𝔇𝔢𝔣𝔦𝔞𝔫𝔠𝔢 (𝔏𝔢𝔳𝔦 𝔵 ℜ𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔢𝔯)

C - Times Like These

Or maybe it was the fact that someone saw my masked self without sighting Levi and drew it rather accurately for the newspaper, the headlines dubbing me the Ghost of Sina. 

***

~Six weeks later, the day prior to the commencement of the Retake Of Maria~

The meadow was surprisingly vibrant for this particular time of winter. 

Hushed colours ranging from the lightest yellows to the saddest of blues springing out from between green sprigs of grass. The clouds hung low, though not thick enough to hold so much moisture it would fall to the earth in the form of rain. It was a chilly morning, to say the least. Leaves at the ends of branches, sticks and twigs all donned the thinnest layer of morning frost, the sun above beaming down on the floral ground before me, soil damp with morning dew. 

And the grave I sat beside had the brightest flowers of them all. 

It had been a while since I had visited Sam, his final resting place only having been granted the presence of nature recently. Not too long from now we would all be riding for Trost, where we would all advance through the barren lands of Maria and hope we had the strength, the skill and the manpower to retake what was stolen from us. This visit to the grave could be a final one, given I didn't make it back from the expedition. So with a knot in my stomach and the thought of not seeing the safer part of the walls again prying through my mind, I decided to visit Sam for what could be the last time. 

"The Ghost of Sina," I murmur, back leaning against the large rock that was now a headstone for a late friend. Eyes wandering aimlessly over the trees that swayed peacefully in the light, barely noticeable breeze. My fingers fiddled with the gems of the bracelet that wrapped around my wrist, the small stone in the form of the Scouts wings. "Such a silly alias, don't you think?" Silence, as expected. It was rather lonely out here. Secluded, quiet, liberating. If he really were here, he would've loved this spot. 

"It has a ring to it, no doubt, but I feel it's a bit cheesy." I let out a light chuckle. "You would've hated the thought of me going down there again. A place like that would have likely given you a heart attack." Leaning my head back on the rock, my eyes travel the cloudy sky, gifted with the light of day. It was too quiet. No cicadas, no birds, nothing. Just the light jingle of the thin chain links clinking against each other as my fingers worked around the bracelet. 

"A very serious expedition is happening tomorrow," I murmur, closing my eyes. "I might not come back. None of us might not come back. All we can do is hope for the best, there's so many things I still want to do. With the boys, with my brother and his family, Hange and Levi." I huff at myself, rolling my eyes as they reopened once again. "Listen to me speaking as though I most certainly won't be coming back tomorrow." Along the tree line the shadows danced, the chill of the winter morning nipping at my cheeks. From within those dancing shadows a figure emerged, a black knitted turtle neck sweater paired with a black trench coat, black trousers and dress shoes, Levi walked into the sun and laid his eyes on me. 

"Yeah," I voice, hand moving to weave my fingers along the grass that sat atop Sam's grave. "Yeah, I most definitely will make it back from the expedition tomorrow." I murmur, watching as the raven walked towards me, his hands tucking themselves away into the pockets of his coat. His eyes wandered over the landscape that surrounded us, posture strong and confident, and then his gaze set itself on me again. He looked down at me wordlessly, an unforgivingly cold breeze making me shrink back into my own jacket. His lips twitched as his hand reached down, awaiting my own to meet his. 

"We're going soon, come on," he voiced softly. I quickly ran my fingers along the name that was etched into the rock before stretching my hand out towards Levi's, his skin comfortably warm as he pulled me up. Without detaching his hand from mine, he laced our fingers together and pulled my hand into his pocket just like he did back in Karanes when I showed him the lights.