For Angharad, summer usually meant that there was a mass bloom of wildflowers, and new flowers meant that Faye would teach her younger sibling how to weave them together into a crown one could wear on their head. It didn't take Angharad long to learn, she was always a fast learner, succeeding at just about everything she did, and she rarely struggled with any new concept or lesson. When they were done, the two younger sisters, would rush to place their flower crowns upon Grisha's head, and despite his protests, he would be filled with mirthful laughter at the youthful shenanigans of his sisters.
Each year after Faye's murder, Angharad would continue to weave together the malleable stems, carefully caressing the brightly colored petals as she placed the crown on her own head. The first summer after her sister didn't come home, she tried to give the flower crown to her older brother, but Grisha had pushed her away, and left her standing by herself as he walked home. When Zeke was born, she would often sit with her young nephew in her lap, allowing him to touch the soft petals as she weaved together the wildflowers.
Angharad hadn't made a single flower crown since arriving on Paradis.
For Layla Jones, she never learned how to make flower crowns. But she did often spend her summer days on the island running through the overgrown blooming fields with her mother, both women sharing the same vibrantly colored hair. Her mother would calmly pick one of every flower in the field, creating a one of a kind bouquet as she gathered them gently in her hands to bring back home with them later on. The flowers would be placed in the only vase they had in their home, sitting proudly on the kitchen counter just below the window by the sink.
Layla remembers her mother fondly as she gazes out over the fields outside Scout HQ. The redheaded woman walked out into the middle of the field, and slowly knelt in the tall grass as she gathered a handful of the various flowers that grew there. Footsteps echoed from behind her, and she could hear whoever it was taking soft careful steps as they avoided crushing the flora beneath their feet.
"What are you doing?" It was the voice of her commanding officer. Lieutenant Angharad knelt in the grass next to Layla, reaching down to run her fingers over the flowers too.
"My mother used to gather wildflowers from the fields near our house when I was little. She used to create her own bouquets, and they would sit in our kitchen for weeks until the blooming season was over." Layla turned her eyes to see Angharad smiling softly back at her.
"Have you ever made a flower crown?" She asked.
"No," Layla shook her head. "My mother didn't know how, and I could never figure it out." Angharad gathered a handful of her own flowers before she stood and calmly turned to head back towards the tables in the shade of HQ. The blonde woman held a hand out in front to the redhead.
"Come on. I'll show you." Angharad lead Layla over towards the picnic tables, gently setting down her handfuls of flowers and taking a seat across from the younger woman. She picked up a few flowers, looking for one with the longest stem to start the crown, and then a few others. "Start with the flower with the longest stem, that will be the best starting point. And then you just take the rest of the flowers, lay them next to the starting flower, and weave them together like this." Layla watched as Ang wrapped the second flower stem around the first before pulling it through the loop. "You don't wanna pull on the stem too tightly, otherwise it will break."
Layla tried to copy the movements of her squad leader, and eventually she had a small crown of brightly colored flowers, gently woven together, although it wasn't as nice as Ang's. The older woman's flower crown was made of bright yellow and white daffodils and vibrant orange wild poppies. "Who taught you how to do this?" Layla's question was only curious, and while she considered keeping up with her lie of "memory loss", for once Angharad didn't see the harm in telling the truth. They were the only ones outside on the hot day.
"My sister taught me." Angharad admired the finished flower crown, the arrangement of flowers creating a beautiful mix of yellow, white, and orange. Layla's eyes widened in surprise.
"You have a sister?" Angharad smiled softly in remembrance of Faye and nodded.
"Where is she?"
"She died really young, when we were kids." Now Layla was confused, and Ang could tell as such when she saw her face pull into a confused expression.
"But I thought you didn't remember anything from your childhood?"
"It's...complicated." She sighed. "Sometimes it's...difficult to remember." Angharad thought of Zeke, the beach and the docks where she used to work. She thought of her parents, and her older brother who had mysteriously vanished 5 years ago. "The memories are there, but I try not to think about them too much. I'd like to think that I know who I am without having to revisit my past."
Angharad slowly leaned over the table, placing the yellow and orange flower crown on Layla's head. The older woman smiled wistfully, and leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest to avoid fidgeting with her thumbs. Layla reached up to adjust the crown so it wouldn't fall. For the next hour, the two women allowed themselves to chat idly, laughing occasionally as Layla told stories of their squad while she and Levi weren't there. Angharad briefly allowed herself to bask in the moment of calm while she bonded with her team member.
Unbeknownst to them, a certain blue eyed Commander was staring out his open office window, as he listened to their idle conversations.
~
The ride through Trost was a stoic one. The veteran soldiers rode at the front of the line, behind the Commander. Citizens had gathered in the streets, most of them excited at this day being the anniversary of 5 years of peace. 5 years since Wall Maria was breached at Shiganshina was lost. This morning, Angharad had felt like she was going to be sick, opting to only nibble at her breakfast. Something felt off, and as she rode through the outlier district she kept glancing around as she felt the warm tingle on the back of her neck.
Usually she only felt it when danger was around, usually the danger being titans, but occasionally she'd felt like someone was watching her, waiting for her in the shadows, unseen.
"They're here! The main force of the Survey Corps!" The cheers for their success only got louder as they approached the gate. "Commander Erwin, kill the titans for us!" Erwin never flinched, never gave any response to the cheers of his name. Within the crowd, 3 teenagers waited with bated breath as they searched the line of green cloaks for a pair of platinum blonde braids and a black bandana.
"Look, it's Captain Levi and Lieutenant Jaeger!" Eren turned his gaze from the Commander to where other citizens were now yelling for his Aunt and the Captain. "They say he's as strong as an entire brigade."
"Well since the Lieutenant has been navigating their courses outside the Walls, the Scouts have had the least amount of casualties in history!" Eren's face contained a proud smile as he watched his Aunt pass by him on her horse. Just as he was about to call out to her, she turned in their direction, blowing each of the teens a kiss and waving goodbye as she continued riding towards the gate alongside Mike, Levi, and Hanji.
It would only be a few hours later when Ang's gut feeling would be proven right.
~
"Huh? You're joining the Survey Corps?" Eren paused in his cleaning of the mounted canons. "Connie, you were so eager to join the Military Police."
"I was, but..." Connie began, but another voice joined in.
"Your speech yesterday affected him." Mina held her hands behind her back as she came upon the group of teenagers.
"Shut up!" Connie turned to protest over his shoulder. "It was my own decision!"
"Don't be embarrassed." Thomas scratched his head sheepishly. "It isn't just you."
"Thomas, you can't-"
"Hey, everyone." Sasha snuck up on the rest of them, and Connie noticed the was blushing while she hid something inside her uniform jacket. "I brought meat from the officer's storehouse." She revealed the cured cylinder of meat, and the group of friends' eyes became wide with panic.
"Sasha! Do you want to end up in jail?" The brunette woman didn't hear her friends and she continued salivating.
"Let's all split it. We can slice it and make sandwiches."
"Go put it back!"
"After all the land we lost, meat is really valuable." Mina spoke up from beside Eren.
"It's fine." Sasha reassured her friends. "Once we retake the land we can raise cows and sheep again."
"I'll have some of the meat, please!"
"M-Me too!"
"Why are you standing there Eren? We need to get back to work or they'll find out."
"It isn't lunchtime just yet." Mina jested as she walked away to tend to her own canon. Eren took a brief moment to gaze out over the city of Trost, feeling like things were going to get better for humanity. They had experienced 5 years of continued peace. We can win! Our counterattack has only just begun!
Suddenly there was a large burst of hot wind, a flash of yellow-orange light, and Eren turned to look over his shoulder. That face had haunted his dreams since he first appeared over Wall Maria. Bright red muscles stretched across a skinless face.
The Colossal titan had appeared yet again.
~
"I swear, if you don't stop bickering, I will have you assigned to be Hanji's personal assistants for the next month!" Ang's voice snapped at Oluo and Gunther as she dismounted Winston at their temporary camp in a village between Wall Rose and Maria. The pseudo-mother figure glared at her team, the warning extending to all her soldiers as she held out a finger in warning. Oluo snapped his mouth shut, while Gunther ducked his head to avoid her gaze, feeling very much like a scolded child. Upon their silence, Angharad turned and made her way with Levi to Commander Erwin for their report.
"Make sure the area is clear." The Commander looked around. This was the closest village to their chosen spot for the base, so Angharad suggested clearing this one first. The larger town unfortunately had a lot of blind spots, so the Scouts would have to be careful.
Suddenly Ang gasped, the same feeling on the back of her neck, and her head shot towards the left, braids whipping over her green cloak. "On your left!" And then there was screaming from another soldier a few blocks over. There were no orders as Levi shot off into the air, zooming through the streets and over towards the commotion.
"How do you do that?" Ang turned to look up at Erwin, seeing the taller male looking down at her in slight amazement and intrigue.
"I really wish I knew." She shrugged. "It comes in handy though, so I guess I won't question it too much." Erwin shook his head at her. Angharad looked around then, her brows pulled together in confusion.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
She could sort of see movement in the distance, and she walked to the edge of the village where she could see Hanji, her squad and some of her own soldiers on perimeter watch. Hanji, having spotted her best friend and the Scout's Navigator, waved excitedly and ran up to her, holding out her hand.
"Look at this weird flower I found growing over there." Hanji smiled wide, and if Angharad didn't feel so uneasy, she would have laughed at what was in her hand. "I've never seen a plant like this. The bud grows sideways, yet the flower grows out of the top."
"They're called 'Birds of Paradise'." Angharad informed the scientist, her eyes still cast on the horizon. She could see large bodies in the distance, and the footsteps from the cluster of titans were enough to shake the ground beneath her feet. "Do you find it odd that the titans are all moving in the same direction?" Hanji finally followed her eyeline, seeing the oddity the blonde was talking about. They shared a look of worry between them, and Hanji's face turned serious.
"I'll go get the Commander." Ang nodded, and walked further forward to the edge of the village. Layla noticed the nervous look on her Lieutenant's face.
"Lieutenant?"
Was that a flash of lightning in the sky? There were no storm clouds in sight, in fact the sky was as clear as it had been all month. Did no one else see that?
At that moment, Ang felt sharp stab of pain through her skull. She screamed at the sudden feeling, gripping the sides of her head as she dropped to her knees. She felt Layla's hands on her wrists, trying to ease the grip the blonde had on her own temples. The redhead could see the Commander and his own squad coming around the corner, having been informed of Angharad's odd discovery of the titans' behavior.
"Lieutenant? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Ang looked up, her eyes wide and she was shaking slightly.
"Something's happening back home."
"What are you talking about?" Layla asked worriedly. The younger soldier watched as Angharad stood, making her way to her horse, rushing to make sure all her supplies were there before pulling herself up and onto the saddle. "Where are you going?" Layla was really worried now. She had never seen her Squad Leader so freaked out and all over the place. The rest of their squad and Hanji's squad was looking at the pair now.
"Lieutenant, take a second and think this through." Moblit stepped forward, his eyes worried for his long time friend. Ang ignored Moblit and others who yelled after her as she rushed away atop Winston at full speed.
Erwin rushed to Layla's side in slight anger, but mostly worry and concern for his trusted friend's sudden change in behavior. "Where is she going?"
"She's headed back to the Walls, sir. She said something was really wrong back home."
So she's noticed it too. Erwin turned suddenly to the rest of his soldiers. "Everyone pack your things. Don't leave anything behind. We're making a full retreat to Trost!" Scouts all around them rushed to obey their Commander's orders. Pretty soon, they too were rushing full speed back home, Angharad's blonde braids in the far distance. At least I can still see her.
Angharad leaned into Winston's marbled neck, shielding herself from the wind as she rushed towards Wall Rose. Something was really really wrong. She thought of Eren, Armin, and Mikasa. She'd always loved them unconditionally as if they were her own. As she neared the district, she could see the gaping hole where the gate used to be. Her thighs squeezed at Winston's ribs again and rushed through the opening, avoiding grabbing hands and large feet that chased after her. She tried to assess the situation as quickly as possible, and she could see the blur of tan jackets from above her, when there were several large vibrations that almost threw her from her horse.
Is that 15-meter titan carrying a boulder?