Sliding rigidly from the back of his horse, Jean's aching feet gave out from under him, and he tumbled to the ground in heap. Groaning, he tried to straighten out the muscles in his legs and bring feeling back into them. A blanket of stars hung overhead next to a sliver of moon, and he watched as a shooting star passed across its inky surface and into the warm summer night.
Days of nothing but walking and riding had all of them exhausted, and one by one they collapsed gratefully onto the hard-packed dirt surrounding the Braus family stables.
The Braus's moved their homestead to the North of wall Sina shortly after the events of the Rumbling, hoping to put some distance between themselves and the prospect of war that loomed over the island like a guillotine. This decision had given the Allied Nations the perfect muster point for their mission: far enough away from the Capitol that their arrival wouldn't be noticed, but close enough that a single day's ride would put them directly into the heart of Mitras and an arms-length away from Mikasa, Historia and Arya.
The thought of Mikasa being so close to the Jaegerist forces sent a shiver of anger through Jean, and he sat up with a quiet growl. How did she always find a way to be directly in the line of fire, protecting someone else? Again? Hadn't she spent enough of her life in the defense of a suicidal maniac to be doing it again now?
He sighed inwardly. Jean knew that it wasn't fair to blame either of them for the position Mikasa was currently in after Arya so selflessly offered up her life in exchange for those of their people. Compared to the odds she had at surviving this their plan was practically guaranteed, though that wasn't to say that they had come this far completely unscathed.
The foothills of Marotsara had been a labyrinth of towering, serrated rock; seemingly endless paths where every turn bared a sense of familiarity and panic. To anyone else, those hills would have seen them lost forever, but luckily for them they weren't just anybody. Captain Levi may not have had much usable memory of the layout of their winding trails close to the mountain base, but through his unmatched instincts and use of their ODM they had made it out the other side in less than a day and a half.
It was there that they had met Mr. Braus and his greatly appreciated horses, but their relief hadn't lasted long in the wake of a days' worth of riding. Now that they were here, however, the laborious journey had definitely been worth it in the sense of time. They still had 24 hours ahead of them before they were meant to leave for the Capitol, offering then plenty of time to recoup.
"Won't be long now until we are headed back home, the queen and our lovely doctor in tow!" Orin exclaimed, being matched in his enthusiasm by the other young cadets.
The Survey Corps alum sat in a hush, looking periodically towards their road to the South: they would celebrate when this was over.
After a hearty meal and equally hearty conversation, most of the expedition force was fast asleep in blankets laid out on the floor of the Braus home by the time the moon was creeping its way towards the horizon. Even Levi had his feet kicked up, hood drawn deep over his face and his arms crossed tightly over his chest, though no one could tell if he was sleeping or not.
Jean, Connie and Armin sat at the large table with Artur, mugs of hot tea in their hands. Sleep had all together evaded them, and after hours of speaking quietly between one another they had lapse into a heavy silence, minds consumed with the weight of what was about to come.
Armin was thinking of Arya again, though if he was honest with himself, he had been thinking of little else since her departure from them.
When she had come to him that night back at the barracks, eyes ablaze with determination, he had been reminded of Eren. So many times he had seen an expression like that on his face, as if a fire had been lit deep within him and burned out to the surface of his skin. Even back when they we kids Armin could see it, and day by day that determination twisted until it became the wrath that had destroyed the world.
Arya's had been different, though: not lesser by any means, just…different. Unable to put his finger on it, Armin once again felt a memory tugging at his mind, the same feeling he had when he saw her for the first time. Years had passed now, but he still couldn't pull it out of the depths.
The was one thing he was sure of, even as he struggled to pull whatever memory that was plaguing him into the light, and that was that Arya was different. He felt crazy half the time, confused with himself at how completely certain of this he was, but he knew it to be true all the same. They needed her… he needed her.
Just as a warmth began to creep into his cheeks Levi's still form shifted, lifting his head to peer out the southern window of the room. Not a second after he moved Artur's head snapped in the same direction with an uneasy frown.
"Someone is comin'; single rider up from the South."
The wilderness was dark through the pane of glass, but eventually a horse and rider could be spotted barreling up the wide path.
"It's Kaya."
The four men rushed out onto the front porch just as she was dismounting. Her breathing was labored, and her eyes were as big as dinner plates as she rushed from her steed towards them.
"Kaya, what's wrong?" Connie stepped out to meet her on the lawn while the rest followed quickly behind him. She nearly collapsed in his arms; honey blonde hair stuck to her face which was covered in sweat. Struggling to catch her breath, she reached into the pocket of her shirt and pulled out a small, crumpled piece of paper and shoved it into Connie's hand, looking wildly between them.
"Arya… was compromised from the start…" she said through her unsteady gasps. "Council is going… going to kill Historia."
They all stared at each other in horror, and Connie opened the note with shaky hands.
"It's happening tomorrow night. We aren't going to make it!"
Armin staggered dangerously on his feet; fists clenched until his knuckles turned white. All of it had been for nothing. It hadn't mattered how long they had planned; Historia was going to die anyway and who knew what kind of hell Arya was in thanks to him. Bile burned in his mouth as he turned desperately to his friends, who's own terror had silenced them and rooted them to the spot; all except one.
"Jean, go wake the others NOW." Levi barked, his expression severe. "Mr. Braus, the horses." Stomping over to Armin who had remained frozen in place, he grabbed him by the collar and pulled his terrified face down to meet his own.
"We CANNOT afford to lose our heads; not now. Get your shit together and lead this party or they are all going to die, and her blood will be on your hands." Releasing his grasp, he ran across the yard and into the house to help Jean rally the troops, leaving Armin wide-eyed behind him.
"But we aren't going to make it…" Connie's voice was small and wavering.
Armin's fear was suddenly accompanied by a sense of fury so strong that his teeth snapped together into a vicious snarl as he raced to aid Artur in gathering the horses together. Levi was right, Arya's blood was on his hands. He was the one who had sought her out, and now she was paying the price for it.
His eyes hardened. No. He wouldn't let this happen. Those filthy Jaegerists had taken so much from them; he would not allow Arya to be taken from them to.
"Armin!" Oz called as they began to mount their horses. "We need a contingency plan. Even if you get there in time to stop this you will be taking on the entire Jaegerist army yourselves, and that signs everyone's' death warrant. I think I know a way to even the playing field."
Once Oz was done explaining his idea, Armin nodded. "That is probably the only way we will be able to survive this. Take Alexi and Falco, they can assist you. We are counting on you, Oz." Ushering his horse to the front of the group, he turned to his bleary-eyed companions.
"This is it, everyone. We ride to take the enemy head on for the sake of our people, or this was all for nothing." He cried; all fear lost within the force of his resolve. "GO!"
Armin whipped around and lead his team down the road at blinding speed, the warm air whipping their cloaks out behind them as they raced against the dawn.
From the shadows cast by the fading sunlight Mikasa held herself tightly against the wall around the corner from Arya's holding room, waiting for the signal. Lisa Braus was making her way down the hall towards the guarded door, a large food tray in her hands. Thanks to the commotion of the castle as the military scrambled to prepare for the ceremony, Mikasa had been able to slip into the main building from the crowded kitchen and sneak up to the upper floors via servant corridors that webbed through the castle like veins.
Even if they were able to free Arya from her room without a hitch, she had no idea what came next: there was no way they would be able to get to Historia and Ymira without fending off the hundreds of soldiers rushing around Mitras, and the support team was running out of time. Getting Arya out of that cell was step one; the rest they would figure out as they went.
Mikasa listened hard as Lisa greeted the guards warmly and knelt to slide the tray through the bottom of the door.
"I say, what in the world could that be?" Lisa said with surprise and Mikasa's grip on her blades tightened. Frowning, one of the guards turned and bent down to peer through the small opening and into the room beyond.
A hand shot out from under the door, gripping the soldier around the neck and slamming his face into the hard metal. Before the second guard had let our more than a surprised grunt, Mikasa was running. Leaping into the air she pushed off from the wall and came down on him, driving her blade deep into his exposed neck. Blood spurted thickly onto the stone floor, and the man crumpled with a gurgling cough.
The first soldier's face was blue, eyes bulging from his skull as the disembodied hand within the room crushed his windpipe, suddenly yanking him so hard against the bottom of the door that his neck snapped with an audible crack.
Lisa let out a whimper, averting her eyes from the man's bloated face as she sought to untangle the ring of keys from his belt. Hurriedly she stuffed the correct key into the lock and the door swung open, revealing it's captive.
Arya strode out of the room, barely casting a second glance at the blood that was flowing under the door and came to look directly at Mikasa, who felt an overwhelming and unexplainable rush of familiarity.
I know you. How do I know you?
Before she could say a word, Arya tugged hard on her sleeve.
"Help me drag them into the room; hurry!"
Once the guards had been unceremoniously stuffed into the now empty cell, Arya lead them down the hall at a run, ducking into an open doorway along an adjacent hallway and closing the door softly behind them.
"Introductions and thanks are probably necessary, but we just don't have the time." She said in a rush, looking between the two other women. "Do you have any idea how far out the rescue team is?"
Mikasa shook her head as she began to untie the extra set of ODM gear that was secured to her back.
"They had a full day's ride from the Braus farm; even if Kaya was able to get your message to them before dawn, chances are they still won't make it before we lose Historia and Ymira." Her hands shook in anger as she worked at the straps holding the gear to her. "This is because of me." If she had only been there to defend them as she was supposed to be, none of this wouldn't have happened.
Two small and steady hands reached out to take the binds from her, and Mikasa looked up in astonishment.
"The only ones who carry the blame for this is them." Arya said, slipping the gear from her shoulders and looked at her confidently. "There is no use doubting ourselves now. Give me your cloak."
Mikasa averted her eyes in surprise as Arya quickly began to undress in front of them. Underneath her large sweater and baggy trousers, she wore a thin long sleeve shirt and leggings that hugged her tiny frame tightly.
"For now, it seems that we are on our own. Mrs. Braus, I suggest you get out of here while you still can and meet up with the others once they arrive in the city. We might be without backup, but I still think there is a way that we can get Historia and her daughter out of here, only…" Her expression changed, a sadness creeping into her eyes. "It doesn't look like I'll be making it out with you." Arya started untangling the harness without meeting Mikasa's concerned look.
"I don't have any right to ask this after you've already gone through this much trouble to get me out, but I need you to tell Armin something." Arya said quietly after she had informed Mikasa of what she planned to do. She was looking at her now, fear and determination struggling on her face, each one looking to come out on top of the other. Reaching out she gripped Mikasa's arm tightly, forcing her to stare deep into her large brown eyes.
"Tell him this isn't his fault."