"You nearly had me with that throw, Luigi, don't look so down that I finally beat you!"

Ragnar was feeling quite chipper as the caravan made its meandering way through another forest, nearing the edge of the Muspell Valley. He'd never been able to defeat Luigi before, not even during his intense training in the Way of the Fist. The older man was considered one of the best hand to hand fighters in the entire kingdom.

"I threw you, yes, but I could not defeat you. I may be getting a little too old to duel."

He couldn't help but laugh at Luigi, who was barely in his late 30s.

"Both of your forms were good," He heard Annie say from behind him as they rode onward, "Luigi was nearly flawless in his executions, except for the slight hesitation whenever he went for the kill shot. Yours could… use some work."

He twisted his head around and peered down at her.

"What could use some work?"

"Your lower fists dip whenever you're going to throw a punch with your upper arms. Footwork was sloppy and slow. You beat him by virtue of your size, and the fact that he has twice as many hands to watch."

"Hmm… how much hand to hand training have you done Annie?" He questioned, humor dripping from his lips like a potent venom.

He watched the ghosts of memories float across her eyes, but she answered in her usual deadpan. And though she was being much less cold than that first day, she was still distant. He'd been surprised when she insisted on riding with him and not having a horse of her own.

"A little."

"Well, once your leg finishes healing," He reached down and flicked the end of her leg, which was now a few inches below the knee, eliciting a small yelp from Annie, "You will have to show me how good you are."

He turned to find Luigi quickening his horses pace to catch up with Eleanor, who was at the head of the caravan. There was no one within twenty feet of them now.

For several minutes they rode on in silence, looking about and watching the trees and grasses begin to dwindle, to be replaced by the rock and small shrubs of the Muspell Valley. Then he felt a pair of arms wrap around his stomach.

Why is she hugging me, Ragnar thought to himself, she's quite the weird one, but at least she's interesting.

"Thank you, Ragnar," He looked at her once again, and his shocked expression was just what Annie wanted, as her voice was not the usual deadpan, "If it weren't for you, then I'd be dead. So, thank you."

She may have piled the sweetness in her voice on a little too much, though, for Ragnar's eyes shot wide and his cheeks reddened noticeably even under his tanned skin.

His heart jumped into his throat, and he stammered a few unintelligible things before falling silent, for she had already turned away to look towards the mountains.

Damn it, Ragnar, he silently cursed himself, you should have said something more manly than that!

But he still smiled as they rode onward.

"This girl is getting a little too cozy with the prince, Luigi. We need to do something about it!"

Eleanor and Luigi had known each other since they had attended the Academy, and had both chosen to serve as guardians for Prince Ragnar at the end of their terms. They'd always been good friends, but their arguments had become legendary in academy lore.

"We cannot interfere in any way, Eleanor," Luigi said, looking back upon the scene behind them, "He's smitten with her. If she were to suffer some mishap, or disappear… you know who he'd blame. And besides, have you ever seen Ragnar this happy? We need to simply keep an eye on them, I do feel that that girl has some ulterior motives."

"Of course she does," Eleanor snorted, "You should have seen the way she looked when you let Ragnar beat you, like she hadn't eaten in a year and suddenly found a sandwich… wait, you did let Ragnar beat you right?"

Luigi turned his nose up as Eleanor began to laugh.

"I'm just getting old is all…"

They continued on for several miles in relative silence, listening for anything out of the ordinary as their advanced scouts probed far ahead. The daylight was beginning to fade, and he noted a relative weariness that was coloring the faces of the men around him. He decided to call a halt in a particularly open area.

"No fires, and don't unpack the tents," He ordered, looking to Nick to organize the men, "For all intents and purposes, consider yourselves in enemy territory. Philipson, choose ten guards. I want roving teams of two around the perimeter."

When he looked back for Ragnar and Annie, he was shocked to see that they were gone. And when he asked the two guards who he posted to keep a watch on them, they said that they thought they'd rode ahead. Luigi brought his horse around and raced to where Eleanor was busy organizing the dispersal of food.

"Eleanor," He yelled as he neared, "Get mounted, you too Tyr. Ragnar and Annie have disappeared. About a half mile back apparently. I'll check the near side of the forest."

He guided his horse through the trees, and for nearly a quarter of an hour he found nothing, no trace of Ragnar. However, a few yards into the forest and a quarter mile from camp, he found a set of horse tracks in some particularly muddy soil. He decided to continue on foot, tying his horse to a sturdy looking stump nearby.

The sun was nearly down, and it was hard to make things out, but he caught a whiff of steam in the quickly disappearing sun, and slowed until he was making no noise as he approached.

As he peered from behind a tree, he caught sight of them. Both sitting on a log, watching the steam emanate from Annie's rapidly regenerating leg. Luigi had never seen someone regrow a limb so quickly, he could see the bone forming as the flesh advanced. His ears quirked as he heard Ragnar speaking.

"How do you do that, Annie? It took me at least an hour to just regrow my hand," He held up his hand and wiggled his fingers, "Why didn't you do it earlier?"

"Well," She said, standing and stretching, a distasteful look smearing itself across her face, "I just sort of… concentrate on it and it grows. And I didn't do it earlier because I didn't know you, would you reveal an ability such as that to someone you don't know? And, you better concentrate..."

She stood, and quickly whirled into motion.

Luigi flinched as Ragnar went down, Annie delivering a hard kick to the side of his head. Ragnar rolled with the kick and came up a few feet away. His eyes were angry under his thick blond hair.

"What's the big idea-"

Annie brought her arms up level with her forehead, and he could see a slight smile under her eyes.

"You said earlier today that you wanted to see how good I am, here's your chance."

Luigi was impressed by her combat form, arms up and body positioned for optimal defense or attack. He wasn't as impressed when he saw Ragnar take up his stance, his feet were too close together for the Way of the Fist's Hammer technique which he was trying to perform.

"Then let's be at it," Ragnar said, "Would you like to exclude anything? Like no eye shots… or hitting of certain other areas?"

"Are they excluded in true combat? Now less talking, show me what you are made of."

Feinting with a right hook, he instead snap kicked towards her ribs, but she rode the blow and elbowed Ragnar in the same area she had kicked him moments ago. He winced, but was still able to spin out of the way of her next attack despite the pain.

Luigi felt great concern for his prince, but he knew he had to let this play out.

Ragnar shook himself, as Annie resumed her stance. Ragnar, remember what I taught you, use the Way of the Fist's Mace technique, it should throw her off balance.

But Ragnar couldn't hear the thoughts playing inside Luigi's head, and instead he used the Way of the Hammer once again, landing a blow to Annie's chest but taking a knee to the groin in the process.

"Quit holding back, Ragnar," Annie said from a few feet away, her eyes cold and seemingly uninterested, "I want to see what you've got, show it to me!"

Her raised voice seemed to awaken Ragnar. He assumed the stance, one foot forward one back and hands tucked in close, of the Way of the Mace. And he waited.

Annie came at him again, her foot flashing out, aiming for Ragnar's shin, but he wasn't there. At the last minute he'd hopped over the kick and with a swift movement brought his intertwined fists down in a double handed blow. He missed the top of her head, but connected with a jarring meaty impact upon her shoulder.

Almost perfectly executed.

She grunted in surprise and collapsed to one knee. Luigi could see from here that he'd most likely broken her shoulder with the force of that blow.

He danced away, watching what he had done from outside of striking distance. As he saw she didn't get up Luigi could now see a look of concern furrow his brow.

"Annie…"

She looked up, her eyes filled with pain but still clear.

"You have to pin me to win."

"But you're hurt!"

"Pin me!"

He darted forward, gripping her shoulder and attempting to get behind her for a choke hold, but she elbowed him in the stomach and then drew her fingers across his face. Bloody furrows stood out against his skin, as she tried to dart away.

He responded with a vicious knee and a sweeping elbow to the face, then he placed his hand on her chest and pushed her down.

"Yield, Annie!"

"Look where your hand is."

Ragnar blushed as he noticed what his hand had landed on, and paid for his lack of attention as she once again raked her fingers across his face, and delivered another punishing shot to the side of his head. Then she was on him, and Luigi shook his head as she locked him up and he yielded. Then they both collapsed to the ground, chests heaving. After a few moments, Ragnar hauled himself up and went over to check on Annie.

Luigi decided it was time for him to make his exit and wait for them by the road.

"Well, I must say you are quite the demon when it comes to hand to hand, Annie. A very beautiful demon."

They'd made their way back to the camp in silence, each nursing their wounds and trying to let them heal before they got back to camp. They'd both gotten very stern looks from Luigi and Eleanor, but both had stayed away. The two of them had been able to skirt the sleeping groups of caravaneers and guards, and made it to where their horse was.

After a few moments of her not responding, he turned to her, sliding his pack around so he could recline against it.

"Annie?"

She had her knees drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped around. He could just barely see her eyes with the thin moonlight.

"Ragnar… where did you learn to fight like that?"

Her voice was soft, and he detected a slight quiver as she spoke from between her legs.

"I learned from Luigi, he taught me the Way of the Fist. He learned from Master Leo, an old hermit who lives in the mountains. Where he learned it from I have no idea."

"Well… I've… I'm going to sleep. Goodnight."

Ragnar was stunned as she got up and dragged her blanket and pillow twenty feet away.

What did I do now?

As the sun rose, Ragnar was still awake, and was treated to the sight of the camp organizing itself for travel. Periodically he would peer over to where Annie was sleeping.

Luigi made his way over, stepping over several small broken boulders.

"Ragnar, have you been up all night? And why haven't you healed those wounds on your face?"

Ragnar's hand reached up and felt the series of scratches, they'd stopped bleeding but hadn't healed yet.

"Hold on," He said, closing his eyes and concentrating, the wounds quickly disappeared. "So, how long did you watch us for last night?"

Luigi's eyes flew open with shock.

"You saw me last night?"

"Well, when I wasn't getting beat down, I saw your head poking around the tree a few times. And anyways, I felt your presence."

Snorting, Luigi sat down next to Ragnar, joining him in watching the camp.

"Luigi… I think I may have messed up, look."

He nodded to where Annie was just beginning to stir, and then feeling dejected, looked down.

"Ragnar, how long have I been your teacher?"

"For the past fifteen years, since my father sent me away from the capital."

Luigi tapped him on the side of his head.

"Have I ever mislead you on purpose?"

"No."

"Then listen closely, that girl has the soul of a killer," He held up his hand as Ragnar immediately protested, "Don't tell me that your affection for her has blinded you so badly. She beat the snot out of you with little hesitation, and we know she was doing something in the wall to piss off their soldiers enough to chase her."

"Should I not pursue the route I have been, then? What do I need to do?"

"No, continue on this course. Just remember that she is a wolf, not a sheep," He patted him on the shoulder, "Now, I have work to do. Be prepared to move out in five. And be careful."

Annie came awake suddenly, as she heard someone saying her name. She'd had a terrible night of sleep, going over the previous night's fight, which brought her back to memories of Eren.

Ragnar reminded her of him, but they were subtly different, for one, Ragnar had very nearly defeated her in their first bout. Only through subterfuge and his hand placement had she been able to put him down. Her shoulder still ached, although it had already healed. They shared their faith in humanity though, always seeing the good in people...

How can I turn that to my advantage?

She rolled over and looked up, finding Ragnar standing above her. He looked exhausted.

"We're moving out soon, I saddled another horse for you now that your leg is healed. Oh yeah, I forgot to give this back to you."

She noted a slight sadness in his eyes, and felt a pang of regret for how she had acted. Rummaging through the pockets on the inside of his cloak, he finally found what he was looking for, and dropped it into her waiting hand. It was her ring with the hidden blade.

Grabbing it, she placed it on her finger, making sure the blade still moved properly.

Ragnar walked away without another word, his shoulders slumped. She packed her bedroll and blanket and followed, finding a small dappled mare standing near Ragnar's larger warhorse.

"Is this one for me?"

Ragnar nodded, as he stepped into a stirrup and mounted his horse.

As the caravan moved out, they assumed their place behind Luigi and Eleanor, who turned and gave her a dirty look.

The miles passed in silence, although the whinnying of the horses and the creaking of the carts was nearly constant. Until, a few hours into their journey, Ragnar turned to her while they were passing through a canyon.

"Annie, how many people have you killed?"

How does he know! She thought, a slight panic emanating through her. Can he see the blood on my hands?

Annie decided that the best course of action with Ragnar was to tell him the truth.

"I've killed… many people. Mostly soldiers who placed themselves in the way of my mission."

"And what was your mission?"

He looked at her with tired eyes, but still they seemed to bore in to her.

"To… destroy the walls. And free humanity. But that is no longer my mission."

Still, his eyes seemed to look through her.

"Oh, well… I have blood on my hands too," He raised his hands before him, and finally he took his eyes off of her, "I was exiled by my father for what I did. In all of Jotunheim, except for Vanirberg, I'm known as the…"

The ground bucked as something landed near them, and a wall of steam burst forth. Then the ground bucked again and again, and soon the whole area was shrouded completely in a thick fog.

"Ambush!"

She heard the call come from the head of the column, it sounded like Eleanor, but her voice was nearly drowned out as a dozen roars bounced down the canyon. Titan roars.

Someone came galloping towards them, it was Luigi.

"Ragnar, it's a Surtr raiding party. Transform and get clear!"

And then he was past them and the canyon was alive with flashes and more steam as the Guards assumed their Jotunn forms. She followed Ragnar as he sped his horse towards the head of the column.

"Annie, transform," She heard Ragnar bellow above the cacophony, "Now!"

She brought her hand up, and bit down.

Nothing happened. Again.

Another wave of steam hit her, and she looked up to see Ragnar's titan form striding beside her, his eyes locked on her. When he saw that the bite hadn't worked, he reached down and plucked her from the horse, which raced off with the rest of the now riderless horses.

She wanted to scream as Ragnar held her in his right lower fist, charging forward.

I have a purpose! I have a new mission! Why can't I transform!

Giving in to her anger, she beat her fists against Ragnar's encompassing hand, and let out a terrible scream. She grabbed her head and felt bitter tears sliding unwillingly down her face.

Why, why, why! Why wasn't I good enough to complete my mission!

Ragnar didn't notice her screaming over the din of battle, he simply strode forth, until the first Surtr placed himself before him.

A twelve meter made the mistake of coming at him from the front, and was backhanded contemptuously away.

Annie watched through hooded eyes, as they finally made it through the edge of the steam cloud, and came upon a terrifying sight.

Nearly twenty titans were engaged in combat, she saw several that she thought she recognized, including the heavily muscled form of Eleanor, who was bashing in the skull of a particularly unlucky enemy.

It was chaos.

But she felt at home in this bloodbath. So too did Ragnar, who almost gleefully charged into the fray, hardening the edges of his hands and using them like blades to stab through a fifteen meters weak spot. The massive body tumbled as the man inside was killed, the titan already steaming as it began to disintegrate.

A dozen more titans entered the fray, all seeming to be members of the enemy, the Surtr. One of the Jotunn was killed as a pair of smaller titans pulled him down and bit through the weak point.

Ragnar roared, the first time she had heard him do so, and the heads of most of the Surtr snapped towards him. He ran, drawing most of the new arrivals away from the battle.

He reached the wall of the canyon, several titans closing in, and jumped, beginning to climb.

They followed him, and when he reached the top, he turned and began to stomp on the edge, sending several large boulders plummeting down the wall, knocking a pair of titans down.

He ran again, opening the distance between himself and his pursuers, although his large form was not suited to speed. She felt him slowing, and then he leaned down in mid stride and rolled her out of his hand.

She rolled for a dozen yards before coming to a stop, and by the time she looked up the Prince was locked in combat with no less than four fifteen meter titans. He smashed one down, his body moving with inhuman speed and precision, and his form was much better than it had been a few weeks ago.

Another fell at he slammed his bladed hand through its neck. The other two approached more cautiously, and were able to connect with several blows, including one that severed one of Ragnar's arms. But they were not able to put off their fates, and they both fell to Ragnar, whose eyes glowed ominously.

She felt the stomping approach of several other titans, and turned.

A large titan was reaching for her, she attempted to dodge, but the massive fingers closed around her with none of the tenderness that Ragnar used. She felt like she was being crushed to death.

Ragnar roared as he caught sight of the titan that held her, flanked by a dozen other titans.

"Yield, Prince." Annie was stunned to hear the titan speak, and she looked up towards its terrible visage, with a pair of large horns curving slightly upwards from its head. "Yield… or she dies."

Annie screamed as he squeezed her even tighter, feeling her ribs being crushed.

She was able to say conscious just long enough to watch Ragnar emerge from the nape of his titan's neck, and be swept up by another titan.

Then all was dark.

Well, I hope everyone is liking my first attempt at fanfiction. I've been pumping through it so much I'm surprised how little I've advanced the story overall compared to where I though I'd be. However, I'm in for the long haul on this story, and I don't have a clear ending in sight.

As a note, the beginning chapter takes place around Chapter 38-39 of the Manga.

The next chapter may be a few days coming! Feel free to PM me with any questions or concerns!

-Mosh