Wings of Freedom
Chapter 29
-x-
Roy sighed as he ruffled his hair back to it's natural, wild state and cast aside the servant's uniform and eyepatch he'd been wearing for the last three days I never thought I'd have to put my old skills as a servant to use again he thought with a slight twinge of bitterness at least Wald isn't as bad as him, and not outright abusive he continued as he made his way further away from Wald's estate under the cover of night and to the small group of trees.
Roy's approached was halted abruptly though, as he felt a sudden spike of irritation and embarrassment, and no sooner did a forest green and brown Dragon head, shoot out to meet him halfway, shoving her face up into his "this is the last time I change my scale pigment to satisfy your curiosity" she warned with a puff of smoke in the Rider's face.
Roy just frowned though "hay your not the only one taking a hit for the team" he shot back while pointing to his hair that was still blond and squinting his silver eye shut.
The Dragon just snorted back though "at least you can eliminate annoying pests when they defile you, while I can do nothing while hiding in this small cluster of trees" she grumbled and Roy gave her a funny look before finally taking notice of the numerous bird droppings, marring the Dragon's altered appearance.
Roy winced upon seeing this "why didn't you go hide somewhere else, where you could hunt and move around more easily?" he asked and the Dragon gave an indignant huff "and leave you here alone to investigate those parasites after what happened last time?" she shot back.
Roy scoffed "ye of little faith" he half joked while placing his hands on his hips "do you seriously think I'm stupid enough to dive that deep again, and besides, coming here was about more then just investigating those parasites" he retorted.
Thalia grumbled lowly in response "well at least tell me this little trip of yours bore fruit" she said and Roy nodded with a smile "yes, more then expected actually" he responded and Thalia's irritated mood broke as surprise overtook her "truly? I would have thought that fat slob would not know anything of value" she asked and Roy shook his head as he walked the rest of the way into the trees "no, Wald was as useless as we expected, but the other lords he dragged to his estate were quite useful. Especially one Commander Dot Pyxis" he explained.
Thalia's surprise grew even higher at that "The Garrison Commander!? He was there?" she asked and Roy nodded "aye, and I must say, the man is as brilliant as they say. Just glimpsing into his mind without defenses, I could barely grasp the complexity of it. The man thinks twenty paces ahead of everyone else" he answered with a little bit of awe.
Thalia hummed as she processed the information "impressive. I do hope he doesn't come to suspect your presence there if he is so brilliant though" she commented but Roy stiffened a little before looking away and scratching his head sheepishly.
Thalia's anger flared as she nearly roared "YOU WERE DISCOVERED!?" she yelled, causing Roy to wince at the volume in his head "calm down Thalia. No he didn't discover me…entirely… and I sort of…told him…" he muttered.
RRRRAAAAHHHH!!!
Thalia did roar this time "why would you reveal yourself to one of the highest raking members of the military!? Is our need for secrecy, not for their own protection as well? Do you even know if we can trust him?" She questioned, to which Roy groaned in response "hay, you think I don't know any of this! That I want to relive the worst time of my life just to get caught at the worst possible time!?" he fired back with his own built up frustration.
Guilt immediately gripped Thalia as she looked away. Working as a servant had no doubt dug up long suppressed and painful memories from her Rider's past. Being stuck in their respective situations for the past few days was just fraying the pair's nerves.
The two of them simultaneously took deep breaths to calm themselves "come on. Let's go before someone comes out to see what all the roaring was about" Roy said and Thalia rumbled in agreement before laying down so her Rider could climb up "and by the way, I didn't actually reveal anything to Pyxis, I just confirmed his suspicion that a third party was at work and impressed upon him that we were on the same side. And yes I am sure that we can trust Pyxis" Roy said as they took to the air.
Thalia hummed as they gained altitude before glancing back at her Rider "you're sure?" she asked and Roy nodded "his mind may be a labyrinth, but I was still able to get a good measure of the man. And he genuinely believes in what he does and his mission to protect humanity from the Titans, and he's not blind to his government's corruption ether, he just doesn't know how bad it is and sees the Titans as the bigger threat" Roy answered.
Thalia hummed in response "you sound as though you admire him" she commented and Roy had to stop and ponder for a moment "I suppose I do a little, yes. He just has this air about him and it's rare to find one so brilliant and high in the chain of command but who is still completely genuine" he replied.
Thalia hummed in acknowledgment "well ether way, this brings us to our fifth day out here and we will need the last one for our return trip, so what should we do with our remaining day?" she asked.
Roy had to take a moment to think on that one. They had discovered much in just the few days they had been out investigating and he couldn't help but feel ashamed at how much he and Thalia had missed in their sleep deprived and grief stricken stupor, in addition to their zeal in searching for Scarlett's egg.
The most surprising and in some cases frustrating discovery was the magical sensitivity of the citizens. Those parasites inadvertently made everyone sensitive to telepathy, making it frustratingly difficult to probe their minds without being noticed, which is what lead to Pyxis discovering him.
And on that note, Roy had basically confirmed that everyone in the walls was infected and, while the nobles didn't understand them or even know they were there, some of them were aware of their effects to a degree and what the Rider had learned was disturbing to say the least.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Eren's father. No matter where they searched or who they asked, no one knew where he was, and even worse, Roy couldn't find him through scrying, meaning it was very possible that Grisha was dead.
Roy sighed "we already have all the supplies we need and I don't think we can get any more information from spying on the lords around here, so let's try looking for Grisha one last time" he said and Thalia glanced back at him "are you sure that is the best use of our remaining time? We have had no luck finding him so far" she asked and Roy nodded "Grisha knew of Dragons and held the secrets of the Titans, and we can't go back to Shiganshina while the Shade Titan is still alive, meaning he's our best chance of getting answers" Roy explained.
Thalia grumbled below her Rider "well it would have been nice if he had simply told you where to meet him so he could explain everything himself" she complained and Roy couldn't help but agree. He would have to voice his displeasure to the man himself once he found him.
For now though, Roy had more pressing matters "head to the lake we spotted the other day and I'll clean you off while we plan" he instructed his Dragon and she sped up significantly at the prospect of finally cleaning off and clearing her head "I'm sure the hatchlings couldn't be as miserable as we've been the past few days" she commented and Roy chuckled as he thought on it "no I don't imagine so" he muttered.
-x-
Meanwhile, miles away…
Armin had not experienced such misery since his limbs had been broken weeks ago.
Every fiber in his body screamed, every muscle ached, and his clothes were heavy and rake with sweat. Say what you will about Roy and Thalia as teachers, Mikasa was ten times worse. Back before they had magic that could blunt blows and heal bruises, and equipment for training, Mikasa would have probably gone easer on them, but now she was a tyrant on the training floor, where Armin was currently laying and panting with his Dragon equity exhausted and lying over his stomach, which was not so comfortable anymore, what with the green Dragon now the size of a large dog, his horns beginning to curl around into a more forward facing direction, as opposed to Scarlett and Thalia.
Of corse it probably didn't help that the boys insisted that Mikasa not hold back on them. A grievous oversight on their part that they probably should have seen coming "Armin, are you ok?" Mikasa asked as she kneeled over the poor boy. At least she was still gentle with them when they were exhausted "I'm…fine…" Armin answered between gasps for breath before trying to sit up with Mikasa's help, moving his Dragon to his lap.
After a moment, Armin caught his breath and wiped the sweat from his brow "well…Roy can't chew us out for not training" he joked as Mikasa handed him a cup of water.
The duo's attention was suddenly caught by a clanging and splashing sound coming from Eren's room, where he had retreated to get a new sirt to replace his current sweat soaked one "GAAHH! GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE GREMLINS!" Eren yelled as he chased Mikasa's Dragons from his room, soaked from head to toe and tossing away the bucket that had landed on his head.
Meanwhile, Scarlett laughed away at her Rider while Armin and Mikasa watched in bewilderment, the latter suppressing a chuckle "how did they even manage that?" he asked and Mikasa just shook her head "no clue. I'm more concerned with why they've been harassing Eren so much lately though" she replied and Scarlett stopped laughing as she and Armin looked at her in deadpan "sometimes I wander who is more thick headed. My partner or his future mate" Scarlett silently said to Armin, who simply sighed and shook his head "tell me about it" he replied, not even flinching at how she addressed Mikasa.
Armin's Dragon decided to stand up and stretch at this point, before walking around Armin and sitting there "oof!" Armin grunted with a little surprise as the Dragon set it's head on top of his and the boy glanced up at him before giving a tired sigh "you do realize you're getting too big for this right?" he said but the Dragon stubbornly refused to accept his words and put a little more weight on his Rider's head, earning a mild groan from the boy, but he still couldn't help smiling.
Mikasa couldn't help smiling ether. Normally she might have kept her nonchalant attitude but ever since bonding with her Dragons, she and the others had noticed her becoming a little more expressive. It probably didn't help that her Dragons were having fun staying just out of Eren's reach as he contiued to chase them around "I guess habits are just as hard to brake for Dragons as they are for us" she commented.
Armin didn't respond to her though and Mikasa arched a curious eyebrow at him before noticing that he had gone a little stiff "Armin?" she asked and moved so they were facing each other, only to see him with his jaw unhinged and wide eyed with shock.
Before Mikasa could ask what was wrong though, he looked up towards his Dragon's head, still resting on his own "d-did you just?…" he asked and his Dragon responded by tilting his own head to look down at Armin while humming and a look of astonishment and…meekness?…overtook Armin "oh…wow…" he muttered, god smacked. Eventually though, Armin smiled as he seamed to get over the shock and hopped up laughing and hugged the Dragon, who eagerly returned it.
Mikasa continued to look at him with confusion before finally connecting the dots "wait, did he just talk to you?" she asked and he looked to her and nodded "yah and he…well you'll have to hear his voice for yourself to understand…" he explained while glancing back over at his Dragon with a sheepish expression, much to Mikasa's further confusion.
Scarlett roared happily as she walked over and butted her head against Armin's partner and Eren gave up his chaise as he ran over to meet them with Mikasa's Dragons following a few feet behind "hey Armin, Scarlett just told me what happened. Congratulations both of you" he said happily while patting Armin on the back, causing him to wince a little at the force applied and the added dampness that reminded him of how sweaty he himself was.
Mikasa smiled as she watched the scene play out. Their life might be crazy, but at least they were happy. But now she couldn't help but wonder, what did Armin's Dragon sound like to make him react like that.
-x-
Roy groaned in frustration as he and Thalia flew high above the ground under the cover of night.
The Dragon had long since been cleaned and returned to her natural color but the search for Eren's father had yet produced much in the way of results. They did find a lead at least. A memory from a soldier of a man fitting Grisha's description, in this area, now it was just a matter of tediously searching this forest "this is getting old" Roy muttered to himself as his, still blond, hair flew freely in the breeze, as they scanned the ground "anything on your end Thalia" he thought to his Dragon and she growled slightly "nothing" she responded with equal frustration to his own "let's make one more pass before calling it quits" Roy said and Thalia huffed in annoyance but made no further complaint as she continued on to the next section of the forest.
Roy was starting to loose hope that they'd find anything. They didn't really have good reason to believe Grisha was even still alive in the first place, but they had to be sure. But it was looking more and more like nothing was going to turn up.
Or at least it did, until Thalia suddenly stiffened beneath Roy with feelings of surprise and recognition flowing off her and she looked off to the side before giving a small roar "I smell something!" she said and Roy looked at her with surprise as she angled off to the side "your sure?" he asked and she nodded "it's faint but it's definitely similar to what I got off of Eren and Mikasa" Thalia answered but then her eyes narrowed as she took a few more sniffs "I smell something else familiar though. A hint of blood and something else. It smells almost like…" she trailed off but then Roy felt shock and confusion flow off her before she growled lowly "Thalia?" Roy asked and she glanced back at him with bared teeth "I smell a Titan" she warned and Roy's eyes widened bare hardening over in a scowl and he drew Wyvern in a tight grip. The blade bursting into white flames and illuminating the night as Thalia sped up.
Thalia came to a small clearing where several trees had been knocked over and crushed and she hovered there for a moment to look the area over before giving the all clear and letting Roy leap from her saddle and land on the ground in a crouch.
Roy surveyed the area "see anything up their" he asked "no, I don't see anything. No tracks leading away or a trail of destruction" Thalia answered as Roy made his way around the clearing, holding his flaming sword out to illuminate his surroundings and he glared down at a Titan sized footprint "well one was definitely here" he said before looking up at a dip in the ground that fit the size and shape of a fallen Titan "it must have been killed and evaporated" he concluded.
Thalia snorted from up above, where she continued scanning the area "but how did it get here inside the wall!? I see no tracks leading in or out or signs of the equipment that those soldiers use to fling themselves around in the air. It's as if it just appeared and then died on it's own" she commented.
Roy grunted in acknowledgment "the kids did say the Colossal and Armored Titans appeared as if out of thin air" Roy added as he walked around "but yah, it still doesn't make this any less concerning" he continued before picking up a whiff of copper himself, with his developing, elven senses and followed the faint stench of blood to the end of the Titan sized crater and found the life sustaining substance, spattered on the ground with bits of clothing, a doctors bag and a broken pair of glasses.
Roy's eyes widened as he took in the scene "Thalia…I think I found Grisha…"