"…Everyone's got a sob story, some are worse than others…but that doesn't give you the right to discredit it…nor do I ever want to always hear about it…We get it, your family was killed, you wanna destroy the Titans, you wanna see beyond the Walls…They're almost cookie cutter in their 'unique' sob stories"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850
Spring 850
Eastbourne Village, Yalkell District
Ryan rode due east alongside one of his superiors, Mary Cooper, as they headed towards his village; the other members of the squad having split off once they reached different settlements along the way. "Up ahead, you see? That's the village" He pointed out as the golden brown rooftops dotted amongst the vines came into view. Even from here they could see Titans lumbering around the village.
"Where you're from?" Mary asked.
"Yeah"
"Is there anywhere else that the people might go? Somewhere to hide in case of an emergency?"
"There's this old bunker underneath the ruins of the Quakers Asylum; they might've gone there"
"And where would that be?"
"This way"
It didn't take long for the pair to arrive at the ruins of the asylum, the building having been situated on the outskirts of the village when it was first constructed. Ryan ended up taking point as he led the way through the old rubble; his horse picking its way over mossy fallen stones.
They eventually made their way to the centre of the ruins where the courtyard would've been. Dismounting from their horses, the two set to work looking for the entrance after Ryan had described what the entrance would look like. As they looked, Ryan couldn't help but reminisce on the last time he had been in the village, almost five years ago.
Autumn 845
Eastbourne Village, Yalkell District
"Maria's tits! Again with this?" Ryan's father, John, demanded upon finding his youngest son drunk behind the barn, "Ryan! You can't always be chugging this stuff down! Give it here! That batch is going to the Capital!" John tried to snatch the cask of wine out of his son's hand, but the boy's drunken attempts to dissuade him, pushed the wine further out of reach.
"You little shit! Show some restraint!" John cursed as he watched Ryan defiantly chugged down another mouthful of wine. The boy was definitely drunk by now, and tomorrow's hangover was going to hit him like an anvil to the head.
"…Ryan" John sighed as he leant against the fence with his arms crossed, "Look around you, ever wonder how things got to be the way they are? Why the valley life is disappearing? Why the crops don't grow so good anymore? Or doesn't it concern you?"
"Sure it does, people are strolling in here and helping themselves to our things. It's why Frankie and Gideon had to go off and join the military, why James knocked up that bimbo down the street"
"Yeah, that's true on the face of it. But where else do you expect people to go when they lose their homes? They gotta right to live, don't they?"
"But our families have been here for generations, what gives them the right to barge in and take what's rightfully ours?"
"They lost their homes 'cause of Titans, those beasts kicked a whole straight through Wall Maria. Where else were people gonna go? The Capital? Their graves? Look Ryan, it wasn't their choice, they had to survive somehow. So they cleared the back vineyards and used it for farmland"
John sighed, running a hand down his face as he stared off into the distance, his gaze roving over the remaining vineyards that glistened in the evening sun. "Maybe it's time for us to let go, surrender the old ways" Ryan let out a gasp at the admission and tried to push himself upright as indignation flashed across his face.
"We're not gonna starve, government's willing to pay us, y'know" John continued arms crossed as he refused to meet Ryan's drunken eyes. "We'll expand the mutton and wool business, make money off of that"
"What! If we turn our back on our wine culture, we turn our backs to who we are! All those traditions and customs, gone! Down the drain! Don't you care about that! Who cares about the people who steal from us?! What use are they in the grand scheme of things?!" Ryan exploded.
"I'll tell you why" John returned his gaze to Ryan, his expression full of calm fury, "We're in this together, the world belongs to everyone, each and every one of us. We're human; humans are social creatures. It's all fine and good to move to the beat of your own drum, but when land is scarce, you gotta fall in step with the flock. Think about the greater good"
"No! Fuck that! I won't do it! Why should I fall in step and forget about everything we've worked so hard to achieve?! Everything our ancestors worked so hard for?! Screw the greater good, what about us? Don't you care about that?!"
John looked down at his furious son whose cheeks burned bright red (from his anger or the alcohol, John wasn't sure) and beady eyes glared up at with as he clutched tight to the rather empty bottle in his hands, where some of the liquid had splashed out as he gestured.
"Right then, if that's how you really feel, seek out a living in these valleys amongst the sheep; live by the old ways like the others. But I'll tell you something, you better be willing to die by the old ways too. Cause make no mistake, Ryan, trouble is gonna come knocking on our door, whether you like it or not and when it does, there'll be no help from the people you turned your back on.
If it means the difference between being a part of something larger than myself and scraping by on my own, I say screw tradition and let's move on. What about you? Are you brave enough to take the plunge? Trade the rolling valleys of your ancestors for a share in civilisation? Or are our fellow people just not worth the hassle?"
"Here!" Mary called off to his left, pulling Ryan from his thoughts. Leaving his horse to graze amongst the fallen stones, he scrambled over the rubble, making his way over to the Scout where she stood. In front her stood the statue of a woman draped in flowing cloth and clutching to a pitchfork in one hand and a bouquet of wheat and flowers in the other. The tall woman towered over the two, especially from upon the pedestal upon which she stood.
It was Demeter, the village's patron saint and one of the only statues still standing amongst the rubble. Supposedly the asylum had placed it here in the early days to bring comfort to the patients and workers, as well as a place of worship; however the upkeep of the place had fallen to ruin not too long after.
"Here, gimme a hand" Ryan stated as he picked his way over to the base of the statue with Mary hot on his heels. As one, the two pushed and heaved with all the strength they had, pushing the stone statue as far as it would go. Eventually they were able to push the statue over far enough to reveal the path down into the dark cavernous tunnel that was forged through the mountainside.
Ryan then stepped over the threshold, only going so far into the darkness before he raised his index and pointer fingers to his lips and let out a high pitched whistle that bounced off of the walls around him and down into the darkness. There was a beat of silence as nothing happened; behind him Mary shifted on her feet, glancing over her shoulder at their surroundings as the pair waited for a response of some kind.
A sharp whistle bounced back through the tunnel, only just reaching their ears. Despite what Mary might've thought about the varying tones in the whistles, Ryan knew this code; he'd been taught it at a young age and had grown up on it. This time he responded to the questioning whistle with one that rose and dropped in pitch several times before trailing to an end.
"Now what?" Mary asked as a thunder of hoofbeats began to grow ever closer, the lit torches that the group carried, bouncing off of their faces and making the shadows dance as they moved. Ryan moved back out into the sunlight, pulling Mary off to the side as the group emerged from the darkness, blinking rapidly at the sudden light.
To an outsider it must be a bit of an odd sight, Ryan supposed as he looked upon the small group of villagers that were all seated atop Hugo Andersson's herd of reindeer as they trickled out into the light. "Ryan!" called a familiar voice, grabbing Ryan's attention.
"Jim!" Ryan smiled, moving forth to hug his elder brother who dismounted from the reindeer, leaving his air-headed wife clutching tightly to the reins. "It's good to see you!"
"You too, squirt!" Jim replied locking Ryan in a headlock as he ruffled his hair, only to be playfully shoved away.
"Is this everyone?" Mary asked as she moved through the group of people milling about, as she tried to avoid getting trampled beneath the reindeer.
"I think so" Ryan replied, looking around before turning back to his brother, "Where's Pa and the others?"
"They went to sell the wares at the festival in Orvud" James replied, "They left a few days ago"
"Good"
"Okay, good. We can get a move on then" Mary nodded, as the two Scouts remounted their horses. Everything seemed to be going well enough until a panicked wail sounded from across the clearing.
"WHERE ARE THEY?! WHERE ARE MY BABIES?!" a woman cried, frantically searching the group for her children.
"What is it? What's going on?" Mary asked approaching the woman.
"I CAN'T FIND THEM! I CAN'T FIND MY SONS!" the hysterical mother replied gripping tight to Mary's shoulders, shaking the Scout slightly as tears streamed down her face.
"Did you stop anywhere on the way here?" Ryan asked James as the group watched on.
"No, when Titans appeared, we came straight here" James replied.
"That means they're still in the village, aren't they?"
"Yeah, probably"
Ryan grit his teeth and clenched his hands around his reins as he thought about what to do. With mind made up, Ryan pulled away from the group and raced back towards the village as if the devil was on his heels. "OI RYAN! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" James called as he watched his brother race away.
"DON'T WORRY, I'LL BE BACK!" Ryan called over his shoulder as he continued on.
How long has it been? An hour? Surely they'd have the sense to hide themselves by now? Ryan thought as he rode down the beaten path that wove around the mountainside, a track of Titan prints leading inwards catching his attention. Impossible! Could they really have come this way? That does it! This place isn't safe anymore!
Eventually, the mountain path led down into the valley where the village centre lay. It was hard work, trying to search for the two boys and avoiding the Titans that lumbered around. Thankfully, the Titans seemed to be preoccupied with the back fields where the graveyard and probably a few fresh corpses lay.
"In addition to the cities at the Walls, there exists villages of various sizes contained within the Walls…They exist to provide goods and food to the people in the cities, though containing a higher population overall"-Information for Public Disclosure: Scattered Villages
It was the sound of a wailing babe that brought Ryan over to the small lean-to that jutted out from the side of the black smith's. And so it was with fear pumping through his veins, that with a war cry that he slammed a flaming poker through the neck of the two metre Titan crouched over the pair.
It didn't seem to affect the Titan much, merely slowed it down enough for Ryan to yank the young boy who stood trembling backed against the wall with his younger brother clutched to his chest in the sling he wore. "It's gonna be okay, but we need to run now, okay?" Ryan cried as they ran/
Having dismounted earlier to search through the buildings surrounding the outer edges of the village, Ryan dragged the two boys with him as he ran, heading back towards where he had left his horse. Unfortunately, the trio had to avoid the main road due to the sudden swarm of Titans headed their way. "Shit!" Ryan cursed under his breath as he swerved into the ruins of the town hall, the younger boy stumbling over his feet at the sudden movement. "It's gonna be okay" he reassured his charges.
"Really?" the boy whispered as he looked up at Ryan with glistening eyes.
"Promise" Ryan replied as he pulled them over to an outcropping that overlooked the path where his horse stood. There wasn't really any way for them to get down quickly, especially with the Titans that were closing in. He could probably jump the distance, it wasn't that far, but with a young child and baby on board…
Looking around, Ryan spotted a large wooden door that sat near the edge and was leant against a piece of rubble; one end sat on the ground and the other was up in the air. A stupid idea came to mind as he turned to the young children, ever mindful of the Titans closing in.
Ryan squatted in front of the young boy and made sure that the babe's sling was tied tightly around his brother's neck before he rose and picked them up, placing them on the edge of the wooden door.
"Right, copy me" Ryan instructed, pulling the boy's attention from the approaching Titan. "Head down" Ryan stood next to the boy and pulled his head down, as he instructed him.
"Head down" repeated the boy, mimicking Ryan.
"Arms in" Ryan crossed his arms over his chest.
"Arms in" The boy clutched tight to his younger brother, who thankfully had stopped wailing by now and was only sniffling.
"Knees apart" Ryan peered over the boy's shoulder at the Titan who now stood over them with its hand raised to slam down on them.
"Knees apart-Knees apart? Why would I need to keep my knees apart?" The boy didn't receive an answer from Ryan, instead the Titan slammed its hand down on the raised end of the door, sending the two into the air with a scream.
In turn, Ryan dodged the second attempt by the Titan and leapt off of the outcropping, rolling to a stop by his horse's feet. Quickly rising to his feet, Ryan breathed a sigh of relief as he mounted his horse, behind the young boy who sat panting and ashen-faced in the saddle. They made it! He thought, thankful that the boys hadn't overshot his horse.
After a quick shuffle, sorting out the seating arrangement ended with Ryan in the saddle and the young boy sitting in his lap with the babe clutched tightly in his arms. Grabbing tight to the reins, Ryan urged his horse into motion as the Titan moved towards them with a few more headed their way.
With the Titan approaching from the rear, and another coming from the right, Ryan felt his fear begin to turn to panic as they raced down the path. From here, Ryan didn't really seem to be in control as his horse raced towards the edge of the path, straight off the end. "Max?" Ryan called as his horse raced on and leapt off the edge of the path, "Max! MAX!"
Those aboard the horse let out screams of fear and Max let out a whinny as they sailed off the end of the path, sliding down the roof of the nearest building and landing with a thump on the ground below. "Alright Max, let's see how fast you can run" Ryan challenged as Max picked up speed, racing through the village, dodging Titans and rubble as they did so.
"HEY RYAN! OVER HERE!" James called from atop a piece of rubble, waving his arms in the air. Ryan had been able to lose the trailing Titans around the edges of the village, as they came through the mountain pass.
Pulling his tired horse to a stop, Ryan handed the younger boys to Jim, who in turn placed them on the ground where they wasted no time in launching themselves into the arms of the wailing mother in Mary's arms. The woman clutched her two sons to her chest, the tears starting anew as her boys were returned to her.
"Ya did good, squirt" Jim clapped Ryan on his shoulder as he pulled his reindeer up next to Ryan's horse, "Ya did good"