The Awakening

by SniperGirl0907

The gods have been gone for too long: cursed to exist as giant voiceless monsters, they have awakened to find humanity at the edge of extinction, & at the mercy of the creatures known as 'titans'. Now, with the help of a young adventurous girl, a brave courageous mother, and their equally intrepid friends and family, they must find a way to save all mankind.

2. Chpt 1: Meet the Neighbors

I don't own Attack on Titan: just my OC's and the plot.

---

The Awakening

Chapter 1: Meet the Neighbors

Shiganshina, late January, 840:

"Is it me or is it not as cold today, as it was last week?"

"It is a bit milder, but then, winter doesn't hang around here as much as it does up in the north: at least, that's what I've been told"

"It is colder up near Isscal, but when you've been living up in the mountains for as long as we have, everything below a thousand feet feels warmer" the young woman smiled in reply.

The winter winds blew over the rooftops and chimney stacks with a cold yet calm nip: not frostbiting, but still, enough to make one rub their hands to keep the numbness at bay; across the city, all of Shiganshina went about its usual business, albeit at a quieter pace. Winter was the hardest time of year, and working hard just to survive the cold was a battle everyone had to fight. But for those who knew how, and were well seasoned at enduring this rough time, they took it in their stride and carried on, no matter what. And today was no different for the two women hanging their laundry out to dry in the frigid air, while bundled up as warmly as possible.

"So uh? You live a few doors up the street from us, right?" the young woman changed the subject, "Only, we're still trying to figure out who lives where and what's the best route to the market place" she sheepishly added.

"That's right, I saw you and your husband roll up in that huge cart last week: It's nice having a new set of faces in the neighborhood" the older woman smiled, "I'm Carla by the way. Carla Jaeger"

"I'm Lisa" the younger woman greeted with a polite nod, "Speaking of the cart, the left-side wheel is starting to loosen a bit: you wouldn't happen to know anywhere in the city we can get that looked at, can you?"

"Actually, you could go and see Gustav about that; he's pretty skilled at fixing most things. He owns the forge next door to the Black Stallion," Carla replied, she was about to speak again, when two familiar faces caught her attention, "Oh hello you two!"

Lisa turned, and saw coming up the street, two rather contrasting-looking women: one was a little old lady with her silvery-gray hair tied up in a huge bun with wispy bangs coming down over her ears, and wearing a rather serious look on her face; while her companion was a large stout woman with a huge mess of fiery red curly hair and bright green eyes, sporting a large hunting knife on her leather belt, and wearing a jacket made from a wolf's pelt. She seemed the friendlier of the two, as she greeted them with a broad smile.

"What's that you're talking about my idiot brother?" the older of the two women demanded sharply, "He hasn't been giving you grief again has he Carla? I know your husband's a doctor but if he's been badgering him for something for his joints again I'll-

"-It's alright Miriam" Carla was quick to assure her, "Gustav's been behaving himself" she chuckled.

"Yeah well, this time of the year's a pain in the ass for him, literally. He always feels the cold in his hip: never leaves that forge unless he needs to" the old woman added in a grouchy tone, before noticing the younger woman. "This the new neighbor?" she gestured to her with a skeptical eye. Lisa wasn't sure what to think, a little put off by Miriam's stern tone, she was afraid to open her mouth for fear of saying the wrong thing; but glancing over at Carla and seeing she was unfazed by the old woman, she quickly got the impression that this was probably a regular thing between them.

"Yes, this is Lisa" Carla smiled: "Lisa, this is Miriam and Freya; Miriam owns the Inn, and Freya's our neighbor; we've been best friends since she first moved here"

"Liar. You only made friends to try and get your hands on my fruit wine recipes" Freya smirked jokingly, "Watch this one: she'll be pilfering your kitchen before you know it"

"It's not my fault you make such good wine" Carla smirked as she finished pegging the last few garments to the washing line. "So what brings you two out here in the cold?"

"Came to check on the ankle-biters, what else?" Miriam shrugged as she rubbed her gloved hands, "Gale, Poppy and Belle are late for lunch"

"Hope they haven't been giving you too much grief: only, Ariana said they'd be going over to your place to play" Freya smiled.

"Uh, no?" Carla smiled in surprise, "Eren said he was going over to the Inn to play with the girls and Armin"

"Well they ain't at the Inn and they ain't at Freya's place, so where did they-

Miriam stopped as she suddenly realized what she was saying: glancing at one another, all three women suddenly came to the same realization, and facepalmed in exasperation.

"I'll go fetch Tyto" Freya grumbled, turning and heading back to her home across the street.

"Uh, sorry, did I miss something?" Lisa sheepishly asked.

"Sorry Lisa" Carla apologized, "Looks like my son and his friends have snuck off...Again"

"Oh, I'm sorry: where could they have gone?"

"Same place they always sneak off to" Miriam grumbled.

---

Meanwhile, out in the forest, alongside Wall Maria:

"Come on Armin! You can do it!" Ariana called out

"I-I-I don't think I can! It's t-too h-high up!" Armin stuttered in fear,

"Oh come on!" Belle rolled her eyes, "It's not that bad, really! We ain't got much further to go anyway!"

Glancing up at the huge wall, Armin swallowed hard; the wall was so vast and tall, it practically filled his entire field of vision; as he clung to the dead tree with everything he had, his friends climbed up alongside him, and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Come on, I'll help you up, we'll do it together" Ariana smiled.

"Yeah, come on, we'll keep you from falling" Eren smiled.

The winter had been hard on the forest this year: many of the giant trees had lost a number of branches, and some had toppled over completely due to the sheer amount of melt water washing away the earth around their roots. This had provided a good supply of readily available fire wood for those living out here, and for a gang of eagerly adventurous children looking for something to do, one dead tree that had fallen against the wall, made an ideal ladder to try and climb up.

"How long do you think it'll take for us to get to the top sis?" Poppy asked as she followed close behind.

"Dunno, but it's a long way up" her older sister Gale replied,

"Gale, Poppy, Belle, help me get Armin up" Ariana huffed as she pried Armin from his grip on the trunk, and pushed him up onto the next brunch above. Gale and Poppy came to her side to keep Armin from falling, while Belle, who was the furthest in front, offered the smaller blond-haired boy a hand up.

"It's a good thing this tree fell against the wall" Eren huffed as he helped Armin find his footing on the next branch up, "What do you think we'll see when we reach the top?"

"Dunno, but I bet it'll be awesome!" Belle grinned wildly as she eagerly climbed up the trunk,

"Do you think we'll see any titans?" Poppy asked nervously.

"Maybe? That's where they all live, right?" Gale shrugged

"But they can't get us, right?" Poppy swallowed hard.

"Mr Bryson says they can't, he said they only get about twenty feet high: and he should know, he used to be part of the Scouts, remember?" Ariana assured her.

"Hey! We're almost there!" Belle pointed to the top-most branch of the tree: the other four youngsters eagerly climbed up, with Armin cautiously bringing up the rear, and as they climbed onto the highest branch, they all stared up at the wall, and sighed and moaned in annoyance. They hadn't reached the top, they weren't even close: there was still so much of the wall left, that the top wasn't visible from this level.

"Aw" Eren whined, "how're we gonna get up now?"

"This sucks!" Belle fumed, "We shoulda bought some rope or somethin', maybe a huge ladder?"

"C-c-can we go d-down now? I really d-d-don't like this!" Armin whimpered,

"He's right" Gale sighed, "There's not much we can do now except-

"-HEY YOU!"

The six youngsters snapped their heads in the direction of the raised voice, and gasped in panic. About a quarter mile away, and running towards them fast, were a couple of the Garrison troops and one of the Wall Cultists: who, even from all the way up in the dead tree, looked to be red in the face with outrage.

"Crap! It's them again!" Poppy gasped

"What're we gonna do?!" Gale panicked

Looking down the huge wide trunk of the tree, and noticing the angle at which it was propped up against the wall, Armin suddenly had an idea, "W-w-well? This is gonna sound crazy, but we could slide down the tree?"

"Sound's good enough for me! Hold on tight!" Belle grinned wildly as she scooted down the trunk, grabbed Armin and Eren by the sleeves of their jackets, plopped down on her butt, and let gravity do its thing.

"No wait! I don't- AAAAAAAAAH!" Armin cried out in a panic as he slid down the trunk, while all Eren could do was hold onto Belle and hope he didn't fall off.

"BELLE! WAIT UP!" Gale and Poppy called out as they jumped down and slid after her, with Ariana following suit.

The slide down was as petrifying as it was fast, as they narrowly avoided crashing into the branches and falling over the sides, all the while screaming in a mix of panic and exhilaration, the six youngsters soon made it to the bottom, jumping over the enormous roots and tumbling to the frozen ground, landing in a pile on top of one another.

"Wow! Good call Armin!" Belle tossed Poppy off her legs and stood up: nonchalantly pulling the still-trembling boy up onto his feet, "That was fun!"

"Yeah but they're still coming!" Gale pointed to the guards and cultist.

"Crap! What now?!" Poppy panicked as she sprung to her feet, pulling a half-dazed Eren up with her,

"We run and hide! Just follow me!" Ariana boldly stated as she ran into the tree line; the others all ran after her, not stopping to look behind as their pursuers quickly closed the distance behind them.

"Hey you lil' brats! Stop!" one of the guards angrily called out.

"The goddesses will have your souls for this sacrilege you heathen spawn!" the cultist added as he kept his eyes on them.

As they chased the children into the forest, the three men could just barely make them out among the thick evergreens: despite the lack of foliage usually abundant in the spring and summer months, there were a lot of smaller low-lying pine trees that made it hard for the tall men to run through: but for the shorter children, it wasn't too much of a challenge as they easily zipped through the labyrinth of pine and dead-fall, and the fact the snow hadn't settled in this area meant there were no footprints to follow. As the ground began to drop down into a hollow, the children disappeared from sight, and as they came to the edge of the steep ground, the men stopped and looked around; but the children were nowhere to be seen.

"Where could they have gone?" one of the guards blinked in confusion.

"Well they didn't just vanish into thin air!" his comrade snapped in frustration, "they had to have gone somewhere!"

Looking around the hollow below, they couldn't see any footprints in the sparse patches of snow, and none of the undergrowth seemed to have been disturbed; this was most peculiar, and as he considered his options, the Pastor passed a sigh of regret, before turning to walk back the way they had came. "Forget them for now: we need to get the foresters out here to have that tree removed"

The guards glanced at each other in bemusement: "Are you sure Pastor? I mean, their just kids, it's not like they can do anything to the wall, it's just a bit of fun as far as their concerned?" one of them pointed out.

The pastor snapped his head round, and glared daggers at the guard as he angrily stomped towards him: "As far as the divine architect is concerned, any desecration to his bulwark is a sin of the highest order! Any who dare to lay a hand upon the goddesses shall be made an example of! The next time you see those little heretics, I want them arrested and brought to the church immediately! They will face the judgement of the lord, and they will know what it means to treat their salvation with such disrespect!" he fumed, and stormed off. The two guards glanced at one another, and rolled their eyes in exasperation as they took off after the pastor.

As their footsteps grew fainter, and the sounds of their voices disappeared beyond the tree line: Ariana cautiously poked her head out from her hiding place within the hollow cavity of a huge fallen tree that lay on the ground, next to the edge of the hollow covered by a thicket of small pine trees, and looked around; listening to the sounds of the forest, before turning back inside and assuring everyone in a hushed voice, "Okay, their gone, it's safe to come out"

One by one the children climbed out and dusted themselves off: "That was way too close" Gale sighed nervously as she buttoned her jacket up, "Yeah, they were standing right next to us this time; we're lucky we had this tree to hide in" Poppy concurred as Belle helped her up.

"How'd you know this tree would be here anyway?" Eren turned to Ariana.

"My dad took me and my brothers up here last month to look for pheasants, it started snowing so we hid in there 'till it stopped" she smiled.

"Wow, you know all the best hiding places in the forest Ariana" Armin thought aloud as he nervously stood up and brushed off the dead leaves that stuck to his jacket and trousers.

"Well, that was a pretty wild idea you had, sliding down the tree to get down quickly" She smiled at him.

Armin sheepishly blushed, "It-, just seemed like the best thing to do, there wasn't any time to climb down, or they'd have caught us" he nervously replied, "But, I don't think I wanna go climbing any more trees today"

"Me too, I'm tired" Poppy huffed,

"Okay" Ariana nodded, before suddenly getting an idea, "Hey, you guys wanna see something cool?" she grinned,

"It doesn't involve climbing a tree does it?" Gale asked worryingly

"Nope, we just need to walk is all" Ariana shook her head.

"Oh okay then"

Taking point, Ariana led the gang further into the forest: following one of the smaller animal trails, and staying along the tops of the hollows and ridges that shaped the forest floor into steeply contrasting inclines and sheltered coves and clearings; they stayed close as the canopy high above blotted out the light, and made the forest's shadows dark and gloomy. All around they could hear the distant echo's of various animals moving through the pines. The scratching of rabbits as they dug for roots among the trees, the haunting scream of a fox, and the twittering of birds as they took shelter in the higher trees.

"It's kinda spooky in here" Armin nervously thought aloud as he stayed close to Eren's side: "Aren't you afraid Ariana?"

"Not really" she shrugged, "Dad's taken me and my brothers up here plenty of times, I know this place real well. And besides, we're almost there"

Another several minutes of walking brought them to a large but sheltered clearing, where a thick blanket of snow had accumulated on the ground: and in the middle of the clearing, spread out in a thirty foot wide circle, were a collection of huge boulders. But these were not like the other boulders they'd seen in the forest: these ones were a slightly different colour, they stood upright like pillars and posts, almost thirty to forty five feet tall, and their surfaces were covered in strange worn markings, the likes of which none of them had seen before.

"Here we are" Ariana smiled, "What'd you think?"

"What is this place?" Eren stared up at the boulders in awe,

"Dad calls it 'the crossroads', it's supposed to be a special place" Ariana explained as she ran a hand along one of the markings, walking around the boulder as she followed the line all the way around. Studying the markings, Armin noticed how they seemed to form strange patterns consisting of long straight lines, spirals, circles and dots: "Why's it special?" he asked curiously,

"Dunno" she shrugged, "But he likes it here: he says it's where the spirits live"

"Huh" Eren replied offhand, not really paying attention, "So, how'd these stone get like that?"

"Duh! Someone put them like that" Belle deadpanned, before walking around the base of one, "But, how'd they do it?"

"Beat's me, but dad says they've been here a really really really long time, like, waaaay before the walls were built kinda-old" Ariana explained.

"Seriously? Come on, nothing's that old" Eren smirked, "Nothing's older than the walls"

"My Dad says there are: he says there are many things that are way older than the walls"

"Like what?" Poppy offered

"Time?" Ariana shrugged

The kids looked at one another in confusion, "Time?" Eren echoed in disbelief, "Your dad comes up with some crazy things Ariana" he laughed.

Rolling her eyes, Ariana waved him off, "Yeah whatever: I just thought you guys would like this place. No one else ever comes here"

"What do think these are for?" Armin thought aloud as he ran his hand over one of the circles and lines.

"Dad says they were carved by the ancient ones: the ones who came before us"

"Us?" Belle echoed

"You know? People?" Ariana looked at her weirdly, "They lived in the time before people, when the world was new and there was only light and darkness, and fire and water. I don't know how long ago that was, but it must have been a pretty long time ago"

"Whatever; you wanna build a snowman?" Gale pointed to the large patch of snow; quickly abandoning the conversation, the others eagerly agreed and in no time at all, the subject was forgotten.

As they went about their task of rolling up the snow into a sizable body and head, Ariana couldn't help but glance up every now and then. This whole area of the forest was silence, except for the delicate clattering of bare branches knocking together in the wind, high in the canopy above: no one and nothing else was here...

So why did she get this feeling that they were being watched?

An unknown length of time passed, and before long the snowman was finished, complete with twigs for arms, pebbles for eyes and a nose, and a smile made from a twisted piece of wood. Looking up at the hole in the canopy, they all noticed how the sky seemed gloomier than before, and how the clouds were dull and grey.

"We should probably start heading back: you know the way back to the road from here, right Ariana?" Gale asked her.

"Yeah," Ariana nodded, "Come on"

"We should definitely come here again" Belle suggested, "If no one else comes here, then we don't have to worry about those nut jobs in the wall cult finding us, right?"

"Yeah I guess?" Ariana replied offhand as she glanced up at the canopy, listening for anything that might suggest the presence of another person; but nothing could be heard. Letting it go, Ariana took point once again, as she led the gang out of the clearing, and back down the trail that led them here.

As the children left, high in the canopy above, something watched them with intense fascination; to the casual observer, it might have appeared as a white flame flickering on the very tip of a twig where a leaf would be. But to someone with a sharper eye, it might have been something else: something, one could only describe as ethereal. The small anomaly flittered off its precarious perch, and let the wind carry it high above the canopy.

As they made their way back to the road, the children's minds wandered to other things, and soon they were talking and laughing over the kinds of things five and six years old's tend to talk about most. None of them knew how long they'd been walking for, but when the road appeared in sight, it was a relief.

"We better get home, I don't wanna get stuck out here in the cold" Armin though aloud,

"Me neither" Gale concurred. They were about to step out of the tree line and onto the grassy verge by the side of the road, when suddenly, Ariana grabbed the back of their jackets and yanked them back into the bushes.

"Hey! What gives?" Gale demanded: Ariana pressed a finger to her lips and shushed her, Belle pointed to somewhere down the road; looking over at where she was pointing; both Armin and Gale were dismayed to see it was the guards and pastor from earlier. They were standing about a hundred and fifty yards down from them, talking with some other guards, and more wall cultists.

"Great, how're we gonna sneak by them?" Eren huffed in annoyance as he pulled his red muffler tighter around his neck.

"We could back-track and go right around them?" Armin suggested.

"Yeah but then-, Ariana stopped as she heard a cart approaching in the opposite direction, and the voices of two men talking grabbed her attention...

---

At that same moment, further up the road:

"I'm telling you West it's going to be great: three bedrooms, a pantry, a wine cellar, and all the furniture thrown in for a quarter of the price! Deals like that don't come every day"

"I'm not faulting your haggling skills. But Pascal, did we really have to move there in the middle of winter?!" the younger gentleman gripped as he stuffed his hands under his arms in an attempt to keep the growing cold from nipping his fingers.

His friend glanced at him with an expression of mock hurt: "Oh come on, it was either this or spend another night at that damn tavern in Trost, and frankly, I'd prefer to sleep without the company of rat under the bed thank you very much. That, and the deal had a strict time limit, either I buy there and then or not at all"

Dropping the subject, West had something else come to mind: "Speaking of deals: I know we've decided to take 'early retirement', but is this side-line business really going to keep us afloat?"

"Hey, 3DMG ain't cheap for the military to make, and there are a lot of people in the interior that are willing to pay an arm and a leg to get their hands on one: trust me, it'll keep food on the table and the horses saddled. There's a guy I know in Shiganshina who's owed me a favor for years, he's got the trade route and customer list set up; all we gotta do is sell the things and give him a cut of the takings"

"And how do we actually get our hands on them?" West raised an eyebrow,

"Oh the guy knows we're retired, he said he'll take care of the 'procurement': don't worry, I got it all laid out" Pascal assured him with a sly smile.

"Yeah well, just as long as we don't have to get involved in anything that demands more than we're willing to sacrifice. We've made it this far: I don't want to have to leave one set of problems behind, just to get mixed up in another set of problems" West replied concernedly, as he pulled out the map in his back pocket, and read it over for the umpteenth time: "...Are we even there yet? How much further do we have to go?"

"Give me that" Pascal snatched the map from out of his hands, and looked it over in confusion: "Ah I can't tell where we are, all the trees look the same to me!"

"You gotta admit though," West smiled as he gazed up at the canopy; "They weren't kidding when they said the trees here grew to be absolute giants"

"Yeah I guess" Pascal shrugged as he pulled the reins, and directed the horse to pull over to the side of the road, coming to a stop on the grassy verge. "Watch the cart a minute, I gotta go take a piss" he added as he jumped down, and headed through the undergrowth to the nearest tree. "Actually, I better go myself" West concurred as he too jumped down, and headed off in the opposite direction across the road.

Having watched the cart stop practically right in front of them, the kids decided to act on their hastily-concocted plan, and quietly snuck out of the bushes, being careful not to alert the men to their presence. They crept around the back of the cart, climbed up onto the body via the back step, and quickly scooted under the loosely tied down tarpaulin, being sure to lie as still as possible.

As Armin tucked himself under the tarpaulin, they suddenly heard the men climb back on, and before he had a chance to panic, Ariana quickly clasped a hand over his mouth to silence him. The driver ordered the horse to walk on, and the cart steadily began to trundle down the road again. Glancing out from the small gap between the tarpaulin and the cart, the kids watched as they soon passed by the pastors and Garrison guards, and to their relief, were not spotted. Exchanging smiles of relief and excitement, the kids remained in their hiding place: satisfied their plan had worked.

"What do you suppose that's all about?" West thought aloud as he looked over his shoulder, at the gathering of Garrison guards and Pastors that were assembled by the side of the road, talking in hushed voices and glancing at them with suspicious looks.

"Eh, some idiot must have tried to scale the wall. Those nut jobs in the cult get all twitchy whenever someone so much as touches the damn things" Pascal shrugged, "Ah well, it ain't our problem: the only problem we got right now, is trying to figure out where that damn cottage is" he sighed as he got the map out of his pocket, and took another look at it.

---

Meanwhile, back in Shiganshina:

"Ah I'm sorry Carla" Freya sighed as she sat down at the table, opposite her friend.

"For what?" Carla blinked in surprise,

"For scaring Lisa off, I don't think I did any favors by losing it like that in front of her" the red-headed woman sighed sheepishly as she took a sip of her tea,

"Oh don't worry about it" Rosemary smiled as she poured the tea, "She'll soon learn that's how Miriam has always been, she's just-, very 'matter-of-fact is all" she added as he brought the cups over, and handed them to Carla and Freya. Miriam's older sister, Rosemary was the polar opposite of her younger sister: kind, polite and easy-going, she was much easier to get along with, as she was often a soothing balm to her sister's more abrasive attitude. "And don't worry about Gale, Poppy and Belle; they'll be getting a good talking to when they get back. I would stay but I've got to get back and get the evening shift started"

"Thanks Rosemary" Carla waved her goodbye as she stepped over to the front door. "Oh and Freya darling, your payment for the week is ready for picking up whenever you like" Rosemary added as she stepped outside and pulled her shawl tightly around her shoulders.

"You know, I sometimes wonder what on earth the rest of her family would do without her?" Carla thought aloud with a smile.

"It doesn't bare thinking about..." Freya smiled, before her smile fell away into a more downcast expression "...It's my own fault they snuck off: I should have specified they could only play at the house or the Inn"

"Oh don't blame yourself: I'm the one who should have double-checked where Eren was" Carla was quick to assure her, "...Is this the fourth or fifth time they've snuck off like this now? I honestly can't remember"

"The fifth I think? In any case, I know it's Ariana that's the instigator: maybe this time I should ban her from seeing Eren, until she learns not to do it again at least" Freya though aloud, concern laced in her voice.

Hearing that, Carla felt a pang of concern go through her. Ever since they were babies, Ariana and Eren had been close friends, she and Armin where the only friends Eren had in this world, the only children that got along with him (with the exception of Gale, Poppy and Belle, who Ariana talked into playing with him). Ever since he was born, Eren had always been headstrong and wilful, and a real handful at times: but between Armin and Ariana, he had somehow found a level of calm that kept his more impetuous tendencies in check. It was good to see him being friends with others, and knowing that her son was not an outcast.

"Oh no, I don't think there's any need for that" she was quick to politely object, "I'll-, talk to Eren, reinforce the ground rules so to speak, maybe double his chores for the next week or two?"

"Same here" Freya smiled offhand as she watched the grey clouds up in the sky; a long silence passed between, before Freya softly spoke: "...I sometimes wonder if moving here was really a good idea?"

"Why's that?" Carla asked offhand,

Glancing at her friend with half a smile, Freya let a sombre sigh pass her lips, before explaining: "...Ariana was born to the Marian forests, it's why she always sneaks off: she's far more at home there than here in the city, she knows the forest and its spirits, it calls to her, like the sky does to the birds...It wasn't easy choosing to move out of the forest and into the city: but, you've got to do what's right by your family, and making sure their safe and have a roof over their heads is more important than holding onto family nostalgia...Don't get me wrong Carla, it's not been all bad: having neighbors like you and Grisha has been a blessing, Bryson, Breck and Claude have been wonderful too, and the Willums have been so good to us, I can't complain really. But sometimes I can't help but think-...well? You can take a hunter out of the forest"

"But not the forest out of the hunter" Carla nodded in understanding, "Well? You are a family of hunters after all: I guess it's that kind of instinct runs in the blood?"

"And then some" Freya sighed, "...Maybe it's time for Ariana to begin her training and initiation?"

"Training and initiation?"

"For hunting: I was about five when I began my training, as was Evrard, Tyto, Eraman and Falken when they were younger; you can never start too young in our family, and if it'll sate her need to be in the forest than that'll give me some peace of mind at least...My one greatest fear is if she tries to climb the wall and gets caught"

"Ugh, don't remind me," Carla sighed in exasperation, "I know Eren's not a particularly curious child, but if something happens and he gets caught-... God, I worry what the cult would do to him; they don't take 'desecration of the goddesses' lightly. Young or old, anyone who gets caught is-..." she shuddered, "...Well, I just hope he's smart enough to heed what I've told him about them"

"You know? If you want, I could ask Tyto if he'd teach Eren how to hunt too? There's no harm in instilling some new skill sets, along with a little discipline and character building to boot. He'd make a good hunter you know? He may not seem like it now, but that boy's got real determination, and he doesn't give up lightly"

"Tell me about it..." Carla held her head in her hand as an exasperated smile crossed her lips, "Thank you, but I couldn't put you to such trouble; I'll think of something to rein him in, please don't worry"

"Well if you say so, but if you need anything, you just holler okay?" Freya smiled as she drank her tea,

"...You're way too good Freya, you know that right?" Carla couldn't help but think aloud.

"Yeah well, there ain't many mothers out there who know how to handle kids as impetuous and spirited as ours: most would have thrown in the towel by now: but not us, we both hung in there, and somehow found a way to get on top of it. The world's a cruel enough place without a fellow neighbor not being there to help a fellow neighbor in need. Simple acts of random kindness are really not that hard, as long as you can be bothered to give a damn; don't think you're putting me to any trouble, because you're not, okay?" Freya explained frankly with a reassuring smile,

"Okay" Carla nodded

At that moment, the front door opened, and another familiar face stepped in.

"Hello darling" Carla greeted her husband as she got up to place a kiss on his cold cheek.

"Sorry I'm late, the hospital's got double the frostbite and flu cases this year: it's absolute madness," Grisha sighed as he took off his hat, scarf and gloves, and slipped out of his coat; "Afternoon Freya, what brings you over here?" he smiled.

Both women glanced at each other with deadpan expressions, and glanced back at the doctor in exasperation; suddenly realizing what had happened, Grisha sighed as he shook his head in dismay: "Oh dear, where did they run off to this time?"

"That's what Tyto and Evrard have gone to find out" Freya replied.

---

Meanwhile, over at the Black Stallion Inn:

The place was busier than usual, busier than it had been the previous week at least; as the usual punters and out-of-towners drank their drinks, and filled the bar with the usual hubbub of chatter and laughter, in the back room behind the bar: Rosemary was busy helping to prepare the evening menu.

"So when will they be back? It'll be getting dark soon" Miriam impatiently asked as she sat in the small office next door to the kitchen, tallying up the day's takings.

"Whenever Tyto and Evrard get back with them, they've got to find them first, and that's a lot of forest to search Miriam" Rosemary pointed out as she peeled the potatoes.

"I warned you this would happen!" A gruff voice sounded as a crotchety old man stepped into the kitchen, picked up one of the steamed potatoes and started eating it. He was real geezer, short with a mop of wild untamed grey hair, and a beard and mustache that seemed to be equally unruly: and despite sporting a lean aged frame, he had a fair bit of muscle on him. "Those brats were gonna start to get curious about stuff sooner later; they'd wanna go an' explore places and get up to who knows what!"

"Oh really Gustav! You make it sound like their out all hours of the night consorting with criminals and the like!" Lucille scolded him. The middle sister of the four Willum siblings, Lucille stood out the most on account of her rather tall and skinny frame, with a huge mess of curly grayish-silver hair, but like her elder sister Rosemary, she was a kind old sweetie who was easy to get along with. "Any besides, those potatoes are for the customers!" she added as she shelled the peas.

"All I'm saying is we've arrived at the point we might fail as parents, unless those brats get some discipline instilled, we'll never be able to rein them in!" Gustav added as he took another bite of his potato.

"I don't know about discipline per se, it's not like their intentionally causing trouble: they've just got a lot of energy to spare at their age, and it's just a question of redirecting it" Rosemary suggested.

"What? Like putting them to work behind the bar or up in the guest house?" Gustav replied with a skeptical raise of the eyebrow.

"Why not? We were about their age when mother and father put us to work in this place" Rosemary shrugged, "It could be what they need to burn off some of that energy of theirs. And besides, it never hurts to get an early start on acquiring new skills and trades at their age"

"The sooner the better" Miriam piped up as she exited the office, "Those girls need to learn some boundaries if they're to have any chance of survival. As long as they live within this walled world, they can't afford to dream of what cannot be achieved. It's time they learn to aspire towards something they can attain"

"Oh let them dream Miriam" Lucille waved off, "They may live within the three walls, but that doesn't mean they should be denied something that gives them hope"

"Even if that hope means they risk being caught by the wall cult?" Gustav pointed out, "You know damn well what those bastards would do to them if they caught them trying to sneak over the wall; they ain't fussy about things like age, or harmless childhood capers. They punish anyone and everyone"

An uneasy silence fell over the kitchen, before a commotion out in the bar grabbed everyone's attention: suddenly, a black haired boy ran out of the bar and up the stairs, with a younger ash-blond girl chasing after him: followed by a young woman with short red hair: "Fox wait!-" she stopped when she saw the elder Willum siblings, "Oh, sorry, I didn't know you were all in here!" she sheepishly apologized.

"What happened?!" Miriam demanded.

"W-well? It's Fox, he was serving a customer, and he noticed the scars on his face and he-, well, you know," she sheepishly tried to explain.

Her expression turning dark, Miriam rolled up her sleeves, cracked her knuckles, and stepped over to the door: "Who was it?" she glowered,

"The guy over by the fireplace" the young woman pointed into the bar; following the direction of her finger, Miriam spotted the customer in question. A rather large, well fed, well dressed merchant who had obviously been knocking back one too many ales, and was now laughing his head off, alongside his equally drunk buddies. "Give me a minute" she growled as she stepped out into the bar, and reached for something under the counter.

"Oh goodness no! Miriam! Not the knuckle dusters this time! Please!" Lucille panicked as she ran after her, while Rosemary merely looked over at the younger woman with an apologetic look, "You better go and see to the boy Mable, I'll take care of things down here"

"You sure Rosemary?" Mable hesitated, "I mean, you don't think-

"Oh I wouldn't worry too much darling," Rosemary smiled, as the sound of a scuffle and a loud CRACK! Sounded from out of the bar (the sound of someone getting their jaw punched in). "I don't think we're going have to call Hannes this time; now go and see if Fox is okay, you know terribly sensitive he is"

"Well okay, but, just shout if you need help okay?" Mable replied as she took off up the stairs. At that moment, a young girl with messy black hair tied up in a ponytail stepped into the kitchen from the back door, and looked over at Rosemary with a deadpan look. "Someone called Fox names again?"

"I'm afraid so Bemadette" Rosemary nodded regretfully,

"Figured as much, Miriam just threw some fat guy out head first into the street" she thumbed over to the bar door, before looking over at Gustav, "I'm done cleaning up pops, Bren said he'll be in soon"

"Okay then, go get your chops filled with some food and off to bed: you'll need the sleep. Mr Cooper's getting all his horses shoed tomorrow, including Ol' Devil"

"Ol Devil?" Bemadette grumbled: she knew the horse he was talking about, the ill-tempered one that tried to trample her the last time it came to the forge to have its shoes replaced, "...Great" she headed for the stairs and headed up to her room.

"Dinner will be ready in ten minutes!" Rosemary called up to her.

"... She's a quick learner that one" Gustav commented in an unreadable tone, "Knows what to do, and how to do it...Damn shame her mother doesn't see it that way"

"There's not much we can do about that Gustav, her circumstances are what they are. I don't agree with it, but at least she had the common sense to know her limits" Rosemary pointed out in a hushed tone.

"I just don't get why she didn't accept Miriam's offer to come and work here, at least then she and her kid could be together" Gustav frowned, "Being a woman of the night? Running with that crowd? That ain't no way to live"

"I don't understand her reasons for choosing that line of work either, but whatever they are, they're her's to deal with. All we can do is abide by our end of the agreement, and ensure Bemadette has a place to live and learn. That's all we can do"

"Speaking of which, when do you think we should put the brats to work?"

"Well? They're going to have to be reprimanded in one form or another, so tomorrow morning I guess?" Rosemary shrugged.

"Very well, I'll go fetch the whips and chains" he joked, finishing off his potato, and heading outside to the outhouse, "Oh you are terrible Gustav" Rosemary smirked, "Then I'm on point" he smirked.

---

Meanwhile, out in the forest:

"How much further do you think these guys have to travel?" Poppy whispered,

The cart had traveled quite a distance from where they left the Garrison troops and wall cultists behind. Now, the kids were waiting for another opportunity for the driver and his friend to leave the cart, and let them sneak away unnoticed. But that hadn't quite proven to be the case: fortunately, through the gap in the tarpaulin, the kids recognized the road and knew Shiganshina's inner gate wasn't far from here, but wherever these guys were going, it was somewhere up north east of the farmlands, on the edge of the great forest. They needed to get off before then, or the walk back home would take hours, and it was starting to get dark.

"We need to get off soon guys, or it's gonna take forever to get home" Gale whispered.

"We could try and distract them somehow?" Armin suggested

"Yeah but how?" Belle pointed out.

"Maybe we could just slip out and hop down while they're not looking?" Eren offered.

As they debated on what to do, something caught Ariana's eye; in the large crate she laid next to, she saw two sets of 3DM gear, minus the paring blades in the holsters. Were these guys ex-military? It's the only reason she could think of as to why they'd have 3DM gear in their possession. Were they retired? On leave? Something about this made her curious.

"Well I think we should just get up, tell them to stop and let us off, and if they give us any trouble, I can always come at them with a left hook, just like Great-aunt Miriam showed me!" Belle hissed.

"You can't do that! They ain't done anything to us!" Poppy protested, trying to keep her voice down.

As the youngsters debated at length over what to do, little did they know, their cover had already been blown; as they listened to the hushed conversation in the back of the cart, Pascal and West exchanged smiles, and decided to have their own fun. Stopping the horse, Pascal gently got up, and grabbed the edge of the tarpaulin, "You know? You could always just-

He threw back the tarpaulin, and the children screamed in shock, quickly scrambling to their feet.

"-Get the hell off our cart!" he placed hands on his hips, and tried to look as intimidating as possible, "Okay, what the hell are you brats doing hiding back there, and what were you going to try and steal?!"

Belle's fear turned to anger as she studied the tall red-headed man; he looked surprising well dressed, decked out in a clean shirt complete with cravat, a waistcoat, and had his red hair slicked back in such a way that it made him look a bit like a pheasant. The small cleanly shaven pencil-thin mustache completed his well groomed appearance, while his companion looked more casual with his appearance: dressed only in basic slacks fit for the outdoors, he had light wavy brunette hair that was combed back with a few bangs framing his forehead, and a small goatee that was deliberately shaved to point up to the corners of his mouth; she glared at them both as she spat back: "Who the hell are you calling thieves?! We didn't steal anything!"

"Yeah! We ain't got anything on us! So back off!" Eren backed her up, trying to puff out his chest so as to try and look bigger.

"Yeah, we kinda figured kid" the brunette man smiled, "We're just messing with you"

The kids glanced at one another in confusion.

"However, what were you doing in our cart in the first place? Bored out of your little minds and looking for some fun?" the red-headed man in leaned closer as he studied them skeptically.

"Um? Well? You see, we were uh? Kinda-" Gale stammered nervously,

"We were hiding from the garrison and wall cult!" Poppy blurted out, "We tried to climb the wall and they nearly caught us!"

"-That's why we had to hide in your cart" Ariana quickly added, "It was the only way to slip by them on the road back there"

"So that's what all the fuss was about?" the man raised a skeptical eyebrow, "All those troops and cultists, for six little kids? You guys must have done something big to get them riled up like that" he smirked with a sly look in his eyes.

"We climbed up the side of a fallen tree that was propped up against the wall, we just wanted to get to the top is all" Ariana added sheepishly

"Huh, and there's me thinking that you'd somehow concocted some elaborate scheme using ropes ladders and grappling hooks" he teased them.

Belle smacked Gale up the side of her head, "I told you we should've used ropes and ladders!" she reprimanded.

"U-u-uh, look, we just want to go home is all! Please don't turn us over to the Garrison mister!" Armin trembled in fear.

Studying the kids, and concluding there was no real harm done here, Pascal took a deep breath, and sighed: "...Tell you what kids, I'll do you all a deal: you point us the way to Finchbury Pass, and we won't tell anyone we saw you, sound fair?"

The kids all glanced at one another, and nodded in agreement; "...You're going in the wrong direction. Finchbury pass is back the other way: take a right at the crossroads, and follow the road up for about two miles until you get to the bridge, and it's just on the other side down past the hollow on the left side of the road" Ariana explained.

"...Thanks" he smiled.

"Okay then, back to the cross roads it is" West grinned as he commanded the horse to turn, and they headed off back the way they came.

"So? You guys new here? Only, you got all this stuff here in the back" Eren asked curiously as he and Ariana pulled the tarpaulin over the contents of the cart, and sat down on the back with their feet hanging over the edge

"Yep, just moved here" West nodded,

"Really? Where'd you guys come from?" Poppy asked curiously.

"The capitol" Pascal replied offhand deliberately, young innocent naive gullible kids were always a good source for local information: might as well see what there was to learn about the locals in this area. Knowing what he was up to, West said nothing, and listened in.

"The capitol?!" the kids all gawked, "Like, where the king lives, right in the heart of the three walls capitol?" Belle breathed in surprise.

"Not unless there's another capitol we don't know about?" Pascal shrugged, "So I take it having a couple of 'big-wigs' from the heart of the interior is a big deal round here?"

"Kinda, no one from Wall Sina ever come here unless their doing business with one of the guilds in Shiganshina, and that's usually to do with food" Gale replied,

"Really? What kind of food?" West asked offhand.

"The kind that only grows this far south: there are some farms down in the valleys that grow things like lemons, oranges, limes, tea, coffee, tobacco, cotton, you know, the kinda things that can only grow where it's warm most of the year? Those plants are very rare in other places, so the farmers make a lot of money from selling their crops to the interior at luxury goods" Armin nervously replied, "There are silk farms further to the west of the valleys too"

"Really?" Pascal raised an eyebrow, "So I guess that means there must be a lot of money passing through the city huh?"

"Yeah, but we don't get to see it much" Ariana shrugged, "Everyone round here mostly grows the stuff or works for one of the guilds shipping it to the interior. The only way you can taste an orange is if you wait for it to fall off the tree and roll under the fence"

"Tough break" West shrugged,

"So are you guys some rich merchant-types come to do business here? Only, if you're traveling by the road, you might not want to tell anyone your rich" Belle pointed out,

"Oh really? And why not?" Pascal smirked,

"Because of all the criminals out here"

"Yeah, a lot of people get robbed out here on the roads late at night; some even get their throats slashed by the really crazy ones!" Eren piped in,

"I heard some people even get kidnapped, and taken to the interior to be sold as slaves. Of course, that's just a rumour, I dunno if it's true or not" Gale added offhand.

"Oh I forgot to ask, what're your names?" Ariana smiled,

The two men glanced at one another, and West replied, "Eh, it's probably better we don't tell you kid: we're trying to keep a low profile while we're here. You know, so, if we ever get jumped by those criminals, they don't recognize as rich folk and try to kill us and-, stuff" he hastily explained, half wincing at how bad his excuse sounded: but then, these were a couple of five and six years old's, they were too young to pick up on little lies like that, right? Glancing over his shoulder and seeing that they hadn't seemed to have noticed, Pascal shot him a reassuring wink.

"Okay, probably a good idea..." Ariana shrugged, before adding, "So, were you guys in the military? Only I saw the 3DM gear back there, and figured you guys must be part of the Military Police if you came all the way from wall Sina"

The two men began sweating musket bullets as they quickly thought up a cover story. "Uh, yeah, we-

"Ariana?" a voice called out from down the road. Recognizing who it was, the kids all snapped their heads round and beamed with delight when they saw who it was, "BRYSON!" they yelled in excitement, hopping off the back of the cart, and running for the wagon that was steadily approaching. As they passed by, Pascal and West stopped as the kids climbed aboard and greeted the three men seated at the front. "Ah, are these your kids?" Pascal smiled, managing to keep his cool.

"Our neighbor's kids" the light brunette gentleman corrected with an unreadable gaze; he seemed like he could hold his own in a fight, tall and lean but with noticeable muscles beneath his shirt, he held a strong commanding gaze, as his intense green eyes scanned the two of them up and down with an air of skepticism. The gentleman sitting next to him was practically the spitting image of him: twin's maybe? But his eyes held a softer, more friendlier gaze, while the gentleman seated at the other end of the wagon was totally different. Tall and skinny with green eyes that lay behind a pair of pince-nez glasses, he had thick wavy black hair shaved into an undercut, and combed up into a sort of pompadour-type style, his eccentric style was further defined by his smart shirt and cravat that was tied into a Gordian knot, a blue waistcoat that sported a distinct floral pattern, and black trousers that meet his black socks at the knee with smart buckled ankle-high boots; clearly, this guy had some serious cash to burn if he sported a look like that, and his friends didn't seem to be too far off either, as they too look well dressed and smart. How did a trio of rich guys like theses know a bunch of working-class kids like them? Their laborer's kids maybe? House staff? "And who are you two?" he asked in a very matter-of-fact tone.

"Who us?" Pascal blinked in surprise, "Uh we just were-

"They were giving us a lift back to the inner gate!" Ariana quickly piped in, "We were walking back home, and they offered us a lift"

"Uh yeah!" Pascal quickly went with it, "Lil' kids that young shouldn't be out on these roads, not when it's starting to get dark, and there might be some unsavory characters lurking about in the woods, so we offered them a lift back to the city"

"Well, thank you for your concern gentlemen, but we know their parents, and we'll make sure they get home safely, you have my word" the gentleman replied with a courteous nod.

"Oh really? Well what a relief" Pascal smiled sheepishly as he commanded the horse to walk on, "You kids stay out of trouble you hear? Cheerio!"

"We will!" They all replied smiling, "Bye! And thanks for the lift!" Ariana waved goodbye, West waved in return, as the cart quickly disappeared over the next rise.

Once they were some distance down the road and were sure they were out of earshot: the two men allowed themselves to relax, and both let out sighs of relief: "That was close" West thought aloud.

"Not too close, but still..." Pascal frowned in thought; seeing the look on his face, West knew there was something on his mind, "What's up?" he asked in concern.

"...I dunno? ..." Pascal replied in uncertainty, "Did those kids really try to scale the wall? I know the cult overreacts every time they hear of someone touching the damn things, but..."

"You think they might have actually come close to doing it?"

"Who knows? Probably not, you know how kids can blow things way outta proportion...but still: there was something about that kid, the auburn-haired one...I can't put my finger on it, but-"

"What?"

"... Ah forget it, I'm just paranoid. Old habits dying hard...Still, it might be an idea to lie low, until we got ourselves set up in our new home: just to play it safe"

"Sure thing" West nodded.

---

"Who were they?" Bryson asked the kids

"Dunno, some rich guys from the capitol" Eren shrugged,

"Oh really?" Bryson deadpanned: somehow, he didn't believe that, everything about them seemed a tad shady for his liking: Maria forbid they were human traffickers that nearly got lucky; it didn't bare thinking about if they hadn't been passing along when they did, but seeing as the kids were safe and well, Bryson put it out of his mind and concentrated on the road. With a flick of the reins, the horses walked on, and they resumed their journey, while the kids hunkered down inside the wagon behind them.

"So? What mischief have you young miscreants been up to?" the black-haired gentleman smirked in a posh clipped accent that would have told anyone he was from Wall Sina.

The kids all glanced at one another as they tried to think up a cover story: "Uh? Well we-

"Hey Bryson!" A garrison guard called out as he approached the wagon.

"Hannes?" Bryson called back as he noticed the check-point up ahead, and brought the wagon to a stop by the side of a T-junction: "What's up?"

"Sorry guys, mandatory check point'," the guard smiled as he approached the wagon half-stinking like a tavern, and went around to the back, "Some kids were seen climbing the wall earlier and pissed the cult off good and proper this time, so we gotta check to see if-

But the second he poked his head in the back of the wagon, and saw the six kids staring nervously back at him, Hannes's smile dropped, and he facepalmed with a long drawn out exasperated sighed: "Uuugh! Why the hell am I not surprised? Of course it had to be you six trying to climb the wall, again!"

"You tried climbing the wall again?!" Bryson exclaimed in alarm, "Oh dear," his twin pinched the bridge of his nose: "Oh dear indeed" their black-haired friend worried as he adjusted his glasses.

"We just wanted to see the top! We didn't mean any harm!" Belle squeaked in alarm,

"I know that: but the wall cult doesn't see it that way! And those nut jobs will really bring the hammer down on you this time for sure!" Hannes wagged his finger.

"So? What do we do?" Ariana panicked,

Looking back and forth between them and the check-point, Hannes sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair: "...Stay down and don't get back up until the check-point is outta sight, got it?"

"Got it!" The kids hurriedly tucked themselves down between the crates and boxes stacked up in the wagon: "And take the western road back to the inner gate, there're no check-points along there" Hannes added,

"Thanks Hannes" Bryson nodded,

"Yeah yeah, just buy me a quart later and we'll call it even" he grumbled as Bryson turned the wagon, and headed down the other road, bypassing the check point. "Their clear guys!" he called out his comrades down the road.

Keeping an eye on the check point: Bryson and his passengers played it cool as the road led them across some open fields, before steadily dropping down into a shallow valley, which was sheltered by several thick copses of hazel, ash and willow; as soon as the check-point was well out of sight, Bryson turned and announced: "Okay, you can get up now"

"Thanks Bryson" Gale sheepishly replied

"Don't thank me; you can thank Mr Hannes when you next get the chance: how many times has it been he's stuck his neck out for you?" he glanced at them with a stern gaze.

"Uh?" Eren tried to guess, as did the others,

"Oh, that's a rhetorical question: no need to answer" the black-haired gentleman tried to point out.

"Seriously Claude?" Bryson shot him a dry look,

"Oh uh? Sorry" he sheepishly shied away,

"My point is," Bryson turned around to face the children, "This has to be the last time you children try to pull this stunt! It's dangerous enough actually trying to climb the wall, if the wall cult catches you-

"Augh! What is it with the wall cult?!" Belle suddenly snapped in frustration, "Everybody keeps saying their dangerous, that if they catch you trying to climb the walls, that bad things will happen to you! Well like what?! What do they do to you that's so terrible you have to be scared of them?! They're a bunch of crack-pots, no one takes them seriously when their hawking that horseshit of theirs on the street corners, so why should we be scared when they catch us trying to climb that stupid wall?!" she folded her arms and leaned back against one of the crates with a serious huff.

Glancing at one another, the three gentlemen knew it wasn't much use staying silent: there would come a point the children were going to learn the truth sooner or later; maybe that day had come sooner than expected? Turning to face Belle, Bryson's twin drew in breath, and tried explain as best he could: "...Belle, I know it frustrating, believe me. But, just because someone doesn't make sense, doesn't mean their harmless. If anything, it can sometimes be that: belief, by itself, with no reason, sense, or logic to keep it in check, can be a very dangerous thing"

"Dangerous how?" she raised an eyebrow; the others were now curious as to what he meant by that too, "Yeah, what do you mean Breck?"

Breck wracked his brain to try and think of a more simplistic answer: but his twin brother beat him to it: "Put it this way; people who are unwilling to listen to reason, cannot be reasoned with. And the wall cult haven't had need of reason in their line of thinking, for many years now"

"You still haven't answered my question" Belle stubbornly pointed out: "What would the wall cult do to us if they caught us?"

The three gentlemen exchanged uneasy glances, before Claude replied: "Um? Maybe its best you ask your parents; we're really not qualified to be trying to explain that one to all of you"

"It's-, rather complicated" Breck assured them: "More to do with grown-up stuff than anything else. Just-, don't go trying the climb the wall again, please? Your luck nearly didn't hold out this time, and there's no guarantee you'll be able to get away with it next time; it's not worth the risk, alright?"

"Fine" Belle sighed in frustration, "Whatever"

"He's got a point Belle" Armin sighed, "We might not be lucky next time, and I don't want anyone to get hurt"; the others all reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Very good..." Claude smiled, before changing the subject slightly, ..."So? How far up did you get this time?"

"Pretty far" Eren beamed, "We found a tree that fell against the wall, so we were able to climb up way further than before!"

"Oh really? You think you managed to beat your own personal record?" Breck smirked: Bryson simply rolled his eyes: trust Claude to change the subject in the other direction.

"By about thirty feet, I think?" Armin nervously replied,

"Thirty feet?" Bryson blinked in surprise, "That is a new record"

"Almost fifteen feet higher than last time" Claude pointed out, "Most impressive!"

"Hey Bryson, when you were in the Scouts, did you ever go on top of the wall?" Ariana asked offhand,

"A fair few times" he smiled, "Had to help the Garrison do some long-range observations in 'sighting the herds' so to speak. That, and there were a few times we had to scale the wall on our 3DM gear when a group of abnormal's caught us by surprise; had to jump off the horses and just go straight up"

"Where you scared?" Armin asked nervously,

"Of course he wasn't scared!" Eren elbowed him, "He's a Scout! Their as tough and brave as they come! You gotta be hard as nail to run with those guys!"

"Well? I'm not sure about being 'hard as nails', but it does take a certain level of bravery to be in that line of work; and even then, you're still scared on the inside" Bryson replied frankly.

"But I thought you weren't scared of anything Bryson?" Ariana tilted her head to one side in confusion.

"There's being scared, and then there's using your fear to stay alive: there's no shame in admitting your afraid, going up against the titans? Hell, I'd think there'd be something very wrong with you if you weren't scared at all. And being in that state kind of makes you more aware of your surroundings; you move faster, think harder, and you can attune yourself to everything around you. Bravery isn't about pushing away your fears: you're always going to be scared of something in life, it's about keeping in mind that there's something more important at hand, than being afraid" Bryson explained.

The kids all looked at one another in confusion: they didn't know what he was talking about exactly, but no one asked, and they let it go.

"... Hey Bryson, what's it like out beyond the wall?" Eren asked with a twinkle of intense curiosity.

"Yeah! Is it different? Or is it the same as here?" Belle chimed in.

"It's not too dissimilar to the open prairies and grasslands south west of Karanese; but the big difference? Once you're far enough away that you can't see the wall anymore, you turn to face south, and it just keeps on going forever" he smiled nostalgically, "Nothing but open space as far as you can see, all the way to the mountains"

"And beyond the mountains?" Ariana asked eagerly.

"The rest of the outside world" he smiled at her, "No one know what lies beyond there, because no one has ever gone that far before"

"I'm gonna go that far!" Belle proudly announced with an intense look of determination in her eyes, "I'm gonna join the Survey Corps, and I'm gonna see what's beyond those mountains!"

"Oh really?" Breck couldn't help but grin,

"Really!" she hammered the point across with a raised fist, "I'm gonna be the first Scout to go further than anyone has ever gone before! I'm gonna go beyond those gates, and explore the outside world!"

"And what about the titans?" Bryson teased with a raised eyebrow.

"Eh, I'll just kill any that get in my way" Belle waved off nonchalantly

"Just like that?" Claude couldn't help but giggle.

"Just like that! You know Claude, our great-aunt Miriam says we Willums were beating up titans long before the Scouts were ever formed! While humanity was quickly trying to build the walls to keep the titans out, we Willums were taking care of the ones that managed to slip by, and kick their asses back over the wall!" Belle stated boldly with her chest puffed out.

Bryson tried his best to stifle a chuckle: trust Miriam to be telling her grand-nieces tall tales about her family's exploits. He knew the woman had a 'larger-than-life' sense of humor, but she could be prone to overplaying it at times; but then, no one disputed her over the authenticity of her grand and eccentric stories: mostly because they knew her word was law, and any who objected, quickly found out why she was knick-named 'the old goddess of knuckle-dusters'. "Really? Well if that's the case, why didn't more of your family join the Scouts sooner?" he grinned.

"Because we had an Inn to run!" Belle shot back, "Those pints an' quarts ain't gonna pull themselves you know! And where else would the Scouts go after a long expedition? Or the Garrison, after a long day's work playing poker by the gates? They gotta spend their winning's somewhere!"

"That last part's certainly true!" Breck burst into laughter,

"But I'm gonna be the first Willum to break tradition and join the military!" Belle added, "I know it's gonna be a long wait, since I can't sign up until I turn twelve: but that gives me plenty of time to get a head start on training. Say Bryson; are you interested in loaning out your old 3DM gear? I promise I'll clean it every day and make sure the tanks are always replaced when they run out"

Bryson laughed out loud before joking: "That depends how much you're willing to fork out! My rates aren't cheap you know!" he calmed down and collected himself, turning serious: "...But seriously, that gear is too sentimental to me to loan out to anyone: but, I can make a compromise. If you want to come round the back of the shop sometime, I can set the gear up to test to see whether you have the balance required for using it, sound fair?"

"Can I try it out too Bryson?!" Ariana piped up, "Yeah, me too! I wanna try!" Eren eagerly asked, as did Poppy and Gale, while Armin nervously smiled, "I-I'd like to try it too, please?"

"Okay okay" Bryson tried to calm them down, "You can all come, just make sure you let your parents know first: don't go sneaking off again, okay?"

"We will!" Ariana beamed.

"There you are! ..." a deep booming voice sounded from out of the nearby hazel copse: recognizing who it was immediately, Ariana leaned out of the wagon, in time to see two huge burly men step out of the tree line and into the road.

"Dad? Uncle Evrard?" She swallowed hard, realizing she was busted.

"Tyto, Evrard" Breck greeted with a friendly smile: "No prizes for guessing what you two are doing out here"

"Sorry gentlemen, I hope our little magpie hasn't been giving you too much grief" Tyto smiled as he came up alongside Bryson. Tyto was a giant of a man: built like a bear with a broad strong frame, he was a man who could easily hold his own in a fight, and the huge hunting knife strapped to his left calf would further put across the message that he wasn't to be messed with lightly. But he was not the type to want to rush into a fight: as his deep brown eyes held calmness that spoke of his peaceful nature, and a deep gaze that reflected his years of experience and wisdom. He had long dark auburn hair that was greying at the roots, cascading down his back in three long plaits, two of which came down over his ears, while his face sported a bushy mustache, and even bushier goatee, and a set of sideburns that almost completely covered his ears. "We've been looking all over the valley for you" he glanced at Ariana through the front of the wagon with a serious gaze.

"Indeed. Do you have any idea how worried your mother is?" Evrard placed his hands on his hips, trying to seem as intimidating as possible. Unlike Tyto, Evrard was much larger, and much more intimidating: equally built like a bear, but with the constitution of a colossal boar, Evrard could easily win any fight, and then some: his intense green eyes held a wild fiery fierceness; the kind that only hunters have, that reflected their strength and spirit. His long thick unkempt red hair fell down his back and over his shoulders like a lion's mane, while his thick sideburns seemed to complete his appearance, giving him a really wild and grizzly look. "Sneaking off like that, your folks are equally worried too you know" he glanced at the other kids.

The six youngsters hung their heads in shame: "...We're sorry" Ariana mumbled sheepishly: glancing up at Bryson, she waited in dread as she expected him to tell her father about what had happened. "So? What did you catch them doing this time?" Tyto asked with an exasperated sigh: the tone of his voice wasn't an angry or annoyed one, more like, one of relief to see and know they were all okay. Knowing she wasn't likely to receive a serious chewing out from him, Ariana relaxed a little, and let a sigh of relief escape from under her breath.

Bryson glanced back over his shoulder at them, and sighed, "I'll let them fill you in: why don't I give you guys a ride back to the city; it's the least we can do"

"Oh good, my feet are starting to kill me!" Evrard sighed with relief as he jumped up onto the tail board of the wagon. Rolling his eyes, Tyto shot Bryson an apologetic look: "Thanks Bryson, we owe you one", and went round the back of the wagon and jumped up next to Evrard, allowing Ariana to squeeze in between them. "Ah don't worry about it, everyone's safe and well, and that's all that matters" Bryson smiled as he flicked the reins, and the horses continued on their journey.

"So" Tyto gazed at the kids with a knowing smile, "What grand adventures have you youngsters been embarking on this afternoon?"

---

Later that evening:

It was quite dim by the time they got back to Shiganshina; and as expected, the obligatory punishments were waiting for the children, after facing their respective parents/guardians for a stern chewing out. But no fuss was made and they accepted their punishments as such... The walls weren't going anywhere, so, it's not like there wasn't going to be another opportunity to try again. The rest of the day passed by uneventfully, with chores, dinner and more of the day's chores to be completed before bedtime: the last of the daylight was fading into the indigo of night, as Ariana quietly climbed out of her bedroom window, up onto the roof, and made her way across to Eren's house. Climbing over her roof and jumping across to the house next door, the house in question was quite long, and sat right behind the Jaeger's place, in front of Eren's bedroom.

Like a cat on the prowl, Ariana carefully climbed down to the edge of the roof: a climb she had made many times before, and knew exactly what to do to avoid slipping and falling off; as she approached the bedroom window, and saw (as expected) Eren sitting in bed with a single candle to light his room, she scooped up a piece of moss that was growing out between the roof tiles, and threw it at the window: instantly grabbing Eren's attention, he opened the window and propped his chin on his hands.

"So, how long did you get grounded for?" Ariana smiled sympathetically,

"Two weeks with chores" Eren huffed, "Two weeks is like, forever; how long did you get?"

"Actually, I didn't get grounded" Ariana shrugged, "Mum and dad says it's time for me to start my initiation: to start learning how to hunt and how to live out in the woods an' stuff"

"What?!" Eren exclaimed, "That's not fair!"

"That's what I said!" she concurred in annoyance, "Dad says it's time I learn the family traditions, like learning how to shoot arrows from a bow, how to set traps, and how to sneak around without anyone or anything knowing your there. That and a bunch of other things I gotta learn how to do in order to survive! It sounds so boring!"

"Huh?" Eren blinked in surprise, "How is it boring? All that sounds so cool, you get to be outside and not stuck indoors like me"

"...Oh yeah," Ariana suddenly realized: "Well? The being outdoors part is true, but it's not like I'll get to do whatever I want: and, you and Armin won't be there; neither will Gale, Poppy or Belle. It just-, sounds like it's gonna be a lot of work, and not a lot of fun. That and my idiot brothers are gonna be joining us, and they won't be any fun! Josefa, Jaye, Hazel and Clay will be there too, Ashlyn and Hawk as well: Their okay, at least they won't try to boss me around or anything"

"That doesn't seem so bad, your cousins are okay" Eren shrugged: "So when do you start?"

"Dad and my uncles are carving our bows, and say we won't be able to properly start until the snow's completely melted anyway, so, not 'till the end of the month probably?"

"But that's weeks away, what are you gonna do until then?"

"Mum's got that sorted: she's going to teach us how to make our first backpacks and kit bags out of leather, which, she says we should have ready in time for when our bows are done. That and I've got a load'a chore's to do, you know, for running off like that?" she smirked; a familiar set of scent's caught her attention, and as she looked back the way she came, glancing over to the roof of the Black Stallion Inn, Ariana saw several figures sitting next to the chimney stacks, and recognized who they were right away. "Hey! The others are out, wanna come with me?"

Looking back at the door, Eren passed a sigh and shook his head: "I don't think I should, Mum was real mad earlier, and I think she's starting to figure out I can get out of being grounded by climbing out the window and onto the roof...Also, if Ash, Rowan and Dale are there, I don't really wanna piss them off again"

"You're still scared they'll beat you up again?" Ariana frowned: Eren nodded with a sullen look in his bright green eyes: "Ugh!-" She huffed in frustration, "I'll talk to them, tell 'em to leave you alone; if they don't I'll beat 'em up again!"

"...Why are you the only one in your family who plays with me?" Eren asked offhand in a dejected tone.

"Because you're different, like Armin" Ariana smiled, "And, I kinda like different..." her smile fell away as she contemplated his words, "...I just-, don't know why everyone doesn't get that. Why they don't get you?"

"...You're kinda different too you know" Eren thought aloud,

"Really? How?"

"I don't know, you just are" Eren shrugged, "I'll figure it out one day: but, you're different in a good way..." he smiled. Hearing the sound of his mother's footsteps coming up the stairs, Eren panicked a little: "You better go, I don't want my mum to catch you here, or we'll both be it trouble!"

"See you around between chores!" Ariana waved goodbye, as she galloped up the roof on her hands and feet like a squirrel, and proceeded towards the Inn's rooftop. "Good night!" Eren quickly waved farewell: closed the window and quickly scooted back under the covers, just before his mother poked her head through the gap in the door; seeing him all tucked in, she allowed a smile of content to cross her lips, before head back downstairs.

Across the rooftops, Ariana jumped and climbed her way onto the Black Stallion's roof, which was right next door to her home. Living right next door to a pub/guesthouse wasn't easy at the best of times: between the noise of the punters and the activity in the livery and forge behind the building; the Inn was always bustling right up until the late hours. Which was perfect for sneaking out at night, as the noise concealed her footsteps; and of course, it hadn't been long until the Willum sisters, and her brothers and cousins had figured out it was a great way to sneak out too.

Gathered around the smoking chimney stacks, huddled together for warmth: Gale, Belle and Poppy were present, as were Ariana's elder brothers Ash, Rowan and Dale; her cousins, Clay and Hazel, the twins, Josefa and Jaye, and Hawk and Ashlyn. And sitting on the roof tiles next to them, were a black-haired boy, and a younger ash-blond girl.

"Hey guys!" Ariana greeted as she sat next to the chimney, "Hey Fox, nice to see you out here" she smiled at the black-haired boy. He grunted something incoherent and shrugged: "...Just ignore him," the ash-blond girl spoke, "He's in a bad mood" she spoke in a monotone.

Turing to look at her, Ariana saw the large set of scars on the left side of his face, and quickly looked away: "Okay..." Ariana shrugged: she knew not to press the subject with him, "So? Busy day in the Inn Shyla?"

"Kinda" she shrugged, not showing any particular emotion: "It's always busy before the melt" she turned to look at Ariana, "Dale says you guys are going to be learning how to hunt"

"Yeah, apparently" Ariana rolled her eyes,

"Only because you ran off and got caught" Rowan frowned,

"I didn't get caught!" Ariana shot back, "Dad and uncle Evrard found me, there's a difference!"

"Whatever: because of you, we're gonna have to be living out in the woods 'till the autumn!" Rowan shot back in annoyance.

"Oh shut up!" Clay smacked him upside the head, "Your just ticked off because you won't be around in the street to keep the other kids in line" he reprimanded him, before shooting a smile over at Ariana, "Don't worry about it, my dad say's it'll be great fun for everyone"

"That's what I'm worried about" Ariana grumbled as she glared daggers at her brother.

"Hey, we saw you in front of Eren's window" Rowan challenged her, "What were you talking to the runt about?"

"None of your business!" Ariana snapped back at him,

"Why do you even hang out with that lil' twip? He ain't got no spine, and that daffodil that follows him around everywhere is just as spineless. Seriously sis, you can do way better than them" the raven-haired boy huffed as he crossed his arms.

"What? Like you?!" Ariana punched him hard in the arm, knocking him flat on his backside, "Why the hell do you have to be such a jerk to him all the time?! If fact, why do you have to be such a jerk to all the other kids on the street?! What the hell did they do to you?!" she fumed,

"Oh come on Rowan, don't start this again" Josefa sighed in annoyance, "Yeah, what exactly are you hoping to achieve, other than the fact your an expert at throwing a strop" Jaye added sarcastically.

"Let's face it bro" Dale placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, "This is getting pretty old. So Eren ticked you off that one time, that doesn't mean you have to keep torturing the guy just because he's a bit odd"

"Yeah, your one to talk" Hawk raised an eyebrow,

"Okay enough! Now lay off!" Rowan exclaimed angrily, turning to face away from everyone.

"Ugh! That's your answer to everything!" Ariana huffed in frustration. "So how is Jaeger these days?" Hazel glanced over at her; "Okay" Ariana shrugged, "he's got chores for the next two weeks, but that's no big surprise"

"You guys nearly reached the top of the wall, right?" Clay smiled; "Kinda, it is a pretty big wall" Ariana sighed, gazing out over the rooftops of the city, and seeing the wall loom up towards the sky.

"Why do you keep wanting to go over the damn thing? There's nothing on the other side you know" Rowan huffed as he continued to push his luck,

"Really? You know that for a fact? ..." Ariana sarcastically shot back, shutting him up, "... Why? Why not? It's there and, I want to see what's on the other side. Is that such a terrible thing?"

"It is if the wall cult catches you doing it again" Hazel pointed out, "Seriously Ariana, this has got to stop: I heard your mum and dad talking earlier, they sounded really worried this time"

"Like that's anything new" She huffed sarcastically, "Their always worried about me running off into the forest: I don't see what the big deal is? They lived out there before coming here to Shiganshina; they know what's out there, so why worry? I know how to hide from people and predators, I know how to find my way home, I know which berries are safe to eat, and I know how to sleep outside without getting cold. Big whoop"

"Yeah, I know the feeling" Ashlyn sighed, before perking up: "But hey, we'll get to spend loads'a time out in the forest together, it'll be great!"

"Yeah, but Eren and Armin won't be there" Ariana glanced downwards in disappointment.

"We don't need them" Rowan frowned,

Ariana was about to have another go at him, when Ash stopped her: "Okay, if your gonna be like that, go back inside Rowan. You're just being a dick". Rowan glared daggers at his elder brother, before storming off back to the rooftop of their home, and proceeded to climb down into the window of his bedroom.

"What was his problem?" a young boy with pale ash blond hair asked as he walked along the roof tiles, followed closely by his twin sister.

"Oh hi Lucius, hi Lucy" Gale greeted as the twins approached and sat down next to them; "Nothing, Rowan's in another one of his moods"

"Eren?" Lucy raised an eyebrow,

"Who else?" Ariana huffed, "I don't know why he has to pick on him all the time?"

"'Cuz he's easy game, that's why" Bemadette replied as she climbed up onto the roof from her window in the attic, carrying a roasted chicken leg in one hand: "Kid's like Eren don't make it easy on themselves if they can't get along with the other kids; then again, Rowan's one to talk, he never gets along with anyone: period. Always needs his brothers to get him outta trouble" she sighed as she took a bite out of the leg.

"I don't think it's anything personal" Lucy replied offhand, "I think he just doesn't know how to cool off like everyone else does? He gets angry, and someone has to take the blame: he shouts, and he has to be sure someone's shouting back at him; it's weird, but some people are just different like that"

"And he gripes about Eren being different?!" Ariana fumed, "What a jerk!"

"Speaking of which" Dale sighed as he and Ash got up, "We better go and make sure he's okay; make sure he hasn't done anything stupid like put another spider under your sheets again... 'Night guys"

Everyone bid the brothers good night as they returned to their bedroom window; Ariana leaned back against the chimney, and let out a long exasperated sigh as she tried to untie her vexed thoughts. "...Dad say's being different isn't a bad thing, that it's what makes the world beautiful and always in motion; so how come everyone treats it like it's a bad thing?"

The others all glanced at one another: "... I don't know" Lucius shrugged, "But I have a theory; ...different, is the opposite of being the same: and being the same, mean you know what to expect. I think a lot of people are comfortable with knowing what to expect, there are no surprises, good or bad; it's safe, because it means you have control: you don't need to worry about things you don't know about...like the walls" he gestured to wall Maria, everyone gazed over at the huge structure as he continued, "...All we know about them, is that over a hundred years ago the titans appeared, starting eating everyone, and that humanity retreated behind them to find safety, and we've been here ever since. They've always been there: always tall and strong, they kept the titans out, and that's all that ever mattered"

"But in all that time," Lucy continued without missing a beat, "As people surrendered to their feelings of surety, certain that the walls would last forever: they didn't stop to ask the important questions. Like, where did the walls come from? Who built them and how? Were they built only to keep the titans out? Or did they have another purpose before the titans appeared? These questions and others like them fell by the wayside and were even forbidden from being asked"

"The point is" Lucius picked up again, without missing a beat: "The walls were, and are, a constant confidence for all mankind: their strength is unquestioned, because in the hundred years mankind has lived behind them, they have always remained intact. They've always been the same, and nothing changes; and people are not only okay with that, they want it, more than the desire the venture beyond them and see the outside world"

"But the problem with that belief is," Lucy picked up, "It's doesn't take into account the inevitable"

"The inevitable?" Josefa and Jaye both raised a skeptical eyebrow,

"Time" the pale haired twined replied in unison, "And the fact that if a wall can be built, it can be demolished as well" Lucius pointed out,

"Whether by some great powerful force or simply the decay of time: everything that stands above the ground has to come back down to the earth eventually. And then what? What defenses will we have to keep us safe? All of mankind will perish simply for the fact that we believed everything will carry on the way it does forever, that the walls will last forever. But nothing lasts forever" Lucy added without skipping a beat.

"And it's only a matter of time; even if we don't see it in our lifetime. Something different is going to happen, and when it does, how will we know how to counter it, if we don't know how to be different?"

Everyone stared at the twins weirdly: "...That's some theory" Clay couldn't help but smirk, "Wow, you sound just like that Arlet kid: he said something like that once"

"We know" the twins deadpanned: "But he had a good point" Lucius added, "The walls are something no one wants to live without: and it's kinda dangerous, what if something does happen to the wall and the titans get in?"

"We let the Scouts do their thing and slay them of course!" Belle exclaimed,

"But would they be enough?" Lucy pointed out, "Would the combined strength of the Scouts, Garrison and Military Police really be enough? Even if everyone inside the walls was to take up arms and fight the titans hand to hand, would it be enough to ensure the majority of mankind survives?"

Everyone fell silent.

"...I don't know? ..." Ariana sighed as she gazed up at the stars, "...All I know, is that-, there are many things that are different in this world. Different animals, different plants, different things, different people; and I don't know why but somehow, it all works, it all makes the world work... So how come the other grown-ups say it's bad to not be like everyone else, when they're not like everyone else themselves? ...I just-...I don't get it..." she trailed off.

While the other kids sat there scratching their heads, trying to pick apart the perplexing line of wisdom to try and make some sense out of it: in the attic directly below them, Mabel and her husband Bren were eavesdropping in a mix of fascination, and surprise; " ... Wow, I knew the Cooper kids were smart for their age, but that just blew me away" Bren thought aloud in a hushed voiced, hoping the kids didn't hear him.

"It's an interesting theory for sure: I just hope they don't repeat it somewhere someone might overhear them," Mabel worried as she folded some linen and stashed it away in the small cupboard next to the bed, "They could be labelled heretics for that kind of talk. Not that they are mind you they raise a valid point: it's just, what with the wall cult constantly riling people's fears up and the royal government banning all interest in the outside world: it's not like there's any room to make such an argument"

"And if there is, well? ..." Bren sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, "... This world isn't kind to idealists, and those who want their freedom: you have to constantly fight for the life you choose"

"And we both know a thing or two about that: don't we?" Mabel weakly smiled as she placed a hand on his shoulder: Bren gently took her hand, and placed a kiss on her wedding ring: "...And I'd do it all over again, for you, for us" he smiled. "And you know I would too..." she smiled as she pulled in closer to his embrace. "...We've made many sacrifices, but it's all been worth it to be together, for the life we want together"

"I should hope so, no one warned me eloping would be such a feat to pull off" Bren smiled as he leaned in t place a kiss on her lips. As she kissed him back, the door suddenly swung open to reveal a dark brunette gentleman with a cleanly shaven beard and mustache; he blushed in embarrassment as Bren and Mabel shot him a deadpan look. "Evening Derek" Bren rolled his eyes as Mabel gently pulled away.

"Uh? Sorry," he apologized sheepishly with an awkward smile as he stepped inside the room to hang his coat, hat and scarf up on the hooks on the back of the door, "I thought you were both working downstairs tonight"

"Miriam gave us the night off, since we pulled a double shift last night..." Mabel replied, before handing him a pile of clean shirts and trousers, "I take it the new job is starting to get a bit testy? This is the third night in a row you've been late home"

"Ugh, don't get me started," he huffed in exasperation as he sat down at the small table, "The client can't make his mind up whether to have the stables on the north side of the building by the coach house, or out west behind the guest house; in addition, his wife wants a drive laid down from the front of the house to the gates; that's five acres of trees were going to have to clear, which means that's another two months of work. I just spent the last three hours with her going over the ornaments for the gates! For Sina's sake, how hard is it to make your mind up between a pair of unicorns, lions, dragons, or hounds? That: and we're starting to run over budget"

"But they're paying you on time for each piece of completed work, so what's the problem?" Mabel asked offhand as she folded some more laundry.

"Trust me, with all the wealth they have to spare, money is not the issue" Derek waved off; "It's just the attitude I can't stand; why can't people from wall Sina get it through their heads things are different here in the outterlands?" he ran his fingers through his long bangs, "I know I worked in the interior before and I know to expect this from their ilk; but since moving out here to Maria, the definition of reasonable has seemed to have changed in the interior"

"Wait-, why are they moving out here to Maria again?" Bren thought aloud with a confused squint.

"They're not moving out here to live, the property is their new summer residence. Their one of the wall cult families: you know, the ones that have owed allegiance to the cult since god knows when, and keep the cults pockets well lined by 'donating' a portion of their wealth to them? Well, their eldest son recently became a Pastor in Hermina, and as a 'reward' for their 'generosity and holy grace', the cult allotted them a portion of land they acquired recently, allowing them to build their new summer mansion"

"And the catch? There's always a catch with the cult" Mabel smirked,

"They've got to have a guest house built so as other visiting cult members from the interior don't have to mingle with us 'unclean penurious dogs' by renting out town house apartments or staying in guesthouses"

"Miriam's not going to like that" Bren smirked, "Still, it seems the wall cult are everywhere these days; you can't turn a corner on any given street without bumping into a pastor or brother"

"The fact the wall cult allowed me to take this latest commission at all was incredible: there aren't many architects of my calibre in Maria, and they know it... And let's face it, how many architects are there within wall Sina that would be willing to come all the way out here to take a commission? Having to live alongside 'the common folk' for any period of time?"

"It's certainly a different world beyond wall Rose" Mabel sighed, "That's why I love it here" she smiled

"What? No rigid rules to follow? No keeping in mind who you can associate with and who you should avoid?" Derek smiled,

"Well that" Mabel nodded, "But, it's the honesty I find myself agreeing with; people from Maria are bluntly honest, if they hear something that sounds off, they call it as they see it. They don't mess you about, and they expect to be treated the same way"

"That's certainly true" Derek nodded frankly as he got up off the chair, and headed for the door, "It'd be nice if there was a little more of that attitude in this walled world; maybe then, we can actually live a little more honestly with ourselves... I'm heading downstairs to see what scraps Miriam's put aside for us" he joked.

"Check the pantry" Mabel called after him as he disappeared out the door, "...Oh, one other thing!" Derek suddenly remembered as he quickly re-entered the room, and handed Bren a crumpled envelop: "Here, and don't start with me about how I should be looking after myself, I'll be fine, it's you two that need this more than me. See you later" he smiled, and quickly headed out the door, and down the stairs.

Opening the envelop, both Bren and Mabel blinked in surprise at the amount of money inside: there was enough to buy groceries for the next three months, or two good horses complete with saddles and all the tack needed. "I knew this latest job was paying him well, but wow" Bren thought aloud.

"I wish he didn't feel he needs to do this" Mabel winced slightly, "Between my job here in the Inn and yours in the forge next door, we're able to keep ourselves afloat just fine, and still have enough left over to save up for a new home"

"I know I know" Bren nodded, "But you know Derek, it's who he is, it's what makes him happy. Family's always been important to him and he likes to be sure he's helping out in one form or another"

Mabel slipped two thirds of the notes from out of the envelope, and handed them to Bren: "Give this to him, and tell him he needs two new shirts, a pair of shoes, and a new coat; that raggy old thing is just barely hanging onto his shoulders" she gestured to the tatty old coat hanging on the door, which, considering how many holes there were in it, was just about ready to give up the ghost. "And if he objects tell him I'll punch him on the nose" she added in mock stern tone.

"Okay" Bren took the money and slipped it into his back pocket, "But you do know he's going to insist on it"

"I don't care, he needs to think of himself a little more: at least enough to buy new clothes when he needs them" She sighed as Bren headed out the door, "And tell him: thanks for the rest, he's a great brother-in-law" she smiled.

---

A few doors up the street, all was quiet in the Jaeger household: Eren slept soundly upstairs while Carla finished cleaning the dishes, and Grisha was finishing up some paperwork at the table. As the gentle glow of candlelight bathed the room in gold, a noise outside grabbed Carla's attention; glancing out the window: she saw a very drunken Hannes being helped to stay upright by Bryson and Breck, as he staggered up the road, while Claude was busy relaying one of his stories. She couldn't help but smile as the gentlemen were laughing about themselves, nearly tripping over each others feet.

"Hannes again?" Grisha couldn't help but smirk as he heard the men stagger past the front door.

"It'll be quite a hang-over for the poor man..." she smiled as she put the plates away in the cupboard, but her smile fell away as she remembered the day's events: "...I'm thankful he was there for the children today. That Eren wasn't-

She paused in dread, as she thought about the worst case scenario: "...No one warned me motherhood would be this tough. Just the worrying alone gets me, every time he sneaks away getting up to god know what"

Sensing her worry, Grisha got up from the table and stepped round to stand in front of her, gently taking her hands in his: "Your doing just fine," he told her with a reassuring smile, "And Eren will be okay too, he'll learn in time that it doesn't pay to repeat one's mistakes; today was too close a call, and he knows it now"

"But he's so headstrong, wilful and persistent" Carla sighed

"Sounds like someone else I know" Grisha smirked. Knowing what he meant; Carla playfully swatted him over the arm, and stood in front of the window with her arms folded: "... Why did you marry me?" she thought aloud: "Of all the women you could have chosen in this city, why me?"

"...Because..." Grisha gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and gazed out of the window, "From the moment we first met, there was a certain tenacity and fortitude you possessed: that I admired about you ...You had a strength I'd never seen before; and I must confess it totally bewitched me"

"Hm, save your sweet musings for the bedroom" she smirked, thinking he was trying to be flatter her.

"It's true" he turned to face her; somewhat surprised, she met his gaze as he continued: "I know you believe that one doesn't need to be special in order to accomplish great feats in life. But you are special, for two reasons: one, you are not only my best friend, but you gave me the greatest honor of becoming my wife. And secondly, you blessed us with a son who was born free to this world, and deep down in his heart he knows it. His spirit, his will, his tenacity and fortitude? He certainly didn't get those from me" he smiled.

Touched by his words, and knowing they were not mere flattery, Carla couldn't help but smile: "...He is free..." she thought aloud, before a slight look of worry crossed her face, "I just don't want him to get mixed up in anything that'll put his life in danger"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but for now: don't worry too much okay? He'll be fine" Grisha assured her; glancing down at his pocket watch, he suddenly realized how much time had passed: "...Huh, I better get a move on, I don't want to leave the paperwork until tomorrow" he glanced back at her, "Don't wait up for me okay? I might be a while"

"Sure" she placed a kiss on his lips, "See you in the morning darling". "Good night love" he smiled: reached for the key that was hanging around his neck, and headed down into the basement.

Watching him as he closed the door behind him: Carla couldn't help but wonder what he had hiding down there. She knew he was a very privet man at times, and that he didn't give away his most guarded secrets. But on the day of their wedding, he assured her he wouldn't keep anything from her that would jeopardize their relationship, or their family; trusting what he said to be the truth, she didn't question him about the basement when he told her it was 'sensitive work'.

But still, it didn't stop her curiosity from wondering what he had going on down there. The key he always had around his neck was mystery too: the basement door didn't have a lock on it, so what did the key open?

These questions and others would refuse to leave her at times; but she trusted Grisha to be honest with her, and trusted that whatever he was doing down in the basement: wouldn't pose any risk to their family.

As she turned back to look out the window, she thought about Eren, and what the future might hold in store: and at the back of her mind, she wondered about life he would choose to follow, within the confided of this walled world.

"Please don't go looking for any more crazy adventures" she couldn't help but smile; "I don't know if I'd be able to keep up"

---

Deep in the forest, far from Shiganshina's inner gate; the trees grew still as the winds dropped, and a strange other-worldly silence fell over the land as the stars shone bright and the moon arched high over the distant mountains beyond Wall Maria.

All throughout the vast giant woodlands: a strange presence could be felt; one that had not existed for many an age, and seemed to pass through the trees and undergrowth like a great shroud, draping everything in some strange ethereal energy. Alive with life and energy, and teeming with something one could only describe as, magic...

In a shallow hollow, surrounded by some of the oldest giant trees in the Marian forest; a huge tomb-like structure about the size of a large house stood still and silent: covered in ivy and dead leafs, its worn stony face bore a complex pattern of strange intertwining markings that had moss and lichens growing out of them.

Everywhere around, not a single creature stirred, and the tress almost seemed to be frozen in time; even the air itself would not move. As if something had suspended the motion of the world for a brief moment, and slowed time itself to a crawl.

Then, a deep rumble sounded from within the giant 'tomb', and echoed out all around into the pitch black forest: another few rumbles emanated, before the forest fell silent again, and the wind, for some explicable reason, seemed to pick up again.

All of this happened without anyone baring witness to it: except for a single white butterfly that was perched on a dead leaf on the ground nearby. It's wings so white and radiant that they almost appeared to glow and glisten with starlight.

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Welcome to the neighborhood ;) and do stay tuned for chapter 2! please remember to R&R before leaving, thank you!