You were summoned to a room in the military building you were currently at. You had stayed in Stohess with the head of command while Eren rested up.
It had been a good week or so since the city was nearly raised to the ground. You took to mindlessly roaming the halls of the barracks and the city streets as everyone else followed orders from higher-ups.
It was a miracle when Hange had approached you yesterday in the mess hall, requesting you to meet in Erwin's temporary office today after lunch.
You wrapped your fingers around the brass doorknob and entered the room. Hange, Levi, and Erwin were sitting around a square wooden table, having a hushed conversation that ended as you walked in.
"Sit." Erwin said, motioning to the chair across from him. There was a fresh cup of tea in front of your seat, to which you assumed you had Levi to thank.
You dusted off yourself as you sat down, "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I never really got the chance to apologize for our first encounter." You said shyly to which he just shook his head.
"No worries." He offered a small smile.
"Now," Hange spoke up, leaning into the table with hands grasped. "I believe you have valuable insight that can help us take a step forward for humanity. If you prove to be useful, then we promise any questions you have will be answered." She offered you a smile.
Levi stayed silent as he watched you.
"I have nothing to hide. Ask away." You said.
"Wonderful. Our first question for you. Did you know about the titans in the walls." Hange said.
You felt everyone's eyes on you, and it made you slightly nervous. "No," you said truthfully, "I did not know about that."
"Hmm," Erwin hummed. "What do you know about the titans then?"
You frowned, "Not much, unfortunately."
Levi casually sipped his tea as he butted in, "You grew up in a bloodline of titans. I'm sure your family had secrets to pass down. Think long and hard about anything that could be useful."
"I mean it, I swear." You said urgently, hoping they'd believe you. "You're right, my family did have secrets. Specifically, it was my grandfather who knew the most about anything. But he was a secretive man. He refused to talk about the past, and he wouldn't say why."
"Did he have the Protector Titan?" Erwin questioned.
"Yes. He carried it for a while before he got sick and died. It was passed down to my brother after him. My father chose not to participate." You responded, "I don't know much about the technicalities of it all. They said I was too young to know about the truth and they'd tell me when I was older." You trailed off, knowing that will never happen now.
"What happened to your family? Does your brother still have the Titan?"
Your expression turned grim as the memories of that day came flooding back. "I don't know. I'm sorry." you lowered your head in shame, upset that you were proving to be useless. "We lived pretty quiet lives until a stranger came to our door one day. It was surprising, but we've heard of the occasional maniac who chooses to travel outside the walls, so we didn't think too much of it. He said his name was Zeke, he was an older man. Very charismatic. He said he needed a place to recuperate before he continued on his way, so we let him stay with us."
"Everything was fine. My family loved Zeke, and we treated him like one of our own. It was near the end of August though, and with the colder seasons coming, it fell onto me to go out hunting that year. When I had left, Zeke was still with us."
You clenched your fists as you continued, "I was gone for no more than 4 days. When I came back, they..." you paused, tears welling in your eyes but you fought them back. You looked up, locking eyes with the Commander, "Zeke had murdered my parents. Mutilated my mother past the point of recognition, and left my father within an inch of his life so he would die a slow painful death. My brother was nowhere to be found, and neither was Zeke."
You glanced over at Levi who seemed to look sympathetically at you. "Zeke must have left right before I arrived, because my father was still barely alive."
"Adeline..." your father croaked as he stroked your face. You couldn't help the onslaught of tears that were falling from your eyes. Your mother was lying next to him, with a knife in her hand. She fought till her very last breath.
He offered a painful smile, "My beautiful daughter."
"Father, please let me help you." You begged through sobs.
"No, Adeline. There's no point. Listen, I don't have much time." He grabbed your hand, the blood from his wounds seeped into your clothes. "I'm so... sorry that I never got to show you inside... the walls." His breathing was ragged, "I'm sorry for... everything. I wish I could have told you more before I left."
You buried your face into his chest, holding on for dear life like it would prevent your father from dying.
"Adeline, please... listen to me. Go into the walls. Find the leader of the Survey Corp. He will help..." your father coughed up a splatter of blood "...help you find out the truth. He will help you find Oliver."
"Why-... why can't you... come with m-me. I'm scared! I can't do this alone." You managed to ask, your mind racing a million miles a minute.
"You are strong. Stronger than me. I know...you can do it. Please." His voice was no more than a whisper now.
You sat there for a second, as your father embraced you one last time. He began choking for air, his grip tightening on your arm. You screamed his name as the light passed from his eyes.
You saw red. Agony, anguish, wrath, terror. They all flooded your body as sobs violently shook you. It was on your parents deathbed that you swore you would find your brother and avenge them. Even if it killed you.
When you had finished retelling your story, silence fell over the room as the three sat pondering. The only sound that could be heard was the ticking of the clock on the wall.
"That's why I came to find you. During expeditions, I disguised myself as a soldier and infiltrated your ranks. That's how I found your name. I survived off of supplies you left behind on missions. It was very little, but I made it work." You spoke up. "But in all honesty, I'm just as lost as you. I know my brother is alive, he has to be. I just... I don't know how to find him."
"Unfortunately," The Commander said through grasped hands. "We don't know much about Zeke, or your brother. I'm sorry."
You frowned in disbelief.
"However, your father was smart to send you to us. If anyone can help you find your brother, it's us." He finished.
Levi looked up at you, "What he's trying to say is we want to offer you a position in our regiment. You've proved yourself useful. Although you could use a little training, you would be a valuable asset, having experienced and survived living outside the walls. Our offer will provide protection and a place to stay, and if you help us, we will help you." He added.
The other two nodded in confirmation. "I believe that finding your brother will give us some of the answers we are looking for." Hange said with a small smile. "Not only that, you've proven yourself trustworthy." She grabbed your hand for comfort. "We thank you for that."
"But I barely told you guys any useful information. Why do you want to help me?" You asked.
"Our end goals may be different, but we're both on the path to discover the truth. I have a feeling the truths we're looking for are intertwined." Erwin commented. "If you accept our offer, you will be placed in Squad Levi. You will be his second in command. This is so he can monitor your progress and offer guidance. You will be address under the name Caroline Langley, for the sake of secrecy, and we will provide security from those who wish to hunt down the Abertine name."
Your stomach fluttered with butterflies as you locked eyes with the Captain. "Then in that case, I accept."