From Marley, with Love.

Chapter 1: The Bauer Girl

Chapter One

"The Bauer girl"

"In 832 the Marleyan Millitary police were rounding up the Eldian Restorationists that had been ratted out by the young son of the movement's leader, Zeke Jaeger. And by the "Owl" a man or woman who provided the Restorationists with false or embellished theories and stories about the founder "Ymir" the creator of all Eldian life and with that the Nine Titan powers. These perpetrators and traitors to the state of Marley were tortured and taken to the island of Paradis to be executed. All possessions were taken from their houses of these criminals, these possessions were either stored in warehouses or burned. Close family of the Restorationists were also locked in prison for life or executed together with their deviated family member. Exceptions were sometimes made for distant family."

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From Mr. Karmann's war diary

Named: Crime and punishment on the continent of Marley

Joseph Bauer, the strangest man in the internment zone and one of the last Restorationistson the black list to be apprehended and thrown in jail, together with all his deviant brothers. He always had been a suspicious and secretive man even far before he joined the movement. He was a man of medium height, with a slender, athletic build and odd green eyes. He lived alone in a corner house in the backstreets of Liberio, a depressing sight. It was an old house, about 60 years old. And it showed. The crevices in the rock were like the claw marks that time had left in them. The windowsills were dark brown, made from Cedar, and moulding. The inside of the house was always dark, except for a candle that once burned on the third, top floor window.

Now, the heat of the day was over, and the streets had gone from dusty and dry like a desert to an unmovable mass of muck. Because since the evening fell, the rain had not stopped pouring. Under a piece of roofing, opposite of the old corner there were four men standing and glaring at the house. They were Military police soldiers in white uniforms and dark blue cloaks.

"Well, this really sets the mood." A soldier said cynically, he chuckled at his own remark and looked up at the weeping clouds and grey sky. "Sir, why don't we just break into the house? That would be so much quicker." Another soldier complained to the captain. "Stay put." The captain snarled. The soldier raised his eyebrows and looked questioningly at his friends. One of his older subordinates, Mister Karmann, cleared his throat audibly before looking at the house again. "It will not be long before he will be out." He said to himself, the captain raised an eyebrow and hummed in approval.

The time ticked past the midnight hour when the heavy, squeaky door to the residence opened. Bauer quickly walked out, shutting the door and locking it. He looked around feverishly, squinting his eyes, trying to see if anyone was on the streets. Then he started making his way to the main street, both of his hands were in the pockets of his brown trench coat. Just before he turned the corner, onto the main road, two pairs of strong hands grabbed him and smacked him against the corner wall. The man let out a loud pained grunt before his eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out. He bled badly from a crack in his forehead, his skull was partially bashed in by the impact of the wall. "You two, take him to the jail. And call for reinforcements. We must search the house thoroughly." The soldiers saluted their commander and dragged along the seemingly lifeless man.

"We better do a quick search. Make sure there are no refugees hiding." The captain proposed, Karmann nodded, "Yes, sir." He responded before walking to the house with the commander at his side. The two men forced the door open, pushing it through its rusting hinges. With a large thud the door fell onto the wooden floorboards, into the darkened hallway. The hallway was long and at the end of it were two doors. The door on the right went into the living room, the door on the left into the kitchen and dining room. The house was extremely clean. And completely empty. There was no furniture, no lights or gaslights or even candles. There was a cast iron stove that had been used as a source of heat, but it was stone cold. The two men quietly walked down the hallway, into the living room.