When his Aunt had told him that the Cadet Corps would push him to his limits, she wasn't kidding. Their Commandant, Keith Shadis, screamed at them constantly, yelling insults and doing what he could to be intimidating to weed out the weak ones of the newest group of cadets. Eren was determined to succeed. He would graduate and join the Survey Corps and defeat the titans that ravaged his home and took his mother away from him.
Their training was constant. Running, obstacle courses, hand-to-hand combat...suddenly he was grateful for his Aunt's lessons in self-defense. She had made sure to teach each of them the proper way to form a fist, so you didn't injure yourself, how to stand to make yourself a smaller target, how to watch your enemy's moves and look for tells that gave away their plans.
Auntie Ang really made sure we were prepared for anything.
Eren was brought out of his thoughts as he and the rest of the cadets came to stand in front of Shadis as he stood in front of a large 3-legged contraption. He looked to Mikasa and Armin to see they had recognized the machinery as well.
"First we'll evaluate your aptitude with the 3DM gear. If you can't do this, you're not even worth using as a decoy." Shadis yelled at them again before he began to call out different names for the aptitude test.
Mikasa was completely still, the wires attached to her belt were completely steady as she hung suspended in the air. Connie and Jean wobbled back and forth before they eventually got the hang of it, while Sasha was gently swinging back and forth looking somewhat bored. Meanwhile, Eren was hung completely upside down.
"What are you doing, Eren Jaeger?" Shadis kneeled down to scream closer to his face which was barely above the ground. "Pick yourself up!" Eren could feel the blood rushing to his head, while the rest of the cadets laughed at him.
This can't be happening! Auntie Ang always made it sound so easy.
Eren was gently lowered to the ground and he quickly unlatched the wire from his belt before he went to stand at the back of the group, hoping to avoid the others. He crossed his arms over his chest and grit his teeth. He would not give up.
He had later asked Mikasa and Armin to help him with the aptitude test again. If his two best friends could do it, he should have no problem. Mikasa's voice was gentle as she explained how he could improve.
"Don't worry about doing well. Just watch your balance and stay centered." She gestured to the harness each soldier wore around their waist and hips. "Slowly rest your weight on the belt attached to your hips."
"Stay calm and you can do it. I was able to." Armin's voice chimed in from behind him. His blonde friend was standing at the crank, ready to lift him off the ground again.
"Okay I think I can do it this time. Raise me up, Armin." Eren could feel the wires attached to his hips become taught before he was lifted off the ground completely. It didn't take long for him to swing forward and smack his head against the ground. He could feel Armin crank him back to the ground while Mikasa unhooked the wires from his belt. Each friend had then wrapped one arm around their shoulders as they helped him to the infirmary. He had failed again.
~
Dear Ang,
It hasn't even been a full month and there's already so much I want to tell you.
First of all, you weren't kidding when you said training would be hard. Some days I can barely move due to how sore my body is. But I'm trying my best, and surprisingly I've been able to keep up with Eren and Mikasa so far. Oh, Mikasa cut her hair too, it's now only long enough to touch her shoulders. She said something about it getting in the way of the 3DM gear, but I think there's more to it than that. I like it though, it suits her, and I think you'll like it too.
Eren got into a fight on the first day. People found out about his determination to fight the titans, and some other guy named Jean Kirstein called him out and told him he was just covering up how scared he was. Nothing happened, the curfew bell rang before anyone could throw the first hit, but the tension and rivalry is still there. We've met a few others too. Sasha Braus and Connie Springer are both fun to hang out with, but they struggle to take certain drills seriously. And Sasha is usually more worried about what's for dinner than anything else. There's Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover too, both from Wall Maria, but from a smaller village. They didn't receive any warnings being so far away from Shiganshina, and by the time they heard the news, it was too late.
It's weird, hearing how others have been affected by what happened that day. Sometimes it's hard to remember, even harder to talk about, and I'll admit I still have nightmares about it. But it's nice to know that there are others who know what it's like to leave your home behind, to have to completely start over in someplace new and unfamiliar.
Mikasa and Eren said they would write to you soon. They've just been busy trying to get Eren to succeed with the aptitude test for the 3DM gear. For some reason, he just can't seem to get the hang of it. He stays upright only briefly before he ends up upside-down. Mikasa had no trouble, and even I figured it out eventually. It seems odd that the most determined out of all three of us can't get the hang of it. He's been moping about it, and not too quietly either. He's been going around and asking all of our friends for help, almost begging them for advice on how to pass the test, but he hasn't gotten much luck. There's one final test in a few days to see if he continues in the Cadet Corps or if he's going to be forced to leave. Maybe you can give him a few pointers? I'm sure it would make him happier to hear from you as well.
Mikasa still wears her scarf every day, and she's been practicing her sewing when it gets ripped or damaged. I've already gone through the books you gave me before we left, and they were really interesting to read. Who knew there were so many plants with medicinal properties? You'll have to teach me more when I see you next. I think Eren misses you the most though. Sometimes he mutters your name in his sleep, and I know he just wants to make you proud. He's so determined to join the Scouts, and I'm starting to worry about him. Is there anything Mikasa or I can do for him?
We miss you so much. We hope you're staying safe and that you're not too bored without us to bug you with anything and everything. You taught us how to take care of ourselves, and we're using those skills almost every day now. We'll be okay. Don't worry too much about us. Next time you're able to visit, we'd love to see you. But if you're too busy, we understand as well. I'm sure someone with the rank of Lieutenant has a lot of work to do, and a lot of people to look after.
Stay safe, Auntie.
~Armin
~
Angharad smiled as she reread Armin's letter, leaning back in her chair to prop her feet on the corner edge of her desk. He called me Auntie. Armin only ever called her "Aunt" a few times, and it warmed her heart to know that he was becoming more comfortable calling her family.
The next expedition isn't for a few months. I can spare a day to pay them a visit.
She was brought out of her thoughts by a knock on her door. Angharad looked to the clock on the wall and smirked when she saw what time it was.
"Come in." She called. The door creaked open before Erwin walked through and shut it softly behind him before turning and taking a seat on her couch, leaning back and resting his chin in his hand on the armrest with a sigh. "Long day?" Angharad smiled when she saw him move his eyes to send her a playful glare.
She laughed gently reaching down to the bottom drawer of her desk, grabbing 2 glasses and the ½ empty bottle of whiskey. She stood and walked over to the couch only to stop just before the coffee table at seeing his singular raised eyebrow at her actions.
"What? Don't look at me like that." She set both glasses on the table and poured his first before holding it out to him over the coffee table. "I come prepared for almost anything, and right now, you look like you could use this." She shook the glass at him before he finally reached out to take it from her.
Ang poured her own drink before walking around the coffee table to sit on the couch next to him, propping her feet on the table in front of her. She leaned her had against the back of the couch with a sigh. Both blonde soldiers were content to just sit in silence, each respectively sipping at their alcohol.
"Armin sent me a letter already." She mused with a smile. Erwin looked to his left at his closest friend at the other end of the couch.
"Eren's friend?" he asked. She nodded.
"He says he finished the books already." She turned her head to face him and smiled again. "Thanks for those, by the way. I'm glad I was able to pass them onto someone else who would appreciate them." Erwin nodded and stared down into his own drink.
"I'd like to meet him someday. He sounds like he's already pretty smart."
"He also says Eren is struggling with the ODM gear." She frowned now. "Which is weird to me, since he hasn't really struggled with physical activities before. He was always running around and climbing trees as a child."
"Even some of our strongest soldiers have struggled with the gear. I'm sure he'll get the hang of it." He adjusted his body to face her more now. "When were you planning on visiting?"
Angharad looked at him shocked. "How did you know I was going visit already?" Erwin chuckled before responding.
"Because I know you Ang. Those kids are your pride and joy." She laughed at him before finishing off her whiskey, throwing her head back before resting her glass on the table in front of her.
"I was going to visit in a few days. Eren has his final aptitude test then, and I need to see for myself when he passes." She smiled softly. The blonde turned to her Commander and her face became serious again. "I need to seek your advice about something."
Erwin noticed the change in her voice and set his drink down on the table in front of him, turning to give her his full attention. "I'm listening." Angharad sighed, wringing her thumbs together in her lap.
"I want to know if I can put Ilse's leadership skills to the test." She paused and Erwin gestured for her to continue. "She's served alongside us in the scouts for 5 years and has been my Second for almost 3. She's smart, she's well liked, and she's able to think outside of the box. I want to see if she'd be ready to form her own squad. She knows what it's like out there, and she's offered me sound judgement on more than one occasion. I think in a year or two she'd be ready for her own leadership position."
Angharad watched as Erwin thought over her proposition. He tapped his fingers on the armrest and turned to her again. "You think she's ready to be a Squad leader after only 8 years?"
"It only took me 12 years." Ang paused and then nodded again as if to confirm her thoughts. "I think with a little guidance from me, and maybe Hanji since she helps with her research all the time, that she'd be ready for the responsibility."
Erwin nodded at his younger friend's response and sighed through his nose.
"I will think about it." He turned to look into her emerald eyes so she would know he was serious, and he meant it. "Let me observe her for a few weeks and we'll discuss it further in time." She nodded and poured herself another 2-fngers of whiskey as she continued to idly chat with one of her best friends.
Sometime around 2:00 AM Ang had fallen asleep leaning against the armrest, and Erwin smiled before tucking her against his chest as he carried her to bed, pulling off her boots and jacket. Thankfully, she wasn't wearing her harness, and he tucked her under the covers before exiting her dorm and walking down the hall, heading to bed himself.