Eren POV
Kou had told them the truth.
After Eren let go of Jean, wiping away the tears that had gathered in his eyes at the sight of his friends, he expected the horseface to laugh at him for being such a whiny baby but when Eren looked up at him, he was surprised to see silver lining his eyes too.
Kou led them deeper into the mountain and gestured for them to lower their heads as they ducked under sharp stones to the opening of what turned out to be a cave, greater than one would have expected.
Lit torches threw dark shadows on the ground and underlined the fear and curiosity of the people moving in the back of it, scared by the noises at the opening of their hideout.
Eren took Mikasa's hand, squeezing it softly. She squeezed back and neither of them looked away from the rebels that threw suspicious glances at them. Eren inspected their height. Their strength.
He was shocked to detect some kids at the back of the small crowd that came to stand in front of them. All of them were clad in soft fur, warming them in the midst of the cave's low temperatures that filled every part of their small home.
"How long have they been here?", Eren asked quietly.
"Years.", Kou said, swallowing softly at the regret lacing Eren's voice. The sound of small steps prompted her attention to move onto a young girl, covered in a coat much too big for her fragile body. Her cheeks lacked the healthy fat she would have needed.
"Wer ist das, Kou? [Who is that, Kou?]", the girl inquired with a wide smile on her mouth. Eren gasped quietly in surprise and stared at the little one. Then he looked questioning over at Kou, who met his gaze with a small nod.
Eren let go of his sister's hand, who stepped back to Armin, who was watching the scene unfold with curious eyes and something akin to hope shifting on his face.
Eren knelt on one knee, one arm resting on it while he inspected the thin child. He had a thousand questions. Where the girl had come from or how she knew to speak a language she wasn't supposed to know.
"Woher kommst du? [Where do you come from?]"
The child's smile widened when she listened to the familiar language and said: "Aus einem Wald. Da haben wir gewohnt. [From a forest. That's where we lived.]" She took another step forward and reached forward until her cold hand touched his face. "Bist du ein Freund? [Are you a friend?]"
He nodded and gave her a soft smile, cradling her hand in his own.
Kou addressed the rest of the people, who were watching them with realization dawning on their features: "You were all waiting for a sign. A sign that it is our time to ambush the king and to give our kingdom the ruler it rightfully deserves!"
"Is he the one?", one of the elder men asked, almost as if he didn't dare to hope. Kou's eyes softened and waited for Eren to stand up. He rose to his feet, not letting go of the girl's hand yet.
The silence in the cave could have been grabbed by his hand. It was choking him. All the desperate hope and the longing for someone to rescue them...what if he disappointed them? What if he wasn't strong enough to face his father, no matter how strong this thing inside him might be.
It hadn't succeeded in scaring his father, even if he hadn't planned on showing it off. He still heard his father's laughter. This crazy, satisfied sound as if he had known something like that would happen. As if he knew what was inside his son.
The son he had abandoned.
Maybe he would have let him live by his side, had he known any sooner what slept underneath his skin, in his soul and heart.
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Coming for your heart
Fanfiction|| Book 1 || Eren Yaeger had to flee from his home when he was only six years old. With his mother and his adopted sister he tries to forget anything related to the King and the secrets they left behind. Many years later war comes for Eldia and Er...
