GUILTY HERO

04. Guilty Hero

You and Reiner claimed a quiet spot on the hill across the bridge as yours, settling there every evening to watch the sunset as you caught up.

The past nine years had been long, and in his case very eventful, to leave you unaltered, and the first few days were spent getting familiarized with one another and the changes your personalities had undergone while apart.

It didn't take Reiner more than a couple of conversations to note that everything that had once made him so attached to you was still there.

You were the observant, assertive, sarcastic, and fierce girl that had always challenged his naive takes on the world, and to know that time had only sharpened your judgment increased his regard for you.

More appealing was the realization that you hadn't lost your soft side either—the side that had never hesitated to console him after his failures and chase away his self-doubts—the one he had to thank for granting him his wish.

The same couldn't be said about you, though, as every discussion only proved that Reiner was nothing like you remembered.

The helpless and frail young boy you'd grown to love was gone, and so was the smug Warrior he'd morphed into after inheriting the Armored. He became humble, reliable, and gracious, his presence now emanating nothing but comfort and poise.

He showed great interest in your life, your craft, and every information you had to divulge, no matter how trivial. Your negativity had always convinced you that your existence and goals were banal in comparison to his, but his undivided attention and genuine engagement, whenever you spoke, breathed a sliver of confidence into you.

It took you a while to confess that you wished to open an embroidery shop, an idea your mother and Anabella had always dismissed as ridiculous, and his earnest encouragement for you to ignore them and go after your dream was most motivating and uplifting.

Outwardly, Reiner seemed to have undergone a positive development; everything, from his comportment to his language hinted towards it. It was a growth any woman your age would have longed to witness in the man she loved since childhood. But the fact that it hadn't been natural, that it had been imposed on him by cruel circumstances, and that it was possibly just an internalized attitude in answer to all his distress and trauma made accepting and celebrating it impossible.

In return, Reiner did not relate much for the longest time. He circumvented any chance to bare his soul, only answering vaguely whenever one of his inquiries would be redirected at him.

The latest war had been fought alongside the Marley army and his comrades, so, not much interested you about it. What you were dying to learn more about, however, was his time on the island.

Your knowledge was the same as the rest of the residents of the continent: the mission had been a failure, with Marley losing three of the Titans originally sent and only the Armored returning.

You couldn't tell whether his reservations were due to lack of trust in you, apprehension of your reaction, or disgrace. But now sensible of the effects that specific period had engendered on his psychology, you abstained from pressing any further.

It wasn't till a couple of weeks had passed that you found a way to get Reiner to finally open up.

It was a normal evening; he stopped by your house after making it back from the HQ, and you set off towards the gates. On your way out, you came across the Warrior candidates.

Watching how they huddled around Reiner brought a beam to your face. It warmed your heart to see how much they loved and looked up to him, especially Gabi, and how much he cared about them in return.