La grande chute de Maria = The Great Fall of Maria
May, 845
She was bare bones, but determined to find something, anything to make money. It had been a few months now since her parents died, since Kenny had left her to fend for herself down in this subterranean hell with nothing to her name.
She'd seen the sign saying they were looking for girls, and it specified that there was a position for an entertainer. A singer.
Kuchel had been well known by Kenny and his friends as a wonderful singer, had been told that her voice was melodic enough to cure ailments, though she hardly believed that. Entering the run-down building with a rudimentary sign by the door, marking it as the Pink Pearl, she was hopeful that this was her break.
Kuchel had tried everything she could think of until now, but nothing lasted. Cooking, cleaning, hemming clothing, packing boxes– there was never enough work, so maybe this would be her chance.
'Walls, please, don't let it fall through again.'
At the front of the dusty, dank foyer sat a small podium, like the ones she'd seen at the entrances of taverns she could never afford to go to. Maybe her father could have with the mining money he threw away on booze, but this place seemed too far away from the Rookery to be worth the walk. Most inhabitants tended to stay on that side of the Underground, after all.
Standing at the podium was a rail-thin man wheezing around a cigarette held between his teeth as he counted out a wad of Fritzes. It was more money than Kuchel had ever seen in her seventeen years of life, almost eighteen now. Her birthday was only a few months away.
His gaze flickered up at her, an unamused brow lifting, crinkling his forehead even more than it already was—dry with age and the cigarettes most likely. She steeled herself with what little courage she had left, and approached him.
"Hello sir…" She started nervously. "I'm Kuchel. I um… saw the sign that said you were hiring, and wanted to apply."
The man gave her a long and leering once over that sent a shiver down her spine. She didn't like the way he was looking at her. Even though her dress was modest, it felt as if he could see straight through the fabric, as if she were naked, and she wished for more clothes to hide behind.
"Room number 4. You'll have a few customers tonight as a trial run, and then we'll decide." He said with a bored tone as he returned to counting the money.
"And what is it that I'll be doing?"
Another unamused glance, borderline annoyed at the question. "You walk into a brothel seeking work and you're seriously asking that?"
A brothel?
"Umm, well maybe there's something else I can do. I can cook and clean. Maybe even sing?" She asked hopefully, not wanting to resort to selling herself.
The man rolled his eyes in frustration, obviously irked with her already. "Listen kid, either get in there and spread your legs, or get out and stop wasting my time."
"Won't you at least listen to me? Give me a chance?"
He sighed, setting down the wad of cash and crossing his arms, not seeing any other way to get her out of his hair. "Fine kid, sing me something."
Smoothing down her skirt, she nervously clasped her hands together and sang him a few bars. It was an old folk song from the Rookery, one she'd heard wafting through the air from the other homes. Even Miss Ezelie had hummed it from time to time, when she'd caressed Kuchel's long, dark hair while inscribing her letters and numbers onto a piece of parchment to practise. She missed those times, the few times she felt secure.
Unlike now.
When Kuchel had finished spinning her song, she looked at the man hopefully, trying not to squirm beneath the gaze that lingered on her breasts, sending a sickening feeling crawling under her skin.
Unimpressed, he simply waved her away, as though she were nothing. "Like I said, kid. Either get in the room and spread your legs or get out. Don't bother me anymore."
Shoulders slumping, she retreated, slinking away back out into the night. Or day. Hell, she had no way of knowing what time it was in this dark pit. She'd find something. There had to be something else for her to do. Something that didn't mean selling her body.
A few days later she returned, practically crawling back in desperation, disheartened and worn, on the brink of starving. Sucking up her pride, she glumly relented and accepted her fate.
She'd lied about her age, too—though she didn't think he'd really care. He was all too eager to ensnare what he thought was a freshly legal girl. To her, it mattered not. A few months made no difference in her despair.
That had been the night that had changed everything, set her life on the course she was on now. And now, she found herself riding outside the Walls. Where would she be if she hadn't taken the job at the brothel?
She glanced over to where Levi rode. They were still close enough that she could see his hair flowing in the breeze, his cape billowing out behind him. Her baby boy. Her sweet Levi.
Had she not returned to the brothel and taken the job as a prostitute, then she wouldn't have the greatest gift she could have ever been given.
And she would never regret it. Not ever.
…
The rain was heavy.
It was blurring her vision, making it hard to see, even in this dense forest. Weren't trees supposed to shield them from some of the damn downpour?
That didn't matter right now, none of it did. There were Titans in every direction, and she was riding alongside Erwin and the rest of the squad- well, what was left of it at the moment. It had been her, a ginger girl named Abigail, and a new cadet named Moses.
Abigail had met her end ten minutes ago when a Titan bit her head off.
The poor girl hadn't even gotten the chance to scream.
Kuchel rode on, guiding Ranya after Erwin, and Commander Shadis' squad ahead of them. They had lost so many already to fatal injuries, and they'd not been on this expedition for longer than twelve hours. Something had to give.
She hadn't seen Levi in a while, either, but after their other expeditions, Kuchel knew that it was safe to assume he was okay. Those Ackerman instincts really aided him, and he had no damn idea.
If I have anything to say about it, he never will.
Ranya's hooves trampled over a stream, and they soon reached a clearing amongst the gargantuan trees. However, a Titan was looming near the other side, and turned to face the approaching Scouts, looking as though it were starving, eager to taste the tender flesh of a human being.
A familiar, baritone voice called out to Shadis as they charged forward. "Target approaching, sir!"
Kuchel's ears were ringing at the cacophony of sounds, at the sheer pressure of the situation. Next thing she knew, Shadis was unsheathing his blades. "Split into five groups, just as we practised! My squad will act as the bait." A hitch in his breath as they bounded over a steep dip in the terrain. "All assault squads, switch to ODM gear! Strike from all directions at once!"
Her heart pounded in her chest as she followed Erwin's lead, along with Miche and Moses. Nanaba had been temporarily assigned to Hange's squad for the expedition, and it felt strange to Kuchel that the friendly girl wasn't there.
Heading towards the lumbering Titan, she felt like that was the only thing in the world that mattered at that moment. It was the only one that she'd seen, that anyone had noticed wandering nearby, and it needed to be stopped. One that big was dangerous.
But a familiar scream and the sound of crunching bone had her pulling at Ranya's reins, causing her to grind to a halt as she shot around to look behind her. A Titan with massive jaws had come out of the trees, and instead of saliva and rain dripping off its lips, it was as though its teeth and tongue were weeping sanguine blood.
Fuck, it got Moses!
Her eyes widened, and she fumbled to grab her ODM gear's handles, shooting a cable into a tree branch above the Titan's head. The only appendage now sticking out of its mouth was an arm, and she could tell that he was going to be swallowed any second. If she got him out he was losing an arm for sure, but that was better than being dead.
It was all so fast. One second she was on Ranya's back, the next she was slashing the Titan's nape away, the flesh tumbling to the ground and steaming with the heavy rainfall. It stumbled back, and with hope in her heart, she swung around to grab the hand hanging from its lips, pressing her boot into its jaw to open it up and pull Moses out.
But all that came out was the arm, right up to the bicep.
Ba-dum.
Her ears started ringing again, and she let the grapples detach from the disintegrating Titan. It sent the noirette tumbling backwards, clutching the appendage to her chest as she hit the muddy ground. It knocked the wind out of her, the gear on her thighs clattering under her weight.
And her tears were washed off her face by the rain.
Ba-dum.
"M-Moses… Moses, I'm sorry." She gasped, trying to sit up without dropping the bloody arm from her grasp. Her front was soaked with the fluid, but she didn't care. Not one bit. A fallen comrade deserved respect, and she'd be damned if she set it down on the ground.
A hand gently grasped her upper arm, and with bleary eyes, she looked up to see Miche, who was trying to guide her to her feet. Staggering upward, he now saw what she was clutching, and hurried to guide her back to her horse. "It's okay, Kuchel, it's okay. You did the best you could."
"B-But Miche he died! He died and I could have saved him!" She sobbed, watching how Ranya ran up to meet them. She didn't like being rushed, she wanted to sit and grieve for the young man for a moment, wanted to give him the time he deserved, but she knew that they were in enemy territory and couldn't afford to stick around, lest they became a Titan's meal as well.
He took the limb from her, pulling a cloth from Ranya's saddle bag to wrap it in as she weakly climbed up. "I'll hold on to-"
"No. No give it to me, Miche."
"Kuchel, I'm not letting you carry around an arm. That's final." He told her, brisk and to the point as he rushed back to his own horse. The guilt in her chest swelled up thickly, but she fumbled for Ranya's reins, seeing Erwin swooping back from the formation to check on her. "Cadet Kuchel, are you okay?"
"Y-Yes, but… I couldn't save Moses." She bit back more tears as Erwin guided her to keep moving. They'd taken down the main Titan, and therefore they could keep pushing on, back towards the Walls. They'd already been on this expedition for far too long today, and had lost many other lives, all because they kept getting caught by Titans that had sprung up out of what seemed like thin air.
"You did all that you could. Come on, I don't want to lose you too. We can grieve once we're back in the Walls." He was firm, just like Miche had been, and though she understood, it just hurt her heart. Being in the military had brought her so much grief… How did people like Erwin do it for years upon years?
It must have been a drive to lead, a drive to discover. But was she even close to the same?
The ride back to the Walls wasn't nearly as long as she had imagined it would have been. They'd been a lot closer than expected, and had just happened to run into Titans along the way that exponentially slowed down their progress. It was never quite certain just how many they'd see on an expedition.
When the gate reeled upwards, it sent a wave of relief crashing over her. Ranya seemed all too eager to start moving forward, along with the rest of the soldiers that were left, and before she knew it, they were greeted by a crowd of people in Shiganshina, awaiting and spectating the arrival of the wounded soldiers carting the fallen behind them in wagons. She stayed near Erwin's right side somewhat, behind him as she tugged up her hood. The thought of people seeing her in this state had a pit forming in her stomach- she didn't want to be perceived, she wanted to go back to the base and curl into a ball in her bed.
The wind blew against her face, knocking her hood back a touch, just enough for her to notice the children standing on top of boxes, just doing their best to see the commotion. Although, she recognised one of them, a brunette boy with green eyes, who looked quite excited in comparison to his companion, a young girl with dark black hair. Something about her, even making eye contact with her for a moment, gave Kuchel the chills. The little girl had a look in her grey eyes that reminded Kuchel of herself at that age.
"Moses!"
The name pierced the silence of the air that had only been accompanied by the clicking of horse hooves on the cobbled street. It struck an arrow into Kuchel's heart, and she moved to put her hood back up, not knowing if she could handle the regret flaring up in her soul if she saw the relative of the man she failed to save.
"Moses! Where's my son, Moses?"
Shadis stood at the front of the formation, and due to Erwin's position as Section Leader, their squad was quite close to the head of it as well. She could see this poor woman, old and frail, face creased with dusty age, but in a way that told Kuchel that she'd been a loving woman throughout her life.
Presumably to her now dead son.
"This is Moses' mother. Go get it."
A new curtain of despair draped itself over the Scouts, and Kuchel watched as Shadis' aide retrieved the bundle of white fabric, and the look on the woman's face was haunting as the cadet approached with it, handing it to her. She looked between the wrapped item and the soldier, tears rushing down her wrinkled face and taking the path of least resistance downwards through the fine lines as she hurried to unravel the cloth. It pained Kuchel to see her eyes widen at the sight of her son's bloody arm, the one she had barely retrieved from the stinking Titan to begin with.
My fault.
Shadis continued, a bit quiet. "It was all we could retrieve."
Moses' mother collapsed to her knees, unable to bear the weight of her son's tragic death on her feeble shoulders."But my son... he was helpful, yes? Even if he didn't achieve direct greatness, surely my son's death helped humanity fight back, right?!"
"Of course...!" Kuchel heard him make a quite discontent sound, lips parted as though ghosts of verbose words of comfort wanted to tumble from his lips. But no, he closed his mouth, swallowing before he continued to speak to her. "No… on this latest scouting mission we... no, just like all of the other missions... we achieved nothing at all!" All of the soldiers behind him in the formation seemed shocked at his outburst, including Kuchel, who stared in disbelief. This was a man that had once been unafraid to speak with her, nearly nose to nose, right after she had assaulted Erwin. Now he was a quivering, shuddering man- seemingly a shell of himself.
He doubled over for a moment, as though bowing for her forgiveness as he kneeled with her. "My incompetence has done nothing but needlessly send soldiers to their deaths! We haven't found out anything about them!"
Moses' mother had nothing to say to him- if the noirette had been in her place, she wouldn't have had much to say to the man that gave her son the orders to ride to his demise, either. She picked herself up weakly, and Shadis eventually began to lead the Scouts away once again. It was awkward, painful, and she heard the mutterings of those they passed by in the crowd. Kuchel rode silently next to Erwin for a little while, before she broke the silence between them with a thoughtful tone. "Why did he show her that arm? Why would he do that to her? That's horrible."
Erwin sighed, and could only shrug his shoulders. "I don't know. I-"
"Smith, come up here. I need to talk to you." Shadis interrupted Erwin's thought mid-breath, and Kuchel nodded to her superior, silently telling him that it was okay, they could always catch up in a bit.
It wasn't as if Kuchel talked to him multiple times a day or anything.
She watched Erwin guide Champion ahead some, to keep pace with Shadis. Their conversation was muffled, and as they rode out of Shiganshina, she felt something freeing. It was nice to not have the eyes of the people on her back, burning into the brilliant blue of the Survey Corps emblem that covered her cloak.
A familiar dark-haired man that she loved so much rode up beside her, reaching a hand out as they trotted side by side. "Hey, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, baby, thank you. You didn't get hurt or anything out there, did you?" She questioned, reaching her hand up to lovingly pat his own that tried to comfort her with a gentle squeeze to the round of her shoulder. Glancing over to Levi, she could see that he looked dead-tired, smudges of dirt on his cheeks and clothes from the muddy ground outside the Walls. They'd have a chance to clean up soon, she was sure of it. They were going to stay in a small town some ways away from the base, given that nightfall would reach them before they made it home, and she'd been told that the inn had showers. Soldiers who needed more medical assistance, however, were still returning to base without them.
"No, just a few scrapes from bumping into a tree. Other than that I'm just tired and in desperate need of a shower." Levi's silvery eyes did a once over on her, as usual. "You need one too. And a good meal. I'll bring something and set it by your door if you're still in the shower."
"Thanks baby, you're so good to your mama, you know that?" Kuchel hummed, reaching over to ruffle his hair. It clearly frazzled him up a little, given that he liked his hair nice and tidy, but she gave birth to him, after all. That meant she was entitled to a little hair-mussing if she so pleased.
Plus, she knew he didn't really mind, he just liked to pretend to be somewhat stubborn.
"I try. I know you had a rough time today, so I just want you to concern yourself with resting up." It was evident that a smirk was playing behind his lips, though he was obstinate to show it.
Though, she lost a bit of focus on the conversation when she noticed Erwin and Shadis ahead. It had her furrowing her brow, seeing that Shadis suddenly decided to break away from the group, riding on ahead, but a bit faster. Perhaps he was going to go to the barracks with the wounded, and wanted to get ahead of the group?
Not that she personally cared much. She just watched the back of her Section Leader's head, wondering what the conversation was about, and why he looked like the weight of the world had just been placed upon his shoulders.
Little did she know that it had been.
…
The shower and meal had certainly been refreshing. The expedition had taken so much out of her, and Kuchel yearned for some time to unwind, to get her mind off of the bloody limb she'd pulled out of a Titan's mouth. Levi and Hange had come to visit her after her shower, with a bowl of potato soup and a thick roll of bread. Having brought their own along, they ate with her in her room before retiring to their respective quarters for the night. This inn had been given Royal Government subsidies to add onto the main building, providing more housing for the military when they needed to rest for the night, no matter what branch. It ended up being mostly Scouts that used it, though Erwin had told her that Garrison blokes liked to crash there when they got smashed on the liquor in town. She swore that those bastards had nothing better to do all day than to get piss drunk and maybe clean the Wall, polish some canons, whatever.
Sitting upon her bed, she braided her dark, long hair, still damp despite her doing her best to dry it with a towel. Kuchel swore that water just hid itself within her hair, desperately clinging on even after she squeezed out as much as she could. Infuriating was what it was.
She was supposed to have shared a room with Nanaba, but she decided at the last minute that she wanted to catch up with the rest of the soldiers who went back to base with the wounded, realising that they likely needed another helping hand. Thus, the noirette sat alone in the candlelit room, tying off the end of her hair and tossing it back over her shoulder. She felt cold, despite it being the summertime, despite her wearing her thicker white nightgown that was meant for the winter months. Perhaps it was the chill in her spine, the hollowness of her heart after such a dim and dour day.
It had her debating, had her pondering. About what, at this time of night?
If her favourite Section Leader wanted company.
She couldn't sleep, and had brought just the thing for such a possibility- his portable chess board set- hoping that he wouldn't mind. It was just impossible for her to close her eyes and not picture Moses' visage, the way he screamed for his life. Haunting didn't seem to define it well enough.
The next thing she knew, Kuchel had knocked on his door, fidgeting and toying with the hem of her shirt. What if he wanted to rest? What if he didn't want to be around her right now? She did, after all, fail in saving that young man. Would he be disappointed in her? Why did she care?
He opened the door, haunted eyes widening in surprise when he saw who was visiting him so late at night.
"Kuchel? What are you doing here?"
"I needed a distraction. I keep seeing his face, the way it begged me to save him…" She murmured as she stared down at the ground, rather sombre. Gesturing to the chessboard under her arm she said, "I brought this with me, erm, borrowed it from your office. Thought you might like to play a game or two."
That drew a tired smile to his face as he reached out to tip her chin up. "So you stole it?" He asked teasingly.
She pouted a touch, akin to a small child. "I wouldn't call it stealing if I meant for us to use it."
He shook his head in amusement, ruffling her hair gently before stepping back to let her in. "I always have time for you, Miss Kuchel."
That made her flush, the tingling sensation of his fingers still present on her skin as she stepped inside. "You mean you always have time for me to kick your ass in chess~" She quipped as she tried to ignore the way her heart had picked up in her chest from the way he'd messed with her hair.
He shut the door tacitly behind her, not wanting the heavy, creaking door to wake up the other patrons before moving to set the kettle over the fireplace. "One of these days I'm going to beat you and make you eat those very words."
She sent him a coy grin over her shoulder as she set up the game on the tiny table by the window. "I look forward to seeing you do so."
She had no idea how lovely she looked to him in that moment, blanketed by the shimmering moonlight seeping in through the glass panes. It had his heart shuddering, and it felt as if it plopped straight from his chest to land by her feet. The sensation had him rubbing his chest with his palm, as if to ease the ache that came with this unknown emotion. Shaking away the daze, he simply smiled in return as he settled in his seat across from her.
They began to play, though Kuchel was slower in her moves than usual. He didn't seem to mind, which was relieving. Erwin was one of the few people in her life that gave her solace, that she felt safe to go to, no matter how she was feeling. As the two of them sat in the dim candlelight, she felt her heart begin to ease. Mind still buzzing with a bit of curiosity, she asked, "So, why did Shadis decide to break away from the group? Was he going ahead with the rest of the soldiers back to base?"
"Ah, about that…" He moved a pawn forward, seeing as it was the only simple manoeuvre at the moment, before leaning back in his seat, planting his elbows on the armrests and folding his calloused hands over his stomach as he watched her. "He… resigned."
Kuchel had been taking a sip of water when he said that, and she nearly choked on the liquid. Sputtering and covering her mouth, water dribbled out of the corners of her mouth as she rushed to swallow it. It took a moment to compose herself, given the shock that she was in, but she managed to wipe her face of the dampness before giving him a look of awe. "Resigned? What in the Walls is he thinking, right after an expedition of all the times in the world!"
Chess forgotten, she tilted herself back as well, running those pale fingers back through her bangs, some of the tresses of ebony pulling out of her braid as she did so. "Who's going to lead us now that he's gone?"
Oh, she was so silly. She knew the answer as soon as she looked into his eyes, or in this case, saw how he shied away from her gaze for a moment. He didn't need to say a word for her to know- they had a mutual understanding, a way of speaking without a single utterance. He'd been her section leader for so long now it seemed, but that was no more.
Not when he was the Commander, after all.
Balling her fist, she placed it over her heart, a delicate smile dotting her doll-like features. "I dedicate my heart to the cause, sir. You are a perfect fit for the role, much better than Shadis was."
Erwin seemed relieved at her response, wiping a weary hand over his face. "Glad you think so. I'll do my best. Are you up for being on my squad, still?"
"Not even a question. Of course I am. Nothing's changed besides your title, you goof." She hummed, moving her hand from her chest to pick up her knight. Just as the piece clicked against the board, there was a resounding knock at the door, nearly shaking the chintzy wall of such an old inn. The two of them exchanged a look before rising from their seats, Kuchel modestly folding her hands behind her back to stand at attention.
"Come in."
The door swung open to reveal a lower-rank cadet, likely a messenger, who seemed out of breath. His blonde hair was partially clinging to his forehead, a droplet of sweat visibly careening down the side of his face and dropping off of his jaw. Tossing a quick salute, he stammered, "C-Commander, it's urgent. I need to speak with you urgently." He glanced at Kuchel, and she swore she saw a tinge of annoyance on his face. "She shouldn't be here. I was instructed to inform you and only you."
Taking that as a signal of unwelcomeness, she promptly nodded, moving toward the door. However, she was surprised to see Erwin flick his hand up, as if to tell them both to pause. "She stays. She's going to find out regardless."
Stopping in her tracks, she looked between the two, and then let her gaze rest upon the younger man expectantly, wondering what could be so urgent at this time of the night.
"S-Sir…" The words seemed to evade him, even if they were right in front of him, ready to grasp. They seemed as though they'd been shaken loose from him, or perspired out on the way there. It took a thick swallow before he could spit it out.
"Shiganshina and Wall Maria have been breached. Titans have gotten in. We've been requested to help evacuate."
A pang of ice crashed into her heart, a stark, cold sweat beading at the back of her neck at the words. Near to her was the room's only window, where she staggered to lean, hand over her mouth as she looked out into the town below. They were still in Wall Maria, after all.
Erwin looked rather perturbed on the surface, but Kuchel could tell that internally, he was probably panicking as much as she was. "Any further details?"
"U-Um, it was a Titan that was taller than the Walls that kicked open the gate to Shiganshina, sir. And a smaller Titan with what appeared to be an armoured body ploughed down the gate that led into Wall Maria. That's all I know."
A discontent sound emanated from him, and he followed it with a curt nod. "Thank you. Inform the others to get out of bed, and to be geared up and meet at the stables in twenty minutes. We don't have any further time to waste. The longer we sit, the more people die."
"Sir, yes sir!"
With that, the cadet rushed off to tell the others, leaving the two once again in Erwin's inn room, though now the air was thick, laced with tension. Erwin turned to the raven-haired woman standing by the window, watching how her face portrayed her dismay, her anguish, her fear. Speechless, she met his gaze, and she looked just as lost as that cadet had been.
It took another excruciating moment for him to find the courage to speak, when his heart was thrumming hard against his ribcage, wishing to pop out of his chest altogether. "We're heading into a situation we've never been in, Kuchel. I need you to promise me, please just promise me that you won't do anything stupid."
Kuchel felt some of the fear melt away, during a moment in which everyone else was purely terrified, surely, but who had time for that? Gently, she took a step closer to him, touching his arm and looking up at him in the dim light of the room, only illuminated by candles. Chess has long been forgotten now, even more so than it had been before. "Just promise me the same, Commander. I await your orders."
His azure gaze was heavy with uncertainty, and if only she could have read between the lines, to know what was going on within his mind. She had no idea that he was worried about what was to come, worried that they could all die tomorrow heading into danger, into the most unknown territory they had faced.
And she couldn't have predicted his rush of adrenaline that drove him to suddenly cup her pale cheeks in his large hands, leaning down to crush his lips to hers in a flurry, a fit of last minute passion and everything else that was washing over him at the moment. It took her by surprise, of course, but just as he needed a taste of her before charging headfirst into danger, she needed it as well, though she had no idea of that until they were locked in their heated embrace.
Erwin's hands held her as though she were made of fine crystal, but they both knew she was tough like ultrahard steel. But just because she was a toughened military woman now didn't mean that she wasn't soft for him, for his lips upon hers, and her hands gently came up to grasp his wrists, as though encouraging him to keep holding her face, to keep kissing her as long as he liked.
She could only reciprocate for a minute before he pulled away, their faces both flushed and their lungs both burning for breath as they locked eyes. It was a wordless moment, and briefly, she wondered what it meant. Was this… did he…?
It was clear that they needed to hurry, so without another word, she nodded to him, breaking away to rush back to her room.
She swore that the entire way that she had been walking on dainty, dizzy feet. And of course, that trusty, wobbly ankle reared its head, just in time for the moment when her heart was puttering in her chest.
Getting ready went by in a blink as well, her mind solely focused on what had just occurred in that dimly lit room of the inn. She'd already gotten dressed, and pulled her hair up, so now she was saddling up Ranya, unaware of the sheen of pink that was plastered over her cheeks.
Startled by a touch on her shoulder, she whipped around to find both Hange and Levi, ready for whatever was to come. "Miss Kuchel, are you okay? Ready to go?"
It felt like that pit of worry finally took root within her, and she turned to pull the both of them into a suffocating embrace, never wanting to let them go. "Yes. Just promise me that no matter what happens, you'll both come back to me. Do you hear me? Don't you dare die on me."
Levi's arm moved to hug her closer to him, his cheek resting upon her shoulder. "As long as you do the same, Mama. It will all be okay, I promise." It made tears rush down her cheeks, allowing herself to just feel her fear, if only for a moment.
Baby boy, one day you'll learn that you can't make promises that you can't guarantee to keep. I just hope that this time you're right.
And from the doorway of the stables watched a familiar figure, his lips still tingling from the kiss he's bestowed upon her in the luminance of the dour night. He'd do whatever it took to keep them all safe.
But it wouldn't be easy.
…
15 hours after the fall of Wall Maria
"Run! Run that way and don't look back, you hear me?!"
Her throat was raw, torn from screeching to civilians and crying out in pain when she hit obstacles using her gear. Titans had been rampaging towards the inner part of Wall Maria, and currently Kuchel was assigned in the southeastern sector, clearing out the towns around the rivers. The waterways only stopped them for so long, but they decimated towns like Odella and Rutel. It had been a non-stop barrage, and with the Scouting Regiment spread thinner than melting ice, the weight of the lives being lost was making their morale crack beneath them. Soon they'd be plunged into the depths of despair, and perhaps perish in the pits of it.
The towns that she and Miche had evacuated had already been overrun with Titans, and though they were able to take down some that threatened the lives of citizens rushing to safety, the two of them didn't have much more gas to spare. Kuchel had one more set of iceburst gas tanks hooked to Ranya's saddle, but would that be enough to go for the rest of the day, even?
She didn't ever think she'd have the vim and vigour to do this, but here she was. Though, many people got crushed before she could save them, and it broke her in two. How long would this hell last?
They were passing quickly through the town of Yeste to double check that it had been thoroughly evacuated. The sight was somewhat haunting, seeing the things that people had left behind in a flurry. Dolls. Dresses. Wagons. In one home she found a crib with blood smeared inside it, and frankly, she didn't want to know what happened to that poor little thing.
Especially when the window had been broken next to it, just right for a Titan to reach in and grab them.
She'd found dogs and cats abandoned by their owners, too, and she painfully let them loose. From all observations, Titans didn't care for animals. They steered clear of horses on their own, and weren't known to feast on anything.
Anything at all but humans. Which they had barely tasted in great numbers since before the times of the Walls.
Meaning that they kill us for sport and not for sustainment. What a sick world.
Miche had helped her back onto her horse, given that she was far shorter than him and had trouble doing so sometimes on her own. It was nice to have a bit of assistance every once in a while. The blonde man even took a moment to rest his hand on her lower back, to make sure she was steady as she grabbed her reins, before pulling away to go back to his own horse. The touch was a little out of the ordinary, but given that the world was falling apart, she didn't pay it much mind.
"Where to next?" She asked, glancing around with mild paranoia, as though a Titan were lurking in the shadows. Somehow this was worse than the darkness of the Rookery, with engulfing umbrae and dastardly darkness as far as she could see, remembering how her candle had done nothing to pierce the veil.
"Well, I'd say we need to head back to base to restock at the minimum, but I think there's another town along the way. Uden, I believe. It's not large, but we should make sure they've evacuated as well."
"Hm, alright. We'd best try to make it back as quickly as possible. I'm sure there's far more people that need our help." She replied, stirring Ranya to get a move on. The horse seemed rather exhausted, and Kuchel felt a bit bad for her. She hadn't gotten a break in a few days. "Maybe there's a military supply station closer than that."
"We'll figure it out. We always do."
As they moved to return to base, that was when she heard it. A faint, keening sound that was almost akin to a cat crying out in pain. But it was a sound that had her following it deeper into the town.
Hopping off of Ranya's back, she scurried between some houses, trying to find the source of the noise she heard. A mother could never mistake the shrill sound, and damn it all, when she skidded to a half before a meagre wood home, so small that she wondered how many could even fit within it.
Well, before it was a heaping pile of wooden beams and bricks.
The cries of the baby grew louder beneath the rubble, and though the sound had her maternal hackles raising, it was also relieving- it meant that they were still alive, and that was all anyone could hope for in this horrible world.
That was when she heard the worst thing possible.
Dum.
Dum.
Dum.
It was unmistakable, the sounds of a lumbering Titan, and when she whipped around to locate it, her stomach dropped. It was huge, and heading right for her with drool and blood-slickened lips. Before she could even part her lips, her partner zipped up to her, looking at her with determination in his eyes. "Did you find the source of the sound?"
"Y-Yes!" She stammered, pointing to the house. "I need to get the baby out! I can do it myself, but I need you to take that Titan down before it tries to kill us all!"
Even amidst a Titan barrelling towards them, he plastered a grin on his face. "You leave it to me, Kuchel. You just worry about getting that baby out."
In a blink, Miche was off to fight the Titan, and thus Kuchel jumped up on the pile, beginning to throw chunks of wood out of the way, desperate to get to the little one in time. Were their parents around, perhaps buried under the rubble too? The thought was nauseating, but she pushed through, not caring about the cuts in her palms or the splinters in her nimble fingers that she accrued with every stray piece of debris she threw to the wayside. The thundering of Titan footsteps nearing the already decrepit town made a pit form in her stomach, fraying her nerves even further.
It startled her when a pale hand pierced the remains, pushing out between some stones and flailing for some sort of aid. It nearly had her falling back, but she touched the hand, putting her head down to shout down to the owner of it. "I'll get you out! Just hold on!"
It became more frantic, the sounds of the baby's cries growing more desperate, as though the air trapped with them was beginning to diminish.
Hurry.
If you don't hurry, they'll both die!
They're counting on you, damn it!
The Ackerman blood inside her was bumping and bouncing with every thud of monstrous footfalls. She could hear Miche zipping around to slice them up, but he couldn't do it forever. Blades and gas were finite, after all. It felt like a zap of lightning shocked her, and in an instant, she had a huge beam tossed to the side, grabbing for the pallid hand and pulling up with all of her might.
It was a woman, she could tell from her feminine hands, and the baby was wailing against her chest as Kuchel yanked them both up.
When the two came face to face, however, Kuchel felt like the sound of the world drowned out around her, staring into a pool of blue that was all too familiar, breathless.
"Rori?"
Greetings everyone, how are you doing? I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Lots of stuff to unpack here, but the ball is rolling. We're finally into what I would consider the "canon timeline", but don't you worry, I'll be filling in those years between the main events with lots of goodies for you guys. A lot goes on behind the curtain, you know.
Song Awards for this chapter probably goes to Separate Ways by Journey, or Special Fire Force Company 8 by Kenichiro Suehiro. I just finished Season 4 of Stranger Things and hoooo boy the mix of Separate Ways in that show is soooooooo good. Also I started Fire Force and the music is incredible. I really love soundtrack music, which is verified by the fact that apparently I am Hiroyuki Sawano's #1 listener on Spotify according to some thing I was on. I forget the name. AOT's soundtrack drives this story and puts me in the headspace.
Hope you enjoyed. I wonder why Rori's here, and where she came from if she was in the Underground before… beats me!