Clouds had barely formed in the sky. It was overly warm for a morning in early March. The buds had just started forming on the flowers that littered the fields and the trees were covered in leaves once again. Clambering footsteps were the only sounds heard through the morning air. Two sets of small feet ran up the stone steps in the local churchyard.
"If we're quick, we can make it!" The girl muttered, gesturing ahead to her brother who was a few paces behind her.
Both were nearly out of breath and panting as they raced through the doors of the church. The once silent building was soon filled with the pitter-pattering of feet. Brass fixtures on the walls held lit torches, giving the stone building a warmer atmosphere. The children ran faster, up the many flights of stairs and past many pastors who only chuckled and shook their heads.
The two children finally reached the balcony with bated breath, eyes widening with excitement.
"Come on, slowpoke, or we're gonna miss it!" They continued to sprint along battlements when they were finally met with a glow from the sky.
Far to the east, over the rolling fields of flowers and visible even from behind Wall Rose, was the rising sun. It's rays soon bathed the children with it's warmth and in turn brought a smile to each of their faces. The girl turned to her brother with glee and swung her legs over the battlements. She stayed sat on the wall for a few minutes before either of them broke the silence. The air was too peaceful for even the two eleven year olds to disturb. They gazed at the sun for almost fifteen minutes before the boy finally spoke.
"Are you still thinking about it?"
"Huh?" The girl was pulled from her trance but kept gazing longingly at the horizon.
"Joining the military?" The girl nodded instantly and her fingers found the hems of her sleeves, tugging at a loose thread. "You won't change your mind?"
"You're not going alone. I won't let you." The boy went to argue but was quickly cut off. "We're twins. Where you go, I go. It's always been like that."
The two children stayed silent for a moment more before the boy spoke again, his hands buried in his pockets.
"What if one of us dies, like Dad? How will we stay together then?"
The girl's heart paused, as if it missed a beat or reset like a broken switch. The mention of their Father was painful but as they grew older, they learned to bare it. She didn't have a response to his question and chose to answer it with silence before changing the subject.
"Don't you get excited when you think about what's out there?" The girl asked, her smile widening as she gazed at the horizon. "Just imagine the fields and jungles and deserts!" Her brother smiled goofily, "I can't wait to explore beyond the Wall!"
The following minutes were peaceful, until disaster struck in the young boy's mind.
"Oh no," he started, rubbing the back of his neck regretfully.
"What is it?" Asked the girl, clearly irritated by her brother spoiling the silence. His horrified look made her raise both eyebrows in concern. Tears welled at the corner of his eyes as he spoke.
"We promised Mom that we'd get bread!"
The girl let out a shaky breath and laughed loudly, slapping a hand on her knee. Her brother looked on in horror at her laid back attitude. She hopped back over the battlement, wiping tears of laughter from her almond shaped eyes. The twins shared many of their features. Brown eyes, the colour of melting chocolate, and light freckles dusting their cheeks. Both had dark hair but the boy's was cropped short, unlike the wild locks of his sister.
"We started talking about the military and you were calm. Then you think of bread and start crying?"
"We promised!" The boy started to leak tears down his round cheeks until his sister placed both hands on his shoulders comfortingly. As much as she wanted to stay and enjoy the sunrise, they never broken a promise to their Mother.
"Okay. We can stop by the bread stall on our way home, right? There's loads of time." The dark haired boy wiped his eyes with his sleeve and followed as his sister set a swift pace back down through the church.
The bread stall was only a five minute walk. During this time, the twins glanced around them at the other market stands. The sun had risen enough to shine light over the buildings, illuminating the streets. Many salesmen tried to haggle away fruits and drinks but one stand caught the girl's eye. She walked away from the merchant two minutes later with a beautiful bunch of daisies.
"Mom will love these!" She said, running to catch up to her brother.
After a quick stop at the bread stand, the twins started to head home. The girl kicked small stones along the floor as she walked, trying not to trip over her feet. They gathered that their Mother would already be awake and therefore didn't bother trying to be quiet. Together, they trampled up the stone stairs to their small home, with the bread and flowers almost falling from their arms.
"We're back!" The boy announced as they ran through the door. He dumped the bread on the table and ran into their Mother's outstretched arms. "Told you we'd remember!" The girl followed, a pink blush creeping onto her cheeks as she stepped forwards.
Their Mother, Sara, was a beautiful woman. She had long black hair, braided to the side of her head, and deep brown eyes. Those eyes would remind you of your favourite chocolate, if you looked into them for long enough. Her daughter resembled her in many ways. They had identical eye shapes and the same soft expression. Despite the twins being eleven years old, their Mother didn't look a day over twenty-five.
The girl tucked a stray hair behind her left ear before holding out the flowers.
Joy. That's the emotion that their Mother truly felt in that moment. That and pride. Her children were growing into the most beautiful beings that she had ever seen. Sara respected them more than some people in the town that were three times their age. The raven-haired woman accepted the bunch of daisies without a moment's hesitation and pulled both of her children into a tight hug.
"We love you." Her son said, "You're the best."
"I love you both, so much."
Both children were fighting the tears in their eyes until the boy finally lost it and started bawling into their Mother's shoulder. This set off his sister and soon all three members of the family were cocooned on the floor, crying. They family was sad and happy all at the same time. The anniversary of their Father's death would never be a pleasant day but one that the children tried to make easier for their Mother. They'd promise each other, every year, that they would be on their best behaviour, do all of their chores quickly and save up any money they could earn to buy their Mother a nice gift. The children were selfless, the boy slightly more so than his sister, and both had high morals and dedication when it came to family; even at such a young age. The twins missed their Father dearly but they valued their Mother above any other human being in the world. Apart from maybe each other.
Sara knew her children better than anyone could ever understand another person. She knew that they both wanted to skip the easy life and serve their country, following in their Father's footsteps. She also knew that she had no hope in stopping them. Perhaps, she thought, it was finally time for that conversation.
Lunch was peaceful that afternoon. All three members of the family sat around the table, talking about the view of the sunrise from the church roof. Their Mother sliced the fresh bread and both children got a thick piece each. They could hear the laughter and commotion outside their house, being right in the middle of the village.
"Those salesmen are so pushy! I hope I don't end up like them."
"Why not?" Sara turned to her daughter with an entertained look. "It's an easy life."
"When was the easy life her style?" The boy cut in, still munching his bread. "You've seen how dangerously she lives."
"Shut up." The girl retaliated, her eyes darting anywhere but to her Mother's.
"Oh really?" She mused, not ready to scold her child but to listen to another of his stories.
"She was swinging her legs over the battlements this morning, when we were on the very top of the church! Then she went on about how she wants to explore outside the-" A harsh look from his twin made the boy stop talking and concentrate on his food once more.
Sara sipped her tea and smiled. She wanted her children to live freely, as they wanted. Her parents gave her that honor and their Father's did too. Freedom would be the greatest gift that she could give her children. Sara had witnessed many nights where her daughter would be up all night reading one of her husband's old books. It was one that had been kept hidden away for years. After an onslaught of questions from her daughter about the outside world, Sara couldn't resist giving her some closure. Since the first time she opened the pages of that book, she knew that the girl's dream was to explore the world.
"So have you given much thought to which branch you'll go into?" Sara asked, gently setting her teacup down. Both children looked at her with confusion. "When you join the military?"
The twins were shocked. Their Mother's openness was unexpected and the topic was a foreign table conversation to them. The girl's knuckles were going white from gripping her fork tightly with nervousness.
"You both look confused," she said, "That is still what you want to do, isn't it?"
"Y-yes!" The boy stammered, "But we- We thought-" his voice cut out as he looked at his Mother's calm expression. "We thought you didn't like the idea."
"It terrifies me." She said, grimacing slightly. "But I don't want to stop you from living the life you want." Their Mother started. "Your Grandfather stood by your Father when he joined the military and he was only twelve; the youngest you can be. He was always supportive, until the very end."
Without warning, Sara got up from the table and opened a nearby wooden cupboard. Inside was an oak box that the twins knew all too well. When their Mother sat back down, she had tears brimming at the corners of her brown eyes. The twins winced at the familiar sound of the metal latch twisting but didn't need to peer over to see the contents. Their Mother pulled out a golden lanyard with a red crystal embellished onto it. It had belonged to their Father, a medal for serving the King with duty and honor.
"I want you two to remember that any choice you make in life is yours and yours alone." She laid the medal on the table with shaking hands. "One day you'll be out there, lost and afraid, without anyone to help." The twins glanced at each other uneasily before focusing on their Mother again. "I want you to be proud of the decisions that you make." Sara turned to her children, tears now steadily rolling down her cheeks. "But you two have to stick together, no matter what, because that's when you're strongest."
The room was silent for a few minutes. Soon enough, the girl stood up and walked over to their quietly sobbing Mother. Her small hand tangled in her Mother's dark hair comfortingly. She'd seen her Father do this multiple times to calm her.
"We want to protect you forever." She said, her tone becoming fiercer. "We want to make you proud." Sara turned to her daughter and smiled, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her close. She ran her fingers over the girl's cheeks, rubbing her freckles and making her cheeks pink. The girl grinned wildly.
"You make me proud everyday." The young girl wound her arms tightly around her Mother. She smelt of lavender and tea, two of the child's favourite smells.
The freckled boy decided to break the uneasy silence with a bright tone.
"I want to be like Dad!" He held his knife in the air and slashed it around like a sword, making his sister yell in delight. "I'm going to rank the highest in my class and join the Military Police!"
"No, dummy! I'm ranking highest!" The young girl picked up her fork and poised, ready to strike her brother. "I'm ranking the highest and leading us to victory against the Titans!"
BOOM!
The loudest bang any of them had ever heard rang through the outside air, making even the walls of their house shake.
"What was that?" Sara asked under her breath, running to the window. Her hand found her mouth when she spotted people sprinting along the path. She launched open the wooden front door, her children hot on her heels, and took off down towards the market.
"What's going on?" she asked the bread merchant. He was stuck to his spot, holding his hat to his head and looking towards the ground.
"They say Wall Maria has fallen! Boats are coming in with hundreds of refugees! One of them crashed into the dock."
The two children widened their eyes at the man's words. There had never been a wall breach, ever, in the history of the world. The girl thought to herself, could the world be ending?
"The rumor goes that a Titan, taller than fifty meters high, smashed a hole in the wall and hundreds of Titans invaded."
"Which district?" The merchant finally took a deep breath and met Sara's eyes with a wide, grim stare.
"Shiganshina. Those poor people. Hundreds of deaths are being reported by the minute."
Gritting her teeth and clenching her fists, the girl walked back down the road and into the house. With her brother right behind her, she marched to the kitchen table. She stared at her Father's medal and turned to her brother with a look of determination. Her hands clenched to fists at her side.
"We're joining the military." she stated. Her brother nodded and stood next to her, the same determined look in his eyes.
"No matter what! What's the nearest camp to us?"
"The southern." their Mother said from the doorway, "You won't be too far away from home."
The dark haired twins exchanged smiles and launched themselves into their Mother's arms again, making her stagger backwards and land on the rug. The girl's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"We'll make you proud!"