𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐀 | 𝐋. 𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐍

𝐈𝐈𝐈.𝐈𝐈

❝𝑵𝒐 𝒒𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚 - 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒏!❞
— 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲

꧁꧂

THE MORNING THAT followed in no way held any resemblance to the night of partying and feasting that had taken place before. As soon as the night had given way to day, the first bowls of porridge were being scooped into bowls, and the supply teams were loading wooden crates packed with rations and medical supplies into wagons. Squad leaders rounded in their subordinates for pre-expedition huddles, holding copies of the formation map, and equine veterinarians raced up and down the stables in a frenzy. An exhilarating, sort of dizzying brio hummed in the air of the Trost barracks, a first for the Scout Regiment in years.

When the sun had fallen behind the Wall, the Scouts left the barracks, making their way to Trost's exterior gate in a procession led by Commander Erwin and the Section Commanders. It seemed like all of Trost had come out to see them. Children shoved their round, smiling faces between the balusters of balcony railings, and teenagers hollered at them from the rooftops of the local taverns. Women bounced their infants up and down in their arms as they tried to sneak a glance at them from the doorways of their homes.

"Weren't they all cursing our names two months ago?" Valen asked Levi, squeezed in between him and Hange. By now, the Scout Regiment was standing at the top of Wall Rose, waiting for the logistics team to ferry the horses and supplies down the northern face of the Wall.

"In all fairness, they've been cursing our names for years," Levi answered evenly. Even from fifty meters above, the cheering and clapping from the civilians were splitting her eardrums apart. If it was loud from the top of the Wall, Valen did not even want to imagine what the commotion sounded like down there.

Suddenly, Erwin raised an arm and roared, startling the Scouts around him so much that some had jumped back in surprise. The crowd resounded his conviction, thousands of arms sweeping to the sky, crying out.

Valen swiveled to Levi, expecting to see his face drawn in the normal, uninterested expression she'd grown used to, only to find he was just as taken aback as she was. His lips had parted in questioning, and his gray eyes had rounded—that was all Valen needed to see that the Commander did not usually shriek like one of Wall Sina's coderoin junkies when the Scout Regiment departed for expeditions.

After an undetermined period of hooting and hollering, the Scout Regiment took the lifts and mounted their horses, venturing into the Titan-infested lands of Wall Maria.

Hours later, Wall Rose was far behind. Night had fallen, the sky an unending indigo canvas, twinkling stars scattered around as if a godly hand had sprinkled them themselves. The Scout Regiment was now traversing the southern woodlands of Wall Maria, moving along a winding gravel trail that weaved through the woods like an enormous snake. It was once a popular trading route for well-to-do merchants, as they found its width and even paving ideal for their wagons; it had also been a major hub for Wall Maria's criminals, particularly traffickers. Now the trail only served as a reminder of what had been. Weeds had begun to make themselves known, spurting through the rocks, and the grass on the side had begun to creep in, eating away at the path.