Distance (Aruani - SNK/AOT) ✔

Part Three: Forty One

(One year later)

"On behalf of the Military Police and his majesty the king, I hereby arrest you."

I stood back and watched the guards take a guilty fraud away to the cells.

"Hey, Annie?"

"Oh, hi Simon. What can I help you with?"

"I was just taking a walk. I was wondering, would you mind coming with me to the cemetery tonight. Its Jane's birthday."

"Oh, of course! I'll have to bring Emilee along though."

"Great! Thank you! That's no problem, I'd love that! Oh, I'm sorry, I can see you're busy. I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Yeah, okay. See you then."

I watched as he walked off. He now lived in Stohess, which was great for me as I now had a friend to keep me company, as well as an uncle to look after Emilee when I worked late.

He stopped suddenly, and turned around.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about this again. But the king told me to remind you..."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Husbands don't exactly grow on trees do they?" I smiled. He chuckled, and waved goodbye, before disappearing out of my sight.

As I walked back over to the Military Police base, I stumbled across Hitch and Marlo, doing what they had always been doing recently.

"Urgh, you two, please! Not in public!" They broke away from each others lips as I yelled. They were both red in the face.

"Sorry, Annie!"

"Don't you have some work to do?"

"No, commander. We were waiting for your return."

"Well, now that I'm here. Make yourselves useful and go and deliver those cases to the palace. Then you can be excused."

They looked away embarrassed.

"I have to go and get Emilee. I'll see you tomorrow."

They nodded, and we separated. I shook my head, chuckling quietly to myself.

She came running out of the house.

"So guess what mum! I drew the house."

"Oh my god, that's amazing Emilee."

She always had a talent for art, even at a young age. God knows where she got the artistic gene from.

I thanked the tutor and we were left by our own again.

"So, we're going with Uncle Simon tonight to the graveyard."

"Oh right. Why?"

"Oh, umm, for a walk sweetheart. You haven't been before, and we just thought it would be nice."

"Okay."

"Get ready, we'll be going soon."

A knock came to the door then. I opened it to see another one of the kings advisors, one of Simons colleagues. They had been chasing me about marrying since we came home from visiting the wall.

I smirked. "Excuse me, but the Scouting Legion has not returned. How many times must I tell you? My partner has been away now for over ten years reclaiming a wall that your citizens lived in. I have said, that once he is back, we shall marry."

"Yes ma'am, but..."

"My dad is coming! And when he comes home he's going to marry my mum!" Emilee yelled.

"Not now, sweetheart. Go into the other room please."

She hesitantly walked down the corridor into the kitchen.

"Good night." I closed the door on him, before he could say another word.

"Urgh, now that's over wi- Emilee? What's wrong?"

She sat at the table, looking sadly down at the old photo of Armin, that was now kept on the kitchen side.

"He is coming back, isn't he?"

"Of course he is. Don't sorry. He's fine."

"Really? You said yourself, last year you didn't see him."

"That's because he wasn't there when I was there. We was somewhere else. I know that for certain. Uncle Simon said so."

"Okay. I really want dad to come home."

"So do I sweetheart. He will. Very soon as well."

"Okay."

"Now lets go meet Uncle Simon, yeah?"

"Yeah! Okay!"

We walked to the cemetery, where Simon sat on a bench outside the gate. Once Emilee saw him, she ran over to him, straight into his arms.

"Hello you," he said to her.

"Hello Uncle Simon."

"I have this for you," he said, taking out a beautiful lily from his bouquet of flowers.

"Its so pretty! Thank you!" Emilee grinned. Simon looked up at me. I didn't notice how much I was smiling admirably at him.

"Ready? I've wanted to show you it for a very long time."

As Emilee ran forward, reading what each grave said, and looking at all the different shapes and sizes, we had an opportunity to talk.

"I didn't even know she was buried here," I said, looking up at the setting sun.

"Yeah, well, we were evacuated to Stohess. She died a few days later of her injuries, and was buried here."

"You keep so much secrets from me, you know."

He smiled. "Sorry. I haven't really talked to anybody about it until now."

"Ah, right."

He finally stopped at the grave. It was a clean grey cross, with the words "Jane Holt. Loved Wife, daughter and friend. Forever missed.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

Simon looked up from the grave. "Thank you for being here with me."

"Its the least I can do."

He placed the bouquet of flowers on the grave, and sighed, murmuring something to her.

As he stood up, I pulled him into a hug. We stayed like that for a while, until we heard footsteps.

It wasn't Emilee coming towards us. It was the same advisor to the king as before. She was in a sweaty mess, panting. I raised an eyebrow.

"Commander Leonhardt! There's been some important news! You must come with me now! Simon, you too."

* * *

(Armin's POV)

(The day before.)

We stood back, the overwhelming feeling of absolute disbelief and amazement on our faces. Erwin and the captains stood up at the very top, fists raised in the air, grinning. We jumped, and embraced and danced like fools.

The teams from the other city sectors had all reached us by now. All of the Scouting Legion was together, in amongst  the Military Police and Garrison members, and the hundreds of volunteers. We were finally reunited with old friends who we hadn't seen in years.

The wall had been rebuilt. Wall Maria was ours once more.

We're  coming home.

I'm coming home. To Annie and to our daughter. Finally, after all this time.

I'll be reunited with my family.