"Come on guys. It can't be much farther." Rowan urged them to continue, leading the group through the winding trails behind the training camp. It was easily past midnight, the moonlight guiding them on their journey. Rowan had ventured on these trails during their breaks from training and had stumbled upon a small town. There was an orchard on the outskirts of the town and a cozy bar in the center. She had told her friends at lunch all about it. Eren didn't believe her, but was intrigued. Wherever he went, Armin and Mikasa followed, so the trio agreed to join her. Sasha was sold the moment she heard there was an orchard. She could stock up on fruits to snack on between designated meal times. Then there was Conny, who just wanted to venture out and have a good time. Rowan just wanted a sense of normalcy, one night to enjoy out with her friends. Training had been brutal and it was only the third day. Luckily she had snuck Sasha some food out when she was forced to run laps through dinner time on their first night. They quickly became friends and Conny came along with her. Then Rowan stumbled upon Armin in the library. They talked about the world outside the walls and shared stories their parents used to tell them growing up. Instantly, the pair hit it off and she found herself welcomed into his trio.

She tried to focus on the trail in front of her, ignoring the playful banter between Conny, Sasha, and Eren behind her. Her gaze just caught the top of the weeping willow she had familiarized herself with on the day she arrived before training started. She was alone, not knowing anyone since nobody ever left her small village and so she ventured out to get acquainted with the surrounding environment. The willow tree quickly became her favorite spot, its arched branches shielding her from the harsh sun in the early morning when she liked to read. She could also practice her magic out here without worrying about being seen. At least, she was foolish enough to believe the spot was her own until now.

"What are you all doing out so late?" A dark voice pulled her attention, her eyes drawn to a figure standing under her tree. The man was quite short, his dark hair combed perfectly on his head. He wore a crisp white button down, his hands tucked into the pockets of his dress pants. What struck Rowan, was his gaze. His eyes were narrowed, clearly disapproving of the group's actions. Despite that, there was some curiosity hidden in his gray eyes and that's what Rowan clung onto.

"We are going to grab a quick drink and relax for the night before training gets rough. Wanna join us?" She figured he was also in training since he was on the trails. Only soldiers walked the surrounding area. Though, he could be someone from the town. Either way, it wouldn't hurt for him to accompany them if he was that curious. He scoffed, his lips slipping into a frown as he fixed his glare on her.

"Rowan! Don't you know who that is?" Sasha whispered harshly from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see the wide eyes of her friends all staring at the man.

"No...should I?" She studied him closely, but his sharp jawline, perfect posture, and smokey eyes were all unfamiliar to her. She didn't remember him from the cafeteria or dorms and he wasn't one of their commanding officers at the camp.

"That's Captain Levi. He is captain of the Special Operations Squad in the Survey Corps." Armin's voice was squeaky and Rowan could hear the respect and fear in his tone. She was in shock at first, but shook it off quickly.

"That's humanity's strongest soldier? I thought he'd be taller." She huffed under her breath before noticing her friends were all saluting. She quickly joined in, flinching slightly as the Captain's dark eyes landed on her once again. She suddenly felt a lot smaller.

"If you already need a drink after day three of training, you should go spend the rest of your miserable lives in the fields. You're not meant to be a soldier." He quipped, not even acknowledging their salute.

"No, that's not it...Sir." Rowan added the title for good measure. He continued to just stare at her and she sighed. "We just wanted to have a fun evening, that's all."

"So you're the group leader, I take it?" He pushed off the tree and approached her, standing mere inches from her. Though he was a few centimeters shorter than her, he intimidated her and she felt herself shrink back. Of course she knew the stories of Captain Levi. He was a legend, even outside the walls. Even her own people were terrified of him, knowing he would cut them down without hesitation if deemed a threat to humanity. To be fair, they probably would be the next target if the Titans were wiped out.

"Well..." She couldn't pull her gaze away. She didn't want to show any weakness, but that didn't mean her brain wanted to cooperate.

"Speak up." Captain Levi snapped and Rowan straightened her stance. She moved to salute him again and shut her eyes.

"My name is Rowan Mixterton, sir! I didn't mean to cause any trouble." A sigh escaped his lips as Rowan spoke and she squinted to see his reaction. Quite frankly, he just looked pissed off.

"All of you get your asses in bed. You need all the rest you can get." He ordered and the group of friends nodded, thanking the Captain for his kindness. "Except you, Mixerton. You come with me."

"Oh...okay." She swallowed harshly and waved goodbye to her friends as they departed down the trail. She could feel nervous sweat beading on her forehead and her fists clenched. Captain Levi turned, flicking his head for her to follow. They walked down a trail she hadn't explored yet, the Captain focused on the path ahead of them.

"I know they're not old enough to drink yet, but I figured it wouldn't hurt. Right? I mean, if we are old enough to get eaten by Titans, we should be allowed to have a drink to take the edge off."

"You think alcohol will take the edge off knowing Titans could strike at any minute and that any day could be the day you get swallowed whole by one? You're naive." He laughed bitterly, his tone dark and heavy.

"It's worked for me in the past. I'm not an alcoholic or anything, but I am twenty-two and in my village, we could start drinking at eighteen. I've had a lot of practice using it to numb my troubles." She thought over what she said and panicked. "That totally sounds like I'm an alcoholic. I'm definitely not, I just need help sometimes."

"Mixerton, your friends are children. Do not treat them like they are adults." The Captain snapped and Rowan flinched back, unprepared for the bite to his tone.

"Really, I just want those kids to have some fun still. Hell, they're only fifteen and sixteen, right? They're children, you're right, but they signed up to get slaughtered and eaten by giant humanoid creatures. They deserve a drink before they potentially face their demise." She rambled on and the man sighed.

"Technically, they signed up to get stronger and fight for humanity…not to get eaten. Regardless, they are still children and terribly underage." Rowan puffed her cheeks out, annoyed that the Captain wasn't actually listening to her.

"Oh, come on. You ever snuck a few sips out of the liquor cabinet when you were fifteen?"

"I did not have a liquor cabinet nor did I have or want access to one." The Captain huffed in response, annoyance in his gaze as he fixed a glare on her over his shoulder.

"You know what I mean! You were never curious or did anything you were not supposed to?" This guy could not be a saint. It wasn't possible. He spun on his heel and stared her down, though his gaze was distant. That gaze told her that he wasn't always a saint, but it also told her that she didn't have the privilege of knowing the trouble he got into. His gaze refocused and she flinched. His eyes were dark, warped with anger, though it wasn't directed at her. "Right, right. You're too high and mighty to admit you might need a little booze to get by sometimes. Were you that put together as a teenager that you never once thought to try alcohol? Not once?" She pushed on and he frowned bitterly.

"I spent my teenage years focused on fighting for survival rather than getting inebriated." Based on what she knew of the Captain, which wasn't a lot, but she could conclude he wasn't fighting Titans during his teenage years. His record didn't go back that far. What was he fighting to survive? Though his expression was blank, his eyes couldn't lie to her. They held a deep sadness.

"That's tragic…" It slipped out before she could stifle her words. Her tone was sincere, eyes widened. She had stopped following the Captain, her gaze watery.

"This world is full of endless tragedy. Get used to it. Your friends already did." He retorted, turning away from her and gesturing for her to keep following him.

"I just think they should get to enjoy what's left of their childhood before they finish their training. I had a lovely childhood and they should too." She shifted the conversation back to the original argument, unwilling to accept the Captain's bleak outlook on the world.

"You live in a fantasy world. Nobody gets a childhood inside these walls. If you hold onto this childish nativity, you're only going to get yourself and your comrades killed." Captain Levi spun on his heel and fixed a glare on her. "If you really are twenty-two, start acting like it. You should be leading these kids, not misguiding them."

"I'm not going to apologize. I thought I was doing the right thing. We can't all be global legends and save thousands of lives with our blades. I do what I can to make a difference, even if that just means helping some kids have fun before they lose the little joy they have left." Rowan snapped back, her eyes more watery than she would care to deal with.

"Those kills mean nothing. My title means nothing until we rid this planet of every single Titan. Get your head out of your ass and start acting like a soldier." He retorted before continuing up the path. Before them stretched the camp's stables. Rowan had no idea the trails looped back to the stables. "These stables are disgusting. I expect them to be pristine by morning. All the supplies you should need are in the shed."

"Wait, what? You can't force me to clean out horse crap." Captain Levi spun and stuck his face right in front of hers. He was so close that they were sharing their exhaled air.

"I can command you to do whatever I want. Clean the stables. They're disgusting and if you have time to goof off and get inebriated, you have time to scrub down stalls. Get to it. I'll be back in the morning to check and I expect it to look immaculate." Captain Levi pulled his face away and Rowan felt like she could breathe again.

"You're leaving me here, alone? It's past midnight! I can't even see what's in the forest! I hate being alone at night. Sir, please don't leave.!"

"You're a soldier. You'll be fine." He snapped. With that, he vanished down the trail and Rowan nearly chewed a hole in her lip. Stupid, smug Captain. It was just her luck to get caught on one of their first official nights as soldiers. Maybe she was better off just keeping to herself. She wouldn't be scrubbing horse shit off the walls if she had. She was going to need a long shower after this.

Rowan jolted awake, hands raised to defend herself if her attacker were to strike again. Her eyes opened next, her gaze settling on none other than Captain Levi. He was in his uniform this morning, a dark green cloak over his shoulders. His leg was raised, positioned to kick her in the thigh again if she didn't acknowledge him. She was certain her muscle was bruised already and didn't want to double it.

"I'm awake. Good morning to you too, asshole." She grumbled, a yawn escaping her lips. Her whole body froze, her eyes widening. She glanced up to study Captain Levi's response, but he didn't bother to give her one. He was just staring at her and she really hoped she wasn't delirious because she could have sworn there was a hint of amusement in his gaze. "Good morning Captain Levi." She shoved herself to her feet, despite her aching legs. She saluted him, an apologetic smile on her lips. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as if her respect for him disgusted him.

"You look disgusting." That was all he said in greeting and Rowan scowled at him, instantly dropping her arms.

"You would too if you had to scrub horse shit off the walls by yourself. Do you know how disgusting those stables were? They don't look like they've been cleaned in years! I had to work all night to scrape whatever gunk was caked to the walls. My arms feel like jello!" She growled at him, crossing her arms over her chest. Yes, she was covered head-to-toe in mud and probably horse feces. It wasn't her choice though. She was too exhausted to make it back to the camp to shower, so she fell asleep in the hay instead. Captain Levi ignored her complaining, walking around the stables and looking over what she had done.

"I'm actually impressed. Good work Mixerton. You should get cleaned up. You have an hour until breakfast." Captain Levi nodded in her direction before turning towards the horses.

"Are you leaving on a mission today?" Rowan couldn't help her curiosity. She still wasn't entirely certain how the Scouts operated and Captain Levi, though aggravating, would be a good source of information.

"Yes." He mumbled, waving her off as if he had better things to do. He probably did, but Rowan was determined.

"What's the mission?" She continued and he glanced over his shoulder, fixing a glare on her. She gulped, but pressed on. "Look, I don't know much about the Scouts. My village is quite secluded and I only saw them pass my village a few times. Humor me, please?"

"Tch." Levi rolled his eyes before turning to face her. "There are rumors of a Titan sighting to the east. They were approaching the wall. We are going to see if there is a threat and deal with it if there is."

"You're really going out there with just your squad? What if you need back-up?"

"Don't be foolish. My squad consists of the most dependable group of soldiers that we have in the entire military. If we cannot handle the threat, we will circle back and gather reinforcements." With that, he turned away to face an approaching group of scouts. There were four of them, three tall men and one woman who was bickering with the man closest to her. Rowan could tell it was playful even though she was fairly far away from them. The woman glanced up as they reached the edge of the stables, eyes falling on Rowan.

"Who is this?" She smiled and Rowan could see the honest kindness she held in her eyes. She decided that she already liked this woman.

"Nobody. Let's go." Captain Levi muttered, leading one of the horses out of the stables.

"My name is Rowan Mixerton. I'm a new recruit." Rowan saluted to the squad and the woman smiled even wider.

"No need to salute us. It's very nice to meet you, Rowan. I'm Petra and that's Eld, Gunther, and Oluo. I assume you already know Captain Levi." She gestured to the men towering over her and Rowan saluted them before dropping her arms to the side. She nodded to confirm the assumption. "Thank-you for cleaning the stables. They've been quite neglected since we've been gone so much lately. I'm sure Captain Levi greatly appreciates it too. He could hardly stand to look at the place anymore." She giggled. Rowan smiled, feeling lighter than she had in a while.

"Petra, let her get back to the camp. She probably needs to clean up before breakfast. We need to leave now." Eld placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded at Rowan before leading the others toward Captain Levi.

"It was nice to meet you. I'm sure we will see you again soon." Petra waved before hurrying off to join the others. Captain Levi didn't even look in her direction before leading the squad out of the stables. She huffed, rolling her eyes. He could have at least been half as grateful as Petra was. He didn't even thank her for her hard work. Rowan shook her troubles from her head and kicked off, running down the trails. Though she wanted to bathe in bleach before breakfast, she'd have to settle for a quick scrub down. She managed to grab all her toiletries and shower alone. Everyone was already at breakfast. She just hoped Sasha didn't take her ration.

She didn't even bother drying her hair, tying into a quick braid down her back before tossing her toiletries onto her bunk. She sprinted out of the dorms and into the dining hall, bypassing the groups of trainees staring at her. She spotted Armin's blonde hair and bee-lined for him.

"Rowan! You're alive!" Conny jumped up, throwing his arm around her with a wide grin on his face. The others all looked relieved, Armin patting the open seat next to him. She gladly accepted it, dropping down and placing her head on the table.

"Why wouldn't I be alive?" She inquired, turning her head slightly to look at Armin.

"We didn't know what Captain Levi did to you. When you weren't here this morning, we thought he sent you packing." Armin smiled apologetically and she sighed.

"I honestly wish he just sent me home. I had to scrub down the nasty-ass stables that haven't been cleaned in years. Do you know how much horse shit was caked on those walls?" She grumbled, sitting up as her stomach growled. She just noticed how much it ached when it was empty.

"That's disgusting." Sasha grimaced before gesturing to the tray in front of Armin. "You must be pretty grossed out. Are you going to eat that?"

"Yes I am, you vulture." Rowan quipped, snagging the tray and digging into the stale bread. Yesterday, she only ate half and gave the rest to her bottomless pit of a friend, but she was starving today. "Thank-you for protecting my food Armin. I knew I could count on you." She beamed and his cheeks tinged pink as he smiled widely at her.

"It's no problem Rowan. Are you going to be up to sparring today?" Of course today was the first day of hand-to-hand combat.

"Not really, but I don't have a choice." Rowan huffed into her eggs. They really tasted like cardboard today.

"You could always say you're sick or tell them what Captain Levi made you do." Eren shrugged, shoveling the rest of his eggs into his mouth. "Regardless, I'm excited. I hope they pair me with Jean or Reiner. I want to kick their asses." He cracked his knuckles with a smile and Mikasa sighed.

"I'm not going to tattle on the Captain. He would never get reprimanded and I would just get us all into more trouble. As it is, we are all probably on his shit list now."

"Nah, just you." Conny nudged her shoulder before jumping up to talk to another group of trainees.

"I'm sure you're not on his shit list Rowan. Don't worry." Armin reassured her and Rowan shrugged.

"I don't care if I am or not. He's one guy." She tried to play it cool but Captain Levi was one of the most respected humans within the walls. He was a hero and she knew his word would hold immensely more power than her own.

"That's the spirit! Now let's go kick some ass!" Eren squeezed her shoulder before gesturing for everyone to follow them outside. Rowan suddenly lost all interest in her breakfast and she shoved it towards Sasha's hawk-like gaze. She glanced up to meet Rowan's gaze. The moment Rowan nodded, she launched herself on the remaining scraps of food. Rowan couldn't help but laugh, enjoying her friend's nonsense. She waited for Sasha to finish before following her out to the center of camp. They were to spar on the grass to help ease any injuries when they were knocked down by their partner. Rowan stretched, her arms and back cracking as her muscles readjusted. They were still sore from all the scrubbing she did last night.

"Mixerton and Arlet! Ackerman and Kirstein! Leonhart and Yeager! Springer and Hoover! Lenz and Braus!" The instructor shouted across the open area, listing off sparring partners. The list was long and Rowan stopped paying attention when all her friends were named. Sasha was sparring with Christa Lenz, a small blonde girl who typically kept to herself aside from Ymir. While Christa was soft-spoken, Ymir was loud and blunt. The two balanced each other out well, but that's all Rowan knew about them. Conny was sparring with Bertolt Hoover. Rowan really didn't know much about Bertolt except that he tended to linger with two other trainees. He was easily the tallest of the bunch and wasn't very outspoken. Conny might stand a chance if he can swipe his legs out from under him. Next was Eren and Annie Leonhart. Annie was in Bertolt's trio and was the quietest of the trainees. Rowan never even heard her speak before. Mikasa was paired with Jean Kirstein, who was a bit snippy in Rowan's opinion. He was close with another trainee, Marco Bodt. The pair kicked back to relax together during breaks and they ate together in the dining hall. Rowan just knew Jean from when he picked a fight with Eren. To his credit, Eren was being a bit over-the-top, but she would never say that to his face. If she did, she'd face the wrath of Mikasa, which Jean would experience today. That left herself and Armin. She met his eyes across the yard and smiled sweetly at him. Whoever was up above was actually looking out for her today. Armin was the smartest person she knew, but the worst fighter. He just didn't have the drive to fight and she would use that to her advantage today.

"Armin! Looks like we are enemies today." She smiled widely before sticking her tongue out at him. He laughed, raising his fists in a fighting stance. His stance was subpar and Rowan could instantly note every point of weakness. Shouts startled the pair before Armin could even respond. They turned to see two people laid out on their backs. They were none other than Eren and Jean. Rowan couldn't help it, laughter exploding from her core. She was joined by many others, nobody moving towards them. Annie and Mikasa stood tall, not even breaking a sweat. The instructor's jaw was agape, the man speechless as he looked at them both.

"I'll be leaving now." Annie spoke softly, brushing by the instructor and into the dorms. He blinked, gesturing to Mikasa.

"Yes, well. I suppose you are both dismissed. Yeager and Kirstein. You are a disgrace. Get up and fight with pride! Fight with honor." The instructor shouted, his anger overshadowing the shock.

"Well, I didn't expect Annie to wipe the floor with Eren so quickly. The girl's got skill." Rowan wiped the tears from her eyes. She didn't even mean to laugh so hard, but seeing Eren with the wind knocked out of him was kind of hilarious. He talked a big game, but couldn't deliver.

"I'm not surprised. Eren has a lot of determination, but is nowhere near Annie's skill level. Annie nearly rivals Mikasa in terms of hand-to-hand combat skills." Armin was still watching Annie's back up until she disappeared into the dorm. He turned his gaze to Rowan. "Shall we? I'd rather not get yelled at again today." He chuckled and Rowan agreed. They were already on the instructor's shit list for goofing off with Conny during their sprints yesterday. Rowan raised her arms, squaring her shoulders and planting her feet into the ground. She was quite good at balancing and being aware of how her body was positioned. She sprung forward, her arm wrapping around the back of his neck. She yanked him forward, throwing him off balance and tucking his body under her chin. A smirk touched her lips and she formed a fist in her right hand before she rubbed it across Armin's head until his hair stood up from the friction.

"You gotta be quicker Armin, or you'll have a puff ball instead of hair at the end of this." She teased as the pair both started laughing. Armin managed to wiggle out when Rowan loosened her grip. He tried to swipe her legs out from under her, but she managed to put distance between them.

"Why not just throw me on my back and get a break like Mikasa and Annie?" He inquired, his body returning to a defensive stance.

"Well that's no fun. I'd rather be out here with you. Plus, you need some help with your stance." She added playfully. Armin wasn't very good at hiding the pink tinge to his cheeks and Rowan made a note to try and stop teasing him so much. It was just so easy with Armin. He was like the little brother she always wanted. Her own siblings never played around with her so it was nice to enjoy the playful banter with someone.

"Sparring is stupid. It's not like we're going to fight a Titan with our fists." Eren huffed as he walked by, rubbing his back.

"Did Jean kick your butt? I thought my evaluation skills were better than that." Rowan mumbled and Eren paused by her.

"What evaluation?"

"I told you to go for his legs and strike before he could think. He's not great under pressure, but if he has time to think, he can be dangerous."

"Yeah, yeah. I hesitated for a second and the guy decked me. It was a low blow anyway. This training is just dumb."

"It's supposed to strengthen us and get us thinking strategically, Eren." Armin added and Eren still didn't look convinced.

"Plus, there might be other things beyond the walls besides Titans." Rowan couldn't help but let that slip out. She knew a few witches from her own village that wouldn't hesitate to attack humans if they got too close to the barrier. Humans attracted Titans and they tended to be reckless. It was too much of a risk, at least that's what the village Elders claimed.

"What makes you think that Rowan?" Armin's eyes widened, his expression shocked, but calculating. He was smart and he'd pick up on her guarded response. She swallowed slowly, but Eren stepped in to interrupt.

"Did Captain Levi say something to you? What did he say?" He jumped right in between Rowan and Armin. Rowan rolled her eyes.

"The Captain hardly spoke to me besides scolding me. He's incredibly grouchy and even if he did know of some other being's existence, he would never talk. He doesn't seem like the type." Both boys just stared at her blankly and she sighed. "He's easy to read guys, trust me. You'd think the same thing if you spent ten minutes with the guy."

"Whatever. I'm going to lay down before they make us do sprints again." Eren waved the pair off before heading inside. Rowan glanced at Armin and both friends shrugged.

"Shall we continue?" Armin raised his fists and Rowan smirked.

"Bring it Arlet."