Wings and Hammers

Epilogue: Aftermath

The mission was far from being successful; numerous lives were lost, in both human and equine count. Among some notable achievements were the acquisition of Bertholdt's Colossal Titan by Armin, the retrieval of the information that had been stowed away in the Jaeger household's basement, retainment of both the Attack and War Hammer Titans, and the survival of at least the new recruits, Levi's squad, Erwin and Hange.

Levi hadn't been able to kill the Beast Titan's holder, the quadraped had appeared out of nowhere to scoop him and flee. Aura's Titan tried to block their route, but they found a way and ran to the wall and scaled it. On the other side, they rescued Reiner as well and left the scene with two heavily injured allies.

When Erwin pulled his wife from the nape of her Titan, she came out with an arrogant smile. "I told you to stay put, didn't I?" He enquired, and her smile broadened into a grin, "you're gonna make the little one a rebel, huh?" He dropped his face on hers and kissed her.
"I love you too," she said, when he released her, smiling still.

"Soldiers," he stood up, and took his cloak off his back, "I want you to rush to Captain Levi's aid," he said, pointing towards the direction his comrade had flown to. "You take orders from Commander Hange Zoe now."
"Yes, Sir," they cried in unison, and turned their horses towards the wall.

"Aren't we going?" Aura asked, leaping off of her Titan carcass with Erwin, "we still have to look at the basement."

"No," he returned, "you've told me everything I needed to know. Whatever this basement must have, is just proof of it that the Scouts can use in the future. I just want to go home now. With you. I trust the others to guide the Scouts well. And I just retired. Why would they let me in on classified information anymore? Let's just go home. I want to spend the rest of our time together taking care of you."

Aura smiled and cupped his face in her hands. "Love, we can't go back during the day. The mindless Titans would eat us up." Erwin chuckled, realizing that in the excitement of starting this new phase of his life, he had forgotten all about them. They spoke briefly about it, and decided to stay on top of the wall until nightfall, after which they'd return the same way they came.

Before the hour was up, the surviving Survey Corps returned to the inner wall to meet their retired Commander one last time. Armin was unconscious, having received the Colossal's powers, and was laid down to rest. Hange, as her friends noted, had lost one eye, Moblit and her entire squad in the Colossal Titan's blast. "Did you guys go to the basement yet?" Aura asked, stirred.

"Not yet," Captain Levi answered, looking at Erwin, "we were wondering if.. you'd like to come with." The one addressed simply shook his head while his wife explained their plans to her best friend.

They kept their word. While the rest of them looked into the basement's contents and even journeyed to what Reiko Braun's voice and Grisha's journal referred to as the sea, the couple spent a peaceful day atop wall Maria and returned home by next morning. Dr. Sherridan was the first to welcome them, although her face contorted with fear when she saw just Erwin and Aura. A quick explanation about Levi's whereabouts brought her instant peace.

They packed their things and moved out within a week, and into their new home in Ehrmich. As planned, she opened up a chamber at the house, and he enrolled at a nearby school to teach history. Before the year was up, they welcomed home their little bundle of joy, their daughter. The baby had dark hair like her mother and bright blue eyes like her father. They named her Beatrice, a name suggested by her godparents Levi and Sherridan.

For four years, they lived the life of a normal, happy family, trying to forget the inevitable. Taking Reiko's advice, Aura had stopped paying attention to the voices of her ancestors and soon she stopped hearing from them.

Erwin had made sure to use the ointment that his wife had worked so hard on preparing, for as long as it worked. And it did. For a while. It took almost two years but his arm extended up to his elbow, and then no more. Aura and her scientist friends came to the conclusion that the Titan fluid, in its benign form, was not potent enough to build a different structure altogether. It could grow the humerus and bicep and triceps, but it could not create the radius, ulna and associated muscles anymore.

On Betty's fourth birthday, Hange visited them and begged for the War Hammer Titan's assistance on their mission in Marley. Initially, Erwin disapproved of it, but soon gave in when Aura persisted in her wish to support the cause and argued that they may be seen as traitors if she was reluctant to help.
He promised to fill in her spot for their daughter, and she promised him to come back alive no matter what. And she did.

But soon, she got caught up in all the Rumbling mess, and was stuck in the Paths for some time before she could return. She had to become acquainted with Zeke, Reiner, Pieck and Porco, the holders of the Beast, Armored, Cart and Jaw Titans respectively, and she hated every second of these interactions.

Finally, luck rained on them when the curse of Ymir got lifted, and she was no more a Titan shifter. No more scared of having to leave Erwin and Beatrice behind, no more fearful of death approaching quickly and inevitably.

The first thing she did when she returned home, other than picking her ever-growing daughter up and kissing her beautiful husband, was to smoke a cigarette and enjoy it. And she never touched another one again.

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