Archive of Our Own ^beta

The attitude towards rain differs between cultures. In more temperate climates, like the tropics, people become more stressed when the weather is unstable. Yet, in dry places, the rain could lift the moods of the people, as it helps during periods of drought.

Here, however, rain is only good for hiding one’s tears.

A wooden home built out in the middle of the woods stood against the rain, shielding its occupants from the pelting water, keeping them safe and warm. Except for one.

A short figure stood outside. A young woman, looking to be nineteen, maybe twenty, with light blonde hair, now wet, that went down to her shoulders and bright blue eyes hidden behind the lids that shielded them from the world in front of her. If she opened them, she would be staring straight at the ground beneath her bare feet.

The corners of her pink lips were turned down, quivering slightly from time to time as she kept her eyes closed.

She was wearing a white sweatshirt that fit her form almost perfectly. She inhaled slowly before turning her head up, feeling the droplets hit the skin of her face, washing her tears, as she opened her mouth to exhale, some of the falling water hit her tongue.

The woman was wearing white trousers, which clung to her legs. It was the only clothing she could get on in a quick second so that she could run out here. They were bloody. Right in between her upper thighs, but she didn’t seem to care.

Suddenly, a shout was heard from inside the house. It was muffled by the rain falling down and the walls holding up the roof. The shout repeated before the door behind her burst open.

A young man slowed his steps down to a halt, a few yards away from the woman. He was taller, and had dark brown hair that reached just below his ears. His wide green eyes stared at the girl standing in front of him. He was wearing a beige sleeved shirt and dark brown trousers.

His hands and sleeves were covered in blood. The rain began to fall upon him, washing some of the blood from his palms.

“Annie! The hell are you doing out here! Come back in, you will freeze to death! You shouldn’t even be standing right now! The doctor said you should rest!”

Annie opened her eyes and turned to look at the man. “I...I don’t need it, Eren. I healed already. It was only some tearing.”

Eren’s eyebrow raised. “You do need it. I mean, you just went through-”

“I know what I’ve-,” She stopped and sighed, “I know...what I have went through, Eren. And I feel fine.”

He gestured to the door. “Don’t you want to see her?”

Annie’s eyes widened. “Her? It’s...it’s a girl?”

A smile appeared on the young man’s lips. “Yes, Annie. It’s a girl. A beautiful baby girl that needs her mother. She needs you, Annie.”

Slowly, the girl’s lips turned upward into a quivering smile. “A girl...perfect.”

Eren took another step forward, holding his hand out. “Come on Annie.”

Annie’s eyes moved up to meet Eren’s, instantly turning away.

“No.”

The young father’s eyes widened. “What? W-why?”

Annie looked ahead. “Because,” tears began to fall down her cheeks again; she reached up and wiped it away with her palm, “She shouldn’t get to see me. I may be her mother, but...I am also a monster.” She turned around, showing to him that she was crying, “I would be a horrible mother.”

Eren’s eyebrows turned down. “What? No. Annie, Annie...no. We talked so much...so much about this, Annie. Talked about how we will get to watch our child grow up together, with the possibility of more children. You are going to be an amazing mother.”

“But you don’t realize this Eren! I can never forget about the horrifying things I have done! It’s been four years! Four years! And yet I still remember it vividly! All of it! I remembered all those times people came up to me when I was in the crystal and cursed me for what I have done! How I was treated when I escaped from it!”

“Annie...I got the same treatment when I was discovered to be a titan. I was one of them.”

“You can’t possibly understand!”

“I can! I mean I ate my father, god dammit! And when I was found to be a titan shifter, people were afraid of me, you saw how many guns were pointed at me! How I was kicked around and treated like a rabid animal, deserving to be caged! Trust me, I know what it feels like! But we...things are different now, Annie!”

“That’s bullshit, Eren! What, you think just because I helped exterminate the titans, that I am forgiven? Washed clean? No! It was horrible! I had to choose that or death! I thought that everyone hated me, everyone! Everyone...except for you. I still love you, Eren, I do. I love all of our friends. I love that child that is...inside there,” She pointed to the home, choking out the last part, “She is the reason. I wasn’t trained to be a mother, Eren, I was trained to be a killer.”

Eren stared at her, thinking of what to say, “Just...come back inside. We’ve forgiven you already. Without you, Annie, we wouldn’t have won the war against the titans. Don’t you understand? None of this could have been done without you. I need you. She needs you.”

Annie inhaled deeply, trying to push more tears away. Eren walked over and reached out with his hand to comfort her, only for his body to be pushed back by his lover’s hands. “Don’t.  Please, Eren...my childhood is already lost, but hers can be saved...don’t make this harder.”

Eren shook his head, tears beginning to fall from his eyes. “Annie, I...I need you, she needs you. We both need you! I can’t take care of her on my own, you know that!”

Annie closed her eyes to stop the advancement of any more tears. “You can. I know you can. Besides, you have the others to help you.”

“A-Annie, I don’t-”

Annie walked over and pulled Eren down to kiss him. She then pulled away, walking backwards. “I love you. I always will. I love her. Take good care of her. Keep her safe. Keep her happy.”

Her face trembled, lips quivering. And then she turned, sprinting full speed into the forest.

Eren raced after her. “Annie!”

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck down in front of him, only to be replaced by a titan. The Female Titan. Annie. Quickly she bounded off, the ground shaking less and less as she got farther away.

Eren watched this and fell to his knees, the tears in his eyes streaming down as he shook his head, “No...no…no no no no no, please…”

He could hear feet crushing grass behind him and shouts. “Eren!”

They got closer, but he paid no mind to them, only to the figure of a titan running in the distance.

He’d lost to that titan once more, just like in the forest. Just like in Stohess.

He lost Annie.

The people running to him were none other than a few of his friends: Mikasa, Jean, and Armin. They took him back to his home and draped a blanket over his shoulders to keep him warm after spending a bit of time in the rain. He didn’t mind the biting cold. He would be fine. Physically, he would be fine. But emotionally and mentally...something was wrong.

His green eyes stared downwards at the wooden floor of the very house he built with Annie. Those memories grabbed at his heart, thrashing it about in his chest. He closed his eyes, tears threatening to fall out. “Why…?”

He could then hear the sound of a baby crying. His head shot up, his eyes wide open. “The baby!” He tried getting out of the seat, only for arms to restrict him as he saw his child in the arms of his sister, who was trying to hush and rock her.

The young woman’s gray eyes glanced up at her brother, giving him a pitiful look before turning her eyes back down at the infant in her arms. Eren relaxed against the arms of the men restraining him, slowly sitting back down in the chair.

“Born just hours ago, huh?” she muttered.

Eren’s eyes laid upon the child, already somehow able to pick out features that...belonged to the mother.

He nodded, voice low. “Yeah...yeah...I’m surprised Annie was able to even stand.”

Armin leaned into his friend’s view, fixing his glasses. “Well it makes sense...you two are titan shifters, after all. She can heal the torn tissue and gain her energy back pretty quick. But, why didn’t you tell us she was giving birth? We could’ve helped.”

Eren clutched tighter at the blanket. “We just, you know...didn’t want to bother you.”

Armin cocked an eyebrow. “Alright...so you still haven’t told us why she just up and ran.”

Eren looked up at him through watery vision, tears stinging his eyes, he blinked them away. “She felt like...she wasn’t fit to be a mother. After all she had done-”

“That’s what she thinks, huh? Well, maybe she’s right.” Mikasa stated, her tone cold as ice.

Eren frowned. He opened his mouth, then closed it just as quick. He didn’t know what to say.

Jean turned his head up. “Maybe she is just leaving for a while? Maybe she will come back?”

Tighter, the blanket was pulled around the young man’s body as he shook his head. “No...she made it sound like she could never live with herself. I think she is gone for good.”

The whole room became silent, the only noises being the whimpers from the squirming infant in Mikasa’s hands.

Eventually, one of them spoke up. “What’s her name?”

Eren raised his head to see Mikasa looking at him, her eyes curious for the answer. He sighed and shrugged. “We never spoke much of names. It was a ‘cross that bridge when we get there’ conversation. And...well...here we are, halfway on the bridge, but now we have stopped. We spoke of a few names...one of them being Karla.”

“After…”

“Yeah, of course...after mother…”

“I think that name is perfect.”

Eren briefly flashed a smile. “Yeah, me too…”

A moment of silence filled the room, no one speaking a word for the next minute or two as everyone collected their thoughts. Eventually, it all culminated to Armin asking the most important question.

“So what are you going to do?”

Eren lifted his head to see his best friend staring back, waiting for his friend’s answer. The new father glanced to the right, unsure of what he would do. His vision swung downward before his eyes closed. “I...I’m going to go after her.”

Armin frowned. “And leave your child?”

“You guys can watch her while I am away. It shouldn’t take long to find Annie. I know which direction she went, all I need to do is-”

“No,” Mikasa said simply.

Eren glanced at her. “What?”

“You shouldn’t go after her. Sure, it might be easy to find her. Or it might not. Even if you did find her, do you still think she would just come back with you? After this? Eren, I know you are rash and stupid sometimes, but you can’t just run after her-”

“Yes, I can! And I am not being stupid! I am thinking this out! This isn’t just me being stupid! It’s me wanting my child to grow up with a mother!”

“And if you can’t find the mother? What then? You keep on searching? You will be leaving this girl not just motherless, but fatherless as well!”

“You guys can-”

“Karla’s not our child, Eren, she’s not our responsibility,” Armin looked at the infant, “You would be taking precious time with your daughter away from her. Is that worth it?”

Eren, eyes wide in thought, switched them between all three people in the room, trying to find the right words to say. They all stared back at him, waiting for an answer.

He gritted his teeth and stood up, turning away from them. “I just want her back.”

“Do you want your daughter to be happy as well?”

The father closed his eyes. “Yes.”

“Then you know what is best...right?”

Eren let out a shaky breath. “Yeah.”

Meanwhile…

The ground shook from the titan’s feet pounding against the surface, bringing up dirt and grass. This titan has been running for a while and was almost out of energy. Just a little more, she thought to herself, then I can rest. Her eyes were set on the forest.

Inside of the titan’s nape, the shifter’s eyes were streaming with tears, unable to wipe them away, just letting them blind her vision and sting her eyeballs. She couldn’t keep it in any longer, she had to let it out soon or she will explode.

A mile or so from the edge of the forest, she began to stumble and trip as well as slip in the muddy grass from the rain. She was out of energy. It wasn’t long before she staggered and slammed her face straight into the ground, the force so great that it tore the girl from the nape, sending the small mother tumbling down the side to hit the ground with a thump.

She rolled a bit away from the decomposing body, stopping on her stomach, still, as if she was dead. Then her whole figure began to shake. She turned her head to the side, seeing the rain hit the earth with the impact of a bullet. She could feel it drenching her body. She felt cold. Numb. She turned her head up and screamed into the storm, a mixture of anguish, rage and regret.

Her eyes were still blurry from the tears as she trembled, her body wracking with sadness and guilt.

She got up onto her knees, grunting in pain. Her mind was assaulted by memories of her time with Eren. Good times. Every time he made her smile, or laugh.

She lifted a knee to plant a foot on the ground, the memory of holding Eren’s hand as she was freed from prison after successfully killing the titans flashing across. Then, using her hands to push her up, the memory of them kissing on their wedding day appeared in front of her. As she got up onto her feet, the memory of her, smiling at Eren as he tried to talk to their unborn child, made its way into her vision.

The woman turned her head downward, inhaling deeply. She closed her eyes and let the air inside of her out. “No...no...alone…” She gave a short exhale of amusement, “...Alone is the way it should be.”

Pulling her head up, her light blue eyes opened to see the forest ahead. I should get some shelter. She thought, taking a step towards the woods before stopping and turning her head around to look over her shoulder. Please, Eren...take good care of her...of our daughter.

Then she made her way into the trees.

Three Years Later

“What’s wrong?”

“I...I hewt my weg.”

“Aww...badly? Come on...let me see it.”

The dirty blonde girl looked up at her father with her striking light blue eyes and nodded before pulling her skirt up to her knee to show a bloody scrape.

Eren winced. “Oooh, that does look bad…” He stopped and scratched his unshaven face. “Just stay right there, I am gonna get some alcohol and some cloth to wrap around it.”

“Alwight, daddy.”

He gave her a small kiss on the forehead before standing up and walking into the kitchen He reached up towards one of the cabinets to open it and pull out a bottle of alcohol and a piece of cloth. He grabbed the bottle by the neck and shook it, hearing no sounds of sloshing liquid inside. “Ahh...damn, there is no alcohol...Karla!” He turned and made his way back to his daughter, “I am going to get some alcohol for your scrape.” He hooked his arms under her and hoisted her up, bringing the girl to her bedroom.

He laid her down across her bed. “Just stay here until I get back. Don’t move your leg, just relax and I will be back as soon as I can, okay?”

The little girl’s head nodded. “Okay, daddy. Be carefuw.”

He brushed her hair back to kiss her on the forehead again. “I always am.”

Karla broke out a small smile, with Eren returning it, but it faltered slightly at seeing her eyes. He stood up and walked out of the room. “Be back in a bit. Just try to get some rest.”

“Please...she could get an infection. I know I don’t have the money but it’s my daughter. I can pay you back.” Eren supported himself with his hands on the table in front of the merchant, “Please.”

The merchant shook his head. “My apologies sir, but I can’t. I...I am sorry.”

Eren pounded his fist on the table. “God dammit! I need this!”

“Sir, please leave.”

Eren’s eyebrows raised as he could feel the tears beginning to sting his eyes. “We’d have to amputate her leg...please I just need a few drops, just give me a few drops! Don’t you feel anything? She is only three!”

“Sir. I said to get out.”

Eren, with tears sliding down his cheeks, closed his eyes and turned around to run out of the shop. He dodged past people in the market, some of those who he knew watching him and wondering if he was okay.

He exited the city and entered the forest, tears streaming down his face as he slowed his sprint to a jog, and eventually to a walk, stopping just before hitting a tree. He rested his forearm on the bark and his head on his arm. He took many deep breaths in between cries, trying to calm himself down.

He’d had episodes like this before. Running off into the forest just to let it all out. Being a single father was hard, especially when he knew that his wife and mother of his child was still out there somewhere while he was here, screwing up.

“I can’t...I can’t do this without you, Annie. I know you said I could do it, but I really can’t! I can’t stop thinking about you. Everytime I look at her, I see you!” He took several more ragged breaths before pulling away from the tree, “Time to tell her…” He said, wiping away the rest of the tears with his sleeve before taking one last deep breath and continuing down the path to his home.

Running his fingers through his messy brown hair, he tried to push the feelings back down. Be strong for Karla. For your little girl. Come on!

He could see his house coming up, with a few other homes of his friends off in the farther distance. The young father sniffed, his eyes red from the tears. She is waiting for me. Waiting for her father to come back with the alcohol for her scrape.

He stepped onto the porch, the wood creaking at the weight of his feet. As he approached the door, something caught his eye: a twinkle from glass. The man turned his head to see a glass bottle on one of the chairs.

Eren frowned and looked around for anyone who might’ve left it. No one. His eyes fell down on bottle again. He reached over and grabbed it by the neck, pulling it up into his view. It was unmarked. Shaking it, he heard liquid inside, sloshing around. He pulled off the cork and took a whiff.

His eyes widened. His breath paused. His heart skipped a beat.

Alcohol.   

He looked at the bottle again, like it was the holy grail. He stepped back and sat down on the chair, inhaling some before releasing the air in a half laugh, half cry. He reached up to wipe his red eyes as tears began to come out again, but this time in joy. Sniffling, he continued to laugh and cry for a moment, holding the bottle tight in his hands, not wanting to let go, afraid to lose it if he does.

He soon grew quiet, his body trembling slightly at times when he needed to take in a ragged breath.

But it wasn’t long before he exhaled and stood up. He stoppered the bottle and took one last look around before entering his house.

Three Years Later

“Hey, papa?”

Eren turned his head to see his daughter’s head resting on his shoulder, her eyes glancing up at him, her lips slightly parted enough to see the gap between her top teeth from losing her tooth not too long ago. She was growing up, and looking more like...her. I have to handle myself, I can’t break down whenever I am around my own daughter.

He reached over and brushed a few strands of hair from her face, smiling at her. She was wearing a tasseled shirt, like his.

“Yeah, Karla?”

“Can...can you tell me...about mama?”

Eren’s eyes widened, he turned his head to the side and gritted his teeth, breathing heavily. He was able to calm himself down fast, keeping it under control, his hand feeling his stubble.

“Papa?” She pushed her head out to be in his line of sight, “Papa...what’s wrong?”

His head snapped to look at her, eyes searching her face. I can’t break down, not now.

“Your...ahem...your mother?” He asked, staring her straight in the eyes, gritting his teeth to keep him from letting out any emotions.

“Mhmm.” She nodded her head, her ponytail flapping about.

Eren inhaled deeply. “Alright,” he exhaled, “Well...what do you want to know?”

“Well...how did you meet her?”

He sighed. “Well, uh...your mother and I were both a part of the military when the titans were still around. You remember the titans I told you about? Yeah, well, she and I were the top of our training squad. But uh...we were training in hand to hand and a guy...Reiner, his name was, pushed me towards her telling me to fight her. So I did and...she floored me instantly. After talking to her a bit, she asked if I wanted to learn her technique. So we trained a lot together. That...is how we met.”

A small giggle escaped from the lips of the child. “Can you show me it?”

Eren smiled. “Of course, but only when you are older, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Alright, good. Anything else?”

“Uh…well, uh...I noticed I was...smaller than all of my other friends...and you're big. Why aren’t I big?”

Eren chuckled. “Well, three reasons for that. First of all, you are young. Sometimes we grow slow. Second, you might not be eating your vegetables.”

“Dad, I don’t like those. They are...uck.”

He laughed. “And third...your mom was pretty small. Like less than a foot smaller than me. It helped when I needed to carry her. And she was easy to pick up and kiss and hug and...and...all that. But...yeah...you probably inherited that from her.”

Karla lifted her head from her father’s shoulder. “Inherited?”

“Yeah, like borrowing. When-alright, not going to get into that talk yet. But when a child is born, it inherits, or borrows, some parts of the dad and the mom. You borrowed her height. You borrowed my nose,” he said, poking it.

She giggled, slapping his finger away with a gentle hand. “Dad stop! Will I never grow anymore?”

“No, you will get bigger. Just not...as big as me, I guess.”

“Aww…”

“Hey, don’t be sad about it. It means I can give you piggybacks all the time.”

Her face brightened. “Yay!”

“Exactly!” He chuckled.

She laid her head back on his shoulder. “Another question...what...happened to mama? Why isn’t she here?”

His eyes widened again as he glanced at his daughter, remaining silent before he looked out the nearby window and saw her friends playing. “Why don’t you go out to your friends? They look like they are having fun.”

She lifted her head again to see them playing outside. “It’s about time! I wanted to play castles with them!”

“Castles?”

Karla nodded as she got onto her feet and ran to the door. “I am the knight this time.”

Eren laughed. “Kick some butt for me, will ya?”

Before she closed the door, she smiled. “Yeah!” Then the door shut and she was gone. The father sat in silence, eventually hearing the laughter of his daughter with her friends. He smiled, feeling tears begin to slide down his cheek. Reaching up with his hand, he wiped the tear away and brought his hand into view, seeing it was moist with his sadness. He opened his mouth to inhale some air, and exhale with uneven breath.

Get yourself together, Eren. She is going to ask more questions eventually. When she gets older...I have to be more prepared. I can’t just tell her that Annie left her after she was born. She would feel rejected. But I have to tell her. Just not yet.

He put his face into his palms, his medium length messy hair shaking about. He hasn’t cut it for a while, being more worried about Karla’s appearance than his.

Shit.

This whole thing was tearing him to shreds.

“Hyah!” Karla swung her stick, or sword, forward at her opponent, Otto, or the evil king in this session of play pretend. Of course all the kids were bigger compared to little Karla. That didn’t change the fact that she can swing a piece of wood pretty well.

Otto blocked it with his stick, then swung at her. She stepped back, showing she was quite proficient in footwork. This, she learned from her father, who had been teaching her for at least a year now.

The evil king attempted to dash in with a thrust of his sword, but the young knight sidestepped with her arm outstretched, causing the king to throw his chest onto the tip of the blade, piercing his heart and killing him instantly.

“Ah! I have been slain!” The evil king shouted out to the air, slowly falling to his knees. Then to the ground. Dead.

Otto got back up, smiling as the others laughed at his dramatic death. Karla stood there proudly, back straight and shoulders broad. Like a true knight. “I have saved the princess!” She shouted in pride before laughing as well.

They soon stopped and looked at each other,  a silence following before one spoke, “I think my mama will be worried if I stay any longer,” Wendla, another friend of Karla’s, said, looking up at the sun.

Otto and Alwin, Otto’s younger brother, nodded simultaneously, the former speaking, “We should go as well...supper will be soon.”

Karla stopped and frowned, knowing she didn’t have a mother to go home to. But she didn’t want to bring that up, instead, she pouted her lips and looked at Daniela, who shook her head. “Sorry, Karla.”

The young girl turned her head downward, saddened that her friends cannot stay. She felt Otto pat her on the shoulder. “Though we can play tomorrow.”

She lifted her head, a slight smile on her face, and nodded. “Yeah.”

The boy smiled back. “Good. Anyway, we will see you then!”

Karla watched her friends walk off, waving them goodbye. “See you!” She shouted. Once they were not visible, she lowered her hand and looked around at the forest, seeing her house standing right there. Taking a step toward it, she stopped as she noticed a figure in the trees, watching her.

Karla blinked, thinking it might have been just a trick of the eyes, but no, it was still there. She turned her body to face it. The figure tensed up, as if ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. Karla took a step before the figure turned and ran.

“Wait!” Karla shouted, sprinting after the person into the forest. With her small legs, she couldn’t catch up, and almost instantly lost the person behind the trees.

“Where did you go!?” The young girl skidded to a halt and looked around, seeing no trace of the mysterious person.

If only she looked up.

Perched on the branch was a young woman. Annie.

She held much desire in her heart to jump down and hug her daughter, to come back to this life with Eren and watch Karla grow. She wanted to be in Eren’s arms again, to comfort her and embrace her with warmth.

But she couldn’t. She couldn’t go back to that life. Eren hated her for what she’d done. She could never be accepted.

Annie watched as Karla let out an air of frustration before muttering, “Fine.” And running back the way she came.

I am watching her grow, she thought to herself, she just doesn’t know it.

After the sound of Karla’s footsteps were gone, she dropped down. Taking one last look at the direction of the house, she then pivoted on her heel and sprinted off, deeper into the forest.

Three Years Later

“So how are things going with you and Jean?” Eren asked Mikasa, sipping some of the tea she made.  

She shrugged. “Alright, I suppose. He is Jean, you know? But he is still nice. Hey, have you heard from Armin?”

“Not since he left five years ago. He is doing his own thing. I just let him. Anyway, how’s Erik?”

“Okay. And as for Erik, he has gotten bigger since you last saw him. Much bigger.”

“Is he going to be taller than me?”

“It’s plausible.”

“Damn. I should bring Karla over sometime. They haven’t seen each other in a while.”

“How is she doing?”

“Fine. She isn’t growing big like Erik, but...she is growing. I think she will be at my chest by the time she stops growing. Kinda like-”

“Eren.”

He looked up at his sister, “What?”

“I know what you are doing.”

“What am I doing?”

“You already know what I’m going to say. I am stopping you before you break.”

“I am not breaking. Don’t worry about me.”

“I worry. I worry a lot.”

“Well stop, I am an adult. A parent, for that matter.”

“Have you even told her about her mother?”

Eren stopped, slowly putting the cup down. “No. And I avoid having to tell her.”

“You know you have to tell her eventually.”

“Yeah…”

“Are you preparing?”

“As best I can.”

“I hope you can keep yourself together when you-” She glanced to the right and stopped, her head turning to see Karla watching them.

Eren cocked an eyebrow before looking to see Karla. “Oh...hey, sweetie. Uh...what are you doing up so early?”

She stood there, motionless, her eyes staring straight into her father’s, one eyebrow raised. Her hair was put up in a ponytail, and she was wearing a sweatshirt that Mikasa made for her. It looked a lot like Annie’s but was opened down the center, allowing her tasseled shirt to be seen.

“What’s wrong, Karla? Why are you so quiet?”

He felt like he was being studied by his own daughter. Mikasa glanced between them. She looked at Karla. “Are you okay?”

Eventually, Karla turned and left the two there, walking back to her room. They heard the door close before they looked at each other. “What was that all about?”

Eren shrugged. “I have no clue.”

Karla closed her door and sat down on her bed, staring at the door with curiosity. “There is something he isn’t telling me. Something about mom.” She told herself.

She had been noticing her father acting weird at least since she was four, when he had to leave the room when she entered it. Sometimes he would look at her and have to turn away or just kept on staring, as if he was thinking of something. And every time she asked about her mother, he would become nervous. Then whenever she asked what happened to her, he would evade it immediately.

Pulling her knees up to her chest, Karla sighed and looked out the window. I need to ask him again. Sometime.  

Four Years Later

It was spring. The forest was teeming with life. Deer were grazing and the birds were chirping. This, along with the sound of the slight breeze pushing the branches on the trees back and forth, created a symphony of nature, pleasant to the ear.

Spring was also a great time for hunting. Which gave Eren the perfect chance to teach his daughter.

He crouched down next to her, checking her to make sure she was ready, “Your quiver allows twenty-four arrows to be held in it, so keep that in mind. Your bow is a recurve, it’s nice and small, and it’s easier to pull back, yet still powerful enough to pierce the skin. Make sure to get used to it, and practice with it. Knowledge on using a bow can be very important. Especially for survival. Does the strap for the quiver irritate you at all?”

“No, papa, I am fine. Can we just start?” She asked, tucking the fringe of her hair behind her left ear.

Eren sighed and stood up, putting his long hair back in a ponytail,“Don’t be so impatient, Karla, I just want to make sure everything is fine before we go hunting.”

“Everything is fine.”

He nodded and picked up his quiver, sling it across his chest before picking up his bow, “Can you blame a father for wanting to make sure his daughter is safe?”

“When it gets to retelling me what my bow is, yes.” She aimed her bow and pulled back on the string.

“Don’t you sass me. And don’t dry fire, slowly ease the string back to its original position.”

“Dad, I know!”

“Okay, okay.” He stopped and looked at her, noting how much she already looks like her mother. From her eyes to the way she stands. Of course some of his features showed on her, like his tan skin and darker hair, which became darker as she grew up.

“What now, dad?”

Eren was pulled out of his trance by his daughter, who was staring back at him. He scratched the back of his neck. “Uhm...nothing...nothing,” he turned to the forest, “You ready?”

“I have been ready for a while.”

“Well, let’s not keep you waiting, then. Let’s go!”

He began to walk into the forest, his daughter following beside him, both of them scanning their environments for any wildlife.

Eren decided to start a conversation, “So...how is Otto?”

Karla looked to the side, seeing a bird fly by. “He is fine...why?”

“Just...asking, is all. I care about who my daughter plays with.”

“Well, I already said, he is fine.”

“Good, good...he, uh...seems like a good boy.”

Eren had noticed recently that his daughter and Otto have been getting close. More close than any of their other friends. He could almost cry, thinking that his daughter might already have an interest in someone. Next thing he knows, he could be leading her down the ai-

“Dad…” His daughter whispered, stopping in her tracks.

He was snapped out of his thoughts, halting his progress and looking at his child. “Yeah?” He whispered back.

She glanced at him before raising her hand to point ahead. He followed her finger to see a lone deer by a creek, stopping for some water.

He gave a subtle nod before gesturing for her to flank it’s right, while he would do the same to the left.

All was silent, with only the sound of the creek’s flow and the branches’ gentle swings filling the air.

Crack!

The deer’s head snapped up to see Karla standing there, arrow notched into her bowstring, eyes wide as her boot snapped a twig.

It set off in a sprint farther into the forest. “Chase it!” Eren ordered, running after the deer.

Karla blinked a few times before understanding what happened and following after them. She was sprinting past the trees, her heart beat increasing by the second, adrenaline running through her veins.

She decided to go farther off to the side to see if she can cut it off. The problem was that she didn’t tell this to her father.

Eren was losing the deer, his speed not up to par with the animal’s. He slowed down to a stop, supporting himself against a tree to regain his breath. Once he got a little of it back, he shouted out.

“Karla! We’re giving up! Let’s get back home!”

He didn’t get a reply.

“Karla?” He called for her, worried, as he began to run where he last saw her.

Silence began to surround him as well as worry. He didn’t know what was going on.

Then he heard it.

Her scream.

It pierced through the silence, a cry of distress. She was in danger!

“Karla!” He dashed in the direction of her scream, his mind going into full alert mode as someone he loved, someone that was his own flesh and blood, was in danger. And he was prepared to die for her, if need be.

“I’m coming, Karla!” He shouted.

The screaming stopped suddenly. His speed picked up. Am I already too late?

He exited out of the forest into a clearing, the scene before him a grisly one.

Arrows were strewn about, some lodged into trees, others broken in half on the ground. On the floor, with blood spilling onto the clean green grass, turning it red, was a bear on it’s side, silent and unmoving. It was dead, with arrows in it’s body. A bow with a broken string lied beside it.

And just beyond it, leaning against a tree, almost out of breath and terrified, was Karla, covering in dirt, her quiver empty, tears still moistening her cheeks.

Her eyes spotted him and they widened. “Daddy!” She yelped in relief, dashing over to wrap her arms around him tightly. He hugged her back, glad his daughter was still alive.

“Are you okay? No scratches? Bites?”

He could feel her head shake against his chest. “No...some scrapes, but nothing too bad.”

He let go of her and crouched down, gently grabbing her shoulders. “What happened? How did you kill a bear so easily?”

Karla’s her striking blue eyes stared into his green ones. “Dad...I didn’t kill it.”

Five Minutes Ago

Karla was running through the woods, trying to get a better flank on the deer, keeping her eyes in the direction of the animal. Her heart was pumping fast, her mind at the same speed, calculating the best way to trap this creature. Her mind was almost unaware of her surroundings.

Almost.

She noticed something brown in her periphery. Turning her head, she screamed and fell backwards, missing the swipe of a bear’s paw by mere inches.

The teen hit the ground with a grunt, scraping her elbows. Slowly, she looked up to see the colossal beast in front of her.

It let out a mighty roar, sending shivers shooting down her spine. She quickly scrambled up to her feet and began to dash farther into the forest, bow in hand, quiver full of arrows jumbling around inside.

She peered over her shoulder, seeing the huge mammal charging after her, causing her to begin muttering to herself.

“Please, god no, help me. I don’t wanna die. Please.”

Tears streamed from her eyes, her muscles tiring out. She couldn’t make it much farther.

She burst out into a clearing, the bear hot on her tail. She reached into her quiver and pulled an arrow out, twisting around to shoot. After that, she shot another arrow. Repeating this, she missed most of the time, some of the arrows lodging themselves into the trees, and the rest breaking in half and falling to the floor. A few actually did hit the bear, but nothing seemed to impede its progress.

As a last ditch effort, she threw her bow at the bear, which bounced off harmlessly, then ran to the farthest tree and cowered against it, awaiting her death. She looked up, seeing the animal ready to kill.

I am sorry, daddy.

Suddenly, a piece of cloth was dropped onto the bear’s head.

A person jumped onto it. A woman, in her early thirties with short blonde hair, cut like a boy’s hair cut. A knife was in her hand, raised, before being brought down upon the head of the creature, penetrating it’s skull and stabbing through it’s brain, killing it instantly.

And in a moment, the woman sheathed the knife, grabbed the cloak, and performed a backflip off of the bear. As she landed, the cloak hooked around her neck, she looked up at the scared teenage girl. She gave her a slight smile, her blue eyes looking into Karla’s.

“I see you got his nose. Good,” she said in a simple tone before running in the direction Karla was facing, becoming one of the many shadows the trees cast upon the dirt floor of the forest.

A moment later, Eren burst through the wall of trees, panicked and worried.

When she finished her tale, she was confused by her father’s face. She expected he would be happy that she was alive, but instead, he was giving the face of one who just saw a ghost. His skin was drained of color, his eyes sullen but wide.

“‘His nose…’? What kind of nose did she have?”

Karla glanced upwards in thought. “Uh...uhm...curved.”

In an instant, he was to his feet. “Karla, go back home.”

“What? Why, what’s-”

“Go. Back. Home,” he repeated, glancing over his shoulder, “Now!”

Karla was taken aback by his tone and aura, it was very hostile. She said no more, turning around and running back towards home.

He waited until she disappeared before facing the direction she told him the woman ran in.

Eren began to sprint in that direction, years of training himself and his daughter keeping his body conditioned enough to support this activity. He unslung his quiver and dropped his bow, his feet picking up in speed. He dodged under low hanging branches and jumped over rocks, dashing over small rivers that cut through the forests, the veins of the ecosystem.

He just hoped he could catch her in time.

Eventually, he jumped out of the forest into a huge clearing, with fields of grass spanning in front of him, going on forever, the only end being in sight several miles away, with the forest of giant trees.

He looked to the right, then the left, then back to the right, over and over again, his eyes scanning the lush lands.

But no sign of her.

His teeth gritted, his fists balling, the skin of his knuckles pulled tight over the bones, as he twisted around and threw a punch at the tree with a shout of anger. A piece of bark broke off, along with some of the skin on his hand. The wounds bled slowly, but as he turned back to the open land, steam began to emit from the knuckles as the skin grew back, sealing it up until his hand was back to normal, as if nothing happened.

His eyes looked side to side once more before he exhaled deeply and walked back into the forest.

And from above, crouched on a branch, watching the whole scene, was Annie.

Three Years Later

Eren had his fingers wrapped around the column that supported the porch of his home, looking out at the forest surrounding him. His eyes wandered along the edge of it, noting every gorgeous detail, from the trees, to the greenery, to the wildlife. Everything was just beautiful.

Then his eyes set upon the scene in front of him.

“Hah!”

Karla swiped at Otto with her hand flat, like a mantis. The boy blocked it and went in to elbow her stomach, only for her to twist around him and kick him in the back, causing him to stumble and, eventually, fall to the ground with a grunt.

Karla walked over and held a hand out to him. He smiled and grabbed it, being pulled up to his feet. Here, Eren could see their size difference. Karla was small, and being sixteen, will stay that way. Otto was a giant in comparison, easily a foot taller.

They stood there, looking at each other, for a moment. Then, Karla reached up and pulled his head down before pressing her lips against his tenderly. He was surprised in the beginning, but soon enough he placed his hands on her cheeks, holding her kiss in place, trying to keep it going for as long as possible.

Over the years, Eren had seen these two grow up together as friends. However, over the last year or so, they began to become more than friends. More late night meetings without his knowledge (even though he knew all about them), chances to spar never rejected, and, of course, more kissing in front of the father.

After a while, Eren stepped down from the porch. “Alright, you two, I guess practice is over, go do what you two lovebirds want to. I am going inside,” he said, turning around to head back into the house.

Otto quickly pulled away from Karla to step towards Eren. “Mr. Jaeger!”

He stopped and looked over his shoulder, waiting for the young man to talk.

Otto glanced at Karla, who glanced back quizzically. He ran his hand through his blonde hair.

“Uh...I wanted to ask you something...in private.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow before fully turning to face him. His eyes narrowed, scanning the boy’s body language. He put his hands on his hips.

“Karla, can you make us some tea?”

The young lady, glancing between the two, slowly nodded and walked into the house. She closed the door behind her, signalling that the two men were alone.

Eren walked over to the boy, crossing his arms. “So...what do you want to ask me about?”

Otto, even though they were practically the same size, stepped back, feeling like the father was towering over him. “Well...uhm...I just...your daughter and I have been together for a while and I just wanted to...you know...ask for your blessing.”

Eren frowned. “My blessing?”

“Uh...yeah, for her...her hand in marriage.”

Eren nodded, looking downwards to the ground in thought. He took a step forward. “Will you treat her not just as a woman, but as a human being?”

“Yeah, of course, I-”

“Will you protect her, even though she is fully capable of protecting herself? Because there may be times that she won’t be able to protect herself.”

“Uhm, yes.”

“Will you stay by her side, no matter what?”

“Yes.”

Eren stopped, being at least a few inches away from Otto’s face. He raised his head, looking into the teen’s blue eyes. “Do you have a ring?”

Otto began to reach into his pocket. “Yeah, I-”

“No, don’t pull it out. She could be watching. When do you plan on doing it?”

The young man stopped searching in his pocket, slowly looking up at the father. “Today…”

The door to the house opened, with Karla poking her head outside. “Tea is ready!”

Eren turned sideways to look at his daughter, smiling. “We will be there!”

Karla nodded and closed the door.

Eren looked back to Otto. “Today, huh? Alright. Once we get inside and we start to talk over tea, I am going to get up and make dinner. Take that time to ask her. Got it?”

Otto glanced up into the eyes of the father, who was giving a slight smile. Otto returned it. “Yes, sir.”

They both entered the house.

Karla sat in the main room, already drinking her tea as the men walked in. “What were you two talking about?” She asked.

Eren shrugged. “Nothing interesting.” He grabbed a cup and sat down across from his daughter, while Otto sat next to her. She turned her head to him and smiled. “Is this true?”

Otto nodded. “Yeah. Just boring stuff.”

Karla glanced between them, eventually giving up with a roll of her eyes. She leaned into her boyfriend, glad that he was a living pillow.

Eren held the cup by the rim with the tips of his fingers, bringing it up to his lips to take a sip. Placing it on the table, he sighed and looked out the nearby window, seeing the sun disappearing below the horizon. “Well...I should get to making dinner. I will leave you two to yourselves.”

Otto looked up at the father with wide eyes. I thought we were going to talk a bit before I did it! His eyes seemed to say.

Eren just shrugged and stood up, walking into the kitchen, leaving the couple alone.

Silence followed. All Otto could hear was the silent breathing of his girlfriend. He glanced down at her, nervous. What if she said no?

Suddenly, he felt a hand slid across his body and start to dig into his pocket. It pulled out a gold ring and held it in front of him. “Yes.” Karla said.

Otto, wide eyed, looked down at the girl. “How did you-”

“Trust me, you’re a pretty bad liar,” she said, balancing the ring on her palm. She glanced up at Otto and smirked. “But that’s not the point. Otto, I would be more than happy to marry you.”

Otto, still slightly surprised at the fact that his girlfriend knew about the ring. But, eventually, he snapped back into reality once Karla pulled herself up to his face, where she kissed him passionately.

“Do you hear me, you deaf idiot? Yes, I’ll marry you!” She shouted at him.

Otto smiled. “Really?”

“Yes!” She pulled him in for another kiss, excited that they finally got past the dreaded proposal.

Eren peeked into the room, cocking an eyebrow. “Alright, you two, save it for the night of the wedding.”

Karla turned her head towards her father, frowning. “Father!”

Eren gave a chuckle. “Well, congratulations, first of all. Second, dinner's almost ready. Otto, shall you be eating with us, or can I have my daughter alone before you take her from me?”

“Dad.”

“I am joking, Karla. Besides, I made enough for three anyway.”

After dinner, Otto decided to make his leave, not before giving his new bride-to-be a kiss, not wanting to go. But eventually, he pulled away and left the daughter to her father.  

Karla watched him until he disappeared behind the trees. She turned around and smiled at her father. “I am getting married.”

Eren gave a faint smile, but it vanished in a moment. He looked downwards.

Karla face grew concerned. She stepped up to her father tried to lower her head to see his face. “Dad?”

He looked up at her. “Don’t get me wrong, I am so...so excited that you are getting married. As long as you are happy, that’s all that matters. But...I mean you’re all I have left. Ever since...your...Karla?”

“What?”

“Follow me, I need to talk to you, far from anyone who could be listening,” he muttered, turning around and began to walk into the forest.

The daughter frowned. “About what?” She asked, hesitating before following after him. “Dad, about what?”

Once she caught up, he began to speak again. “Your mother, she...I know I never really talked about her, and I am sorry for avoiding it for so long. She...left after you were born.”

Karla’s eyes widened, she quickened her pace to walk alongside him. “What? Why?”

Eren scratched the hair on his chin. “She...she didn’t think she would be a good mother...after everything she did.”

“Wh-what did she do?”

They exited out into the clearing, just across from the Forest of Giant Trees. The night was silent, even the insects were asleep.

“She killed people. Many people.”

“She k-...she killed people? What do you mean?”

“Your mother didn’t have a choice. Since she was a child, she was trained by her father to fight, and eventually kill. She was then sent on a mission to the Walls with three other men, one of them died on the trip. If she completed the mission, she got to go back home. And the mission...was to find me.”

He stopped, looking ahead at the trees, the slight breeze rustling his long hair. He didn’t even glance at his daughter.

“Before I go any further, I need to show you something. This will be frightening. Go to the trees.”

“Dad…”

“To the trees,” he repeated.

She slowly stepped backwards behind the tree line, watching her father from afar. The moonlight shone on her striking blue eyes.

Eren looked at her once before raising his hand to his mouth. He opened it, putting the part between the forefinger and thumb between his teeth. But then he pulled it out, as if he was hesitating. He glanced one last time at his daughter before putting it back in his mouth and biting down hard, through the skin.

A lightning bolt struck him, causing a blinding flash to surround him. A column of smoke shot into the air.

“Dad!” She began to run towards him, but once the smoke had cleared, what she saw wasn’t her father.

It was a monster.

A muscular creature fifteen meters high towered over her, looking down at her with large green eyes, sunk deeply into their sockets. Dark hair cascaded down it’s head and back, passing it’s elf-like ears and stopping just before it’s lower back. It’s mouth jagged and without lips, exposing its teeth for all to see. A prominent hooked nose sat in the center of it’s face.

Karla stared up at it, eyes wide in fear. Her feet automatically began to step backward as the giant got down on one knee to look at her. Eventually, she felt her back touch the bark of a tree. She wrapped her arms around it, terrified.

It’s head turned down, hair hanging from their follicles, exposing the nape.  Suddenly, smoke erupted from it. A figure was visible, a silhouette against the grey foreground. It stood up and jumped down to the ground.

It was her father, his face looking at her with caution. Some streaks outlined his eyes

Karla gasped. “D-dad?”

He took a step forward. “Karla, I-”

“Stay away!” She commanded, twirling behind the tree.

“Your mother was one too. They called us ‘Titan Shifters’.”

She peeked out from the tree. “M-mom? Titans? Like…”

Eren nodded. “Like the things we fought against before you were born. Your mother and I are the reason the titans aren’t around. Technically we are the only ones left. There were...others like us. But they died-well...most of them. The queen? Historia? Her lover, Ymir, is also a shifter. Karla, please, let’s go back home, I have a lot to tell you,” he said, holding out an arm to her.

Karla shifted her weight from one foot to the other and back, fingers still clinging to the tree, her eyes looking at her father’s arm with uncertainty. Her mind was running with questions.

But if she knew one thing, it’s that she can trust her father.

She took a deep breath before pushing herself away from the tree and walked up to her father, allowing him to wrap his arm around her. They began to walk through the forest as he continued speaking, “When I was in the Scouting Legion, I was working in Levi’s squad. I told you about him, remember? When we were on a mission in the Forest of Giant Trees, most of his squad, except for me and him, were wiped out by...your mother. She and I fought in that same forest in our titan forms, without me knowing it was her at the time. She almost captured me, but I was saved. Then they began to get suspicious about this ‘female titan’. That’s when they told me something that shocked me.

“They told me she was also a titan shifter, and I found it so hard to believe. I trusted her so much, since she taught me the moves I taught you. I was practically the only person that saw her smile. But it was all true, and I fought her in the old Stohess district, just beyond the walls. And I defeated her, with the help of your aunt. But...she encased herself in a crystal. It wasn’t until a few months or so later that she actually came out.

“Everyone wanted to tear your mother’s throat out. I didn’t. I demanded that they lock her up. Eventually I was allowed to talk to her and...I was the only person to try and reach out to her. I was able to convince her to help us eradicate the titans. And we did, after a year. Then we moved out here, built a house, got married, and made you. But the same night you were born...she left. Please don’t be angry at her, because she never had a real childhood like you or me. She was trained to kill.”

They made it to the house, with Eren opening the door for his daughter and closing it behind them.

Karla walked a few steps further into the house before stopping and turning around. “Wait...if you and mom are both titan shifters...does that mean that…”

She trailed off, eyes focused on her father as she slowly pointed to herself with her forefinger.

Eren gave a soft smile. “No. You would have to ingest my spinal fluid for that to happen.

Karla wrinkled her nose at the news. “Eww.”

“I know. Anyway, I know something that will cheer you up.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “What?”

Eren smirked and gestured for her to follow him as he made his way to his bedroom. She leaned against the doorway, watching as her father opened a chest in the corner and pulled something out.

What she saw was the most beautiful thing she had ever laid her eyes upon.

In his hands was a beautiful blue wedding dress with a full circle skirt that touched the floor and wide bell sleeves. Lacings made up the sides, allowing for adjustment to fit the figure of the wearer. It contained unique trimming, bordered with gold rope. The front side was covered in stitches, emphasizing the bodily structure of the dress. And on the back, two wings were embroidered into the back. The Wings of Freedom.

Eren smiled at her response. “Your mother wore this during our wedding. She looked absolutely gorgeous. And...and I have no doubt that you will too.”

Karla took a few steps toward it, her eyes searching the beautiful piece in front of her. She felt the fabric with her thumb and forefinger, sliding along the edge. A smile appeared on her face.

“You’re going to make a beautiful bride.”

She glanced up at her father, who leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

“Now get some rest, my dear daughter. We got a lot of planning to do tomorrow with your future husband.”

Karla looked down at the dress. She stared at it for a couple moments before hugging her father. “Alright. Goodnight, dad. I love you.”

Eren nodded. “Goodnight, Karla. I love you too. Now, I should get this dress back in the chest.”

Karla smiled again before walking out of the room. The whole conversation about her mother was still in her mind, but the dress had helped her out a lot. She couldn’t wait to wear it.

She got into bed with a huge smile on her face. Soon, she thought to herself, I am going to be a bride.

One Week Later

“Ready to put it on?”

“Yes. Yes I am.”

Eren smiled and nodded, pulling the dress out of the chest and giving it to Karla. He exited the room as her friends helped her put it on. His hair was tied up in a long ponytail.

He decided to exit the house, watching as both families showed up to the wedding happening in the open area in front of Eren’s own home. Standing there on the porch was the groom himself, Otto. The young man was wearing a blue doublet with golden embroidery, lining, and buttons, the collar was closed and high. Black trousers with brown leather dress boots completed the whole outfit.

Otto looked over his shoulder at the father. “I am afraid it will rain today. The clouds are out.”

Eren smirked, wearing his doublet that he wore on his wedding day, like Otto’s, but green and with silver embroidery, with the Wings of Freedom embroidered on the back. He stepped next to his future son-in-law, looking upwards at the sky. “A storm is definitely brewing,” he said, amused slightly as he looked at Otto, who seem disheartened.

Eren placed a hand on his shoulder. “We can always postpone.”

The blonde nodded. “I know. It just seems like the world is against my marriage right now.”

The older man chuckled. “If they are, don’t let them win.”

Otto smirked, nodding again. “Of course.”

The father patted the young man’s back before stepping off the porch, eyes gliding along the many friendly faces, eventually stopping on his sister, who was making sure her son’s collar was up completely.

“Mother, it’s fine, don’t worry about-”

“How will you seem like a fine gentleman who is the son of one of the best soldiers in the military, hmm? Exactly.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow. “Leave the poor kid alone, Mika.”

She turned her head towards her brother, frowning at him. “I don’t want ladies to think he is a slob. Like his father.”

Erik glanced at his uncle, pleading for help.

“Well...can’t help you there, kid. Good luck.”

Eren looked up once more at the sky, as the sound of approaching thunder boomed. Everyone else did the same, wondering if it was going to rain. Eren turned to the crowd.

“I think, because it’s pretty evident there will be a storm, that we should postpone the wedding. A new time will be decided. Thank you all for coming out,” he announced, watching as people were already starting to leave.

After everyone had left, Eren was left alone with his daughter in her room. He had his doublet off, revealing to be just wearing his usual clothing underneath. He had an arm wrapped around her. “You okay, sweetheart?”

Karla nodded, still in her wedding dress. “Yeah...I just...you know…”

“Want to be married already?”

“Yeah…”

“Don’t worry about it. You’ll get married. If it happens again, we are doing it in the rain,” he chuckled.

She joined him, giving a slight laugh herself. “Okay. Thanks.”

He smiled. “Don’t mention it. I am gonna go outside. You can keep the dress on if you want.”

He stood up, giving her a kiss on the forehead before exiting the house. The air was cold, and the sky above roared at all the people below, warning of the impending storm.

Once he walked a bit away from the porch, he stopped and looked around at the trees surrounding the house. Everything suddenly fell silent, even the thunder didn’t speak a word.

“Just dance with me, Eren. It’s our duty as husband and wife.”

He spun around, pulse quickening as a familiar voice reaching his ears from behind.

Annie’s voice.

But she wasn’t there. Just a hallucination of her voice in his mind. He remembered how frightened he was about dancing for the first time in his wedding. But, eventually, he did it. And both Eren and Annie had fun doing it.

His mind messing with him, however, was not fun.

“I do.”

He spun around again, midway through taking a breath, eyes wide as he heard her voice once more.

“Well...we’re here...alone…time for some fun…”

“Eren...please...closer…”

“A child...my own child…”

“I can’t wait to see them.”

“I can feel their little kicks.”

“I think that...if it’s a girl...we should call it Karla...after your mother…”

“I hope she doesn’t have my nose...but I hope she has your eyes…”

“I can’t wait to be a mother…”

“A girl...perfect.”

“Annie…” He muttered to himself, all of the memories crowding around him. He fell to his knees, blocking his ears with his palms, trying to keep them out.

“I love you. I always will. I love her. Take good care of her. Keep her safe. Keep her happy.”

“Annie,” he said, a little louder, realizing all of these memories were inside his own head. Why? Why am I remembering this all now?

“Goodbye, Eren.”

“Annie!” He cried out, shutting his eyes, his fingers running through his hair, grabbing it and pulling it everywhere, thinking the pain would block out the memories.

It happened.

He broke.

“Dad!” Karla pushed burst through the door, running outside with her dress still on and getting down on her knees by her father’s side, the dress getting dirt and grass stains on it.

Suddenly, Eren grabbed her shoulders gently and pushed her away, holding her in place so that he could stare at her.

An almost perfect image of her mother.

He felt tears sting his eyes, threatening to spill, and his mouth widened into a smile. He took a quick inhale of air. “I...I’m sorry. I just...I miss your mother...so goddamn much.” he stated before pulling her in close. The tears began to fall down his cheeks.

Karla was slightly taken aback by the comment, but she soon understood, and held her father, comforting him in his time of need.

His eyes opened, blurred by the salty liquid, but he swore he could see a shape in between the nearby trees of the forest. Something white. He blinked the tears out, clearing his vision up to see a figure in a white cloak. A short figure.

Eren closed his eyes, beginning to whisper, “In three seconds, jump to the side.”

Karla frowned. “Dad?”

“Three.”

Karla didn’t know what was going on.

“Two.”

But she prepared herself, feet ready to propel her body.

“One!”

She dove to the left, allowing her father to start off in a sprint towards the figure, kicking dirt up into the air.

They twisted around and ran towards the forest.

“Don’t run! You’ve been running too long!” He shouted.

Karla got up and began to follow after them, pulling her skirt up so that she could move faster.

Eren ducked under a branch, not slowing down as he pursued this mysterious person. He jumped over the small river after they did, slightly tripping as he landed, but making up for the lost distance by pushing himself. Adrenaline pumped through his veins.

Eventually, they exited out into the great plains, where Eren realized it was pouring rain. Like bullets they fell upon them, pelting their bodies.

Eren noticed as the person brought their hand to their mouth.

“No!” He shouted before bringing his hand up to his mouth and biting deep.

A flash of blood. A flash of lightning. A flash that could blind.

Two titans now occupied the large area of green.

One with elf ears. And green eyes. And a muscular figure.

The other with blonde hair. And blue eyes. And the figure of a female.

The elf roared, jumped, and tackled the blonde to the ground, their bodies clashing and digging into the dirt, causing a tremor to shake the ground.

The elf turned the blonde around so that they were facing each other, but he was welcomed by a kick to the abdomen, pushing him off of her and onto his back.

She got up, and was about to run off again when a hand grabbed her wrist and swung her to the ground.

Her eyes looked up, widening as a foot was about to stomp down on her head. She grabbed it and twisted her body to pull the elf to the ground, ripping his foot off in the process.

This earned a roar from the elf as he rolled a few times before stopping. Quickly he got up on all three of his limbs, water running down his body. Then he leaned back before pouncing at the female, who was getting up. She caught him, but so did he, grabbing her biceps with his hands while wrapping his legs around her waist. He roared as he pulled and ripped her arms off, throwing them aside.

He pushed her down onto her back with his hands, slamming into the ground. For a moment, they stared into each other’s eyes, reading their minds.

Then, the elf roared in the face of the female, saliva dripping onto her from his long tongue while the rain blanketed off of his hair like a curtain.

The female’s eyes widened before glancing to the side to see Karla had emerged from the forest, watching the scene in front of her.

Her eyes fell back upon the elf. She gave a slight smirk before using her legs to push herself from under him, since he couldn’t grab her arms. She then rolled backwards onto her feet, entering a fighting stance.

The elf felt his foot grow back, allowing him to get onto his feet and ready himself, fists held up on either side of his head, elbows slightly tucked in. He roared again before running in and throwing a punch towards her face.

She twisted out of the way, the elf hitting air. He turned to her and roared again, stepping in for an uppercut, only for her to step quickly to the side, the elf missing her once more. A louder roar was given by the elf as he went in for a flurry of punches. She dodged each one, meanwhile her arms grew back in, allowing her to grab his hands and twist them counterclockwise, flipping him onto his side and effectively wrenching his hands off.

The elf was still able to get onto his feet as the female was the one this time to raise her fists in the same way he did.

Their eyes locked in an intense stare. She dashed in, shooting her fist out, only for the elf to block it with his wrist, using his other wrist to swing at her head, which she blocked with her hand and pushed against his chest with her forearms, causing him to fall backward, sending clumps of dirt and water into the air.

The female took this as a chance to run, spinning around and sprinting away. The rain fell down her face, acting as the tears she would’ve had. She didn’t want to run. But she felt like too much of a coward to try and come back.

She only got a few miles down the field when a roar was heard from behind. Looking over her shoulder she only got a glimpse of the elf charging at her, fist shooting towards her head, before all went black.

One Minute Ago

The elf titan lied on the ground staring up at the gray sky flashing with lightning, about ready to give up, when he saw someone out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to see the bride herself, his daughter, Karla, standing there, looking worried.

“Dad! Dad are you okay? Please get up! Dad!”

The titan stared at the girl for a moment, remembering who he was doing this for, before getting onto his feet. Taking a step back, he set off into a full charge, sending clumps of land into the air with every step. He caught up with the female titan within half a minute, fist raised, he roared, seeing her head turn around to see him just as he threw his punch towards her face.

As it impacted, her head disconnected and flew several miles off in the distance, crashing into the Forest of Giant Trees.

And there she was, Annie’s unconscious body, sticking out of the stump of a neck, the burn marks from the muscles outlined the underside of her eyes, which were closed, but tears were streaming down her face, along with the rain. She looked so peaceful, like she was in the crystal again. She was in the same clothes as the day she left. Her hair was long, reaching down to the bottom of her shoulder blades.

The female titan body fell to her knees, allowing the elf to carefully pick up the woman inside of the nape, and hold her in the palm of his hand.

He turned around and walked back to his daughter.

He laid the woman down on the ground in front of her, then got down on his knees. Steam exploded from his nape as a man emerged from it and jumped down, landing next to the woman. His ponytail was replaced with a long blanket of messy brown hair. His fists balled, he walked over and grabbed her sweatshirt, pulling her face close to his.

“Wake up!” He shouted, shaking her wildly. “Wake up! Wake up, god dammit!”

“Dad…” Karla approached the two.

“Why won’t you wake up?” One hand released her and seized her wrist. He felt a pulse. “You’re still alive! Wake up!”

Tears had already begun to stream down his cheeks as the rain was making his hair damp. He shook her over and over again, but got no response.

A hand was placed on his shoulder. “Dad...let her rest. We’ll take her back.”

Eren looked over his shoulder at his daughter. He closed his eyes before he wrapped an arm around Annie’s back and under her legs, holding her the same way he did on their wedding day. Then he and his daughter walked back towards the house.

Eren, drenched in rainwater, walked into the house, nodding to Karla as she held the door open for him. He brought Annie into their bedroom, laying her down across the bed with care. He stood there, staring at her sleeping form.

“Dad...leave the room. Let me watch her,” Karla suggested, glancing from him to Annie.

Eren shook his head. “No...I can’t leave her...not now.”

“Dad, I am sure she wouldn’t want to see you at first. I would calm her down. Please dad, let me take over this time.”

He fell silent, his eyes locked on his wife, thinking of what was the right thing to do.

Eventually, he sighed and walked to the door. “Alright, I will make dinner.”

Karla smiled and nodded. “Thanks, dad.”

Eren nodded back before closing the door, leaving the two girls in the room alone.

The daughter pulled a chair up to Annie’s side and sat down, still wearing the soaked wedding dress. She wondered how her mother would react. Surprised? Afraid? From what she has heard, she wouldn’t imagine her mother being afraid.

She sat back in the chair and waited.

Karla had been waiting a few minutes when Annie woke up. At first, her body moved slightly, a groan escaping from her parted lips as her eyes began to slowly open, her light blue eyes registering the figure sitting in front of her.

Once she fully saw who it was, she shut her eyes quickly.

Karla frowned and leaned in. “Mom?”

Annie froze. Whispered, “Oh, my god.” Following with something more silent. Karla, unable to hear it, leaned in closer.

“What?”

Her mother’s voice was low and hoarse. “I’m so sorry.”

Karla leaned back into the chair. She didn’t know what to say. On one hand, she was angry at her mother, almost hating her for leaving when she was young. But, on the other hand, she felt sorry for her. Her mother never had a childhood like she did.

Karla was conflicted.

But eventually, she picked a hand.

“It’s okay,” she whispered.

Annie’s eyes opened, looking at her as if she was insane. “No,” she said, “it’s not okay. It’s not. It’s not okay! I left you when you were born. I never came back. I avoided you whenever possible, only watching from afar...because I was afraid. Afraid of meeting you. You grew up without a mother. You grew up without me! I am…” she glanced down at the dress her daughter was wearing, “I am a horrible person. I’m a monster.”

Karla smoothed out her dress. “No. No you aren’t. You saved me from that bear. You still came to watch me. My father and I have been in your thoughts non-stop, haven’t they? You care.”

“That doesn’t excuse me for leaving you all those years ago.”

“That’s not true. You’ve been by my side all this time. If anything, I should be the one that’s sorry.”

Annie picked her head up from the pillow, eyebrow cocked. “What? For what?”

“For…” Karla smirked, “For ruining your wedding dress.”

Annie’s eyebrow was still raised slightly, but soon a smile appeared, along with a small laugh. She glanced at her daughter. “You do look beautiful in it, ruined or not. That boy is lucky to have you.”

“Otto.”

“Hm?”

“Your future son-in-law’s name is Otto. And...I am lucky to have him.”

Annie sniffled before sitting up, crossing her legs on the bed and resting her hands on her knees, long hair still moist from the rain. She looked at her daughter.

“How has your father been?”

“Good. Until recently.”

“Is he angry?”

“Not angry, no...more like annoyed, I would say. Frustrated. He misses you. A lot. And I always wanted to meet you, even after he told me about the things you did.”

“What did he tell you?”

“Pretty much everything, I think.”

Annie rested her head in her hands. “Then you see? I am a monster. I killed so many people. Innocent people.”

“But...you didn’t have a choice.”

“My hands are still covered in their blood.”

Karla frowned and reached out, grabbing her hands and pulling them out. “Look at them. Are they covered in blood? No, and I don’t care if it’s a metaphor. These are the hands of something more than a killer. A mother. A wife. A lover. Someone who actually feels some god damn regret.”

Annie wrenched her hands free, holding them close to her chest as she stared at her daughter with amazement.

Karla still had her arms out, holding the hands that were no longer in her’s. Slowly, they dropped as she shook her head. “Your family has forgiven you. We will never look at you with malice. Isn’t that enough?”

Annie’s eyes glanced at the window, seeing the rain coming down outside. If she hadn’t been beaten by Eren, she would’ve been out there, cold, miserable, and feeling disappointed in the fact that, yet again, she delayed seeing her family.

But here, she is warm, loved, and not a shred of regret in her mind, because she gets to do one important thing. She finally gets to talk to her daughter.

“You’re staying, right?” Her eyes glanced back at Karla, who had a pleading look on her face.

Annie glanced to the side, unsure of whether she will. Her eyes landed back on Karla in the dress. She remembered wearing that dress when she married Eren. She felt so beautiful for once. And everyone was so happy to see them married. Even Mikasa couldn’t help but smile.

And there she realized. She can’t take back the things that she had done. But she could make things that were better.

She could feel tears roll down her cheeks. Using her hand to wipe them off, she nodded. “Yes,” she said, “I mean...I don’t...I don’t deserve to, but...I want to see my daughter get married. And-and have children. Be happy. I want to make up for all the time I was not here.”

Karla smiled, not being able to keep herself from crying as the tears streamed from her eyes. She reached out to hug her mother, burying her face into the crook of her neck.

The door to the room slowly opened, and Eren peeked in to see the mother and daughter embracing. He smiled at the display of love, not wanting to interrupt it. He kept silent.

“Hello Eren,” Annie said suddenly, her eyes staring straight at the wall, trying not to make eye contact, out of shame.

His eyes widened. His lips became dry. His mind ran quickly, trying to find the right thing to say.

“D-dinner is ready.”

Karla let go of her mother, looking back at her father.

“Karla, can you go? Your mother and I need to talk. Keep the food warm, yes?”

The daughter glanced from her father to her mother. She nodded. “Alright. You two play nice, okay?” She asked, looking particularly at her father, eyebrows raised.

Eren pursed his lips, eyes on his wife, he nodded. “Yeah...yeah, of course.”

He took a step into the room as Karla stepped out, closing the door behind him.

Annie just stared at him for what felt like an eternity, standing up from the bed, she walked slowly up to her husband. Her hands raised to gently place her hands on his cheeks, feeling the rough beard that has grown like she was trying to check if he was real. She was silent for a moment. Then she burst into tears, pulling him down so that she could wrap her arms around his neck.

At the sight of her crying, he was surprised for a moment, but then he began to tear up, and he held her close, missing the feeling of her body against his. Her warmth. “I missed you so much.” He managed to croak out.

“I could never stop thinking about you or Karla.”

She pulled Eren’s head down to press her lips against his.

Annie pulled back, giving another smile and wiping the tears off before hooking her leg around his ankle and pushing his face, forcing him to trip and fall onto his back. She straddled his waist and raised her fist to punch him, earning an, “Ow!” From the receiver.

Eren covered his nose, as blood began to leak from it. “Annie!”

“Sorry, but that was for knocking me out,” she smirked, getting off him and holding her hand out to him. He held his nose with one hand while taking her hand with the other, allowing himself to be helped up to his feet.

“Let me see,” she slapped his hands out of the way to get a closer look at the nose, “You’ll be fine. I didn’t break it. It should stop bleeding in a minute or so.”

He chuckled. “Back to being the mother, huh?”

Annie walked back to the bed to sit down, crossing her legs. “I guess you can say that I never stopped.”

Eren sniffed, trying to keep the blood in. “Coming back every once in a while to do a little something for Karla doesn’t count.”

She frowned. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what do you mean?”

Annie gestured to the chair. “Just sit. I know there has been something you wanted to ask for a long time.”

Eren glanced at her before he sat down, still holding a hand to his nose. “I guess you’re right. What the hell have you been doing all these years?”

Annie gave a brief flash of a smile before a subtle nod. “Do you want the long or the short version?”

“Long. We have all the time in the world.”

Annie released a sigh. “Alright. Let’s start from the beginning.”

Sixteen Years Ago

The blonde woman bent down by the river, cupping her hands and lowering her face so that she could wash it, as burnt marks surrounded her blue eyes. Since her destination was far from the home she had left a month ago, her only way of travel was to run in her titan form.

As she cupped her hands once again to get a drink, the sun decided to reflect light off of her wedding band. She sighed and stood up, taking the ring off before lifting her arm and throwing the ring far into the trees.

She stood there, looking off into the direction she threw the piece of jewelry in.

“Ugh, fuck!” She exasperated, running off to find it.

After a minute of searching, she retrieved the ring and ran back to the river to clean in before putting it back on her finger.

“Until death do us part,” she muttered, her voice cracking slightly as she held her left hand to her chest with closed eyes.

Annie Jaeger eventually opened her eyes and continued towards her destination, walking across the river and up a hill. When she reached the top, she looked down at a small village. Her destination.

Her home.

She carefully stepped down the hill, not wanting to trip and go down the faster yet painful way.

As she reached straight land, her eyes looked ahead, seeing someone using a water pump to get water into the bucket. A young woman, about Annie’s age, with brown hair.

“Damn thing is rusting,” the woman cursed, putting both of her arms into pushing the lever down. Suddenly, her eyes acknowledged something in her periphery. She turned her head up, her brown eyes widening at the sight. “Annie?”

Annie slowly walked up to her. She gave a slight smile. “Hey Flora. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

The two girls walked back into the village, Flora asking Annie a million questions, but Annie was not paying much attention to what the young lady was saying. Instead, her eyes scanned the cabins ahead of her.

“How’s my dad?” Annie asked Flora, interrupting the latter’s stream of questions.

Flora stared at her for a moment before her eyes widened. “Oh...your father? Well...he’s uh…” she sighed, “Ask my mother. She is better at explaining these things.”

“Where is she?”

“At home. I’ll, uh, bring you to her.”

The mother was looking out her window, wondering when her daughter would come back.

“She better not be flirting with any boys,” she huffed when her daughter suddenly came into view. But with someone walking next to her. Someone very familiar. The mother gasped before opening the door and walking outside. “Well! If it isn’t Annie Leonhardt!”

Annie’s eyes lit up at the mention of her original surname. “Uh...well...it’s not Leonhardt anymore, Kornelia.”

“What do you mean?”

Annie held up her left hand, showing a gold wedding back, shining in the sun.

Flora stared at the ring. “Wait, what? Seriously? You got hitched?”

Annie nodded, bringing her hand back down to twist the ring on her finger. “Yeah...I don’t want to talk much about it, if you don’t mind. I just want to know how my father is.”

At the mention of her father, Kornelia’s eyes quickly turned down. “Your father? Why don’t you come inside and I will tell you?” She suggested, spinning around to head inside.

“I am fine being told right here,” Annie said, not wanting to beat around the bush any further.

The mother stopped, her shoulders slacking as she turned back around to face the young woman. “Your father...he is sick.”

Annie’s eyes lit up. “What? Is...is it curable? Where is he?”

“He is resting at his home-Annie!”

It was too late, she was already sprinting towards where she remembered her home was.

The house was like any of the others, but almost devoid of life. The furniture was covered in dust, and some of the wood rotted away. It would be unhealthy to live here.

The door burst open, Annie skidding to a halt and looking around. “Dad!”

She ran into what she remembered to be her parents’ bedroom, opening the door. “Dad?”

Her eyes grew wide at the sight. There he was, her father, lying in bed, pale as a ghost and hair white like snow. He was covered in a blanket, but his body was shaking. Droplets of sweat dropped onto the sheets of the bed. She placed the back of her hand on his forehead, retracting it immediately. “He’s burning up.”

Kornelia slowly walked into the room. Annie’s head snapped to look at her. “What is it?”

The mother glanced at both Annie and her father, trying to find the right words to say. “We believe it’s the ague. Maybe he encountered some bad air.”

“When did he come down with this?”

“Two weeks ago. We have just been trying to make him feel better.”

“Better?” Annie looked furious, “Look at this shithole. There is dust on every goddamn surface! And don’t get me started on-”

Suddenly, her father’s eyes shot open as struggled to pull himself over the edge of the bed before vomiting onto the wooden floor. Annie jumped back. “Oh my god, dad!”

He fell back down onto the bed, breathing heavily. His eyes flitted to the young woman by his side. “A-...Ann? Come...closer. How...how l-long has...it been?”

She crouched down, allowing his shaky hands to reach out and caress her cheek. “Nine years...it’s been nine years...more or less.”

“Nine?” He emitted a loud gulping sound. “Where...where’s Reiner? Bertholdt? Marcel?”

Annie felt a stabbing pain in her heart at every name. “Marcel...he was eaten by a titan before we could even get there. Reiner and Bertholdt...they’re dead.”

“Terrible...did you finish the...the mission?”

“No, father...I failed as a warrior. In fact, the target? I fell in love with him.”

“W-what?”

She held up her left hand, showing her ring. “I helped him eradicate the titans. I married him. A month ago, I gave birth to your granddaughter.”

“Grand...granddaughter...why aren’t they here?”

Annie bit her lip, looking downward. “I ran, dad,” her head turned up, showing tears beginning to run down her cheeks, her voice quivering, “I ran away. I couldn’t face them and be proud because of all the things I have done...you trained me to kill, dad. You never trained me on how to take care of someone. I am a horrible mother…”

She felt his shaking thumb wipe her tears. “Don’t cry...my dear Annie. You can always...go back…”

“No...I can’t. I’d be a coward. People would hate me. Eren would hate me.”

“Is Eren...your husband?”

She closed her eyes and nodded. “Yes.”

“Then if he...if he is a true lover...he will welcome you...you back with open arms.”

“I wouldn’t deserve it. I’m too much of a coward to go back.”

“That’s not...what a Leonhardt...would say.”

“Well, dad...I am not a Leonhardt anymore. I am a Jaeger.”

“It’s still in...your blood.”

“You know what? I don't want to hear about strength coming from you. From a coward himself.”

“Annie-”

“You, who sent a his only daughter out on a mission that could have killed her.”

“I did what had to be done.”

“Yeah? Well a good lot that did. You and I are no different. Cowards who deserve what's coming to them. This family you’re so proud of, is nothing more than equivalent to rat shit.”

“How dare you…”

She slapped his weak hand away, standing up. “I will take care of you, like it or not, until you die. That’s all you’re getting from me. Not love. Not memories. Not your sweet little daughter. I am going to start by cleaning up this shithole.”

She turned around, seeing Kornelia standing there, mouth covered in shock at Annie. “What? Is there a problem?”

She lowered her hands. “You used to be such a swe-”

“I am not that girl anymore. I’m different now. I have killed people. I have taken life and given it. Friends of mine have died. People have looked at me as a murderer. I am no longer the Annie that would help you with your cooking. That Annie is dead. Now...get out of my house.”

“But-”

“Get out.”

Kornelia glanced from the father to his daughter, hesitating before she walked out of the house, not wanting to stir up any more conflict with the girl she once thought she knew.

Annie left the room to search the house for cleaning supplies.

Present

“I took care of him for three or so years. It got worse as those years went by. Soon, he began to forget who I was, confusing me for my mother. That was pretty bad. When he passed away, I thought of it as a release from his suffering. But that didn’t stop me from mourning him. He was my father after all. After he was buried, I didn’t want to have anything to do with my village anymore, so I left. I came back. I bought that bottle of alcohol for you when you couldn’t get it yourself. You remember?”

Thirteen Years Ago

“Sir...I said to get out.”

The brunet father with tears in his eyes ran out of the store, dashing through the streets and almost running into a cloaked figure. The person turned to watch Eren run farther down the street. They then turned to the store and walked into it, stepping up to the counter, “I would like a bottle of alcohol.” It was the voice of a woman, young.

The man turned to look at the woman. “Alright, do you actually have the money for it?”

A gloved hand slapped down on the wooden surface, scaring the man. It lifted to show the right amount of currency for the bottle. He looked at the woman, whose blue eyes glowed through the shadow of the cowl. “Of course.”

The man took the money and pushed the bottle forward. “Here you go.”

The girl wrapped her fingers around the neck of the bottle and nodded to the man. “Thank you.”

She pivoted on her heel and exited out to the street. A few steps out of the building she began sprinting, going full speed past everyone and into the forest.

Eventually she slowed as she saw the brunette man crying against a tree. She kept herself silent, creeping past him. She heard him say, “I can’t...I can’t do this without you, Annie. I know you said I could do it, but I really can’t! I can’t stop thinking about you. Everytime I look at her, I see you!”

As soon as she was far enough she began to sprint again, seeing the house in the distance not long after.

She slowed to a walk as she stepped up onto the porch. Her eyes scanned the house. “Kept it maintained,” she muttered, placing the bottle on one of the chairs and opening the door. Her feet were silent, not a single creak from the wooden floor beneath them.

Turning a corner into what she remembered they planned to be Karla’s room, she spotted the small girl laying in the bed, deep asleep, waiting for her father to return. The cloaked woman couldn’t help but smile as she crouched down next to her, pulling her cowl down, revealing the face of a young blonde woman, her hair short. It was half shaved and side swept in a pixie hairstyle fashion.

Her striking blue eyes glanced over the small wound on Karla’s leg, “Don’t worry, your father is going to make sure you get better,” she whispered to her daughter, “And please...be patient with him. He is trying his best without me.”

The mother brushed some dark blonde hair strands from the girl’s face. “Look at you...grown up so much...has it really been three years?”

Slowly she leaned in and gave the girl a small gentle kiss on the forehead, standing up. “I guess it has.”

With a glance at the window, she could see the father approaching. “I have to leave. Goodbye. I love you.”

And with that, she left the room and climbed out of a window, closing it behind her quietly before running to the trees to watch the scene.

She saw the reaction. It was heartbreaking.

“I will see you again, Eren. But you probably won’t see me,” she said, wiping her eyes and setting off in an opposite direction of the house. It wasn’t long before any trace of Annie Jaeger being there was gone.

Present

Eren nodded. “I had a feeling it was you. So...what did you do after that?”

Annie looked at her hands. “I guess you can say I wandered around, looking for a new place to call home. I...I came across this one town...and they had a doctor, who needed a helper. An assistant. I volunteered. I worked with a lot of children. And in every single one of them, I couldn’t help but see Karla. I never stopped thinking about you two. So I did come back several other times. Just to watch little Karla. And to see how you were doing.”

Eren smirked. “How am I doing?”

“Right now? Your hair's a mess, the beard is shitty, and your eyes have more bags than Sasha has bags full of potatoes.”

He couldn’t help but laugh at her joke. “Yeah. Karla was the biggest priority. I never took much care of myself.”

“You should’ve,” she reached out with her hand to stroke his cheek, her ring glinting in the light. He glanced at it.

“You never took it off.”

Annie nodded once. “Only that one time before I saw my dad. After that, I could never let you go.”

“I couldn’t stop seeing you in Karla. She looks so much like you. She has your eyes. Your beautiful...blue eyes.”

Annie could feel her cheeks getting warm. Eren can always do this, no matter the situation.

Eren leaned over to gently grab her hair. “This is the longest I’ve seen your hair.”

She grabbed some of her hair and brought it into her view. “I cut it short for a while. Then a year ago I stopped. Do you like it?”

Eren rubbed it between his fingers, smiling. “I like it. But your bun is your trademark. However...you look beautiful in everyway, even without it.”

Annie got up from her seat and decided to straddle Eren’s lap, leaning her forehead against Eren’s. She smirked. “Really? What parts are your favorites?”

He touched his nose against hers. “I love your nose.”

“Stop.”

“It’s true. Let me continue.”

“Ugh...fine…”

Eren smiled. “Two beautiful blue eyes. Your gorgeous golden hair. Your soft pale skin.”

He closed the gap between them. “I love them. I love you. Annie...I missed you so much.”

Annie felt her lip quiver. She rubbed one of her eyes. “I am sorry for all the trouble I caused. If I could take it all back, and stay with you after Karla was born, I would. I am so sorry.”

Eren cupped her cheeks, allowing their eyes to meet once more. “Hey...hey...you’re back now. The past is the past. Besides...you have to admit, I brought Karla up pretty well.”

Annie gave a short laugh. “I guess you’re right. But I did help.”

Eren nodded, leaning into kiss her, his hands sliding down to hold her by the waist. “You did. And I thank you for doing it, even if it was from behind the scenes.”

Annie hooked her hands loosely behind his neck, keeping him close. “She is a beautiful woman. This Otto kid is lucky to have her. Does he deserve her?”

Eren looked at the door that Karla walked out. He narrowed his eyes before nodding. “Definitely. He treats her like a princess. A warrior princess.”

Annie turned her head downward. “That’s good...I’m glad,” she turned her head back up, “What was her first word?”

Eren looked back at her. “What?”

“What was Karla’s first word?”

Eren glanced up in thought. “You’re not going to believe me.”

“Try me.”

He looked back down at her, cocking an eyebrow along with a smirk. “It was ‘nose’.”

“Shut up.”

“It’s true!”

“You’re so full of shit, Jaeger.”

“Hey, you’re the shitty liar here, Jaeger.”

Annie chuckled, pulling her left hand back and holding it in front of Eren, who took his left hand and put it against hers, their rings twinkling in the light. They interlocked their fingers, and leaned in to kiss once again.

Suddenly the door opened, and Karla poked her head in, now wearing her regular clothing. They hadn’t noticed her as they were too busy in each other’s embrace.

All Karla could do was smile and slowly close the door, leaving the two to themselves.

They deserved it, being away from each other for so long.

The Next Day

Mikasa found it strange that Eren had invited them over on such short notice. He said there was a “big surprise” and that “Erik will like it”. What about her? Will she like it?

“So that’s all Jaeger said, huh?” Her husband asked.

“Yeah. I guess we’ll see,” she said, stepping up onto the Jaeger porch and knocking on the door.

As she waited, she looked at Erik. “Your hair is messy.”

“What?”

She licked her thumb and reached over to clean up his hair. “Look good for your uncle.”

“B-but he doesn’t look good. Have you seen his hair?”

“I am hoping that one day he will see how good you look with clean hair and decide to clean himself up.”

“How would that-”

Suddenly the door opened, and Mikasa turned around, expecting to see Eren.

Instead, she saw Annie.

Mikasa stared at her, blank faced, unsure of what to say. Annie stared the same way, waiting for a response.

Meanwhile, Jean looked absolutely shocked. Erik leaned in. “Dad...who’s that?”

“That’s your aunt.”

“Oh…”

The silence began to grow, becoming too loud for everyone in the area. Eventually, Annie decided to speak up.

“Mikasa…”

The Eurasian girl frowned at her, speaking through gritted teeth. “Annie…”

“Would you like to come i-”

“Give me one good reason not to punch your lights out. I don’t want to act violent in front of my son.”

Annie’s eyes lit up. “Your son?” She glanced over, seeing Erik, she smiled. “Oh, hello there. You don’t know me. I’m your-”

“My aunt, yeah, I was just told. Hi.”

“Hello.”

“Enough with the formalities. Give me a reason,” Mikasa growled.

“Eren would be very disappointed. And unhappy.”

Mikasa narrowed her eyes. “Eren could not have forgiven you that easily.”

Just then, Eren came up from behind and wrapped his arms around his wife’s waist. “I did…”

“Eren…”

“It's true she did leave me when Karla was born. Yes, she's made mistakes. But don't you think she's suffered enough because of it? All this time she's been alone, and she's been hurt so much. I'm...I'm tired fighting. I'm tired of feeling bitter. I've already had to fight her once again.”

Mikasa’s eyes widened. “When did this happen?”

“Yesterday, after you all left.”

“So you brought her back by force?”

“Not by force exactly,” Annie began, holding Eren’s hands tight, “More like I was on the fence, and he pulled me on the right side.”

“The right side…”

“Why don’t you all come in? Karla made tea.”

“This tea is great. Good job Karla,” Erik complimented, smiling at his cousin.

“Thank you!” Karla replied enthusiastically.

The room fell silent, with Mikasa and Annie in a staring battle, with their respective husbands sitting by them, voicing their concerns through their eyes.

What should we do? Jean’s eyes asked.

I don’t know. Just let it run its course? Eren’s eyes suggested.

That won’t end well. Jean’s eyes warned.

Eren gulped. I know.

“So have you decided on a time to put the wedding?” Erik asked.

Karla shrugged. “I haven’t talked to Otto about it yet.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah…”

Silence.

Karla picked up the teapot. “More tea?”

Erik smiled. “Yes, please.”

She tipped the spout over his cup, pouring more into it. “There you go.”

“Thank you. You gotta tell me how to make this tea.”

“It’s fairly easy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I will teach you sometime.”

“Can’t wait.”

More silence.

“So...any ladies in your life?”

“Me? Kinda.”

“Kinda? Oooh, tell me! Is she cute?”

“I would say so.”

“What’s her name?”

“Abigail Springer,” He said, none of the parents realizing whose daughter that was.

“Aww, that’s a beautiful name. Are you two...in a relationship?”

“Uh...not yet. I am hoping to ask her soon.”

“Aww, that’s great. I wish you luck!”

“Thanks!”

More silence followed. It was becoming too much. As the silence dragged on, the two teens steadily grew more nervous.

“Ugh, how long is this going to go on? Well? Will you two just say something? Please?” Karla started.

“Yeah! Mom. Can...can you please just make some kind of effort?”

The parents looked at them, the women cocking eyebrows, the men giving scared looks.

“Please. The two of you need to reconcile. I mean, my dad and I have already forgiven her. Auntie Mikasa, can’t you try and do the same?”

Mikasa frowned, looking over at Annie. “She hurt Eren.”

“I-I’m fine now, Mikasa, seriously. That was the past,” Eren said.

“And what if she leaves again?”

“I would never do that again,” Annie argued, her hands balling into fists.

“Why did you even do it in the first place?” Mikasa snapped.

Annie bit her lip. “I just...I didn’t think I would make a good mother. I never had a childhood. I could barely cook a fish. I had no experience with children. I thought I would just be a liability.”

Mikasa’s eyes searched the woman in front of her, trying to find any kind of indication of her lying. She could not simply accept Annie back so easily. Not after she had hurt both Eren and her niece.

But she found nothing, only truth. Her eyes softened as she sighed, all the anger she felt towards Annie releasing itself.

“You...you could’ve asked me. My mother taught me a lot.”

Annie looked down at her hands. “I couldn’t. I know you still hate me for all the things I’ve done.”

Mikasa’s eyebrows raised. “Annie...I...I know I was...I probably treated you the worst after you got out of the crystal.”

“Crystal?” Erik asked.

“Long story,” Karla replied.

“But...Eren told me more about you. I guess that I didn’t know. I am sorry that happened to you. I don’t exactly hate you anymore. Why do you think I was so happy at your wedding? For Eren’s sake? Partly. But when I saw you, walking down the aisle in that dress, smiling, I realized that I saw the real you. A woman who hasn’t experienced much happiness in her life, and wants to hold onto as much as she can.”

Annie’s eyebrows raised as well, and a tear began to fall down her cheek. “You know...if we weren’t so busy hating each other as rivals, and I wasn’t the female titan...we could’ve been decent friends.”

Mikasa held a finger up. “Hold on there. I think I prefer the way things have went. Because it all led up to the titans being eradicated, and my brother being happy. You gave him Karla, and Karla was his only source of joy in the world when you weren’t there. But now that you are...I am sorry for the way I acted.”

Annie shook her head. “No, I understand. Your brother means everything to you, and when he is hurt, you feel protective. I just hope we can at least try to be good friends now.”

“Yeah...we can, at the very least, try.”

Eren glanced between them. “So, are we good? Is everything sorted out?”

Annie smiled up at him. “Yeah...yeah I think we are good.”

Mikasa nodded. “Definitely.”

Karla grinned. “Alright. Well there is one more person for you to meet.”

Annie glanced at her daughter. “Yeah...gotta meet this Otto guy before I allow him to marry my daughter.”

Later That Evening

Otto looked down at his clothing. All he got from Karla was not to wear something too nice, but not too bad. What the hell does that even mean?

He pulled down on his green vest, checked the cuffs on his white button-up shirt, and stuck his hands into the pockets of his dark brown pants as he stepped onto the porch of Karla’s house.

He raised his fist and rapped it against the wooden door, stepping back and waiting for the door to open.

When it did, Karla stood there, dressed in her sweatshirt and short pants. She gave a smile to him. “Future husband.”

He chuckled, looking down at his feet. “Future wife.”

Karla stepped out and cupped his cheeks, pulling him into a long, passionate kiss. Something he would like to do forever.

But she pulled away, taking his hands. “There is someone I would like you to meet,” she pulled him along with her into the house.

“Who?”

“You’ll see.”

She led him around the corner into the living room, where one person was sitting in a chair. She looked just like Karla, except with a pronounced nose, blonde hair, and older.

She looked at him as if she was expecting the boy. A smile graced her face. “You must be Otto. My daughter told me a good amount about you.”

Otto’s eyebrows raised. “Your...daughter…” He looked at Karla, who giggled and led him to the couch to sit down. “Otto...this is my mother. Her name is Annie.”

“The one that you said ran away?”

“You told him about that?” Annie cocked an eyebrow at her daughter.

Karla frowned. “Hey, this man is to be my husband. Gotta be honest.”

“What else did you tell him? Does he know about the-”

“No...not yet. I’ll tell him eventually.”

“Tell me what?”

“Nothing! You’ll know in time.”

Otto looked at the mother, curious as to what secrets this family may have. Murderers? Thieves? No, it couldn’t be...could it?

“So, Otto...you want to marry my daughter?”

Otto straightened his back, trying to look respectable. “Uh, y-yes ma’am.”

“You better treat her right. If you hurt her-”

“I wouldn’t think of it.”

“Good. Because she can probably flip you on your ass before you could even take a breath.”

“She has done that before...many times.”

Annie smiled at her daughter. “As expected from my daughter.”

Karla smirked, wrapping her arms around her fiance.

Annie stood up, somehow towering over the taller man. “Just remember,” she started, “If you hurt her, you will have two angry parents on your ass. And once you find out what we can do, you’ll be even more scared. But I know it won’t come to that.”

Otto looked more terrified than a deer being chased by a wolf. Karla sighed.

“Mom, stop threatening him.”

“He needs it.”

“No, he doesn’t.”

“I am sure he is fine, right Otto?”

Otto glanced from his future wife to his future mother-in-law. “Yeah...yeah...I’m...I’m fine.”

“See? He’s fine.”

“He’s terrified.”

“That’s fine by my standards. It means he won’t forget it. So...when is the wedding going to be?”

Karla looked at Otto. “Well...we haven’t really talked about it. We need to get the dress cleaned, which may take a while. I think a week should be good. What about you, Otto?”

“Yeah, yeah, that sounds good,” he said, still nervous being in the presence of mama bear.

“Fantastic. I should get to cleaning the dress, or...finding someone to do it,” Annie stood up, holding a hand out to her future son-in-law, causing him to flinch back, “It was a pleasure to meet you, Otto. I am glad you are the one to marry my daughter.”

He glanced at the hand, hesitating before taking it, giving a slight smile. “And I am glad to marry her. I...I am the luckiest man in the world.”

Annie smirked and let go of his hand.

Three Days Later

“Why did you want to go on a walk?” Karla asked to her mother, curious as to the reason.

“I just wanted some more time with my daughter. You’re going to become someone else’s in a few days, after all.”

“He’s going to be mine, more like it.”

Annie snorted. “True.”

“Besides, we aren’t going to live far away. I want to spend time with you as well, mother.”

“I know...I know…”

“So...when did you and father get married anyway?”

Annie glanced at her daughter as she walked by the river, looking at the rapid water.

“It was a year or so after the titans had been exterminated. We wanted to spend more time with each other, not married, before we decided it was right.”

“Did papa propose?”

“Yes, he did. Very nervous, he was. But he tried his best, and that’s all that matters. I accepted. He was so overjoyed, he couldn’t contain himself. He acted like a happy child. He lifted me up and told me how much he loved me. Before, we both joked around saying I would do it, but inside I wanted it to be him. I may be tough, but I wanted to be the girl for once. And your father had a hard time understanding that. But...eventually, he did.”

“What was the wedding like?”

“It was the most wonderful day of my life. Getting married to the man you loved, and you know loved you back? It was-...walking down the aisle and seeing Eren there...smiling like the idiot he is...I felt happy. Very happy. And yours will be just as amazing.”

Karla stared at her mother as they walked down the path, smiling at her as she wiped tears from her eyes. She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Annie, who was a couple inches shorter than her daughter. Annie was, for a brief moment, surprised by the embrace, but hugged her daughter back not long after.

“I’m glad you came back, mom,” Karla muttered, her voice cracking.

“Me too, baby girl,” Annie replied, giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead, “Me too.”

Three Days Later

Eren ran his fingers through his long, messy hair, sighing to himself as he stood on his porch.

He stepped off, walking to the path towards town while looking around for anyone.

The wedding is tomorrow. And he has several things to get done.

Things he hasn’t done in years.

As he walked down the path, with the town in sight, he felt his beard. It hadn’t grown huge and bushy, in fact it’s the same length it was ten years ago. It just stopped growing. But he never shaved it to see if it would grow back.

He entered the town soon after, looking around at the people and their day to day activities. He ignored them and continued on his way to the cemetery, dodging out of the way of people running through the streets or children playing.

It wasn’t long before his boots began to crush grass as he entered the cemetery, the greenery not well taken care of. He made a note to speak with the caretaker of this place.

He made his way to the back, where a statue was erected. The man it represented was short, but the memorial itself made him seem larger than life. Eren knelt down in front of the statue of his deceased superior. The plaque on it read:

Here Lies Captain Levi Ackerman of the Survey Corps.

Leader of the Special Operations Squad. You Are With Them Now.

You were truly Humanity’s Strongest Soldier.

Rest In Peace.

Eren looked up from his kneeling position at the man, smiling to himself. Two bouquets of flowers sat at the foot of the statue. He could guess who brought one of them. “I would’ve brought flowers, sir, but I couldn’t find any. I know, it’s a bullshit excuse,” he said, laughing, before inheriting a serious tone, “Thank you for giving Annie a chance. I know she did a lot of bad, but she is doing a lot of good. She is a great mother, as it turns out.”

He looked at the cold grey eyes of the statue. “I guess you did see potential in her, huh? You did give your life to save her. And I thank you for that, too. If our child was a boy, we wanted to call him Levi. After you, obviously.”

Tears began to fall down his cheeks. He rubbed his eyes with his palm. “Shit, I am getting emotional. You wouldn’t have accepted that, huh? Hm, maybe you would,” he chuckled, “I just...I wanted to say thank you, and that I will make sure that your memorial as well as this whole cemetery is well taken care of.”

Eren got to his feet, straightened his back and saluted him, his fist over his heart. “Thank you sir...for everything.”

He nodded to the statue before walking out of the cemetery and exiting the town of Levi.

Eren raised his fist and rapped his knuckles against the wooden surface of the door. He had been wanting to talk to someone for a while now.

A moment later, the door opened, revealing a tall woman with messy brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She adjusted the glasses balancing on her nose, trying to get a good look at the person in front of her.

Her brown eyes widened.

“Eren?”

He smiled. “It’s been a while, Hange. May I come in?”

She blinked a few times, trying to make sure it was Eren, before nodding, stepping out of the way. “Of course, come in.”

Eren held the cup of recently brewed tea by the rim, fingers like an outstretched spider. He took a sip, then set it down on the table. “I saw the flowers by his memorial.”

Hange was busy pouring tea into her own cup when he said this. She looked over her shoulder. “Oh...you did? I only just put them there this morning. I noticed a bouquet there before I put mine down. Do you know who put that there?”

“No, I do not. Sorry.”

“Eh, it’s fine. It’s the thought that matters,” Hange sat down across from Eren, glancing out the window.

Eren observed his former superior. “You miss him.”

“Well, obviously I do. Don’t you?”

He chuckled, looking down at the floor. “Yeah...yeah I do. I miss the insults.”

“Yeah…”

Eren glanced up at Hange. “I just wanted to check up on you.”

“I am doing just fine, Eren, you don’t need to worry. How are you? You look terrible. How’s Karla?”

Eren nodded. “I am fine. And Karla is doing great. She is getting married. And...Annie came back.”

Hange went to sip some tea. “Aww, she is? Who is she-wait, what? Annie came back?”

“Yeah...and she is doing well. She...I missed her so much.”

“I bet you do,” she put the cup down, “I still can’t believe she left like that.”

“She wasn’t like us, Hange. She doesn’t know how to handle children. She didn’t know how to handle children, but...she is better now.”

“Well I am glad she is back. I hated seeing you so sad. My poor little titan boy.”

Eren laughed. “Hange! Stop!”

Hange chuckled. “You’re so grown up. I am proud of what you have done, Eren. You raised a baby girl into a young woman. All by yourself. By the way, do you think I could run some tests on-”

“It’s not genetic, Hange.”

“Damn,” she snapped her fingers. She stood up. “Well, I guess I took up enough of your time. It was nice to talk to you again.”

Eren smirked and stood up, reaching over to hug his friend. “It was nice to talk to you too, Hange. The wedding is tomorrow, if you are able to come.”

“I might come around.”

“Good. See you around,” he said, letting go and making his way out the door.

“See you around, titan boy!”

Eren walked through the forest, listening to the sounds of birds chirping and the leaves rustling. And the distant sound of his destination: the river.

Once he reached it, he kneeled next to it. The river was calm enough to where he can see a reflection of himself. He cupped his hands and scooped up some water, throwing it into his face. He felt his beard. Alright, it’s time.

He reached for the knife at his hip. It wasn’t huge, but it was big enough to do some damage.

He unsheathed it and looked at his reflection.

Taking a deep breath, he put the knife up to his neck.

Slowly, he slid the edge up his throat, the hairs clinging to the underside of his jaw falling off and into the water below.

He shaved the rest of the underside off, then began to work on his cheeks, careful not to cut himself.

Afterwards, he shaved off his moustache and the hair on his chin, completing the process. He looked at himself in the reflection, his face looked clean as the day he married Annie. Sure there were some stragglers, but he thinks that Annie could help with that.

Now, he thought to himself, it’s your turn, hair.

He grabbed a handful of his hair and placed the edge of the blade against it and began to cut it off.

Clumps of dark brown hair fell into the river, being swept along with the flow.

After he was done, he looked at himself again. His hair was now shorter than when he was fifteen. Again, it looked messy, but Annie would be able to help again.

He looked clean. Younger. He no longer looked like the father that couldn’t take care of himself as he was too busy to look after his daughter. He was back to his old self.

Welcome back, Eren Jaeger, he smiled at himself.

Earlier That Morning

Karla’s blue eyes looked up at the statue in front of her, a man in a majestic pose.

“Levi Ackerman,” she repeated the name in her head. Of the stories both her father and mother told her. The savior.

Her hand was clutching a bouquet of flowers that she picked herself right as she woke up that day. She was going to place them down, but someone had already beat her to it. A tall woman with brown hair.

She walked over to the brunette woman. “Uh, hello.”

The woman turned her head, her glasses shining in the waking sun. Her face was sad, eyes sullen, weak. But as soon as she saw the youthful woman next to her, she gave a smile. “Good morning.”

Karla smiled back, hiding the bouquet behind her back. “Right...good morning,” she looked at the statue, “Do you know this man?”

The woman looked back at the man made of stone. “Uh...yeah...I worked with him, I...I loved him.”

Karla’s eyes turned down. “Oh...I’m sorry.”

The woman shook her head, laughing. “No need to be. He gave his life protecting the people. He helped kill all the titans.”

“I’ve heard.”

“He was a great man.”

“I know.”

“Are you here to mourn?”

“Uh...yeah. A family member. Disease,” Karla lied.

“Oh...my condolences,” the woman wiped her eyes and sniffed, “Well, I took up enough of your time. I should get going.”

“Okay...it was nice talking to you.”

“You too, young lady.”

And with that, the woman walked off, leaving Karla with herself.

The daughter sighed and pulled the flowers out, stepping up to the statue. Reading the plaque, she looked up at the man. “I brought you flowers, uh, Mr. Ackerman.”

She crouched down to place them on the ground by his feet.

Standing up, she interlocked her fingers behind her back. “I don’t...know what to say. I’m sorry. My father told me you were one to make others make their own decisions. I’m not a member of the Survey Corps, obviously.”

Her voice stumbled a bit. “I-I just...wanted to say, uh...thank you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be standing here today. My mother would probably be dead, and my father...I don’t want to think about it.

“But I’m grateful for all that you have done. I wish I could’ve gotten to meet you. Uh...I was told that if I was a boy, I was going to be named after you. Sorry I didn’t become a boy. I would’ve been honored. But...I guess I’m still honored for my name. It was my grandmother’s name. Oh...I am rambling, aren’t I? Sorry.”

She went silent, unsure of what else to say. She coughed and interlocked her fingers in front of her body. “Just...thank you, Mr. Levi.”

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump and twist around.

No one was there.

Eyes wide, she looked back at the man, bowed, and turned around to leave the cemetery.

The Next Day

Eren, now in the doublet he was in the week before, looked at his wife’s back as she gazed out the window of their bedroom, her stunning ice blue eyes stopping on everyone out on the grass. Her blonde hair was done up in a regular ponytail, bangs on both sides of her face. She was wearing a dark blue dress, kind of like her daughters, except much more plain.

She sighed.

Eren adjusted his collar and walked over, wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his head on her shoulder, kissing down her neck. “You okay, Ann?”

Annie smiled and wrapped her arm around his neck to feel his hair while her other hand held his, their rings clinking together. “No, I guess I just wanted to spend more time with her. I should’ve came back to stay earlier. Also, I am glad you cut your hair, even if it did look a bit shitty before I got to work on it. Short hair fits you much better.”

Eren nuzzled the crook of her neck. “Yeah, I am glad too. And don’t be so worried. She isn’t going far away. She will stay close.”

“I know-uh, Eren stop, not now,” she ordered with a lighthearted tone, moaning slightly as Eren kiss a sensitive spot.

“Sorry,” Eren smirked.

“No, I love it. It’s just, not now. Later. Anyway, I guess I just wanted to see her grow up now.”

Eren nodded, rubbing her abdomen. “You know...we’re still pretty young…”

Annie’s eyes lit up, her cheeks grew red. “You mean...another kid? I...I don’t know, Eren...are you sure?”

“We’re letting one go already. You said it yourself, you want to see her grow up. Well we have other chances. I mean...do you remember how many pieces of rice fell into your hair during our wedding.”

Annie released an air of amusement. “Yes, I do. We aren’t having ten kids, Eren.”

“I was just joking. But...I wouldn’t mind having another.”

Annie let go of his hair and placed her other hand on his. “I...I wouldn’t mind either. I promise I won’t run away again.”

“I know.”

A moment of silence grew, allowing the couple to watch the people outside. Everyone they knew who wanted to see their friend’s daughter get married were here. Connie and Sasha were fooling around as usual, Eren wondered where their children were, which was a scary thought. Jean and Mikasa were fixing up their son. Hange was observing everyone else.

Eren was the one to break the silence. “You should get out there.”

Annie smirked. “I’ll see you.”

Everyone stood around, watching as the ceremony before them began. Otto stood at the end, along with the priest, opposite the front door of the Jaeger household. He was nervous. This was a big time for him.

Suddenly, the door to the house opened, everyone’s attention was suddenly shifted as a man stepped out, his recent shaving and hair cutting making him almost unidentifiable. He held a hand out to lead the bride out of the house. Everyone gasped.

The bride’s dress was fully cleaned, thanks to her mother, so it shined in the sun. Her hair was done up in a messy bun, something she asked for specifically. Her lips and eyeshadow were red, contrasting from the dress and eyes, the latter staring straight at the man on the other end of the field.

Her father closed the door and held his arm out for her to hook hers in. “You ready, baby girl?”

Karla glanced at her father’s face, seeing that he was struggling to keep his composure.

“No...I am not,” she said, her father looking at her, eyebrow cocked. She smiled and hooked her arm in his. “But I will try my best.”

Eren grinned. He sniffed. “Then let’s go,” he said, leading her off the porch and across the field.

As Karla was being led to her husband, her mind ran back to all the times she had with her family. Even the recent ones she had with her mother. She took a deep, shaky breath.

Her smile widened the closer she got, seeing Otto standing there, looking handsome as ever.

Otto held his hand out to Karla. She smiled and looked at Eren, who had tears slowly rolling down his cheeks. “I love you, my little bird. Now it’s time to fly.”

He nodded to Otto before letting go of Karla as she took the groom’s hand, taking the other hand as well. They both looked at the priest as Eren walked to his wife, taking her hand and watching the scene before them.

The priest looked at the two, giving a kind smile. He nodded to each of them as he spoke their names.

“Otto,” he nodded, turning to the bride, “And Karla,” he nodded, looking between them, “You come here voluntarily with hearts prepared, to receive each other in marriage?”

“Yes,” Otto and Karla said.

“Will you love each other, respect, and be loyal to one another until death separates you?”

“Yes,” they said again.

“Are you ready to fulfil your obligation to raise your children as true parents should?”

“Yes,” they repeated.

“Then please, exchange your vows.”

The couple nodded and took each other’s right hand.

Otto took a deep breath and looked at her hand. “I take you, Karla Jaeger, to be my wife,” he looked up to gaze into her eyes, “I promise to be loyal to you in good and bad days, in health and illness, to love and respect, until death separates us.”

Karla wiped away some tears, biting her lip as she took a breath. “I...take you, Otto Heinrich, to be my husband. I promise to be wholeheartedly loyal to you...in good and bad days, in health as well as in illness, to love and respect, until death separates us.”

The priest smiled and nodded. “You may now kiss the bride.”

Otto looked at the priest before looked at Karla, who smiled. He returned the smile before gripping her biceps gently and pulled her into a deep and passionate kiss.

Everyone clapped and cheered, excited at the beginning of a new life between these two young lovers.

Eren, as he cheered for his daughter, suddenly felt a drop hit his forehead. He touched it with his hand and brought it into view. His finger was moist. He looked up.

It started slow, but then the rain gradually increased in power. Karla couldn’t help but smile and grabbed her new husband to pull him into another kiss.

Eren looked at Annie, who was laughing as well. “That was very convenient timing on the weather’s part!” She said, grabbing Eren by the collar and kissing him.

The father pulled back, taking the time to stare at his beautiful wife in the rain, water dripping from her hair, before kissing her back.

For once in a very long time, Eren Jaeger was able to feel like the future held great things.

And he couldn’t wait to enjoy them with her.