Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) I write this for your enjoyment only. This installment is a backstory from Eren's early childhood and his memories with his father, Dr. Grisha Jaeger, who is still a bit of a mystery since he does not get much character development and the manga has yet to reveal the motives for his actions regarding Eren as well as the Reiss family so I have decided to write my own take on it. Enjoy and please review! ;)

Child of Destiny

Fall, year 840

"Hey, dad, wait up!" A young boy called as he frantically tried to keep up with his father's pace, at least, as best as he could with a heavy backpack filled with supplies.

Dr. Grisha Jaeger turned around to see his young son, five-year old Eren Jaeger, panting as the boy struggled to catch up. Though Eren was his and Carla's pride and joy, Grisha still had to resist the temptation to coddle him if he was going to be an effective warrior for humanity one day. Trying to keep a stern look on his face, the doctor signed.

"Eren, how do you expect to ever be accepted by the Survey Crops if you cannot even keep up with me?" he asked matter-of-factly.

When he heard his father mention the corps, Eren's eyes lit up. "Of course, dad, I'm sorry! I won't complain anymore."

"Good to hear. Now hurry up and get over here…"

The little boy obeyed and the doctor waited patiently as Eren did his best to catch up. Since the day he was born, Grisha and Carla have been told by their neighbor and friends what a handsome child their son was. His unnatural strength for a boy his age also did not go unnoticed. Grisha knew his little Eren was more than capable of keeping up with him but was simply being a little lazy and needed to be pushed.

As soon as Eren caught up and caught his breath, he asked "Where are we going this time, dad?"

"We're going to take a trip in the woods today; I'm going to show you some basic survival skills you're going to be needing when you grow up."

"Okay."

For the first few years of Eren's life, the doctor had conducted the boy's alterations in secret, usually in the middle of the night when Carla was asleep and after his student, Zoe Hanji, had gone home for the day and since his son was so young, Eren would remember nothing of what happened the next day, only assume that he had been dreaming which Grisha would always confirm if he ever brought it up to avoid rousing the suspicion of his mother. Of course, the good doctor felt bad about keeping secrets from his beloved wife, especially regarding Eren since he knew Carla would never willingly allow him to alter their son due to her fierce protectiveness of him, but Grisha knew this was something that had to be done, for the sake of humanity's future.

Luckily, Grisha had been able to keep his experimentation and alterations of his son a secret for some time but now that Eren was older, it was finally necessary to take him away from the sight and earshot of his mother to continue. It also helped that Eren no longer missed or cried for his older playmate and baby-sitter now that Hanji had left to join the Survey Corps two years prior. Although both Grisha and Carla were very fond of her and hoped she would eventually return for a visit, they knew there was a chance they would never see her again since the corps were known for their high mortality rate. In fact, since she left, the Jaegers have not heard anything from her but understood that Hanji's duties probably kept her too busy to write, though they have recently heard news of her promotion as the Survey Corp's chief science officer, a position Grisha himself held before Eren's birth; as soon as he discovered Carla was pregnant with their son, he informed his friend and superior, Keith Shadis, of his resignation though he had kept in touch with his commanding officer over the years. Strangely enough, Shadis could not find one person qualified enough to replace Grisha until Hanji came along. As the last two years went by without a word from Grisha's young student, Eren thought and spoke of her less and less and his parents felt that it was for the best.

After entering the woods, Grisha ordered his son to unload his bag and help him set up camp. Always eager to please the father he adored and idolized, Eren obeyed. The father and son pair had been walking all day and the sun was beginning to set. It looks like they will have to call it a day and begin Eren's lessons tomorrow. After his fifth birthday, Grisha suggested to his wife that he wished to take their son on 'educational field trips', usually once a month for two to three days and teach him how to hunt, fish, and scout as well as study and she consented. Though Carla herself preferred that Eren simply stay at home until he was old enough to go to school, she agreed with her husband that it would be good for their son to get a head start on his education for she hoped that Eren would one day grow up to be a respectable doctor just like his father.

Unfortunately, Dr. Jaeger himself had other plans for their son.

After the tent and campfire was set, Grisha opened his own backpack and took out a small box where he kept some of his needles and other medicines. As Eren watched his father from his seat on a log across the other side of the fire, a feeling of déjà vu washed over him, even though Grisha insisted that he would never give him or anyone else a shot or treatment outside the safety and cleanliness of his home clinic unless it was truly necessary.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

While watching Grisha silently proceed in putting together the syringe and needle as well as prepare the little bottle of unknown medicine that he just knew was meant for him, Eren felt nervous. Like all children, he hated getting shots, even if the doctor was his own father. As Grisha turned to his son, Eren found himself stubbornly trying to keep his arms away from his father.

"Eren", the doctor began in the most soothing tone he could muster while reaching out for his son's arm and giving it a gentle pull, "this is going to hurt a little but you must bear it."

The little boy shook his head stubbornly. Even though he felt as though he had been through this before like his instincts strongly implied, he still didn't like shots.

"No way, I don't want a shot! They hurt!" he protested.

Of course, Grisha, being a doctor, was used to children trying to avoid shots and knew exactly how to get them to listen, especially Eren.

"But Eren, if you take this shot, something amazing will happen" the doctor said in an awe-filled tone as he tried his best to sound convincing.

Upon hearing that, Eren's interest was piqued and he lowered his arm ever so slightly. "What will happen?" he asked curiously, his large turquoise eyes filled with curiosity.

"This shot will give you super-powers!"

"Really?" the boy asked innocently and he turned towards his father.

"Yes, but you must not misuse this power. Someday, bad people will come and try to break down the walls and you must protect everyone. That's what this power is for, to protect!"

His fear forgotten and replaced with excitement, Eren nodded and eagerly held out his arm. "I promise, dad!"

Trying to hide his relief, Grisha took his son's arm to find that one spot on his wrist. Thankfully, the boy did not even wince when the needle broke his skin…

SSSSSS

Eren slowly opened his eyes as the sunlight touched his lids from the slightly opened flap of the tent. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his father preparing breakfast for them over the open campfire. Though Grisha was nowhere near as good a cook as his wife, Eren always tried his best not to complain out of love and respect for his father. As Eren sat up, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes before leaving the tent to join Grisha for breakfast which consisted of some bread, cheese, dried meat, and bottled water that Carla had packed for them before they left on their trip.

As soon as he saw his son, the doctor smiled. "Good morning, Eren, did you sleep well?"

"Yes, dad. Did you give me a shot yesterday?" the boy asked in confusion for his memory of the day before was rather vague.

Grisha, who had been asked this by his son many times in the past, was prepared for his question and gave the usual reply. "Of course not, Eren. You must have been dreaming, that's all…"

"Oh…" Eren began as he scratched his head in confusion. "So what are we going to do today, dad?"

"Well, for starters, I want to see how well you remember your fishing lesson from last time before I teach you anything new, ok?"

"Yes, dad!"

Grisha smiled "That's the spirit!" Even though deep down the doctor knew what he was doing to his son was questionable at best, he was sure that it would be worth it, it had to be.

After they had finished breakfast, the father and son pair packed their things and prepared for their trip to the lake to review Eren's fishing skills. So far, everything Grisha had planned for his son had been a success but it will take at least another five years of hard work (and secrecy) before Eren's transformation is complete. After that, there would be nothing more the doctor can do but place his complete faith in belief that Eren will fulfill his hopes in protecting and serving humanity for he was now a child of destiny…

A/N: Sorry for the long wait but I was stuck with writer's block for a bit while waiting for updates on the manga. There is still a lot we don't know about Dr. Jeager's motivations for doing what he did but I'm hoping that future manga chapters will go in more detail on his backstory. After reading chapter 64, I got the idea for this fic and decided to explore possibilities on Eren's relationship with his father. I hope you enjoyed it. The next installment is not long in coming so look forward to it! ;)