Rowan sat, her shoulders slumped as she played with her food. Sasha was eying it and Rowan sighed, shoving the tray in her direction. She didn't even hesitate, devouring the mess Rowan had made. The Scouts had been gone for months yet again and Rowan was grateful she hadn't been forced to face Levi. She didn't think her heart could handle it just yet. She had managed to distract herself from all of the loss she had experienced. She threw herself into training and learning all she could. Armin had spent days with her in the library, going through the history of the walls and of the Titans.
"I can't wait to join the military police and get the hell out of here." Jean was chatting with Marco and a few other cadets. Marco was smiling, eyes trained on Jean as he rambled on about how great the military police was. Rowan thought Jean would want to stay with Marco, but he was determined to leave most of them behind. She couldn't necessarily blame him for that. Joining the Scouts was basically a death sentence and he had worked hard to ensure he could join the military police.
"You're foolish and a coward. I'm joining the Scouts to reclaim what is rightfully ours! We deserve this land and I will bring every Titan to its knees if I have to. You can go enjoy your cushiony life within the walls. The rest of us will be fighting for this to be over." Eren shot up from a nearby table, eyes locked on Jean. His fists were clenched, sweat beading on his brow. The kid had a temper and he wasn't even trying to contain it. This was normal though. Rowan knew how Eren felt about Jean. He was disgusted by Jean's attitude and perspective. Meanwhile, Rowan was indifferent. She knew she belonged with the Scouts, but not everyone did.
"I'm foolish? You're the crazy one! You're in the top ten. Why wouldn't you take advantage of that?" Jean spat. Eren's eyes were burning though and Rowan knew he was hardly listening. Jean's point made sense, but at the same time, it would make sense for the strongest soldiers to face the Titans. They would have a better chance at victory that way.
"Why would you waste your talents joining the military police? You belong in the field with the Scouts. The top ten all belong there. We are the true Titan slayers, the strength of humanity. It's bullshit that we even have a choice to join the military police and waste our talents!" Eren shouted and Jean scoffed.
"Get your head out of your ass Jaeger. The top ten worked their asses off to get there. We deserve the choice." Jean growled, turning his head away. His shoulders were slumped and Rowan could tell that Eren's words had a slight impact on him.
"With or without you, I will fight for humanity. I have spent the past three years building my skills and strength to bring every Titan down. I will reclaim what is rightfully ours. We will no longer live as cattle, hiding behind walls in fear. We deserve to roam the land and expand our population." Eren's voice was even louder now. Whispers spread across the cadets and all eyes were on the teenager. He turned and stormed out of the cafeteria, Mikasa and Armin on his heels.
"What an idiot." Jean huffed, turning back to gauge the opinion of those around him. "He's pathetic." That got under Rowan's skin. Jean was being a hypocrite. If he didn't like Eren judging him for his choice, he shouldn't judge Eren for being brave.
"You can enjoy your life inside the walls. I'm going to join Eren and fight. I want to make a difference with my life." Rowan had shoved herself to her feet, hands pressed firmly against the table. She locked eyes with Jean before following after the trio. They had all become closer over the last three years and Jean should've known how Eren would respond. Jean hadn't made it a secret that he was joining the military police, and it pissed Eren off the more he bragged about it. The whispers only escalated when she stormed out of the cafeteria, but she didn't care. Once outside, she scanned her surroundings for her friends, spotting the familiar blonde hair on the steps beside the cafeteria. The trio were seated, Mikasa closest to Eren to comfort him.
"I'm joining the Scouts with you." Mikasa stated, her gaze determined. Eren turned towards her and shoved her hand off his shoulder.
"Are you crazy? You deserve to be in the military police. You'll be leading them in no time. You surpassed the entire class. Don't just follow me. I don't need your protection." He grumbled and Mikasa narrowed her eyes.
"I made a promise to your mother that I would look out for you. I have your back, Eren. I'm joining the Scouts. I have the skill and strength to keep myself alive. I'm not scared." She spoke firmly and Eren scowled.
"I'm joining the Scouts too." Armin surprised all three of them. Rowan flinched, her eyes focused on the blonde. It was admirable, but Armin didn't belong in the field. He was meant to help from within the walls.
"You belong with the books Armin. You don't need to throw yourself out there." Eren shouted, appalled by his friend's declaration.
"I'm done letting people fight for me. I want to stand on my own and fight. I went through the same training you all did. I'm ready." Oh, Armin. Rowan could respect that. She had the same mentality when she fled her village. She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I think that's brave Armin." He smiled at her, pleased with her response.
"What about you Rowan?" Mikasa turned to face her and she smiled.
"Oh, I'm joining the Scouts. No question there." She huffed. Her mind was made up the moment she decided to leave her village behind.
"Still?" Armin was baffled and Rowan ruffled his hair.
"So she can spend more time with Captain-" Eren started and Rowan jumped up to her feet, swinging her arm to smack Eren up the backside of his head. Her heart pulled her towards Levi, she couldn't deny that. After hearing his perspective though, she realized that she was naive. She is joining the Scouts to fight and she altered her goals to join Hange's squad, knowing Levi would never choose her now. It didn't matter though. Her heart would heal with time.
"No, you idiot. I'm joining because I came here to fight. It's always been my purpose to join the Scouts." She stood behind her friends. "Let's go. The ceremony is going to start soon."
Together, the group walked towards the ceremony to bring their training to an end. Commander Erwin was stationed in front of the crowds of cadets. This was it, their last day of being recruits. Rowan's body was buzzing with excitement and she stood tall next to Mikasa. She was proud, so proud of how far she had come. She went from the clumsy little recruit who was scared of heights, to the second strongest in her class. She was fearless and reckless, with skills to match. Reiner was beside her, Bertolt next to him and Annie following not far behind. Mikasa, herself, Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie made up the top five. It was no surprise there. Next was Eren, standing tall with his shoulders squared. Then came Jean and Marco, followed by Connie and Sasha. They were honored during the ceremony, the Commander congratulating them on their hard work. They were told to decide between the Survey Corps, Military Police Brigade, and the Garrison. Once the ceremony concluded, the cadets were dismissed. While Connie and Sasha wanted to celebrate, Rowan just wanted to get some rest. Tomorrow was their first day as soldiers and she wanted to be ready and well-rested. She bid her friends a farewell and called it a night.
Rowan was stationed on the wall with Eren the next day. They were loading cannons and learning how the defense operated up there. They were responsible for restocking the ammunition and maintaining the cannons, at least for the time being. Until the Scouts returned, they all served on the Garrison. Rowan busied herself with cleaning one of the cannons, watching her friends from afar. Sasha had pulled some kind of meat from under her jacket, her mouth watering as she danced about. She must have stolen it from the commanding officers' kitchen. She always did have sticky fingers when it came to food. Rowan smirked as their fellow soldiers stopped scolding her and gave-in at the promise of meat. Rowan minded her own business, not really fond of meat anyway. Her village hardly ever had meat and she grew up without a taste for it, preferring fresh produce and fish. As she watched her friends laughing and arguing over the meat, the sun was blocked from her view, the light no longer in her eyes. Her jaw dropped as the tallest Titan she had ever seen took shape directly behind Eren. Its skin was bright red, resembling muscle rather than skin. It's hands gripped onto the wall, eyes focused on the soldiers. She had never seen anything like it. Was it even a Titan?
"It's the Colossal Titan! We have to take it down! Move out, now!" Eren shouted, but it was useless. The Titan slammed its hands on the wall, sending the soldiers flying off. Rowan managed to duck behind a cannon and position herself there. She rolled out from her hiding place and shot her grappling hooks into the tissue of the Titan. She would help Eren to the best of her ability. She swung out and aimed her blades for the nape, but the Titan let out steam. It was hot enough to burn her skin and her grappling hooks shot out from the Titan's body. She was free-falling until the steam shot towards her and sent her body flying off the wall. Shit, shit, shit. She aimed her grappling hook once again, hoping she hit any part of the wall. Once it locked in, her body stopped free-falling and she smacked against the wall, the rough surface scraping up her arms. Rowan looked up to see the cannons flying in every direction. The Titan easily took out their weapons before kicking a giant, gaping hole in the wall. It had been five years since Wall Maria fell. Rowan learned that much from Armin. The Armored and Colossal Titan were responsible for it last time. Now, the Trost district was exposed to Titans. It was happening all over again and now the newly graduated soldiers were responsible for responding to the incident. If the Armored Titan made an appearance, it was all over.
"Where did it go?" Connie shouted as he hauled himself up over the wall. Rowan followed suit, shocked that the oversized Titan could just vanish into thin air.
"I missed it. How could I miss it?" Eren was hunched over on the wall, hands clutching his head. Their fellow soldiers were trying to calm him down, but everyone was panicking. They weren't trained for this situation. Nothing could prepare anyone for this.
"We need to get our shit together. Let's regroup at HQ. Come on!" Connie seemed to keep a level-head for once and ordered everyone to move out. Rowan didn't hesitate, throwing herself off the wall and maneuvering through the buildings. She found herself in HQ, soldiers running around everywhere to stock up on gas and blades. She spotted Armin, kneeling by the gas tanks. His hands were shaking, his breathing ragged. Rowan knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Armin. Look at me." She spoke softly. He turned his head to face her, eyes wide. "This won't end like it did five years ago. I may not have been there, but I have seen amazing change in the three years that I have been here. Humanity has gotten stronger. We will fight back and we will win this time." She assured him. Though she didn't really believe the words herself since she was battling her own fear, Armin seemed to believe them. He nodded, hands tightening on the gas cans.
"Right. I'm okay. Thanks Rowan." He smiled at her and she returned his smile before stocking up her own resources. Once they had gathered the necessary supplies, they were thrown into squads. The advance team had already been wiped out and it was declared that Titans had broken through their defenses. It was the new soldiers' turn now. Rowan was thrown into the rear guard with Mikasa. It didn't make sense to Rowan. They both should be up front.
"We will just slow everyone down! We aren't elites, we are cadets Sir. We need to be up with everyone else." Mikasa was trying to convince the commanding officer that they didn't belong in the rear. She wanted to be up with Eren and Armin, fighting the Titans head-on. Rowan didn't blame her. She wanted to be up there too.
"Pull it together and follow orders!" Eren yelled, shaking her shoulders before running to gather with his squad. Mikasa blinked at him, watching him turn his back on her. Rowan reached out and grabbed Mikasa's hand, guiding her towards the rear guard.
"Promise me Eren! Don't get yourself killed, okay?" Mikasa shouted, but Eren simply glanced over his shoulder and locked eyes with her. He didn't bother responding before he vanished out of sight. Rowan was really going to kick that punk's ass when this was over. Rowan knew he'd be fine though. He was in squad 34 with Armin, Thomas Wagner, Nack Tierce, Milieus Zeremski, and Mina Carolina. They were all dependable soldiers. Rowan and Mikasa joined the rear guard, making their way to the back of Trost.
"Mikasa? Why are there so many people still here?" Rowan caught sight of the crowd, everyone at a standstill. They were supposed to evacuate as quickly as possible.
"I think something is blocking the exit! Get the two stragglers to the right! I'll get the abnormal." Mikasa yelled before changing her direction. There was an abnormal sprinting for the crowd of people. The other two Titans were slow, but still on their way to the crowd. Rowan bit her lip and redirected her course. This is what they trained for. She believed in herself and in her skill. She shot her body above the first Titan, looping around before it could even react. She sliced right through the nape, the Titan falling into a building.
"Yes!" Rowan cheered, smirking as she swung around towards the second one. She deserved to be in the top ten and she deserved to be a Scout. She would prove it to herself, to Levi, to Thomas, and to anyone else who ever doubted her. As she sliced her blades through the second Titan, she realized something. Levi never doubted her, not once. He was always pushing her to do better, be better, because he saw her for who she really was. She couldn't let herself rope him in with the others just because he didn't return her feelings. That wasn't fair. He was still her dear friend and he believed in her. Rowan circled back and landed next to Mikasa who hadn't even broken a sweat. She was already arguing with the merchant who was holding up the crowd.
"Soldiers are dying because this is taking too long! You need to move your cart!" She growled, her fists clenched around her blades.
"That's their job! They're supposed to be willing to lay down their lives. One word from me and you'll be court marshalled! Your commander and I are old friends." The merchant was sweating and spatting nonsense. Rowan would be sweating too if Mikasa's dark gaze was locked on her. Her expression nearly rivaled Levi's and Rowan shivered.
"Is that word going to come from the grave?" Mikasa stepped forward, blades angled to strike the man down.
"Pull the wagon out!" The merchant hurried away. His henchmen pulled and pulled, but the wagon was stuck.
"Screw this. We don't have time for this. Mikasa, stay here. I'll be back." Rowan wiped the sweat that had formed on her forehead before she tucked herself into a crevice between nearby houses. She glanced around, ensuring she was alone and that no one could see her. She dropped her blades by her hips and cracked her knuckles. She pictured the oversized cart, shutting her eyes tightly. "Move!" She grunted, using her body weight to plant her feet and pull her arms towards her slowly. Her arms relaxed when she heard people shout and cheer, the wall around the gate creaking in protest. Well, her hunch worked. She let out a breath, her body falling back to rest against the wall.
"That was stupid Rowan." Mikasa wandered back to where Rowan had hidden herself away.
"Why do you say that?" Rowan huffed, pushing herself to stand up tall without the support of the building behind her.
"It was risky. Someone could have seen you. Not only that, but you are wasting your energy. You need to conserve as much as you can." She didn't need Mikasa's concern. She would be fine.
"It worked, didn't it? That asshole can rot for all I care, but those people he was blocking are innocent. They need to get to safety first so we can go help our comrades." Rowan mumbled before turning to face Mikasa.
"Let's go then. If we want to survive this, we have to fight." Mikasa led her through the city. Together they tag-teamed Titans. When they caught sight of a commanding officer, they were ordered to scale up the wall, but Mikasa had other plans. "I'm not leaving the others behind." She spoke to Rowan before taking off. Rowan followed her, directly disobeying the orders given to her. It wouldn't be the first time. As Rowan tried to keep pace with Mikasa, she was struggling to follow her. Mikasa was using too much gas, flying through the buildings. Her own gas was low and she wondered how the others were. Though Rowan lost sight of Mikasa, she spotted Connie and Jean arguing on a rooftop
"It's a suicide mission Connie. We can't do it, we don't have the numbers." Jean gestured towards HQ and that's when Rowan saw all the Titans surrounding it. Oh no. She didn't think she had enough magic left to deal with that large of a crowd.
"It's worth the risk though, we need more supplies or we are dead out here anyway. Think logically, We need to take risks. It's the only way." Connie shouted, both of them unaware that Rowan was nearby.
"Hate to say it, because I really don't want to put myself anywhere near that, but Connie is right. We can't just sit here and wait for our supplies to run out. We'd be Titan food in no time." Sasha chimed in, dropping down beside Connie.
"Think about it though. The inside is probably swarming with them. We'd be foolish to charge in there blindly. We don't even know if there are survivors left. Our supplies could be destroyed or used up. It's not worth it." Jean was logical and Rowan respected his opinion. It made sense to her, but she also saw Connie's perspective. If they didn't try something, they wouldn't survive.
"Rowan! You're okay!" Connie noticed her and lifted his knuckles to hit hers.
"Yeah, I'm glad to see you guys are okay too." Rowan smiled at both of them. She turned and noticed Annie, Reiner, and Bertolt standing together. Mikasa had landed right beside them. She was talking to Annie and that's when Rowan noticed Armin, huddled in a ball. She ran over to him and knelt in front of him. "Armin! I'm so glad you're here. Are you okay?" She quickly realized how distraught he was and she pulled the boy in for a hug. He clung onto her.
"Armin! You aren't hurt, are you?" Mikasa knelt beside them, placing a hand on his shoulder. The sight of Mikasa triggered a waterfall from Armin. He sobbed into Rowan's chest. "Where's Eren and the others?"
"Mina Carolina and Eren Yeager gave their lives honorably for humanity. They fell to the Titans and I couldn't do anything to help them. The others...are missing. I don't know what happened, it just went south so quickly. It was horrible" He spoke between sobs, his body shaking. "I'm so sorry. I'm worthless. Eren gave his life for me. He didn't even hesitate and I couldn't save him because I was too weak" There was nothing to say that would make the situation any better. So many comrades had lost their lives already and losing Eren was detrimental to their friend group, especially to Mikasa and Armin. Rowan held him tighter, squeezing his body to her. Mikasa grabbed his hand once she took a moment to collect herself.
"Get to your feet. We don't have time to mourn right now." She pulled Armin up, pulling Rowan along with him. "We need to move. We can't just sit here and accept that this is the end." Mikasa stood tall, her eyes empty. "Just watch how it's done. I'll slay all the Titans by myself if I have to. We are the strength of humanity and we need to start acting like it." She took off, heading straight for the Titans.
"Mikasa!" Rowan knew she was heartbroken, but she was being way more reckless than usual. She ruffled Armin's hair before getting to her feet. "I'm coming with you!" Mikasa was the strongest, but even she couldn't handle this alone. Rowan took off. As she was leaving, she heard Jean encouraging the others to move out. Whatever he said worked because Connie called them all chickens and told them to get moving, Sahara cheering in agreement. They shouted and charged after Mikasa and Rowan. The goal was to get to HQ before they ran out of gas. Mikasa and Rowan would handle the Titans. Rowan watched as Mikasa took down multiple Titans on her own. Rowan tried to slay any Titan that came up behind her, watching her comrades back while watching her own as well. Just when she thought they were going to make it, Mikasa's body dropped from the sky. "Mikasa!" She screamed, realizing her friend ran out of gas.
Rowan searched the ground, finding Mikasa's body sliding down from the roof. She dropped down, sprinting to her friend.
"Mikasa! Get up! Come on!" Rowan launched herself up, slicing through the nape of the Titan closest to them. She dropped back down, but couldn't make it to Mikasa in time. She was almost out of gas herself and she couldn't get herself high enough. "Shit. Shit." She growled, but Mikasa surprised her. She shoved herself to her feet and sliced through the Titan's hand. She launched her body to dodge the Titan's attacks, throwing her body as fast as she could. Right before a Titan grabbed her, Armin swung down and scooped her up off the ground. Armin and Mikasa were safe on the roof and Connie poked his head up.
"Get up here Rowan! Come on!" He screamed and Rowan cursed, clicking the button on her ODM gear. It wasn't cooperating though, her gas tanks too low. "Forget this." She dropped her handles and faced her palms down. She forced energy out, hoping it could hit the ground and propel her upwards. To her relief, her magic catapulted her up and she managed to grab hold of the siding on the building. "Almost there." She huffed, using her free hand to force energy down again to push herself up.
"Nice trick there Rowan." Connie smiled down at her, grabbing her hand to pull her to the roof. She huffed, dropping down on the roof tiles, wiping the sweat from her brow. A deep, blood-curdling scream startled them and they turned to see a muscular 15-meter Titan launching itself at the nearest Titan. It's tongue extended out past it's jaw as it screamed into the sky. It raised its fists, ready to fight, sizing up its opponent. It made the first move, punching the head clean off the opposing Titan. The bones of its hand were exposed but it's skin and muscle quickly regenerated. The regeneration time was much quicker than the standard Titan and Rowan was in awe. The muscular Titan stomped on the fallen Titan's weak spot before moving on to the next one.
"Wait. That Titan understands hand to hand combat. How is that possible? It would need some sort of intelligence for that." Mikasa whispered and Rowan's eyes widened. It was like the hunting Titan in the woods, showing more intelligence than the rest. What exactly were these Titans? Were they connected to the Colossal and Armored Titans?
"It has no interest in us though. It just wants to rip every other Titan apart." Armin spoke thoughtfully, eyes focused on it.
"We have to move. We can't just stay and wait for it to turn on us." Connie spoke urgently but Rowan frowned.
"Mikasa and I are out of gas. We can't get to HQ by foot." She pointed out, but Armin was one step ahead of her. He divided his leftover gas between Mikasa and Rowan, restocking their blades as well.
"You both need these more than I do. You're our only hope of winning this." He glanced down at his reflection in the blade, but Rowan tugged the boy to his feet.
"We aren't leaving you behind Armin. Don't be ridiculous." She just hardly resisted the urge to smack some sense into him.
"I have the most gas. It'll be enough to get us both there. Let's go!" Connie pushed in between them and grabbed Armin's hand. He started running, following Rowan and Mikasa from roof to roof.
"Wait, I have an idea. If we can lead the berserker Titan to HQ, he can take out the Titans there. We just have to figure out how to steer him there and use him as a weapon." Armin shouted as they continued to jump.
"So we have to take down the Titan he's fighting now. Then he will seek out others?" Rowan shouted over her shoulder. It made sense to her and Armin never steered them wrong before.
"You want us to risk our lives on a gamble?" Connie jumped into the conversation, bringing their group to a halt.
"We basically just have to recruit the Titan. We can handle it." Rowan smiled and Connie sighed.
"Yes, exactly." Mikasa was on board.
"If we don't pull this off, we will look like morons." Connie grumbled and Rowan shrugged. They'd be dead if they didn't pull it off so it didn't really matter to her.
"Have some faith." Mikasa stated and Rowan piped up.
"We will be heroes if we pull this off. So let's go!" She cheered, fist raised. Mikasa didn't even hesitate, swiping down the Titan while Rowan and Connie covered for her. They followed the berserker Titan to HQ and Rowan crashed through one of the windows. The glass shattered around her, shards sticking to her clothes. She rolled on the tile floor, meeting Jean's eyes when she was right side up. Jean and the others must have made it when Mikasa ran out of gas. Glass shattered all around them as the others crashed into HQ.
"You're a talented strategist! I'm in awe of your talent. " Connie smacked Armin's back. He was bouncing with excitement and probably adrenaline. "I'll never question you again! Just look at this thing! This beautiful son of a bitch is our ticket out of here!" He gestured out the window and to the berserker Titan.
"That monster? It's a Titan! It will probably turn on us as soon as it runs out of its own kind to devour." Jean was in disbelief, watching the Titan rip through the others that were surrounding HQ.
"That thing is our best chance of survival. We don't have another option." Mikasa ended the argument, redirecting everyone's attention to Armin. "Do you have any ideas on how to get the supplies?" Armin glanced towards the lift, where Annie, Reiner, Marco, Sasha, and the others were residing. Then he looked towards the piles of guns from the Military Police sitting in the corner.
"Do the guns work?" Armin turned back towards Jean and the others.
"Yeah, but they won't do us much good against Titans." Jean mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.
"They will though. You said there were seven four-meter Titans down there right?"
"Well, yeah. Last time we tried to get down there, that's how many we counted." Jean nodded and Armin laid out an old map, sketching across the back of it.
"So if the majority of us go down in the lift, we will attract the attention of all seven. When they are in range, we all fire, blinding them. That's where seven of our strongest soldiers come in. Mikasa, Rowan…"
"Whoa there. I'm still recovering. I think I should be with you in the lift." Rowan was physically and mentally drained and she needed some time to regain her energy. If she was tasked with climbing the rafters and cutting a Titan down, she wouldn't be ready to move out after and she might not be able to cut all the way through the nape. Her best bet was to be in the center with the guns, playing the role of distraction. Armin paused, concern in his eyes before he turned back towards everyone else.
"Alright then, Mikasa, Jean, Annie, Reiner, Sasha, Bertolt, and Connie. You will each sneak your way up onto the rafters. That should give you enough of a height advantage to take down the four meter Titans." Armin concluded, looking up at everyone. They all nodded, their gazes determined.
"For our only option, it's pretty well thought-out Armin." Marco patted Armin's back with a confident smile.
"It's alright, I suppose." Armin scratched his head.
"The lift is ready!" A fellow cadet shouted and they all stood to load the guns. They piled into the lift, aiming their guns out the side as it lowered. They didn't waste time, putting the plan into action. They held their breath, waiting for the cue to fire. It was working so far, the Titans turning their focus on the all you can eat buffet in the lift. Rowan's heart was pounding, eyes wide. She had never been surrounded by so many Titans before. Marco kept telling them to stay calm and keep steady. Once every Titan was in position, Marco gave the order to fire. The soldiers unloaded on the Titans, blinding them all. The seven soldiers positioned on the rafters jumped down and cut into the Titans. The bodies disintegrated around them and the soldiers in the lift cheered, some tossing their guns.
"It actually worked." Rowan huffed, lowering the gun and relaxing her shoulders. The soldiers enjoyed their moment of celebration before they split up to restock their equipment.
"Thank-you crazy berserker Titan! Thank-you Armin's beautiful brain!" Connie punched Armin's shoulder in glee. Rowan smiled, knowing they made the right call today. Once everything settled, she found herself restocking her gear near Jean and Marco. The pair had finished replacing their blades and sat next to each other.
"Don't take this the wrong way, okay? I don't think you're a good leader because you're strong. I think you're a good leader because you know what it's like to feel weak. You had me running for my life and you made the right call out there. You're the reason I can even say this. You gave us the courage to move and to fight. I probably wouldn't be here right now without you. You're just...amazing. I hope you know that." Marco beamed, leaning close to Jean. Redness brushed Jean's cheeks and he rubbed the back of his head. Rowan smiled before stepping away to give them their privacy. She ended up wandering over to Armin and Mikasa who had been staring out the window. Just outside HQ, they could see the berserker Titan being devoured by other Titans.
"You know, I was really hoping he'd be the key to our survival or at least give us more of a chance to regroup." Rowan frowned. She hadn't even noticed the group forming behind her.
"We need to get the Titans away from him. We can learn from him. He's too valuable." Reiner readied his blades. He was a bit too intense and Rowan narrowed her eyes at him.
"Exactly. Think about it. An abnormal we can use as a weapon? We need him." Annie added, her blades also ready. That really threw Rowan. Annie hardly spoke, yet she wants to speak up for a Titan?
"He's not a new friend! We don't have to do anything." Jean grumbled, though it was a moot point. The berserker Titan shook off the cannibals, arms ripping off as he chased down an abnormal. He bit the nape of the abnormal, screaming before he face-planted.
"Guess it doesn't really matter now." Connie mumbled, eyes wide. The body of the berserker Titan began to disintegrate, steam rising to cloud the sky. Something was odd about this Titan though. A human body emerged from it, tangled in muscular tissue. The figure pulled its head out, leaning back as it sat on its knees.
"Eren." Rowan hardly heard Mikasa before she launched herself out of HQ. Mikasa ignored the protests and screaming from her comrades, sprinting to the Titan. She collapsed, hugging the human closely to her. Mikasa sobbed, her cries echoing through the city. It had to be Eren. How in the hell was Eren a Titan? Rowan went after Mikasa and managed to help her get Eren to safety. Armin stood, staring at his unconscious friend.
"Talk to me Armin. What's wrong?" Rowan waved her hand in front of his face.
"I...I don't understand. I watched him get eaten. His leg and his arm were completely gone. He saved me. I know what I saw." He grabbed Eren's hand, sobbing with Mikasa. Rowan put her hand on his shoulder. Despite wanting to stay with her friends, Rowan was separated from the group when reinforcements came for them. Mikasa and Armin refused to leave Eren's side, clinging to their friend, but Rowan was forced to regroup with the others inside the safety of Wall Rose. She found herself sitting with Connie when Christa and Ymir approached. Rowan was grateful to see them still alive, having not seen them throughout the day.
"If you all are back, then the ones who haven't returned...are they dead?" Christa's eyes were wide. She reminded Rowan of a scared doe, her soul pure and light.
"No way. What about Mikasa?" Ymir towered over the small, blonde girl, never straying too far from her side. While Christa was light and pure, Ymir was dark and dripping in sarcasm. She was always blunt and often picked on other soldiers. Rowan wasn't too fond of Ymir, but maybe she didn't know her well enough. She had to have some redeeming qualities, or Christa wouldn't be so attached to her.
"No, no. She's good. She was with the squad that came back with Jean." Connie assured them.
"Rowan, you were with them, weren't you? What happened to Mikasa and the others?" Ymir pushed and Rowan frowned.
"They slapped a gag order on us, sorry." Rowan scowled. She didn't understand the point of the gag order. It was completely unnecessary. Word would spread, gag order or not. She still couldn't even understand how Eren acquired a Titan form. Were there others like him?