From Marley, with Love.

Chapter 18: The inevitable choice

The Inevitable Choice

It was two weeks after Rosanna's 16thbirthday, as usual she and Zeke had split up during the training of the new cadets. Rosanna steadily marched on through the underbrush, Pieck, Berthold and Reiner following behind. It was their stamina and agility training over a difficult terrain. There was a multitude of streams, boulders and plateau's that Rosanna had mapped out and memorized. She stepped onto a slippery tree root, caught herself with her hands and pushed herself back to run forward. "You alright, miss?" Pieck asked who had caught up to her, "Yeah, I am okay." Rosanna answered, wiping her hands off on her uniform. "Are you doing okay?" Rosanna asked. Pieck nodded, "Good." Rosanna said curtly and ran onward. "We're nearing a creek we need to jump, keep your eyes peeled." She ordered her students, "Yes, Ma'am." The kids responded. Rosanna carefully ran ahead of the kids, looking around the environment, looking out for possible danger.

She jumped when she heard a loud thump behind her, followed by a squeaky cry. She whipped around, Pieck who had been on her heels as she ran, bumped into her and stumbled backwards. Rosanna caught the girl by her wrists before she could trip onto one of the nastily edged tree roots. Then she ran off to find Reiner who had gotten his foot stuck under a shot up root. He was wailing and holding his badly sprained ankle, "Hey, kid... deep breaths." Rosanna said, she kneeled down next to the boy and inspected the root he had gotten stuck under. Rosanna grasped the thinnest part of the tree root and pulled, in the earth she heard the cracking and popping of the forks on the root. Huffing and puffing Rosanna pulled out the first part of the root, now the tension on the obstacle had lessened. She encouraged Reiner to suck in his tears for just a little so he could help her lift the other side of the root. With collected strength, the two ripped the tree out of the ground, freeing the poor captive who immediately grabbed at his ankle, which had already started swelling and colored a deep reed. Rosanna jumped and collected the other children, "Listen, run along to the top of the big rock, tell Yeager I'll be up soon with Braun." She turned to Berthold, "Bert, you and I made the map, try and remember the paths we planned out to take." Then she turned to Pieck, "keep Berthold calm and focused, Pieck. He needs a shoulder to lean on." The two younger kids nodded hesitantly, Pieck continued up the hill while Berthold hesitantly looked at Reiner, he looked shaken up about the pain his friend was in. but eventually, he turned around and ran off, catching up with Pieck.

"You know... you don't have to carry me..." Reiner said as he sat on Rosanna's shoulders. "I can walk fine." Rosanna sighed; the boy had been repeating this sentence for the whole time she had carried him. "If I let you walk, we would take until night to get to the top of big rock." Rosanna explained, Reiner growled irritated and started wriggling and kicking to get out of the teen's grip. "H-hey! Chill!" Rosanna berated the boy as he kicked her side, she winced and dropped the boy. The two glared at each other, Reiner in clear distress with tears in his eyes and Rosanna looking annoyed while she rubbed her painfully bruised side. "I-I am sorry, miss Bauer. If you help me... I will never become a warrior..." he sniffled loudly. "I must, for our nation..." he paused, tears now streaming down his cheeks. "And my mother..." Rosanna kneeled down in front of the boy, not knowing what to say. She nervously wriggled her hands, "Reiner... please don't sacrifice yourself for another person... it will not be worth it." She stood up towering over the boy. "What do "Normal" people matter?!" Rosanna started, Reiner looked up at her, a questioning expression on his face. "They sit at home, they work their simple jobs, have their children and wait for us to return home in one piece. And if we don't?" she shrugged; her attitude become indifferent. "Well, they will live off our honor we gave them..." she bit back a pout, "We will miss them very much... they say as they continue living their luxuries lives, while we rot away underground or let go off our last dying breath..." she smacked herself in the chest, right above her heart. "They will never understand us, Reiner, they never have..." Reiner stared up at Rosanna as tears started to roll down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away and her eyes glazed over, "let's go, kid." She said, her voice sounding monotone and choked up.