I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin
A/N: They are given three days before the Inner Gates of Wall Rose opens. Sorry, hadn't updated for a bit, it was pretty hectic, ha ha.
It was the eighth day of the fourth month.
At 1600, Isidor rode with his entourage down the main road. The working class and merchants had emerged from their stores and homes to see the Marquis himself ride with his party. The grandeur displayed by his horses made the children stare in awe, but those who knew resentment disapprovingly glowered at the sight, murmuring how the steeds could be feed until they were fat while their own children starved.
Isidor knew too well of this. He had spent time amongst them before his inheritance to his position.
Fiete rode by his right. A guard to his right, and many more for protection. Eren, Erwin, and Jean had taken three horses for themselves, having been told the good Commander's plan from two days before. During their interval, Isidor had supplied Erwin and Jean with gas so that they may have the means to carry on their work. His interest in the lives of other Scouts dropped when he heard of Jean's assumption that his beloved was murdered, yet an obsession- no, love he had acquired of the years brought him to think otherwise.
The trio had taken to the side streets, distantly following the main group but keeping near the main road. So long as they all stayed at a walk, there would be no need for the guards of the surrounding areas to raise the alarm.
"When the surviving Scouts appear, Eren will buy them time by turning into a Titan; I will leave Jean to regroup with the survivors. Once we make sure they get out of Wall Rose alive, I will get Eren out of the Titan and leave with you."
"Erwin, that's only under the pretense that you can even touch Eren before he kills you."
"Besides, how can we count of them not closing the Gate once I leave? They could keep it open and send in reinforcements."
"Then the survivors ought to be prepared for this to be dragged on beyond the Gate."
"I suppose I must keep running. They could butcher my escorts for all I for- you'll be there to stop them, right?"
"Mike should be there."
A long fight.
He slouched in his saddle and gave a yawn.
The Military Police surrounded him, keeping him in the middle. About two dozen guards, all armed with Gears and blades. He expected about a fourth of them would rush out to greet the enemy should they arrive. One of his guards, Fritz Gervas, had decided to see him off at the gate before returning to work at finding the surviving Scouts.
"...the Wall occultists wiped practically everyone we could get our hands on," Fritz reported to him.
"I imagine you hadn't captured Zacharias?" He drawled, he knew the man was elsewhere.
"No, and neither had we found Smith's body. You were there when it happened, it must have been horrible."
Isidor scoffed. "You forget who gave you your rank."
"Apologies, sir," Fritz sneered.
They passed through a check-point without problem before finally arriving at the Gate to find it closed. The Garrison soldiers had spotted them and began the process of opening it; the strident shrieks of metal and unbecoming groans from grinding gears echoed throughout the square. As the idly stood, bald Stationary Guard wearing a red sash approached from one of the guardhouses.
He was stowing away a flask of vine as he approached Isidor. Commander Dott Pixis pleasantly asked,"Did you have a fair time in the Karanese?"
Both shook a hand at greeting. Isidor gave a somewhat agreeable shrug. "Could have done less with the MP running about."
"You can't imagine the overtime you're giving us, Marquis," Fritz inputted with a grimacing face. "Protecting you and all, it was hard enough to not worry about your safety with all these fugitives loose."
"Imagine them as scared animals," Isidor dragged on. He scanned the area, seeing nothing but guards and several civilians, he brought his attention to Pixis. "Are you quarantining this place?"
"Naturally, we have to. If I may be so bold as to say this, I find this to be a waste of our resources and time, hunting down Scouts and keeping them contained here. The government, mind my words, must have gone mental to go as far as removing the most important branch of the military," Pixis told them, his eyes narrowing towards Isidor.
Fritz barked out with a laugh. "Oh, c'mon, old man, they were useless. When you open the gates when they return home, they come back smaller in number! Had they produced anything useful for humanity? No, not ever-"
"That was because the government didn't give them a chance to demonstrate Eren Yaeger's benefit to everyone. Was closing Trost not good enough for you or are you too stupid to see we won a battle for the first time?" Pixis countered. "The Recon Corps has done much more than the Military Police, they hold much more honor, and they can live through anything when they return from the Hell that they've thrown themselves into one too any times."
"Marquis, he's voicing an opinion favoring the enemy, should I lop off his head?" Fritz said behind gritted teeth.
Isidor couldn't help but drown out the voices by focusing on the Inner Gate opening half-way. They were beginning to bicker, or at least Fritz was willing to raise his voice; he could hear the bitterness in the older man's tone yet he astonishingly never raised his voice. When Fritz's question finally came to mind, Isidor replied,"No, you should not because I agree with him entirely."
The MP soldier was taken aback. "Sir!? You voted for-"
"I voted for my hide, not my favor. Commander, walk by my side. All of you, leave us be." Isidor nudged his horse forward so that he would be out of earshot of his escorts. Pixis strode easily, they went on for a bit until he stopped his horse and said,"Command your Garrison to stand down."
"I've already told them to do so."
Isidor raised a brow, curious.
"We only open the Gates for when someone of great importance such as you comes along. To have these events unfold and then for you, Marquis, to have a need to travel as far as here, surely this would catch someone's attention; after all, you voted for the annihilation of the Recon Corps. Also, with your retort towards that MP soldier there, my prediction could never be more than spot on for a sympathizer for the fallen branch of the military. Besides...the Garrison had aided a few other Scouts escape over the passed few days, we simply just avoid adding them to our reports."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then added,"I take it you're expecting the survivors to appear soon?"
"...yes, of course. Your mind knows no bounds, does it, Pixis?"
The Garrison Commander smiled, just slightly, then turned away. "Good luck with whatever you have set into motion."
Isidor's horse noisily snorted before being forced to return to the main group. Fiete had turned around, his back facing Isidor; the Marquis walked by and asked of him,"What is it?"
The mute man brought a hand up, pointing at something. His eyes, along with everyone's heads, looked in the direction of where he was bringing their attention towards.
It was the main road. Behind his men, a wagon approached with a redheaded driver carrying two passengers and many supplies; he was followed by a convoy. It could have been a merchant for all he knew, then again, he wasn't scheduled to have anyone but himself leave the Karanese. It dawned on him that these people were the surviving Scouts.
They would have made a peaceful leave but, as much as they were drawing attention to themselves, they would have raised suspicion. It was then, as they drew close, a flash of bright light came from above.
At the sight of it, Isidor whirled his horse head for the Inner Gate. The earth trembled and screams rose, shots rang overhead; Fiete was frantically riding by his side, Fritz had barely caught up with him. The sound of Gears firing off with soldiers whizzed by the three as they rode on, making a break for it. Somewhere, Fritz had turned his horse around after making sure that Isidor was in the safety outside of Wall Rose.
"Escort the Marquis elsewhere!" Fritz ordered, several of the guards that made it out of the ensuing fight had followed. He charged back into the Wall, his blades already drawn. The Marquis, undeterred by the appearance of light, listened to the other soldiers as they panicked, speaking hastily about what they had seen.
"Sir," one spoke out,"we must get you further away!"
They waited for him to reply, to agree in their pleas, to leave. They were in fear for themselves, not for the Marquis. Isidor glared at each of them. Two dozen men for his protection. They would be slaughtered in an instant once the survivors emerged from the Inner Gate. He merely shook his head.
He calmly watched, waiting for the sign of a convoy. He was sure that the group he saw earlier were the people he had sent Mike to bring. This plan was completely makeshift, should anyone leave alive, it would have been considered a miracle. He wanted to say just long enough to look at each living Scout to see if he could find the one he had been looking for.
-...-
At noon, Ymir tightened the cinch to her saddle.
Beside her, Christa was doing the same.
Everyone else had gotten their horses ready, most were tied by the tie-downs outside the porch of the Flora.
Their uniforms were washed the night before, courtesy of Rivaille though Christa had brought a truck of clothes for later use once they, as everyone hoped, escaped with their lives. From where they stood, Rivaille was trotting his horse in circles while Mike lunged his horse to lessen its anxiety; Tobias, dressed for travel, lazily sat in the front seat of the wagon, dazing to nowhere; Sasha was combing through Weiss's hair, telling her new friend something; Hanji, Petra, and Armin were still in the tavern, prepping Mikasa for the journey; the rest were making their way outside, escorting Annie.
"Christa," Ymir said as she looped the cinch and checked the girth with her fingers.
"Yeah?" She had finished ahead of her, now she stood by, holding the reins to her palomino.
"Upon my revealing of my secret, you said you would live up to your name and reclaim what you had left."
Christa looked directly at her.
"...how do we know I'm going to live to reclaim it? It's just us, lightly armed, against an army," she said with a near laugh. "Who knows? There could be hundreds, possibly thousands, and we're only counting on the Gate to close behind our last horse!"
"You have two, confirmed Titans at your disposal," Ymir reasoned,"and you still want to hold fear? Just tell me who you are."
Her free hand reached to take a hold of the blond's shoulders to reel her in, taking her into an embrace. Despite her abrasive personality, her gestures told otherwise as she buried her face into Christa's hair to breathe in her sweet scent. She leaned further and planted a chaste kiss to her cheek. She felt Christa's lips by her ear, then a low whisper came from her,"Historia..."
Ymir let out a pleasant sigh, as though she were relieved at the revelation that needed to quell her curiosity. "That's beautiful."
Christa gave a half-smile and withdrew, only to have Ymir bring a hand to gently nudge her chin up. Without question, Christa tip-toed to meet her lips with her own. This simple practice was meant to be chaste, brief just as it had been before, but Ymir had taken the initiative to deepen it. Despite holding the reins in one hand, she took Christa's waist and slowly backed her against the wall.
Hands were slowly caressing the other one's back, a silently language where they told each other not to die, to promise to stay alive. It was Ymir's deepest fear that Christa would be gone from this world, and the danger she felt of knowing there were more Titans than herself living amongst humans had drawn a cautious side of her.
Her fingers found themselves tangled in the golden locks, bringing Christa closer.
Their horses pawed the ground and snorted, waiting for them. Reluctantly, Ymir withdrew herself, though their lips lingered for a brief moment. She murmured with that smile,"When this is over, let's get married."
A cough came from somewhere. Ymir glanced over her shoulder to see Sasha standing a few feet away with Weiss. The white dog's tail wagged like a flag though his new master had an almost defeated look. Scrutinizing her quickly, Ymir brought Christa closer to her as she asked,"What?"
"Corporal says that we're leaving now," Sasha informed them, trying to not meet their eyes.
"We'll be there."
They shared a quick kiss and lead their horses out.
The convoy had been set up the way Rivaille had described it. Tobias, with a liver colored draft hauling their supply cart, took his place at the front with Armin and Petra (Mikasa was hidden away as planned); behind him, in a row, Sasha trotted to the right of Hanji while Mike stood at the left (these three had Gears equipped, along with Sasha having a quiver strapped behind her); the third row was where Ymir and Christa were to be situated; the fourth contained Bertolt and Reiner (both had Gears); finally, Rivaille had taken the rear with Annie bound and gagged behind him, he was wearing her Gear under his coat.
Once they stood in line, Ymir overheard Hanji speaking to Mike.
"...as much as the kids are in debt to me, we are to you as well," she said, looking over at him. He wasn't facing her but he heard her, nodding stiffly. "I owe you one, Mike."
He huffed out,"When we get to another tavern, you can pay me back in drink. You still got the coin purse?"
Hanji pointed at her waist. "You need it back?"
"Unless I plan on throwing it at the MP. Maybe it'll distract them." She snorted with a laugh while he shook his head, the cloth rustled a bit over his head.
They were each given cloaks, most had taken to slipping on their hoods. In the corner of her eye, Ymir saw Christa fumbling about to get her hood on. She done so as well, making sure it was stay secure.
Rivaille's voice rose amongst the nickers and light chatters, aiming for Mike,"Avoid the check-points. Trot the horses and don't make eye-contact with the people, be wary of the patrols!"
Without further ado, they were off. Tobias cracked his whip, bringing the draft to haul their wagon. Another crack, he was trotting. The others, keeping in formation, quietly followed with their own steeds. Shod horses clopped their hooves against the bricks, the sound of saddles and Gears slapping one another created a steady rhythm that everyone fell into place with.
By Ymir's horse came Weiss, briskly trotting with a tongue hanging out. A sharp whistle came from Sasha, the sheepdog weaved between Ymir's row to be by Sasha's side.
It was quiet in the spring afternoon. Few people were paying mind to them, Ymir figured that it had something to do with the Marquis and how they were gathering elsewhere to see him off. Her thoughts meandered as he began to post in her seat; the trot has been sped up for some reason but there was no alarm. As though they were back in the field, none uttered a word.
Save for Mike, he called out directions to Tobias, navigating them through the Karanese to avoid the MP check-points.
Ymir glanced over her shoulder and saw Bertolt staring back at her, something was amiss there. He didn't hold that defeated expression, no, he looked ready to kill. she shrugged it off in the belief that he was nervous of leaving. She faced forward once more.
Four hours passed, soon enough, the view of the Inner Gates appeared around the corner. A sigh escaped from someone when they found it to be opened half-way. Ahead, a few kilometers between their convoy and the Gate, stood about a group of riders; it could have been the Marquis and his escorts. She was sure the Rivaille could see the sight yet he didn't call for the Second Formation.
It felt empty when they walked down the main road, it was quiet, and she grew paranoid about it. Ymir scanned their surroundings once more.
Her feelings were confirmed when Sasha's voice broke it. "I hear three horses coming in from the West, they're cantering!"
The report was acknowledged by Rivaille as he told them all,"Stay in formation!"
And they did.
It was only a matter of seconds that three horses fell into their view. Only one of the riders had abruptly stopped his horse while the other two continued on, crossing the main road and disappearing into another alley. Their convoy was brought to a halt for the rider. He wore no cloak but he donned a Gear, his hair and shirt, his build, it was recognizable to them.
Sasha was the first to lower her hood, addressing him with a shocked tone. "Jean!?"
But there was no relief in his expression. He didn't even bother to respond to her but, instead, trotted his horse to the back of the line to where Rivaille was. After a few moments of them speaking, Rivaille spoke out once more,"He'll be joining us, keep moving!"
"Who were the other two?" Hanji asked from where she was positioned. "Why aren't they coming along?"
Mike leaned to the side of his saddle to pick up the breeze that had blown by. He sniffed the air several times, once for finding a scent, second for reaffirming it, third to know if it were real, fourth in a sudden disbelief. "I...I caught Eren's scent, but...strangely, I have Erwin's as well."
"The man lives!?"
She rounded her horse, pushing passed Ymir and Christa and jostling Reiner and Bertolt. Ymir turned in her saddle, as did Christa.
"Erwin's alive," Hanji urgently told him,"he's probably going to use Eren as-"
"Jean's told me what he could," Rivaille calmly interrupted. His words were quickly thrown at Jean,"Go stop Eren from transforming, tell Erwin that we have another Titan-shifter on our hands, the use of Eren is not needed! Hanji, get back to your spot."
The brunette brought her sorrel around as Jean galloped passed them to disappear into the side-street. They continued on, trotting once more. As they drew near, a sense of urgency fell before Ymir, as though Jean wouldn't get to Eren on time, that the plan would involve two Titans instead of one. She looked back once again and she saw Rivaille bring out a knife, being ready to slice away at Annie should the need rise.
They drew closer the group of riders standing at the Gate. They had already gotten their attention.
Some of the guards that had appeared began to near them, readying to ask questions, but before the surviving Scouts could draw their weapons, light struck out from above, leaving them in white, blinding them temporarily; Eren had been drawn out from hiding.
Screams rose, shots were fired, and in the midst of the oncoming confusion, it was Ymir who shouted her loudest,"BREAK INTO SECOND FORMATION!"