Today was the day - a new life was about to be brought into this cruel yet eternally beautiful world, and the Everetts could never be happier. Whether it be a boy or a girl, both Moses and Lyra's lives would change for the better. They had no doubt in their minds that their child would grow to be a strong and loving person, no matter what life they choose to lead.
Moses
"Alright honey, just one more big push, you're almost there!"
"Moses, I'm scared, what if..."
Despite her crushing my hand as she desperately tries to birth our child, I squeeze her hand firmly. "Is this the attitude of that woman I fell in love with all those years ago? You can do this!"
With those words of encouragement from the love of her life, and despite the pain of it all, with one last push and a scream of agony and relief, a new life is brought into the world.
"Congratulations you two, it's a boy. A strong baby boy."
With tears in my eyes and a smile on my face, I can barely hold back my excitement. I have a son, a strong, and beautiful son. No doubt in my mind, he will be a better man than I could ever hope to be. "Thank you, Dr. Jaeger. Thank you."
"It was my privilege, I can imagine how ecstatic you both must feel. With my own child close to being born, I myself am very proud to be a father. Take good care of that child you two."
"We will, thank you, Dr. Jaeger, for everything."
With that, Dr. Jaeger takes his leave, letting the happy couple bask in their newfound happiness. It's true that babies are born every day, but in that moment the world truly stands still, as if the entire world was on pause for your child's moment of birth.
"He's perfect honey, and look, he's got your eyes!"
Lyra, completely exhausted but still overjoyed at the sight of her newborn child in her arms, lies there as she can't take her eyes off her beautiful baby boy. "My sweet boy...my little Elijah."
"Elijah?"
"Yes Moses, I know we haven't really talked about names, but I have a strong feeling about this one. "Elijah," it's perfect, don't you think?
"Elijah, I love it."
With Elijah in Lyra's arms and Moses holding his tiny hand, they can't help but be overjoyed with tears in their eyes. Their new life officially begins, with Elijah now a huge part of it.
"Welcome to the world, Elijah Everett."
Grisha
Another job well done, I really do wish all the best for those two, and their newborn son. Moses was not a great soldier in his time in the scouts, and Lyra is a magnificent hunter, no doubt their child could lead a strong life, no matter what he chooses to do.
"I'm home."
I'm soon greeted by my loving wife, despite my advice, she still continues to walk around the house rather than resting in bed. "Evening darling, how was the delivery?
"A success, Moses and Lyra are now blessed with a son. Lyra's is in good health so I believe she'll make a quick recovery."
"That's wonderful! I'll be sure to congratulate them the next time I see them."
"You should be resting, you're not far along now from our own child Carla."
Scoffing at my words and wrapping her arms around my neck, Carla looks at me with that smug smile she always gives me. "I'm going to be fine Grisha, besides. When the time comes I know you'll be here for me, you wouldn't want to miss the birth of your own son do you?"
"Son? And how would you know that?"
"A mother always knows best."
"Technically you're not a mother yet."
Carla pecks my lips and laughs softly. "Not yet."
Moses
It has been a few weeks since Elijah was born. Lyra has been resting for the time being, she deserves it after giving birth to this wonderful boy. I wonder what his future dreams will be. Or what he wants to do with his life. What if he wants to be a hunter like his mother? Or a scout like I used to be.
As Elijah sleeps peacefully in his crib, I lie in bed as Lyra sings him a sweet lullaby. I swear that woman has the voice of an Angel.
"Hush, hush... Baby rabbit on the hillside... Why are your eyes so red? When I was small... mother ate the fruit of the red tree... and that's why my eyes are red."
"You know, I'll never get tired of hearing that song every night. I just hope he won't get tired of it."
Lyra lets out a small laugh as she lies back down in bed with me. "I don't think he will. Just by the way he's smiled as I sang tells me he loves it."
"As do I."
My mind goes back to what I wanted to ask her today, but I ponder on how I should ask, I don't want to upset Lyra but it's something that will either be discussed sooner or later. "Lyra, honey?"
"Yes, dear?"
"I know it's already too early to think of our child's future, but..." Alright, Moses, here goes. "What if Elijah wants to join the scouts? When he's all grown up?"
Lyra looks at me with a concerned but ponderous expression. I just hope she doesn't get too upset at me with this topic. "Moses, why are you asking me that?"
"Well he's going to eventually learn about the walls, and the titans, and what could be out there beyond them. What if he wanted to join the scouts to see the outside world?
Lyra stays silent momentarily, looking away as she ponders my words. At the end of the day, it will be my son's choice if he wants that. I just want what's best for him. "Do you think our son could survive out there? Survive against them? Do you really believe that Moses?
I know it's still early to say anything, but somewhere in my gut, my heart tells me that my son will be capable of doing anything. "Yes Lyra, I believe our son can do anything. I have no doubts."
Lyra moves a little closer to me and nuzzles her head into my chest, and her hold on me grows tighter. "Then I believe that too. We'll just have to wait to see what Elijah wants to do. We have all the time in the world. Let's just enjoy it all together, as a family.
How can this woman be so right in every situation we've ever been through together? We have so much time, we shouldn't be worried about that kind of talk for now, We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there. "As a family. I love you so much Lyra, and I love our son so much."
"I love you too Moses, and I love our son even more."
Their love for not only each other but for their son can only grow stronger with each passing day. Elijah is a fortunate soul to be blessed with such loving, strong, and supportive parents, and his journey has only just begun. Elijah may face many challenges in his life, and he may come to face many obstacles even his parents couldn't conceive of, but with love and determination in his little heart, he will always find his way in this world.
But where will his journey truly take him?...
Lyra
Seven years later.
It's close, these tracks are fresh, and it's been grazing here. Most deer occasionally feed around this time of year, so now is the perfect time to catch one, some meat would be good for us. I focus on the tracks as I feel a small tug against my right arm and hear a small whisper from behind.
"Momma? What are you doing?"
My sweet boy Elijah. Always curious about everything. The moment he asked me to come hunting with me was the best part of my day. I wonder if he'll get his first kill today, that would make it even better. "You see these tracks, Elijah?"
Elijah squats down next to me, scrunching up his cute button nose as he focuses on the tracks in the mud. "Yeah?"
"As a hunter, we must learn how to track down our prey. Not only that, but we must learn how the forest works. Only then can you survive in a world like this."
Elijah's eyes sparkled with excitement as he smiled at me. "Wow, that's so cool. Do you think I can be a good hunter like you momma?"
"Well let's find out, based on these tracks, which way do you think the deer went?"
Elijah puts his focus back on the tracks, scrunching up his nose again. He takes a few glances around us and back to the tracks. Then he points off deeper into the forest. "I think it went that way, momma."
He's a born natural. Giving Elijah a quick pat on his head we slowly walk deeper into the forest, my bow at the ready and Elijah right behind me. Our ears were filled with the peaceful sounds of the forest around us, I almost forgot how peaceful it can be out here, that's why Moses and I decided to have our home just outside of Shigashina and away from the loudness of the town. Elijah loves our home but he can't help but be curious about the town and the walls, more about what's outside the walls rather than the walls themselves. We haven't really discussed if he wants to be a scout but Elijah always seems excited when Moses talks about when he was a scout.
"Momma, look!"
I'm brought out of my train of thought as I hear Elijah call to me with a hushed whisper, so as to not spook what we found. "I see him Elijah, Good job."
We take cover behind a small bush and I hold my bow in my left hand, then an idea comes to mind. Elijah has to learn eventually, so why not start now? "Elijah, do you want to try?"
"R-Really? You think I can do it?"
I hand him my bow and show him the proper way to hold it. "You must use your dominant hand to pull back the bow, you think you got it?" Elijah seems to struggle to keep a firm grip on the bow but he eventually gets the hang of it, as he holds the bow steadily with the arrow pointing at the deer drinking water by a small creek.
"M-Momma?"
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Do we...have to kill it? It looks so pretty."
Now there's something I didn't really expect from Elijah, but I'm not surprised. Elijah understands death, but he's never really seen it firsthand, even for animals. "I know it must seem cruel, but we need to have food, Elijah. I know you know this, and if you don't want to do it you don't have to. It won't disappoint me at all, and it won't make you weak."
Elijah seems to think for a moment, but his grip on the bow remains the same, and his aim is on point with the deer. To my surprise, he released the arrow sending it flying straight into the deer's neck, causing it to fall over as it begins to bleed out. Looks like he hit a vital point. "I did it, momma! I did it!"
I pick him up and he drops my bow as I begin to spin around hugging him tightly. I couldn't be more proud than I am now. "You sure did!"
I set him down and we make our way over to the now dead deer. I take the arrow out of his neck and Elijah just stares at the animal's corpse, with tears in his eyes. "What's wrong sweetie?"
Elijah looks back up at me, with what looks like sadness in his eyes. "I know I wanted to do it, but it's still sad, it never did anything wrong."
I kneel down beside him and I gently rub his head, Hoping I can at least put him at ease. "I know it's sad Elijah, and you're right, it never did anything wrong, but this is just the circle of life. Animals killing animals for food is all part of nature, and we're just doing the same thing. Remember, all living things just go back to the earth when they die." I wipe some tears from his eyes and give him a kiss on his forehead.
Taking his mother's words to heart and smiling at her with the biggest smile, Elijah hugs his beloved mother. "I love you, momma, I did a good job right?"
God, thank you for blessing me with this wonderful child. Thank you for allowing him to start growing into a strong person. I squeeze my baby boy closer to me, feeling like the happiest mother in the world. "You did sweetie, You did such a good job, and I am so proud of you."
"Thank you, momma."
I rest my hands on my boy's shoulders, i look him straight in the eyes. Elijah needs to hear this. "Elijah, no matter where life takes you, no matter what you choose to do with your own, you have to promise me you'll always do what's right. Not only for yourself but for everyone who may meet in your life. I want you to promise me, Elijah."
The Mother and son embrace each other once more, feeling as if nothing else matters except for the ethereal bond between a mother and her child. There are rarely other moments in one's lifetime that feel just as powerful as this. The boy speaks with pure love and determination in his heart, swearing on his life he'll live by her words.
"I promise, I love you, momma."
"I love you too, my sweet boy."
Elijah
Three years later
It's been quite the day for me. Mom had me come into the town for groceries we needed, and just like every time I've entered this place it's always having people hopping from one place to another with their own lives to attend to. Dad was right, the town may be a nice place to be but it can't be compared to our quiet home.
The gentle breeze seems to come to a stop as I make my way to the gate, happily humming my mom's lullaby to myself.
"Hush, hush... Baby rabbit on the hillside... Why are your eyes so red? When I was small... mother ate the fruit of the red tree... and that's why my eyes are red."
Out of the corner of my eye, it appeared the yellow lighting, striking down with a force that seemed to shake the earth itself, causing me to fall down and drop my recently purchased goods. I picked myself up, like the other citizens around me did, and they all looked to where the bolt had struck down. In awe and curiosity, we stared at a rising pillar of smoke.
"What the hell was that?"
"An explosion?"
"Where's the garrison?"
I try to focus on what I see on the top of the wall, I can't really see what it is but it can't be good. "Is that, a hand?"
I try to look even closer at the Wall, seeing what is indeed a hand. That's impossible for anyone, even a Titan, to grip the Wall. They don't grow over 20 meters, and the Wall itself is 50 meters. Yet, as a shadow crept over the town, our deepest fears, our frozen reality of a hundred years thawed and stared down on us like cattle. We were face to face with our demons, our oppressors, our extinction.
A Titan, colossal in size, stands barely a head over the Wall. Its body is pure muscle, tendons, and ligaments. Its eyes terrified us, the long row of teeth petrified us, and the kick it made to destroy the outgate made us run for our lives. The Titans have entered the city.
I run as fast as I can to the inner gate, thinking of nothing but getting home to my mom and dad, letting my survival instincts take over me, and not wanting to be torn apart and eaten alive by those monsters. The garrison should be able to handle this right?
"Mom!? Dad?!" I finally make it through the inner gate and I continue to search for my parents, despite other people screaming and running away in fear, I have to find my parents. We live outside Shigashina so they have to be alive. Mom!
"Elijah!" I turn to see my mother running to me with my dad right behind her, they both embrace me and my mom picks me up. "Are you hurt?"
I shake my head. "No."
My Father begins to lead us away from the walls "We have to get out of here, quickly!" We begin to run, my mother carries me in her arms. Another set of rumbles stopped us as we turned to the Wall in time to see a huge boulder come our way. Time slowed as I felt my mother tossing me away, and as she tossed me, I accidentally grabbed the sapphire necklace she always wore, bringing it along with me as I made contact with the ground, along with the rubble.
A few groggy moments later, I push my face off the ground. I look around. The area is not as populated as it once was, but there are still people running. I turn to my back, seeing the rubble from the wall on the ground where...my mom and dad last stood. I look at the ground underneath, seeing a pool of red flow where the rubble met the ground. "Momma?"
I barely have time to process what happened as I hear a voice call to me. "Hey! Kid! Can you stand?" It was a garrison soldier, and he grabbed my arm in a hurried tone, and he looked terrified. Are we...losing? Is the garrison not beating them?
"Y-Yes, I can stand." I do so, and the garrison soldier continues to pull me.
"Run to the boat!" I followed after him, once again running for my life. The sound of breaking stone gathered my attention, and I looked back to see the dust fly out from the inner gate, covering the boulder that is now my parent's grave. At the epicenter of the cloud stands a figure, one of Titan size, but its behavior and appearance are atypical. In the brief glimpse I get of it, I can see blonde short hair, an armor-like body, and eyes that flash red in the cloud of dust. A titan that would continue to haunt me for years, even just mentioning it sends a chill down my spine and sends pure hatred into my soul.
"On that day, mankind remembered the fear of oppression under them and the humiliation of being caged like birds. We lived in fear of the Titans, and were disgraced to live in these cages we called walls."
On the boat, I let the tears stream down my face as I face the reality of what's happening. The Titans are attacking, we are losing our home, and my parents..."Mom...Dad..."
"Those Titans...I'm going to kill them all." I turned to the right, seeing three other kids my age. I recognize them from school. The short-haired blonde of the group, wearing a blue jacket, brown suspenders, and a white shirt is the shy but smart Armin Arlelt. The girl beside him wearing a white dress, a tan sweater, and a red scarf around her neck is Mikasa Ackermann, the toughest girl I have ever met. She scared most boys, but I never felt it myself. The last of the trio stands on the side of the boat, his words being the reason I looked over to them. He is black-haired, wearing dark pants, a green shirt, and a red jacket is the hot-headed leader of the trio, Eren Jaeger. He stared at the water as his friends joined him, screaming out to the land, "Every single one."
I look away, and I pull out what remains of my family besides myself, my mother's beloved necklace. A single tear dropped right on top of it, and I clutched it tightly and held it close to my heart. I silently allow Eren's words to dwell in my mind. For my parents...my friends...my neighbors...my hometown...I must fight back and join the military, and the front lines of action too. Not the Military Police who rather stay safe in the capital, or the Garrison who became lax in their protective efforts. I will wear the green cloak of the Scouts, and risk my life to destroy the Titans.
"Elijah, no matter where life takes you, no matter what you choose to do with your own, you have to promise me you'll always do what's right. Not only for yourself but for everyone who may meet in your life. I want you to promise me, Elijah."
I let those words my mother said to me many years ago flow down into my heart and soul. I promise Mom. With everything that I have left.
If I ever meet that titan again, the one who will be known as the Armored Titan, I will kill it myself, I'll make it pay for destroying not only our home but my family. As long as there's breath in my body and a beat in my heart...
"I...will...kill it."
