The Birth of Freedom

Section Commander

RIAN

The travel to the Survey Corps headquarters had been one of the most uncomfortable trips I'd ever taken, and I had run for my life from the Titans. Just as Captain Levi had instructed, I had been ready and waiting to leave and had saddled the two horses provided for myself and Aurora. My meagre possessions had been packed into a bag and tied to my saddle alongside the wrapped box I had saved, especially for this occasion.

It was our birthday in soon, and we would be turning twenty. Usually, we would not mention it to anyone or to each other with it being so close to the day Shiganshina fell but this year was special. We were scouts now and I had been able to save my wages since the kids had enlisted and no longer needed the money to survive.

We had very little in the way of possessions, the only thing I owned was a golden ring with a hawk embossed into the metal, Grandfather had given it to me when I had 'become a man' on my 15th. I had also packed a few spare shirts and trousers Miche had given to me not long after he started to come and train us,  Aurora however had no such trinkets or possessions. It pained me to see how little she had, she literally only had the clothes on her back and the boots on her feet.

It shames me to know I only realised this during downtime with Eren, Armin and Reiner about three months ago. I had been sparring with Eren, who had turned up sporting a black eye from his training session the day before, he had refused to say who had given him the shiner but as soon as Eren wasn't looking Reiner had ratted him out.

"It was Annie" Reiner had whispered in my ear when Eren was picking his ass off the ground. I had known who Annie was, everyone knew. She was the cold little bitch with the attitude problem, and if I remembered correctly, Aurora had warned Eren not to pick fights with her, something about her eyes being dead and horror of horrors, he hadn't listened. I had decided then to teach Eren how to put up a decent fight, but as always, he was too hot-headed an after knocking him down, for the fourth time I might add, I had reached down to help him up when I caught Armin waving.

Following his line of sight, I had seen Aurora waving back in greeting, walking with Mikasa and Nova. Mikasa and Nova were dressed down in their usual shirts tucked into a long skirts combo, and Aurora was dressed in her military dress shirt and trousers, I had been about to shout out to her asking if she planned on taking some time off when it hit me that she was, she just didn't own any other clothes. I had felt deeply ashamed, I had spent so much time worrying about the kids and graduation I had forgotten that my sister had nothing and I had needed to change that.

So when he next time Miche had visited came along, I had asked him for his help. I explained about Aurora's predicament and had given him what money I had managed to save but when he had asked me what colour I had wanted, I had drawn a blank.

"Whatever you think is best, I trust your judgement." I had replied. Miche had nodded, a strangely pleased look gracing his features before he had taken his leave and upon his next visit, he had come with the box I had tied to my horse. I would have given my right arm to see the look on Miche's face when he had entered the clothing shop, but then again, he probably had Nanaba do it.

Aurora had arrived not long after me, she was wrapped in a warm brown cloak, her hair had been braided in its usual thick crown braid, she rarely wore her hair down these days. Her face had held severity that morning, knowing her, it was probably the prospect of leaving the others behind. She had changed since Shiganshina, we all had, but in this last year, some of the old Aurora had resurfaced, she was not truly happy; I don't know if she ever would be again after everything we had seen, but it was something close.

She had guided her horse out by the reigns into the early morning light where Captain Levi had been adjusting the saddle on his own mount. Nifa had already been seated on her horse beside two others whose names I had not learned but had seen before and Levi had looked over to Aurora, and I had not liked what I saw one bit.