Here's the long chapter I promised, thank you for the reviews! :)
Chapter Two
Mikasa unfolded the paper and read Eren's first ever letter to her:
Dear Mikasa,
Irwin told me that you stopped by a place called Austria. He said you'd just crossed the German border so if I wrote to you now it wouldn't take that long for his bird to deliver the message.
I just wanted to make sure you were okay, that you and everyone else had gotten out safely. But with someone like you and Captain Rivaille leading the town I'm positive that you arrived in no harm's way. I have faith in you both that's why I trust you with my own soul.
It's odd isn't it? How I can't call your name and you're not here by my side, instead you're thousands of miles away from me. But we'll get used to it. I think I could get used to writing every day now. And Rivaille, I'm worried that
― "Mikasa are you coming or not?" Jean yelled as he swung his lengthy legs over his handsome, bronze horse. Without a backwards glance the mahogany haired lad had already abandoned Mikasa and merged with the rest of the townsfolk.
She had been too engrossed in reading Eren's letter she had elapsed that they were already setting off to go home.
Pressed for time, she promptly crumpled the paper effortlessly and jostled it into a bag that was knotted onto her saddle and mounted her light weight on her dusky beauty. As her horse wailed, Mikasa hauled at the reigns gesturing for her stallion to embark the journey home. But first, she made a halt at Rivaille's adjacent.
The pair observed as everyone initiated riding their horses out into the open and headed East towards the German – French border. There was a cosmic number of townsfolk, but over the decade their number had diminished by 50% due to the absence of food and adulthood. Some knew they weren't going to pull through, but Mikasa stated that if they wanted to live and return home they would have to fight.
"Who's leading the way?" Mikasa enquired as the horses' hooves trudged against the low cut grassland.
Rivaille retained his eyes on the townsfolk and said, "Sasha and Christa are taking the lead. I positioned Jean and Connie on either side in case any person takes the incorrect course or has the courtesy to escape."
Mikasa creased her eyebrows at her higher companion. "What are we going to do?" She queried.
"We'll take the posterior. Make sure nobody's lagging or getting left behind. We'll make a refuelling stop at Troyes and validate that the horses get a breather before we advance further east to Chaumont; if the horses aren't drained we might even make it to Bar-Le-Duc."
Hearing no answer Rivaille craned his head and Mikasa hastily nodded in understanding. The last group of horses had hurried past them so he speedily followed, his horse whickering in trepidation. She observed as he kept his concentration on the folks in front of him. His only objective is to defend humanity and if he had to perish to protect them he would contentedly do so.
Mikasa daunted at his fortitude and heroism, inquisitive of herself, why did her stomach feel nauseous thinking about the Corporal like that?
Shaking her head at the peculiar question she towed the reigns tighter and her black beauty began to charge, slowly catching up to the Corporal's flank.
It was irresolute about how much time had passed but everyone distinguished that it must be dawn if the sun was peeking through the skyline. Just no further than 5 am at least.
There was a vast empty space up ahead and with Rivaille's rich eyes he could just about decipher the sign 'Bienvenue à Charmount' which he understood as 'Welcome to Charmount.'
Rivaille fished for his firearm inside his thigh boot and drew it out targeting it towards the right. Without a subsequent uncertainty he pulled the trigger and out exploded a lengthy thread of crimson smoke. All craniums turned in the direction of the smoke and Connie, who understood the indicator, signalled everyone to take a rest.
"Guarantee that everyone's together, double check if you have to." Rivaille yelled to Mikasa who then nodded and teamed up with Jean to varnish the responsibility.
15 minutes later and everyone had settled in speedier than Rivaille had anticipated. A majority of the youngsters were slumbering whilst some of the elders were congregated around a fire consuming food and gossiping to one another.
The colour of graceful petroleum caught the Corporal's courtesy. It was Mikasa. Taking her horse to a proximate oak shrub and securing its reigns around a thick branch.
Debating about whether he should go over and reveal Eren's conditions he compelled himself to drag his body to her. Whether it was to achieve her trust or inhibit her from ever knowing about Eren's state Rivaille knew he would have to speak to her before they returned.
Sloping against the oak shrub he shifted his mass onto the tree and blinked. "Beautiful isn't she?" He called out attributing to Mikasa's onyx stallion.
The girl peered from behind the stallion's opposite with extensive eyes. It was like his existence had traumatised her she couldn't even bring herself to say something. The prevailing figure leaned off the shrub and approached Mikasa, running his hand through the stallion's brawny body. Feeling the suppleness of its coating and the temperateness it discharged from sprinting so far Rivaille felt like he was home. Wherever that was.
"Ackerman why do you always look like I've murdered your cat?" He asked keeping his eyes and hands restrained on the stallion.
Mikasa locked her eyes closed and unrestrained her overwrought shoulders then unlocked her eyes again. She could feel a hot redness emerge from her cheeks, an unhealthy colour of rosy pink appeared. Peculiarly, Mikasa knew precisely why she had been trying to elude him. She was insecure about her feelings, her attention was all over the place right now. The thought of seeing Eren for the first time in 10 years seemed so dreamlike it seemed too good to be true. But it had to be. Otherwise she wouldn't be half way out in the middle of France making her way back to Wall Sina, where she last saw him.
The girl exhaled. "If I told you you'd mock me just like Jean."
"That's Jean. Not me. If I were mocking you I'd need a debateable reason behind it."
She sighed again. "I just feel like something's not right with Eren. Why are we bringing the entire town back when I could just travel by myself? Getting past the titans out the walls was a difficult task can you imagine what it might be like getting back in?"
"10 years have sailed by and our numbers have decreased. We escaped the Titans what makes you think we can't escape them again? Irwin's a clever man, he knows what he's doing don't doubt him."
Rivaille gazed profoundly into Mikasa's obsidian eyes, the sun's vague light smiled into her eyes and for a moment her eyes had a tone of argent in them. "Mhm." She retorted like she understood.
"Your self – deprecating attitude is unhealthy for your reputation. Why do you doubt yourself? Only cowards doubt themselves that's why they lose. If you are worth 100 soldiers to Humanity what are you worth to yourself?" He asked in an imposing tone. Mikasa stared at the Corporal with a blank expression. He really knew how to get to her head and scramble everything up. "Cowards don't travel halfway across a country to see someone who might not even be alive. Cowards don't get the privilege to protect the entire human race." His daunting tone sent a quiver up her spine and made her think about all the sacrifices she's made to protect the ones she loved.
"Cowards don't lie either. Corporal you're the only person who knows what's going inside the Wall, tell me –" She paused to take a breather but then continued. "Is Eren still alive?"
And in that moment Rivaille's body became rigid, this was the question he'd been wanting to avoid most. Because if he'd told her she'd break down like a weathering rock. Nothing left to keep her motivated, just a few words would be enough to suck the happiness and life of the beautiful girl that stood before him.
Suddenly, something had stopped him dead in his thought. "Ackerman – " He started as his eyebrows knitted together. There was a crimson blotch appearing on the side of her leg. "You're bleeding."
hope you liked it :) x
