Something Worth Fighting For

Chapter 1

The Sun dips underneath the land and soft beds of grass, the sky is painted with deep blues and warm oranges. Calls of the birds are spread across the sky, a chorus of hooves going down the rough dirt path can be heard in the distance. I stand in awe, looking out the window at the scene that has been painted in front of me.

I fly back onto one of the grand French chairs, landing on the light grey satin with a bounce. I stare through a wooden doorway into a hallway splashed with the vibrant blues and oranges from the sunset. I remove a few strands of golden blond hair from my face and tuck them behind my ears. The evening is still, as if time itself has stopped. With no one around and quarters silent, I stand up and head towards the tall cobblestone stairs

I can feel a cold rough touch of the cobblestone against my feet while walking up the narrow stairway. I walk down another hallway, warm rich colours of light slide across my face, slightly blinding me as I start my search amongst rows of endless dark beige doors. Rusty brass numbers are fixed onto each of the patina doors. I bring myself to a halt, my eyes laid on the golden number 10 ahead of me. The beige door is slightly ajar, I push it open to reveal the empty dorm room.

Two basic bunk beds lie on either side of the plain space which is usually inhabited by 3 other cadets. One of them being my best friend, Eren Jaeger.

I head towards my bunk, and bend down to grab my favourite book. I hear painful sounds of the wood floor creaking as I pull out a soft brown leather cover. I wipe away a thin layer of dust and open the book revealing its yellow tinted pages, my eyes following the trail of bold cursive writing. I read stories about the world before a time we lived like birds in a cage. When there was salt water spreading as far as the eye can see. Eren and I made a promise that one day we will explore the world beyond the walls. My head feels heavy, I notice an absence of concentration and my vision is slowly dips into darkness. My consciousness and my wonders of the outside world slip away, into a long deep sleep.

"Wake up Armin!"

I open my eyes to suddenly see a book being slammed into my face, only one person would do such a thing.

"What was that for?!" I ask Eren in slight confusion.

I look at his olive-skinned face and dark brown hair.

"Even if no one is around you can't just fall asleep with that book next to you, if someone finds out were done for!" He starts to lecture me

"Sorry Eren."

I need to be more careful, books about the outside world and the past are banned, if I was to be caught I would end up being executed.

"Well hurry up and hide the book before someone else finds out!"

I spring onto my feet and return the forbidden item back to its lonely hiding place. We both exit the dorm room run down the once lit corridor and the cobblestone stairs.

We reach the bottom of the staircase and head towards the cafeteria. We walk into a large hall were others have gathered. Aromas of freshly baked goods float in the air. We line up and grab supper.

"Hey Eren, was training hard today?"

"Yeah! It was even harder being alone since you were sleeping away back at head-quarters. Anyway, today was the last training" What does he mean? There is still at least half year of Military Cadet training to go through.

"I have decided that tonight we will escape" Why so soon? What will happen if we get caught!?

I try to negotiate with Eren.

"Shouldn't we wait until we finish our training, wouldn't it be easier to escape if we were part of the military police."

"We enrolled into cadets so we could escape from the walls! After today's training, everyone will go to bed early and I heard that the higher ups are having a meeting tonight so we have a perfect opening. Since everyone will get to sleep in tomorrow, we have heaps of time to cover distance."

The metallic sound of a bell echo's in the hall. We stand up to follow the crowd heading towards the shower rooms. Once outside we leave the crowd and dash down hallways, which I hope I will never see again. We sneak outside and continue to run under the starry black sky, into a surprisingly unguarded shed, housing rows of horses. Quietly but swiftly I start to gear up a horse with leather gear.

I mount onto the plain white horse, covered blotched black spots. Eren is also ready geared up and ready to leave. I press my legs against the horse's stern body and follow Eren's lead. At full speed, the horses gallop past the headquarters and into the forest of pine trees. Our plan is going a lot smoother than I though.

I suddenly hear gunfire and shouting coming from the direction of the headquarters. The corporals must have realised we have gone. If we get caught it will be only a matter of hours until we are executed. Again, I wack my legs the horse's body. Galloping at a faster past, the wind combs through my hair. The coldness of the night is making my hands and feet go numb. I can hear more shouting, but even louder than before.

"There gaining on us!!" I shout out.

Another loud shot is heard, I can feel a sharp agonising pain of bullet going through my arm. I lose my balance and plummet toward the hard ground. I place my hand onto of my arm to stop the blood from gushing out, but it's doing no use. I remove my hand to revel crimson red.

"Leave me behind Eren or we will both end up dead" I scream at the top of my lungs hoping Eren will obey. I lie on the cold ground trying to ignore the throbbing coming from my arm. This is the end, I decide to give up on my dream to see the outside world. Did we even have a chance of getting away in the first place?

The sound of hooves become louder and louder, the ground vibrating more each second. I can hear a familiar voice

"Armin, I'm not going to leave you lying there!"

I'm too shocked to respond, why did Eren come back for me! The corporal's horses are approaching me, is it really going to end up like this. I get swept up by an arm, but my head is knocked against the ground. Am I with the corps or Eren? My head throbs too much, I can barely keep my eyes open. I can hear someone speaking but I can't make out what they are saying, the world dips into silence and darkness once again.