Aurora
"Do you think that's enough wood Aurora?"
I looked over to the young girl whose red scarf was dancing in the wind, carrying a large bundle of sticks and making my own meagre pile look pitiful, Mikasa watched me with expressionless eyes as she awaited my answer.
"A few more I think and then we will get the boys and head home. Don't want Carla to pull our ears again" I said giving the Raven-haired girl a lopsided grin. Mikasa scoffed and went to collect more wood and following suit, I collected what little wood remained around me.
Grandfather will not be impressed with this amount, I hope Rian has found more.
Thinking of my twin, I wondered where he and Eren had gotten to. Scanning the fields around us, I felt a spark of anger as I spotted Rian's lanky form sat by the only tree in sight with a book in his hand and Eren laid out beside him with his head on Rian's lap.
I'm going to kill him.
"Of all the lazy... useless... idiotic..." I huffed as I stomped over to the boys.
Following behind as I beelined for the tree, Mikasa stretched on her toes to see saw what had irked me and smiled. My red hair swayed in its heavy braid hitting my back as I stomped towards my lazy targets to give them an earful about pulling their weight.
"Beloved sister" Rian greeted without lifting his strawberry blonde head from his book as I came to stand before him. Somehow, he always knew where I was, no matter how far away, he always knew. A weird twin thing Eren called it, and I guess he was right it kind of was weird but also comforting in its own unique way.
"Wood Rian, remember what were here for" I scolded. Looking down I saw his free hand stroking Eren's dark brown hair while he slept and unable to remain angry, my face softened as I looked at the young boy and noticed his eyelids were shiny as if they were wet.
Was he crying?
Appearing from behind me, Mikasa nudged Eren with her foot startling him up in a sitting position, his head clattering with Rian's elbow making him hiss in pain and a smug smile pulled at my lips as he furiously rubbed his funny bone trying to soothe the pain.
Serves him right, lazy git.
"Eren its time to go back" Mikasa stated while looking back toward the Gate house in Wall Maria before tilting her head up to the darkening sky. Groaning as he rubbed his head, Eren looked around as if to get his bearings and Rian looked down at him with an eyebrow raised.
"It just feels like I had this really long dream or something. What was it about? I can't remember" Eren muttered as Mikasa gasped, pointing at his face with a concerned expression.
"Eren have you been crying?" she asked as she reached out a hand to him and pulled him up. Rian too pushed to his feet and stretched to his full height as he popped his joints, towering over all of us.
Had he grown again? If he kept this up, he would be taller than Grandfather before long.
Grumbling about dreams and tears, Eren pushed past Mikasa and the four of us headed back to the gate of Shiganshina with our pitiful piles of wood to take to our families.
"I hope you were reading something good instead of helping with the wood" I sniped while pulling the book from my twin's hand and I pulled a face at him before giving him the book back.
Battle manuals of the survey corps really Rian? Not you too.
"Uncle Alert gave it to me when I last walked Armin home. You know how Eren talks about them all the time. I guess I was curious" Rian shrugged. Handing the book back to me he pulled the tied sticks from my shoulders and placed them on his own to carry the burden home. Smiling in thanks, I thumbed through the book as I squinted at the complex words, trying to remember what Grisha taught me to help read the words.
"Anything interesting? Besides titans, death and more titans?" I quipped as I gave up trying to comprehend the sentences.
"Very funny. But not really. It disheartens the reader by going over and over how ill prepared we are to deal with titans. If they use that book for recruitment, they can't be bringing in any new soldiers' or at least any sane ones" Rian mused.
"Titans are the top of the food chain" Mikasa spoke up, clearly listening in to our conversation. Eren huffed beside her and sent a scowl back at Rian at his slanderous statement against his precious Survey Corps.
"That is the nature of things" Rian agreed and we all fell silent.
The weather had been pleasant today, a gentle breeze rustled every so often keeping the day from being too warm and pushed the falling leaves around us. I lost myself in watching them dance in the air as my mind drifted to the coming months.
Winter will be here before long, wonder if we will get snow.
"Maybe you should talk to your dad about it" Mikasa offered and I brought myself back to the present as we entered the Gate house and were being approached by a Garrison guard.
Guard being a strong word.
"Don't be stupid! I can't tell him!" Eren shouted drawing the attention of everyone in the tunnel, he never did know how to do things quietly.
"What are you cryin' about, Eren?" The tall blonde officer smiled as his cheeks flushed an unnatural rosy colour giving him a sick appearance.
He's drunk again.
"Mr. Hannes" Rian tilted his head in greeting and Hannes responded likewise.
"Rian. Aurora. Did Mikasa get on your case about somethin'?" Hannes laughed as he ruffled Eren's hair.
"Huh?! What makes you think I was crying?! Whoa, you reek of alcohol!" Eren scrunched up his face while jumping back bumping into me. Reaching out I caught his shoulders to steady him before he rolled over and made an ass of himself.
"So, he was crying, in a few years he will be doing much worse than that, be thankful it's just crying" Rian said while stretching with a smile on his face. Hannes Burst out cackling as did his friends sat by the gate exit and Eren frowned in confusion, looking up to me for an explanation to Rian's filthy joke.
Brilliant Rian, I'm not explaining THAT to him.
"You're drinking again" I accused while smacking Rian across his chest and Rian sent a scowl my way while rubbing the spot I had connected with, a pout on his angular face.
"You guys wanna join in?" Hannes wiggled his eyebrows at me before giving my body a sickening glance over and I had to stop myself from throwing up in my mouth. Rian saw this too and took a slight step forward, no doubt about to defend my honour from Hannes and his lecherous eyes.
"Don't you have work?" Eren snapped before Rian could say anything, saving us from the confrontation.
"Yup! We're guardin' the gate today! Thirsty work" Hannes snickered to himself.
"What if something happens?! Can you fight like that?!"Eren demanded while gesturing to all of Hannes in his drunken state.
Here comes the speech.
"Whadya mean if something happens?" Hannes asked dumbfounded.
Shut up Hannes.
"You know what I mean! I'm talking about if they break the walls and get into the city!" Eren shouted as he aimed his little fist at the walls. I placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him because as much as I loved him, I couldn't take another one of his titan speeches, no matter how right he was.
"Oww Geez, Eren Don't go yellin' like that" Hannes brought both hands up to cradle his head in pain.
"You've got fire for a doctor's son! If they do bust down the walls, we'll take care of business, don't you worry. But that ain't happened once in the last one hundred years" the fat guard by the exit piped up, not at all helping the situation and I glared at the man who immediately put his head down in fear.
Who put a coin down for you to sing and dance?
"Still" Eren began "my dad says there's nothing more dangerous than being complacent like that!"
"Dr. Jaeger, huh?" Hannes scratched his head. "Yeah, he's got a point, he once saved this town from an epidemic. Still, they're another story altogether. When you're a soldier, you get to see those things roaming around outside while you're on wall reinforcement duty and stuff, there no big deal. These walls are fifty meters tall, I can't see 'em getting through"
"Then you're not actually prepared to fight them at all?!" Eren almost screeched and I winced as his voice echoed through the tunnel.
"Nope!" Hannes smiled.
"Wh-What?!" Eren Stammered as he looked between myself and Mikasa whose face showed how done with this whole conversation she was.
"Then drop the "Garrison Regiment" name for "Wall Construction Squad" instead" Rian said offhandedly, though there was a cruel glint in his eyes.
He thinks they are a joke too.
"Not a bad idea!" Hannes clapped the young man's shoulder before turning back to Eren. "But you gotta understand, Eren. If a soldier's doing his job, things have seriously gone to hell. It's better when everyone's calling us useless freeloaders; it means peaceful times for us all. Sure, we can stay inside the walls our entire lives and do nothing but eat and sleep but at least were safe!"
"But that basically makes us cattle!" Eren wailed and clearly hearing enough, Rian grabbed the back of Eren's shirt and began to haul him forward.
"Man, you're one plucky kid, all right! For someone who's totally helpless! Right, Hannes?!" the fat guard laughed again as Rian shoved Eren through the inner gate of Shiganshina.
"Huh? Y-Yeah." Hannes mumbled distracted as he stared at me with an awkward sloppy smile on his face as I lead Mikasa away from the tunnel, my hand tight on her shoulder.
"Home now. No more talk of titans, guards or the scouts" Rian pushed Eren again as he began to turn back around to continue his spat. I smiled in fondness as I watched the fierce boy struggle against Rian's hold, when would he learn that he can't take on the world.
"Wait!" Hannes gasped "Don't tell me he wants to join the Scout Regiment?"
I shrugged and guided Mikasa to make sure she kept up with the boys. Slowly we all made our way through the upper Market as people passed greetings and went about their daily lives in peace while Eren quietly fumed from his place under Rian's hand.
I could see exactly where his thoughts were, and though I admired his passion, he was far too young to be thinking about death and scouts and Titans. Moving my eyes to Rian, I saw he too was watching Eren with his thick auburn eyebrows pulled together, a look of concern on his face. It frightened me sometimes how similar our thoughts were.
And how much you look like grandfather when you pull that face.
"Eren. I'd forget about the Scout Regiment if I were you" I spoke softly and Eren's head instantly snapped around to glare at me.
"What?! You think the Scout Regiment is a joke too?" he whined. He had not spoken much about it but we knew in his dreams we would all join the Scouts together and though he would never admit it, I knew he cared what I thought, in his mind, if I thought the scouts were a joke then that meant Rian did too. Eren admired Rian and constantly wanted his approval just like any little brother does but the truth was, Rian didn't think the scouts were a joke, the opposite in fact. They had a noble duty that he was drawn to, which I've got to admit, terrified me. I didn't want that for Rian and I didn't want it for Eren.
"It's not about what I think" I tugged on his hair with a small smile. Eren battered my hand away but gave me a small smile back, dissapointment instantly forgotten, when the noise in the market suddenly picked up.
"The Scout Regiment is back!"
"They're gonna open the front gate!"
"Let's go see the heroes return!"
Eren grabbed Mikasa's arm and took off running toward the outer Gate as Rian and I followed closely behind. Arriving at their chosen spot Eren jumped up and down trying to see the rider's procession through the street, huffing in frustration when his height prevent him from doing so in the crowd.
"Damn! I can't see! What are ya! Ahhhh!" Eren cried out in shock as Rian picked him up and hoisting him onto his shoulders, giving him the bird's eye view he desperately wanted. I lowered myself into a crouch for Mikasa and gestured for her to jump onto my back too and boost herself up, which she wasted no time doing.
Craning my head as high as I could, I watched the sombre procession of defeated soldiers before spotting a blonde-haired scout stare at his horse with such a defeated expression. Looking up and seeing Eren's smiling face, the soldier's mouth fell open seeing the awe the boy exuded and looking to the side of Eren he saw Mikasa on my back before he looked down to see me watching him with sympathetic eyes. He must have seen my pity because he snapped his head back to stare at his horse again, no doubt contemplating their failure.
"They're the only ones who made it back?" someone whispered in the crowd.
"Everyone else must've gotten eaten. This is what they get for going outside the walls" another answered.
People began whispering amongst themselves as the cheering stopped and the crowd took on a subdued feeling.
"Moses! Moses! Excuse me I don't see my son Moses anywhere Do you know where he is?" A older woman with greying black hair pushed her way through the crowd and into the line of the procession. Grabbing anyone she could the old woman begged them to answer her as her voice became more and more desperate. Twisting and turning through the despondent soldiers, the old woman finally stopped in front of what appeared to be the commander of the Scouts as he held a delicately wrapped package to his chest. Looking down at the woman he gently held out the object and the crowd fell deathly silent.
"It's all we could retrieve" he whispered and the woman took his parcel and began unwrapping the outer layers. The more she opened the more blood became visible and sensing what was about to be revealed, I reached over to Eren to pull him down and shield him but the look Rian gave me stopped me cold.
You mean to let him see Rian? To what end?
The crowd gasped and I broke away from my brother's pale blue eyes to see the woman sobbing on her knees in the street, clutching a severed arm to her chest. Mikasa slid down from my back and reached over to hold Rian's hand who gripped the young girl tightly as the old woman's wails of despair rang through the cobbled street.
"But my son he was helpful, yes?" The woman cried "Even if he didn't achieve direct greatness surely my son's death helped humanity fight back, yes?!"
"No!" The commander shouted as his voice took on an edge of hysteria,"Just like all the other missions we achieved nothing at all! My incompetence has done nothing but needlessly send soldiers to their deaths! We haven't found out anything about them!"
"Talk about gruesome" someone muttered.
"You can say that again" another added.
Eren listened to the crowd and his face fell, dejected at the poor favour his heroes held. Looking round he saw two men to my side loudly discussing the failure of the scouts and his face twisted into a snarl.
"Our taxes are basically going to feeding and fattening those things up now" One of the men condemned as Eren slid down from Rian's shoulders while he was watching the downtrodden soldiers and sneakily pulled a stick of wood free from our bundle before lobbing it at the man.
For fuck sake Eren!
"What the hell, you little punk?!" the man snarled as he turned towards Eren. Looking proud of himself, Eren went to grab another stick when Rian grabbed the scruff of his neck and began to drag the boy in the opposite direction of his quarry as I hastily apologised for his behaviour and ran after them with Mikasa in tow.
"Rian?! Hey" Eren complained while struggling against Rian's vice grip. Throwing Eren down an alley a little harder than needed, Rian watched as Eren's wood pile scattered all across the cobbled floor. Holding Mikasa's hand at the end of the alley watching the scene unfold with a heavy feeling in my chest at my brother's aggressive display.
Grandfather does that to us too.
"Rian! Enough already! What's the big idea?! Now the firewood's all over the place!" Eren complained as he threw his hands up in exasperation.
"Have you changed your mind about joining the Scout Regiment?" Rian asked his face carefully guarded.
What are you doi ... ohhh.
It suddenly dawned on me that Rian had wanted Eren to see the arm to gauge his reaction. It was a test of his resolve in his commitment to joining the Scouts.
"Help pick this up." Eren sighed and I walked over to help him pick up the wood while eyeing my brother as he stared at the boy with a strange look on his face.
Did he pass your test Rian?
Rian
The walk back to our homes was uneventful and quiet just as I like it. Eren's earlier fire had been somewhat smothered and he was quietly brooding by my side, I had asked if him if he had changed his mind about the scouts after seeing the soul crushing procession of beaten soldiers and his silent fury had been the only answer I needed.
Persistent little bastard, that settles it then. If you're going to join then I am too.
Turning into our street I walked ahead of the group to deposit our weeks supply of wood in our home before joining the others in the Yaeger household. Pushing my front door open, I entered the old wooden house and looked around the sparse living space to find my Grandfather was nowhere to be seen. A quick appraisal of the fire place showed me it was cold, suggesting no one had been home for at least half the day.
Where has Grandfather gone now?
Shrugging I dumped the wood in our store box before looking around again in distaste. For the first time, I noticed how little the house resembled a home. With no homely decorations my Grandfather had called it living lean whatever the hell that meant but really It was just tragic. We had been here for seventeen years and not a single mark on this house let a stranger know that we existed at all and its because of that I hated the place. My real home was next door, Aurora's too, a home with the Yaeger's. Sighing, I left the house, making sure the door latched and walked over to the Yaeger's house just as the others were settling in.
"We're home." Eren hollered in greeting as he hauled his wood to the storage box. Smiling, I greeted his mother, Carla, who was busy cooking in the kitchen while his father, Grisha, sat at the table reading. Aurora flitted past Eren gracefully to kiss the top of Grisha's head and then over to kiss Carla's cheek before picking up the plates and handing them to me to set the table. The place smelt divine and homely goods were scattered everywhere, giving the place a lived-in feeling. Like a proper home.
"Welcome back" Carla greeted and smiled knowingly at Eren as he quickly tried to stuff all the wood in to the storage box.
What would he do without the girls?
Setting the table, I watched Aurora fondly as she took a seat next to Grisha and looked at one of his medical papers with a little v on her freckled forehead. Her face was not classically pretty but she had this haunting beauty about her with her pale skin, mismatched grey and green eyes and vibrant red hair that was beginning to draw unwanted attention like at the guard house. It didn't sit well with me, especially when I could see her discomfort at being appraised like a prized mare.
Laughing softly, Grisha smoothed the V between Aurora's eyebrows as she tried to read. Reading was a struggle for her, a common affliction Grisha had said, her mind moved the letters and numbers around on the paper making it difficult for her to learn to read and write. Grandfather had not been pleased and gave up on teaching her but Grisha had refused to abandon teaching her, saying if she had the will to learn he would teach her and walls did she have the will. He had sat with her every evening until she mastered the words.
Aurora had been so happy the first time she had wrote a sentence without mistake or aid; infact she had raced home in excitement to show our grandfather for him to simply nod at her and say "good". Watching her disappointment had been painful, she wanted so desperately to make him proud but no matter what she did he never seemed to be, well except for one dark night.
Aurora had grown since then; becoming more and more womanly by the day. I had overheard Carla speaking to my grandfather the day before last about her growing beauty.
"Aurora is turning into quite the fetching young lady. Suitors will be at your door before long asking for her hand!" Carla had laughed.
Rowan had scoffed in response and said "Good use it will be for her, I'd much rather she be strong". Ever the charmer our grandfather, however he was right. Luckily my sister was intelligent and strong despite our grandfather's words, he had seen to that with relentless self-defence lessons and lectures. She was a match for any man who dared to try her and thanks to Grisha's dedication she had developed a curiosity for medicine and would soon be joining him in learning the trade.
"Wow, Eren!" Carla began slyly and Grisha looked over his papers smirking. "You actually worked hard!"
"Yeah, what do you want?" Eren grumbled avoiding his mothers eyes as his dishonesty showed.
"Your ear's red. That shows that you're lying. You had help you, didn't you?" Carla laughed while pulling her son's ear and Eren smacked away her hand as he peered at his father packing his over night bag on the dining table.
"Oh? You're leaving, Dad? Is it for work?" Eren asked curiously.
"Yes. Some check-ups in the interior. It'll take a couple of days" Grisha explained as he began to pack away his papers and tools into a travel bag. Aurora handed him the paper she was reading, which he took with a smile. All was peaceful on this fine afternoon, that was until Mikasa decided to break the harmony.
"Eren says he wants to join the Scout Regiment" Mikasa snitched as she sat emotionless at the table and everyone stared at her in shock, her timing inopportune.
"Way to keep secret mouth!" Eren shouted as he slammed his fist against the table and suddenly all hell broke loose.
"Eren! What are you thinking?! Do you have any idea how many people have died outside the walls?!" Carla screeched making my ears ring as she dove towards Erem and grabbed him by the shoulders. Ragging him back and forth forcefully, as if that would rattle sense into his head, Carla stared at her only son in horror.
"Y-Yeah, I know!" Eren stammered and I almost felt sorry for him as Carla began to hysterically bombard Eren with reprimands.
"Eren. Why do you want to go out there?" Grisha said cutting of his wife's hysteria as he came to stand next to me. Eren stood up and looked out the window while clenching his fists before turning back to face us all with the same fire in his eyes as he had earlier today.
"I want to know what the outside world is like! I don't want to live my entire life in ignorance inside the walls! If no one else is willing to take their place, then the lives of all who've died will be for nothing!" Eren declared. At my side Grisha looked at his son and the passion he was displaying before his eyes then shifted to me and then to Aurora, searching our faces.
What are you looking for Grisha?
"I see. My boat's about to leave. I better get going" he sighed as he picked up his bag and hat, making for the front door.
"Hold on, dear! Scold the boy for pity's sake!" Carla pleaded as she hurried after Grisha and grasped his arm, panic on her face at the prospect of her son joinging a doom driven cause. I wonder if she would be as afraid for me when I joined up.
"Carla..." Aurora spoke softly while coming to touch Carla's hand for her to release her husband.
"Words can't hold back human curiosity" Aurora said gently and Grisha placed his hand on Aurora's shoulder, smiling, before turning back to his son to whom he lifted up a key from his pocket.
"Eren. If your good for your mother, When I get back, I'll show you all what I've been working on in the basement" he said while slightly swinging the object in his hand and Eren's eyes widened in excitement.
"Really?!" Eren exclaimed, eyes fixated on the key Grisha held. Smiling, Grisha tucked away the key before taking his leave and Eren ran to the front door so he waved good bye to his father as he left down the cobbled street. "Have a good trip!"
"I meant what I said" Carla spoke after waving her husband goodbye. "Joining the Scout Regiment is a stupid idea"
"Huh?! Stupid?! People who don't mind living like livestock are the stupid ones, if you ask me!" Eren snarled.
"Eren that's enough" I chastised having heard enough of his insolence towards his mother, after all he is lucky to have one still alive. Huffing, Eren took off like a bat out hell down the streets to get away from having to address the issue.
"Eren wait!" Mikasa shouted while running after him and Aurora followed closely behind after waving goodbye to Carla to make sure the hot head didn't find any more trouble.
"He gets himself into trouble so easily, Rian. If anything ever happens you need to be there for him! You all need to take care of each other. Promise me" Carla pleaded as she reached up to touch the side of my face, staring straight into my eyes. I nodded solmenly, after all that was an easy promise to make, I intended to spend the rest of my life protecting my family. Blood or not.
"I'll do my best Carla, I promise" I swore placing my hand over hers on my face and she sighed in visible relief.
"I know you will my boy, I know you will" she smiled and I dropped her hand before I left her there on the outside stairs. Walking in the direction Eren had ran I stopped in my tracks when I recognised my Grandfather speaking to Grisha a little way down the street. Watching the two converse, I saw Rowan place his hand on Grisha's shoulders nodding gravely before the two the parted ways. Grandfather walked up the street to the steps of our home before he stopped and looked at me with his usual dead stare, oddly enough it struck me then I had never seen him smile.
"Go find your sister boy and bring her home immediately. I have something to discuss with you both" Rowan drawled and I nodded before setting off after my sister with no intention of bringing her home anytime soon.