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EACH CLOUD, A FLEETING masterpiece painted by the hand of nature, danced gracefully in the gentle breeze, casting ever-changing shadows upon the earth below. Some were fluffy and white, like cotton candy floating on a sea of azure, while others were dark and brooding, hinting at the promise of rain yet to come. As the sun peeked out from behind the billowing masses, its golden rays illuminated the edges of the clouds, turning them into a breathtaking display of color and light.
A delicate butterfly flies past the view. It was white with spots of black accenting it. The hand of a child reaches out in an attempt to grab it but it moves away.
Cloud watching was the only way anyone could enjoy the scenery without the walls in their field of vision.
"Are you listening?" filled with nervous anticipation, Armin, a blonde-haired boy with piercing blue eyes, mustered his courage to catch the attention of the girl whose eyes were stuck on the sky. Armin held his breath, praying that his efforts would not go unnoticed.
"Hm?" The ground below her head seems to feel harsher. The brunette girl, Juliet, takes her eyes off the sky to lift her head. She plants her hands on the ground behind her holding her up halfway. Her hair falls into its natural position, over her shoulders, and a few pieces frame her small face.
Her dark eyes meet his for a moment, "Sorry, Armin. Read it again? I swear I'll listen this time." She asks with a tilt of her head and a certain sparkle in her eye.
He lets out a small gasp accompanied by a red tint covering his cheeks, "Y–yeah, okay." That nervousness he always felt around her came back. And so he averts his eyes right back to the book sitting on his lap.
"The sea is not only a breathtaking sight but also a cradle of life..." And he continues, this time taking a few glances from the corner of his eye to see if she's paying attention. She was.
To prove it, she rested her head on his shoulder, making sure to keep her eyes on the words in front of her. She was following along with her eyes. Though, some words were too immense and made it harder for her to read.
Armin, feeling her head rest on her, flitched but soon settled down to continue reading. His voice had gotten a bit shakier though.
Leon, the girls' father, had gone into town to buy a few things in a rush. Juliet tagged along only to ask to be left by the prairie as soon as she saw that familiar blonde boy sitting by the river with a book on his lap. Her father hesitated to agree but did in the end. Whatever he needed from town took more importance than the decision he made at the time.
Plus he was pretty fond of the blonde boy.
Waiting for him was taking longer than it usually takes. Her eyes averted towards the direction he went to look out for his return. Juliet's worry makes her cut Armin's reading off, "Hey...I'll be right back. Keep reading, don't wait for me!"
"Uh–" he tries to get out but it's too late. She'd already gotten up and ran closer to the town. He watches with his mouth open in shock at her hurry.
As she observed her Fathers's increasingly nervous demeanor all morning, she couldn't shake the knot of worry that tightened in her stomach. His usual calm and composed demeanor was replaced by a restlessness that betrayed an underlying anxiety, and it unsettled her deeply. With furrowed brows, she looked for his face in every person passing by.
She inched further into the crowded town, eyes searching for that familiar face. Juliet gives up pretty quickly though, becoming uninterested in the search knowing her Father would come back eventually.
As Juliet turned around, her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened in shock at the sight before her. She expected to see the blonde still sitting peacefully nose-deep in his book but instead saw him crouched on the ground with a larger kid towering over him throwing punches.
That kid took quite the hatred toward Armin. Probably because he was an easy target. The blonde never ran away, that was the only dense decision he's made.
With her heart pounding in her chest and adrenaline coursing through her veins, Juliet ran as fast as she could, her little feet pounding against the pavement in a relentless rhythm. Every kick landed comes with a short flash of blonde. That familiar banged hair makes her run towards the action.
Not a second thought goes through her head when her left foot kicks straight up the large kid's ass.
"Argh—" he groans and quickly grabs his crotch before falling to his knees. Juliet looks towards the blonde on the floor clutching his stomach. There's a bit of blood on his face but all she can focus on is getting away. She picks up his book from the ground before turning toward Armin.
"Come on," She sticks her hand out for him to grab, which he does quickly. Yanking his arm, she runs opposite the kid on his knees. She makes sure to turn a corner so he loses sight of the kid. Juliet looks back to see if he's following but is met with the crying boys' eyes on her, "Are you okay?" He nods and wipes his face with his free hand.
Armin's eyes traced the delicate sparkle in her eyes, captivated by her effortless dignity and inner strength. In that moment, he found himself drawn to her presence, unable to tear his gaze away.
Before another word comes out of her mouth, a large hand presses against her shoulder. The two look beside them where Juliet's father now kneels looking towards the two of them, "What's with the hurry? Are you kids alright?" Juliet drops Armin's hand.
"Armin, what's happened to your face son?" His hands go to examine the bruises on the young boy's face, wiping any remaining tears off his cheeks.
Armin lived a few houses down from theirs so the two families see each other quite a bit. Ever since his parents disappeared though, Juliet's father, Leon, has done more for him and his grandfather. A sense of guilt bring out this action.
For instance, they supply them with firewood and extra food that the two end up having too much of. Leon has even told Juliet that if it ever came to a point where she had to stand up for Armin, she should as he couldn't protect himself.
Leon has been teaching his daughter fighting techniques ever since she could stand. She never had to fight to defend herself though. But Leon cherishes Armin and his innocence, "Does it hurt?" It could be his big bright eyes that pull Leon in.
"Just a little, Mr. Diekman," Armin's lip quivers as he speaks, "I-I'm okay, though." Leon lifts the blonde's bangs to try and find any other bruises on his face.
"Here, let's head to the house," He pats Juliet's back to make her walk forward, "We'll take care of the wounds and take you home. Sound good, Armin?" The blonde only responds with a nod, not being able to conduct any words without his voice cracking.
In the few moments it took them to get to the Diekman residence, Juliet noticed the amount of things her father had in his bag. She doesn't think she's ever seen him carry so many supplies. Surely, it's enough for an entire month.
Arriving at the house, Leon drops his bag and attends to Armin by grabbing a washcloth and wetting it with what could be assumed to be cold water. He then goes to press lightly on any of his bruises or cuts, "I'm sorry that the people here are so rude, Armin."
"It's alright, Mr. Diekman," Armin responds quietly.
"Pass me another rag, Juliet," Leon extends his hand waiting for it to be handed to him. She quickly rushes to the sink and grabs another one, "Here, hold it on the cut for a minute so it stops bleeding." As soon as her hand goes to Armin's face, Leon goes into the other room with his bag.
Armin's eyes widened when Juliet got closer to him. She tries not to look at his eyes, it's making her feel nervous, "Does it feel better?"
"Yes, thank you."
"No need to thank me, Armin."
For a second, the temptation won over her and she looked at those wide eyes. She can only see a spec of blue before he turns his head down hiding his face. His golden bangs cover everything.
Leon steps out of the room he was previously in, "Let's take you home now, son."
Armin's grandfather thanked the two Diekmans for taking care of his grandson and invited them over for dinner to repay but Leon declined. He had told him that they already had dinner plans and that he didn't need to thank the two for anything, "Really, Mr. Arlert. It's alright."
Leon's hand lands on his daughters, "These kids need to take care of each other so as long as Armin looks after Juliet as well, then we're even."
Armin's wide eyes go back and forth from his grandfather and Leon. His grandfather looks down at him with a smile, "Of course, Leon." Armin looks at Juliet's Father once again, before nodding his head eagerly. Though, the expression on his face shows that he isn't so sure.
Juliet appreciated Armin's confidence, but if it ever came to it, she knew she had a better shot at protecting herself Leon knew that, but he just didn't want Mr. Arlert to feel that he's in debt to them, "We better be on our way now, I still have to get dinner going." He shows more of a sense of hurry than he usually shows. Unbeknownst to Juliet, the father and daughter had a planned boat ride to attend.
"Oh yes— Wouldn't want to hold you any longer," Mr. Arlert says, "Thank you again, Juliet, dear." He pats her head to which she offers a smile in return. She looks at Armin one last time before the door shuts and he's already looking at her.
Leon grabs his daughter's hand, "Alright, Let's go, Juliet."
On their way back, he seems in a rush. His arm dragged her own causing her to pick up the pace. Juliet was moving very awkwardly, finding herself somewhere in between a speed walk and a jog. Like that he continues to drag her into their house, shutting the door quickly and harshly.
"Let me ask you something, dear," Father kneels to her level. His demeanor has completely changed and it was scaring her.
Juliet noticed that most of the stuff they had lying out in the house was gone. The tables, the chairs, and the bench that was once placed against the wall were all gone. "Do you remember our home?" His voice was soft as he talked to her but she could tell he was in worry, "Do you remember where Mother is?"
"Mother?" Juliet hadn't thought about her in a while. She didn't even think about the fact that she wasn't with them anymore. Her father was the only thing she knew.
Mother?
Only the faintest image of her appeared in her head. She could remember only a blurred figure. She could tell the eyes and mouth existed but the details attached to them weren't clear enough. Her pitch-black hair she did recall, but maybe that was just because it's the feature she knew about herself.
Leon almost seemed disappointed at her reaction, "You were just a baby when we left," he tried to explain to her, "But we're going back, okay? You get to see her again. You'll get to be back in Marley and away from this place entrapped in walls. You'll be free, I promise you." His words only confused her even more. The grip he held on her shoulders started to sting. Her dark eyes now glistened with tears, tears that weld up under her eyes, threatening to fall.
Marley? Free? What does that mean?
"Doesn't that sound great?" he moves his hands up to her cheeks, "Your Mother will be so happy to see you again."
A faint smile graced Juliet's face as she nodded along with the conversation. Deep down, she didn't know a word about what her father was saying, but in that moment, seeing the joy and excitement in his eyes, she chose to set aside her convictions for the sake of his happiness.
She didn't know, but it was a sacrifice, perhaps, but one that she was willing to make to see the spark of enthusiasm light up his demeanor.
"I'll tell you more once we get on the water, okay?" None of this made sense to her, but she chose to trust him blindly. Her father would never put her in any harm's way, she believed that.
"The water?" she questions. The only water she knew was the one held in buckets or the one that filled the river.
"Yes," His face changes now showing some sort of excitement, "We're going to this place where the water goes on for as far as your eyes can see. I'll teach you all about it when we get there, I promise, but right now we need to get ready to leave."
With a sense of urgency gnawing at him, Leon hastily grabbed items and stuffed them into his suitcase, his movements swift and erratic. Clothes were crumpled and tossed in without much thought. With the sun setting, time was of the essence, and there was no room for deliberation or further planning.
He'd actually been planning this for quite a while, ever since their arrival to Paradis. Their time here has come to an end, all research needed to be conducted was done, and it was now time for him to report back to Marley.
He opened another bag, this one was smaller than the one before. It was for Juliet's belongings, "Just trust me, okay?" With a gentle yet firm tone, Leon looked into his daughter's eyes and asked her to trust him. His voice carried the weight of sincerity as he reached out to reassure her.
In that moment, he saw the flicker of doubt in her gaze, but he knew that he needed her to believe in him, to have faith in his decisions. As a father, he had always strived to protect and guide her, and now, faced with uncertainty. Now that she was growing with a mind of her own, he needed her trust more than ever.
With a soft smile and a reassuring hand on her shoulder, he vowed to do everything in his power to keep her safe and secure.
If that meant creating a Warrior within her, then that's what he'd do. It was a simple yet profound plea, a testament to the unbreakable bond between father and daughter, built on a foundation of love and her blind trust.
"Okay."
When Leon and Juliet left, Armin's book laid resting on the steps of their house. The young girl had completely forgotten she had it, but it was too late to give it back. She wanted to leave it at the the Arlert doorsteps but her father kept dragging her further away.
The book laid patiently waiting for its owner to return for it.
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A/N:
missed aot and started writing about my beloved :/
Jan. 2024