sense what she did beforehand, and what was happening now was not good. This already happened enough back at home with Armin almost every day. It looked like cruelty existed even in the beautiful lands the lords lived on.

Eren got there first, but his excitement quickly disappeared as he realized that this group of children, some boys, were jeering as they picked up some stones from the ground and threw them across the fence at a small figure cowering behind a bale of hay who was sobbing softly and covering their ears. The figure was blonde and looked like Armin… but it was a girl. And by her side was a picture book.

Shiganshina. The inner walls. The Underground City. They were all just the same. Too many animals keeping people in pens, treating them like cattle. Worse than cattle.

"Leave her alone, you jerks!" Eren screamed. He charged at them head first. The boys, confused, clenched their fists. "You think you're so big and scary you can throw stones at people!" He threw a punch at one of them and knocked him to the ground. He started to wail. His nose bled. The smaller boys backed away, but one of the bigger ones grabbed Eren's collar.

"Who are you coming to run in here? Huh? You don't even look like you're from here! And now you made my little brother cry!" The boys reconvened and circled around Eren and the tall boy. The nosebleeder stood up and wiped away the blood in anger. Eren grunted, his face dirtied. His bright green eyes glowed with determination. He clenched his fists. They were getting ready for a fist fight.

That is, until Mikasa, with all her might, using the same strength that never departed from her since that day months ago, swung an abandoned pitchfork at the tall boy, striking him in the head. He gasped and dropped to his knees in shock.

"Leave Eren and that girl alone!" She pointed the pitchfork at the boys as they gaped in horror. "Do you want us to keep fighting? I'm stronger than any of you!"

"That's right! She is! She's killed grown men before!" Eren shouted, but his face twisted. He kicked up some dust and struck one of the boys in the eyes with it, causing a shrill yelp. Then he was pushed. Mikasa did not hesitate to jab at the taller boy. He tried to grab it, but she was too fast. He fell on his butt and reached for a stone that never made its way into his hands because Eren stepped on his hand. Now there were some tears falling down the tall boy's face.

"Let's get out of here! I don't want her to kill us!" One of the smaller boys cried, making a retreat with his friends. The tall boy didn't even look back as he made a run with his pack.

Mikasa and Eren stood for a moment. Both of their faces and clothes were dirty, and Eren had a few cuts on his hands.

"Are you okay, Eren?" Mikasa held his palm up. "We'll have to get your dad to clean those."

"I'm just fine, Mikasa. I would have been okay." He crossed his arms. "It was just some mean bullies this time. I've fought those even without you before."

"There were so many of them this time, Eren. And they had stones. What if-"

"Pl-please. Don't hurt me," a high, tiny voice piped up. "I'll be a good girl. I'll go away. Don't throw any more stones at me."

Eren and Mikasa turned around. It came from behind the hay bale across the fence followed by some sniffles. The blonde girl was peering from behind her hiding place. Mikasa climbed over the fence first, followed by Eren.

"Hello? Are you okay? They're gone now." Mikasa kneeled at the bale to see the blonde girl eye-to-eye. The girl screeched, trembling.

"Don't hurt me! They lied last week. They said they'd stop but they didn't! You're probably going to do the same thing they do!" She huddled up. The poor girl's blue eyes were filled to the brim with tears and puffy. Mikasa put a hand on her shoulder.

"We're not lying. It's over. Eren, show her your hands."

He showed his bloodied hands to the sobbing girl. "Those animals are gone now."

She sniffed. "You're a boy. All other boys throw rocks at me." She looked at Mikasa. "And you're a girl? I've never seen another girl before." She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. Mikasa sat next to her, and Eren sat next to Mikasa.

"You've never seen another girl?" Eren asked. "How? Do you stay here all day?"

The girl was puzzled. "Y-yes. I was born here on this farm. I've never left it." Her eyes widened. "Wait, you crossed the fence?! Won't anybody be mad?"

"That's so stupid! Who's making you stay here?"

Mikasa motioned Eren. "Eren, calm down. Hey, I didn't know any other girls until a few months ago either. I just lived with my mom and dad all alone in the forest on a big mountain. And I didn't know any boys either, but Eren doesn't throw stones at me or any girls. He hates mean boys."

"Promise?"

"I promise." Mikasa held her hand and drew it to her scarf. "See this scarf? Eren gave it to me to make me feel warm and safe." The girl was fascinated by feeling the snuggly material. The tension in her face vanished.

"My name… is Historia. I'm sorry I didn't ask your names. Your name is?"

"Mikasa."

"Mikasa? I've never heard that name before. I've read lots of books about girls with names like Rose, Maria, Sina, and Krista, but not that one."

Eren scowled. "What's wrong with her name?"

"Nothing! Nothing! I'm sorry!" She huddled up again. But Mikasa held her hands again. She did not like it when complete strangers questioned who she was or how she looked, but it looked like Historia would have to be an exception.

"Shh, hey, it's okay. Both of you. Lots of people think I look and talk weird. They think I'm too different from them so they treat me like I'm not even a person. You never even met another girl before today. My mom would tell me stories about girls named Sadako, Esther, Judith, and Tomoe, but never named Historia."

Historia smiled slightly. "You're not mad at me? My grandparents would just tell me to sit in a corner or do my chores and not talk for being rude. I have to be a good girl. If I leave the farm, they won't be happy."

Eren was only half-listening as he looked over the fence. This was just like his favorite spot to read his book with Armin but even smaller. And more farm animals. There were no Titans outside the fences, but those bullies sure acted like them, so big and scary and stupid. And her grandparents… they were like the government. Another person just like him trapped, penned up.

"Why don't you follow us, Historia? You can cross the fence with us, and we can go explore the fields together. We won't be mad at you."

"But what about… my chores?" She asked apprehensively. "I have to get those done."

"Then we'll help you get them done, right Mikasa?"

She nodded. "We can help. We do all kinds of chores for Dr. and Mrs. Jaeger. But shouldn't we make sure her grandparents know where we'll be?"

Historia hung her head. "They won't like you being here since you don't live here because they don't want many people to know about me. They allow very few people to visit because they want to keep me a secret."

"But they let the bullies throw stones at you?" Eren interjected.

Historia's eyes filled with tears. "My mom… she wished I had never been born. I don't know what's wrong with me. They- they only use me to do work on the farm and nothing else. They just told me to stay away from the fence if the boys bother me. M-maybe if I'm good, they said I could join the Church where they'll take care of me and I work, but I can't stay here forever. I don't know where I'll go. Nobody loves me." She sobbed.

Mikasa held Historia close and hugged her, using her own sleeve to wipe her tears. Eren crouched over, patting her shoulder.

"My mom would never say that to me," Eren declared. "She already thinks I'm good enough for being her boy." He grimaced slightly. Well, he still wanted to do better with Mikasa around now, but Historia didn't need to hear that. Or Mikasa. "You should come home with us."

"I don't think we can do that, Eren. Historia, where are your grandparents?"

"I-I think they're in the fields to the north of here. They're probably too far away now to find them. There are some servants here, but they'll just tell my grandparents you were here if they catch you." She groaned. "What should we do?"

Mikasa thought for a moment. "Well, what chores do you need to do?"

"Hmm… I cleaned the chicken coop, I milked the cows, I brushed the horses… I need to pick up some sticks by that tree." She pointed to a tall tree with changing leaves.

Eren almost laughed. "That'll be easy. Mikasa and I get firewood for my mom and dad all the time. What's a few sticks?" That was true, but Mikasa was always better and stronger. "I'll go pick them up for you since I'm really fast. And Mikasa can help you cross over the fence. I'll come in a minute."

He trotted over to the tree and began to pick up sticks, fitting as many as he could in a bundle in one hand. The girls stood up together.

"Maybe not all boys are mean after all," remarked Historia. "But should I really cross the fence?"

Mikasa smiled. "We should listen to the rules, but sometimes rules are bad when they hurt other people. Dr. Jaeger told me a rule about the Underground City where the people there have to pay a lot of money to go above. Even when they're really sick or really hungry. People have to risk a lot just to live."

Historia blinked. "But why are there rules to make people do good if it is bad for them?"

Mikasa shrugged. "I don't know. It's all very confusing." She tightened her scarf. "We'll help you today. We don't have another bed at the Jaeger's house for you, but maybe you can come visit someday."

"Do you live in the city? That's where my mom lives now."

"No, we live in a village. It's not as big as a city, but it's very big to me. After I lived in the forest, living where there were lots of people scared me at first, and there are some mean bullies who live there too." Historia gulped. "But there's a lot of nice things there too."

"Do you have bakeries and shoemakers and tailors there? I've read lots of stories about villages. I've wanted to see them for a long time." She leaned over and picked up the book she had been reading earlier.

"Oh yes. And there's more. We have a ferry that runs on the river we took to get here today. You could probably ride it to visit us." Historia's eyes glimmered.

Eren ran back over with too many sticks for him to carry. "I got them! See, Mikasa? That was really fast! Why did you wait for me?"

"We still need to be careful, so if we go together we'll be safe. Historia, are you ready?"

Historia nodded. "I- I think so. I want to see a village some day." She tucked her book under her arm tightly.

Eren was the first to climb over. It took him a few steps and a jump. "See? I made it. Your turn!"

Historia tensed up. Mikasa offered her hand, and she accepted. She lifted the blonde girl up and let her climb. Once she was at the top, Eren offered his hand and helped her down. Mikasa followed after.

Historia stood in awe. "I'm… I'm outside the fence."

"We knew you could do it!" Eren praised. "Now let's go! What should we do?"

"I don't want to go too far. What about the bales in the field across the road?" Historia pointed a finger at some neatly made bales. "I can bring my book."

"You want to read? But you just crossed the fence for the first time. Don't you want to see if there are any frogs or bugs?" Historia cringed.

Mikasa interjected. "I think we should do what makes Historia comfortable. I was scared to step away from your parents' house the first two weeks."

Eren sighed. "I guess you're right. We can read your book. Is it like Armin's book?"

The three children soon found themselves huddled together, paging through Historia's favorite book about a girl named Krista who made friends with a monster who lived in the forest. The monster scared almost everyone except her because her heart was too full of kindness, which made the monster nice. But the village people soon found out and tried to chase her away and kill the monster whom a brave knight almost killed. It was only Krista's kindness that saved him from dying. And as a reward, they became the king and queen of the forest and all the animals that lived in it.

"Wow, Krista was really brave to stand up for the monster. I would have fought that knight if he tried to hurt him," Eren said.

"She was proud of what she did," Mikasa commented. "If she had stayed in her village, the poor monster would have died alone and afraid. He was her family."

"That's why I want to be just like her," Historia declared. As the afternoon went by, there was a new glow of determination in her eyes. Eren and Mikasa would not have recognized her as the same cowering girl from earlier. "When I leave the farm one day, I will help anybody I can even if my grandparents don't like it."

Suddenly, some dead plants in the field rustled. There was no wind that day. It was somebody's footsteps. The three children flinched.

"Oh no!" Historia panicked in a hushed voice. "We lost track of time!"

"Historia!" a male voice called.

"That's our servant!"

"Are they getting closer?" Eren asked Mikasa.

"I think so… I didn't hear them this time. I was too comfortable and safe."

"We can't fight him! We'll get in trouble!"

"Eren? Mikasa?" another voice called out. Eren and Mikasa looked at each other. Before either could act, a man with shoulder length hair came around to face them. The servant followed, looking frantic.

"Dad?"

"Eren, Mikasa? What are you doing out here?"

…

Dr. Jaeger's appointment with the lord's ill daughter had ended earlier than expected. He began to look for his children and asked for help from the locals. The fieldworkers from earlier alerted him to them and pointed him in their direction. Along the way, he was passing by Historia's residence when several servants asked him in a panic if he had seen a blonde child. Their search effort began together. At the same time, some adults from the nearby village were walking by to report that their sons were injured from two children fighting them at Historia's house. Now the three children were in Historia's house on a sofa. Historia was sobbing her eyes out while Eren pouted. Mikasa sat in the middle trying to calm them down.

"It's not fair, Dad! Those other kids were being mean to her! She needed us to protect her." Eren cried.

"I know. But you should have told somebody what happened. You cannot just go running into a situation headfirst. What if Mikasa hadn't been there?"

"I already told her I'd be fine! And we made Historia feel better, didn't we, Mikasa? She's never been allowed to leave the farm!" Historia meekly nodded.

Mikasa started, eying Historia's grandparents in the corner. They were frowning. "Dr. Jaeger… we didn't want to upset her family-"

"They don't even care about her, Dad! That's a lie. They just make her do work all day and let bullies throw stones at her."

Historia's grandparents gasped. "Historia! What kind of nonsense were you telling these two Shiganshina kids? You're supposed to stay in the fence to keep safe." Her grandmother scolded.

"I-I didn't! I'm sorry! I was just upset that those boys were mean to me!" Historia huddled on the sofa in Mikasa's arms.

Grisha sighed. He turned to talk to Historia's grandparents, profusely apologizing for their actions that day. The children slumped over.

"Historia, I'm sorry we got you in trouble," Mikasa apologized. "I know you'll get to leave this farm one day without upsetting your grandparents. Just don't let them make you think you don't belong." Mikasa felt the end of her scarf and started to rip a tiny wedge off.

"Mikasa…" Eren said in shock.

Mikasa handed it to Historia. "You'll be able to visit our village and see what's in your books. You might be able to find somebody who keeps you safe and warm like Eren does for me. But you can take this piece of my scarf for now."

Historia sniffled. "Th-thank you, Eren and Mikasa. You made me feel safe and happy today. And Mikasa? You have a pretty name. I hope other people will learn to accept you too."

…

Dr. Jaeger was a lot less angry on the carriage ride home that evening. Mikasa and Eren sat quietly, not saying a word as the carriage rocked and hit some bumps.

"Eren, Mikasa, please don't think I am as mad as you think I am. That Historia girl seems to live in a very unstable situation. You would not have known this, but you need to be careful in the future when visiting other places and meeting people."

"Why didn't you do anything about it, Dad?"

Dr. Jaeger's face twisted before he composed himself. "There are people, Eren, who are in high positions of power who will try to take away your freedom if you step out of line. If Historia did not live on a lord's land and in a poverty stricken village instead, there would be less issues reporting this to the guards. If the lord who owned the land found out that I, a doctor with high status, were digging into the wellbeing of a child on his land, that could spell trouble for me and your mother and you and Mikasa."

"That's still not fa-"

"I understand, Dr. Jaeger." Mikasa said sadly. "But will she be okay?"

"I don't know, Mikasa. She's going to have to learn to stand up for herself. Not many children her age are like you and Eren and… Oh." He paused, his eyes transfixed on something that wasn't there, nothing either of the children could see, a distant memory. "When the day comes, she's going to have to make decisions about her family and how she will be on her own."

Eren and Mikasa huddled at the back of the carriage to keep each other warm.

"Mikasa, I don't know if we should get a fence or not for the house I'm going to get you. It can keep mean men and bullies out, but won't you feel trapped like Historia?"

"Oh, Eren. It just has to be the right type of fence and the right people at the house. I'm sure if we're together, we'll feel safe.

…

Historia received several lashings and no dinner that night. The next morning, she was expected to do all her chores within a set time and go right back to her room. Exhausted, she laid on her simple bed and stroked the piece of Mikasa's scarf. It felt so snuggly to the touch.

On her mind were also some faint words. The world is full of pain and suffering, so you should live in a way to be helpful and loved by everyone.

Who had said that to her? Her mind drew a blank. This wasn't quite what Mikasa said. It sounded familiar though. Almost like it was out of her book about Krista and the monster. She peered out the tiny window in her room where sunlight reached her. Many kilometers ahead was a sea of autumn painted fields she would not be able to go to for a long time.

She wondered if she would go to Shiganshina to visit Eren and Mikasa. But she also wanted to see a forest like the one Mikasa lived in. There were probably some gross bugs and snakes that lived there, but there was probably a monster there who needed a friend who loved them and cared for them.

Maybe the monster would love to learn about Krista.