Hey guys!
I'm rewriting this story to try and regain my muse for this fanficiton, I've fallen behind on the anime series. I rewrote The Forgotten Wife and I've been playing the Attack On Titan games on the PS4, my writing muse is coming back slowly over time. I would like to get back into the AOT, it's coming to an end soon which is sad.
-I once was TheHeartlessNukia account
-Thank you for the Reviews, favorites, Alerts and to the unknown people who read my story too.
-I'm going to be changing the writing style of my fanfiction, it may take some time though since I have many chapters to change.
-My laptop's charged decided to die, so it will be slow updates until I can replace it - I'm sorry if there's any mistakes in my fanfictions!
-Please don't demand chapter updates!
Stay safe guys and enjoy!
Chapter 34!
Inside The Walls.
They rode on until the Walls of their home were in their sights, it looked beautiful in the light of the day. Ruins of buildings and broken cobbled streets greeted them, it was always heartbreaking seeing the fallen districts on their return. It was getting harder to remember what they were like when they were inhabited by people, it was hard to imagine children running through the streets and the old market selling it's wares. But now Titans roamed the streets, danger lurked in every part of their once home.
The mood of the scouts was somber, it had been a tough expedition. The giant doors of the Colonist District were opened for them and they rode through it's gateway, they could already hear the voices of the citizens. They were lining the street to greet them, they were already showing disappointment because of the scouts early return.
Lorna's gaze wandered over the crowds of people lining the streets, angry expressions and excited children cheering for the returning scouts. If only they knew what had happened beyond the wall, they may have been more sympathetic towards them.
" There's bunch of them missing compared to this morning?!" A man yelled.
" Just this morning they left to raise hell, but now they're back already?" Yelled someone else. " What was the point?!"
Lorna listened to each and every comment that was thrown at the Scouts while they rode passed the crowd of people, there was so much hate and sorrow. Lorna kept her gaze down this time, she didn't even want to make eye contact with them. There were women and men wanting answers, some were just looking for family members amongst the scouts.
Lorna's attention was drawn to a man who had hurried passed her horse, he was heading straight towards Levi with a letter in his hand. He spoke to Levi while he walked with him, she could hear excitement in man's voice as he spoke about his Daughter to him. She managed to catch the name of his Daughter, it was Petra. The man must have been Petra's Father, she felt pity for him. He had no idea that his Daughter had been killed in action, there would be no body for him to bury.
" Commander Erwin! Answer us!" A man yelled.
" Did your expedition learn anything worthwhile to can justify the body count?!" A woman yelled this time. " Do you really believe the dead leave no regrets?!"
Most of the hate was targeted at Commander Erwin, they wanted answers to their questions. They wouldn't be getting any answers even if it meant shouting at him, it was useless. The failure of the expedition was a disappointment to all the scouts, but the worse was yet to come. Eren would be handed over to the Government, this did not bode well.
The voices of people soon faded away and the streets before the scouts became silent, they rode forward until they reached their camp. The injured were taken from the wagons and the horses were tended to in a nearby stable, everyone had duties to fulfill before they could retired for the night. Lorna dismounted her horse and allowed someone to take his reins, she then followed after Erwin in case her serves were needed.
" Commander Erwin!" Lorna said, she quickened her footsteps. " Shall I take my journal to your office?"
" Not right now, my presence is needed elsewhere." Erwin replied. " You are fully aware that our expedition was unsuccessful, the Female Titan is amongst our scouts still. This changes everything, an investigation will be required straight away with the aid of the Military Police."
" Sir, are you serious?!" Lorna asked.
" I sense doubt in your voice." Erwin replied.
" You do know what the other regiments think of the Military Police's methods, they're not highly thought of by the scouts!" Lorna sighed. " Can you really trust them? What if they double cross you?"
" Sometimes I think you forget your place, but maybe I should be grateful that you have concerns for the welfare of your fellow scouts." Erwin replied. " But for now continue with your duties, keep writing in your journey and be aware of your surroundings. There is a wolf amongst the flock, if you hear anything report straight to me."
" I will Sir, should I tell the others to keep their eyes peeled too?" Lorna asked.
Erwin didn't answer Lorna's question, but he must have been joking about trusting The Military Police. The Military Police were corrupted and abused the power they were given, they were work-shy at the best of times. She stopped when Erwin opened a door to a carriage, she hadn't really noticed the carriage when they had ridden into the camp.
" Will my services be needed?" Lorna asked.
" Not right now, head back to camp." Erwin replied.
Lorna gave him a nod and took her journal from her bag, she offered it to him just in case he needed to see what she had written on their expedition. He took the journal from her hand and got into the carriage, there was already a dark haired man with dark eyes sitting inside of the carriage. She had never seen him before, she watched the door to the carriage close and it began to move out of the camp. She had no idea where Erwin was going, but whatever happened from now on would be an unknown.
Night Fall
It was soon night fall, the scouts were gathering around the campfire and speaking quietly amongst themselves. The day had been long, they had lost so many friends and with the failure of the expedition hanging over them the camp's atmosphere wasn't that great.
Lorna planned on retiring early tonight, she didn't feel like sitting and speaking with her fellow comrades after today's events. Entering her dimly lit tent Lorna removed her jacket and hung it on a peg near her bunk, her body felt heavy. Her wash bowl had already been filled with water and a bar of soap was balanced on the bowl's rim, she knew it was probably April. April sometimes readied Lorna's tent for her return, April often visited her when she was not on duty with Jacob.
Lorna tied her hair up and unbutton her shirt before removing it, she then folded it up before placing it on her bunk. She began to clean herself up, washing away the dirt and blood from her skin. The lukewarm water was refreshing, the dirt of day began washed away. Rubbing some soap onto her hands she washed her face, it was rare to feel this clean in these times.
" You took your time." Said a familiar male's voice from the other side of her tent. "What took you so long?"
Nearly knocking the wash bowl off it's stand Lorna grabbed a towel and quickly wiped the soap away from her eyes. Glancing around the tent she finally noticed him sitting on a stool in the dimmest part of the tent, it was Levi. She was unsure why he was here, but she wished he would stop entering her tent without her permission. Especially in the most private of places, if people found out he was hanging around in her tent at this hour there would be idle gossip in the ranks.
" Levi, what are doing here?!" Lorna asked while she covered herself up with her towel. " Hopefully no one saw you enter my tent, you really have to stop doing this! You know how people talk around here, I've been questioned more than once about my connections with you! I've had a hard time fitting in as it is with my position, they think Erwin tells me everything about the expeditions before we ride out!"
" Stop your whining." Levi sighed.
" Anyway, is there something you want?" Lorna asked.
" Not at this moment..." Levi replied.
Lorna turned her back to him and dried her face before she placed the towel next to the wash bowl, she then took her folded up shirt from the bunk. She put it back on and sat down on the bunk whilst she fastening her shirt up, she looked over at him with an unamused expression on her face. Levi's gaze was firmly set on the ground, he looked lost in his own thoughts. She then remembered that he had lost his Squad, maybe that's why he was here.
" I saw you speaking with Petra's Father when we returned from the expedition, it must have been awful breaking the news to him about his Daughter." Lorna said. " Petra was an outstanding scout, I'll miss her and the rest of your Squad. I only spent a short time with them, but they were kind to me and taught me so much. Even Oluo had his moments even if he called me a green horn most of the time, but I think he did that because I accidentally gave him a nose bleed while I was training with him. But I'm sorry for your loss, if you need to talk I'm here."
Levi remained silent, she understood why he didn't want to speak about them. He was one to hide his emotions, it was rare that he ever smiled these days. Lorna still remember how he was in The Underground City, those times were more simple. He may have been a thug and a thief, but he didn't have the weight of the world on his shoulder back then. He had lost Furlan and Isabel in similar circumstances as his Squad, he wasn't with them when the Titans attacked.
" I'm truly sorry about your Squad, Levi." Lorna said once again." I didn't even know until we had left the forest, how did it happen?"
" It was an ambush." Levi replied.
" Are there any leads yet on who was behind it?" Lorna asked. " I only know little, but Erwin said it was someone amongst us. A wolf in our flock, it could be anyone which is rather a disturbing thought. A friend or someone higher up in the ranks than us, anyone of us could have sat with them in the dinner hall."
Levi didn't answer Lorna, his gaze remained on the ground. She looked around her tent and blew her fringe away from her eyes, she didn't like it when he was silent. She glanced over her shoulder when she heard voices coming from outside of her tent, the stool Levi had been sitting on creaked underneath his weight. By the time she had turned her head Levi was already gone.
" Where's he going?" Lorna mumbled.
Lorna heard Levi's voice and other voices outside of the tent, then there were hurried footsteps. She got up from her bunk and headed towards the tent's doorway, something odd was going on. But before she could even make it out of the tent Levi had returned with someone, it was Armin. She couldn't help but smile at him, she was glad to see him safe and well.
" Armin? What are you doing here?" Lorna asked.
" I think the brat as something to ask you." Levi replied, he was being rough with Armin. " Be quick boy, speak!"
" What is it?" Lorna asked.
" We need your help!" Armin replied, he sounded upset. " They plan to kill Eren!"
" They?!" Lorna asked.
" Quieten yourselves down, do you want everyone to hear?!" Levi asked.
Armin shook his head and moved closer towards Lorna, he nearly stumbled over his own two feet. Levi returned to the stool he had been sitting on, his injured leg was killing him. Lorna had noticed Levi's limp before he had sat back down, his leg must still be giving him trouble and knowing him he wouldn't give it time to heal. She turned her full attention back to Armin, she was curious about what he needed to ask her.
" What brings you here Armin?" Lorna asked.
" I'll get straight to the point, this will be dangerous." Armin replied. " An escape plan for Eren, will you help us?"
" An escape plan for Eren?" Lorna asked in a confused tone. " What are you talking about?"
" Has you are fully aware of Eren's situation right now he doesn't have long before he's taken into the custody of the Government." Armin replied." We need to help him, his fate shouldn't be decided by them!"
" You fully know we cannot overrule the decisions made by the Government, surely there would be a trial before any decisions are made about Eren." Lorna said before she crossed her arms. " We can only protest against what they say, but we're mere scouts without any lawful status."
" She's right, you're asking for a miracle." Levi said.
" Please don't say that..." Armin said.
" But I bet Erwin would speak out for him, surely he wouldn't allow any harm to come to Eren since he's been useful on expeditions and helping Hange with her Titan studies." Lorna said. " Surely with all the knowledge gained he his an asset to the scouts, there would be no need to kill him."
" So you would allow this to happen to Eren?!" Armin asked, his speaking tone was full of emotion. " Lorna, why?!"
" You're smart Armin, you know how the system works." Lorna replied.
" Don't you care about Eren?! If you remember not long ago you took care of him, you took care of us after the fall of Wall Maria!" Armin said. " The Shingashina District was destroyed, families were torn a part. You took care of the Tavern's children, you made sure Mikasa and Eren were cared for. You even took me under your wing after my Grandfather was..."
Armin's voice cracked, so much sorrow lingered in his words. Resting her hand on his shoulders she understood what he meant, they had been through so much over the years and she knew how much Eren meant to Armin. Lorna had lost her friends and family too, she still had family left even if it was unknown to most. They all had a lot to lose, that even included their lives.
" I'll help you then, but we cannot do this alone." Lorna said.
" We'll not be alone, plans are already in motion as we speak." Armin said quietly. " Commander Erwin is with us, but I can't say much right now in case anyone is eavesdropping. We need all the help we can get right now, we need to get Eren away from this place!"
" Okay, I'm in" Lorna said.
" Thank you!" Armin cried.
Lorna pulled Armin into a hug while her gaze fell upon Levi, he had remained quiet throughout the whole conversation between her and Armin. Levi must have known about this plan since he was under Erwin's command, he normally knew things before others around here. Smoothing Armin's hair down she allowed him to hug her back, these were stressful times for them all.
" Enough with the crying already, pull yourself together!" Levi tsked.
" Yes Sir!" Armin said.
" Report back to Erwin, then get your whiny arse to bed!" Levi said.
Armin pulled himself away from Lorna and wiped his tears away from his face with his sleeve, she gave him a reassuring smile before he hurried out of her tent. Walking to the tent's doorway she watched Armin disappear into the night, she just hoped that things would go to plan.
Lorna heard the stool creek as Levi got to his feet, he winced and moved his hand to his leg. Turning her full attention toward him she crossed her arms, that injury Levi had gained would mean he wouldn't be allowed to fulfill his duties with the scouts.
" Maybe you should get your whiny arse to bed too." Lorna said with an hint of amusement in her voice. " That injury of yours won't heal if you don't keep your weight off your leg, I bet you'll be off duty for sometime. But then again you cannot keep still, maybe Erwin will give you some paperwork duties if you ask him nicely."
" How about you keep your mouth shut before I rest my foot up your arse!" Levi frowned.
" You shouldn't keep speaking to people like that you know, it's just rude!" Lorna sighed, she moved away from the tent's doorway. " But I'm use to being spoken to in the manner you speak, just go and get some rest."
" Do you want an apology or something?" Levi asked.
" If I said yes would you say sorry?" Lorna asked.
Levi glared at Lorna and she returned his glare with her own, she wasn't going to stand down this time. He tsked at her before he limped towards the doorway of the tent, his hand resting on his side due to the pain his leg was causing him. She watched him leave, he could be stubborn at times.
Closing the door to her tent Lorna walked over to her bunk and sat down on it, the plan to help Eren escape was now set in motion. There was a risk that they would all face judgement in court if they got caught, but getting Eren far away from the Government would be a good start.