Jean landed on the ground after cringing away from the blade that grazed the skin on his throat.
"Wha…?" He exclaimed hoarsely, his eyes glued to the bayonet in Eren's hand.
The dark-haired boy's mother had always told him that swearing was bad. Because of that, the foul language itself had a bad ring to it in his ears. However, no matter what he thought about it, it had a certain dose of emotions tied to it by its core.
But his mother wasn't here to flick his ears for using it…
"What in the hell did you do…?!" Eren yelled in anger.
His outburst caused everyone to go silent. They were intensely watching the scene play out, in anticipation of how the situation would be resolved.
Ymir walked over to check on Historia, who was currently laying on the ground and sobbing quietly to herself.
"I…I…" Jean stuttered, raising his arms as if trying to somehow deflect the verbal assault.
"What did she do to make you throw her to the ground?!" Eren asked with a voice heavy from all the different emotions.
To name a few, there was annoyance from earlier, guilt for not intervening in time and compassion for the girl, currently crying on the ground.
But the one which was topping all of them, was rage. Pure, unfiltered rage at this man who dared to deliver harm to Historia…
"It was… It was an accident!" Jean cried out in fear, as Eren walked closed to him, the blade stained with his own blood.
Both of them knew that this was just a stupid excuse. Jean's resentment for their current predicament was known among boys as they all collectively witnessed him showcase it earlier today.
"Liar…!" Eren exclaimed with malice, raising the bayonet…
"Wait…!"
The young chief turned around to face Armin. The bespectacled boy was looking at him oddly, but nonetheless stood his ground.
"It's fair to punish him…" his friend spoke softly "…but it's better not to cause any permanent harm."
Armin's words, like always, were wise and made a lot of sense to Eren. They were all stranded here against their will, with the reason being the only factor which kept them alive. If they forewent it now, who knows what could happen in the future?
"Alright" Eren said, before lowering his blade.
Instead, he took out the conch. The special item had become something of a symbol to the group and the boy figured that instituting laws with it was the way to go.
"Anyone…" he started, but his voice died in his throat.
What was he supposed to say? How exactly should he phrase it? One thing he knew about creating law, was that it was extremely difficult. One sentence, word, even a single dot could change the whole meaning of it. His father would often complain about politicians and how the laws they instituted were bad. But here, he was about to attempt the same. All because of some sense of justice he felt within…
"You mustn't hit girls, Eren" his father said.
It was just when he started school. Shiganshina was small, but given how young he was, he couldn't have possibly known everyone that would show up there.
"Why?" Little Eren asked with annoyance.
Of course, he got into a fight on the first day. And of course, it wasn't his fault. Some older girls were making fun of his scrawniness, to which he decided to respond accordingly.
And of course, it meant proving his strength in a fight.
"They beat me into a pulp…" the small boy sobbed as his dad treated his black eye.
"You were the one to start it" Grisha spoke.
"They were stronger" Eren countered "I swear those girls could beat Hannes too…"
His dad laughed at that.
"Mr. Hannes is an adult" he said "when boys turn into men, they become strong. So strong that no regular female could be of any match for them."
"No way…!" Eren exclaimed as a small smile appeared on his face upon hearing that information.
However, a single glare from his father was enough to bring him out of his joyous state of mind.
"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking right now, you deserve a second beating" he spoke.
"Sorry" Eren said, cowering in shame.
"Because men are stronger, their responsibilities are greater" his dad explained "using that strength against women, is just as bad as exploiting the weak for personal gain. Try putting it for a good use…"
"Anyone who harms a girl…" Eren spoke.
"A female" Armin said, correcting him.
"Anyone who harms a female, shall spend the night away from the grove" the chief finished, before raising the conch up.
Slowly, everyone else raised their hands as well.
"Aye!" The crowd cheered.
The law has been instituted. The only thing to do now, was to enforce it.
Eren turned towards Jean, who still seemed to be shaken to his core.
"For violating this rule, you have to flee the grove for tonight" he spoke, mustering all of his authority up.
The other boy didn't need to be told twice. Momentarily, he jumped up and dusted himself off.
"I'm sorry…" he murmured, more to Eren than to his victim, before bolting out of the grove at top speed.
His tone suggested that he was glad to be let off the hook like that, even though given the weather, it was quite the hard punishment. As the commotion subsided, the girls slowly started to bide their farewell, and retreat towards their own hut.
Eren turned towards Historia. The girl was still kneeling on the ground, massaging her sore back. By her side, was Ymir, contemplating on the situation.
"How are you feeling?" The boy asked the blonde girl, as he was approaching the duo.
"I'm fine" Historia responded, looking towards him fondly.
The boy kneeled down in front of her. Her dress was dirty from landing on the ground so suddenly, but otherwise, she seemed fine.
"It wasn't that great of a fall, really…" the girl spoke.
The three children looked up at the sky. It was already dark, and the cold air was slowly falling down upon the island.
"We should probably head back, now" Ymir said after a moment of silence.
"Yes" Eren agreed, looking Historia in the eyes.
The boy helped them up.
"Thank you…" the girl replied before walking away with the older girl.
Eren stood in front of the second hut. It was practically the same as the first one, with wooden walls and thatch for a roof. While he wasn't looking, the other boys must've finished up tying it to the central pole, given that Historia dropped the last piece.
He took his bayonet out and looked at the glistening blade. It was still stained by Jean's blood. The memory of the event played in his mind once again.
Eren walked into the shelter. With only seven people, there was a lot of space inside, and other boys were already lying on their makeshift beds. The only other boy who seemed active, was Armin.
The young chief made his way towards his friend, seeing that the bed to his side was vacant.
"How is she?" The other boy asked.
"She's okay" Eren replied, before looking at the only other vacant bed.
It was right next to the entrance. Such a spot was probably the worst to sleep in, so Jean's punishment actually turned out to have a lot more, dire consequences.
"He'll be fine" Armin said, seeing where Eren was glancing towards "hey..."
"What?"
"You didn't actually mean to harm him, did you?"
It was only then, that he noticed the others weren't sleeping yet. His showcase of strength must've made quite the impression on the rest of the boys, and they were probably waiting to hear what else did he have to say.
"Yeah" he spoke, while grinning maniacally "not permanently, at least…"
Eren didn't know why exactly he had said that. Maybe to mock the absent boy, maybe to strike fear into their hearts…
One thing was clear. His position as the chief has been solidified, for now.
The cold winds were howling outside with a low sound…