The day Wall Maria fell to the Titans, soldier Arden Keiser selfishly chose to save herself. She disobeyed direct orders and abandoned her role within the Garrison Regiment, taking the life of another as she did so. She made an attempt to escape fro...
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Arden had always despised the Scout Regiment, whether it was for the taxes they consumed or their pointless expeditions, their seeming disregard for human life... Though upon arriving at the regiment's base of operations, she had only found more reasons to detest the regiment.
Despite Levi being responsible for her, Arden was immediately paired with Hange as they searched for a uniform which would fit her properly. The woman was eccentric, Arden quickly realized, and had a plethora of ways to annoy her. Somehow, every comment or insult from Arden led to Hange ranting on about one thing or another. Typically she spoke of her obsession with those man-eating beasts. Eventually, the woman offered the question Arden never wished to be asked.
"You saw the Colossal Titan, didn't you? And the Armored Titan? I've heard so many rumors, but tell me, what were they really like?"
And as Arden stood there in the woman's office, with her arm shoved awkwardly through the sleeve of a military-grade jacket, she was silenced and completely stilled by the memories which began to pull at her. The hairs across her body rose sharp, digging uncomfortably into the fabric of her clothes. Her skin began to crawl. Every emotion she could think of began to overwhelm her being. Words unknown rose within her and she nearly choked on silence, her breathing brought to a halt.
Arden wanted nothing more than to scream. She wished desperately that a way to escape would make itself known, even if it somehow meant losing the life of another comrade. She couldn't stand to stay any longer. However, there was no other choice than to remain in her newfound prison. Freedom would now only come by a Titan's jaw.
And just a few seconds after the questions was asked, Hange had already changed the topic. She seemed to sense that the wounds left by Shiganshina were still too fresh to pick at.
Arden's shoulders relaxed and she found her breath. She then shrugged on her new jacket and turned to the mirror.
Hange leaned forward, staring at their reflection, smiling excitedly at what she saw. "This jacket fits much better," she said, next pointing at the insignia stitched over Arden's heart. "I think blue and white is much better on you than red. You look like a proper soldier now, eh?"
Arden narrowed her eyes at the mirror. It stared back silently, wordlessly mocking her, as the blue and white Wings of Freedom stood bright against the dim lighting of Hange's office.
Slowly, Arden lifted a hand and brushed her fingertips over the stitching, the colors burning beneath her callouses. Arden's hand tensed, replacing the pads with her sharp, uneven nails. They skimmed over the insignia and picked at a loose thread. She took a deep breath, pushing away her urge to rip the symbol off.
The outfit was a reminder of her death sentence. Whether it was two months from now on her first expedition, or years from the present, Arden was sure that she was doomed to die pointlessly with the Scouts.
Following her time with Hange, Arden was brought to the mess hall. Soldiers stared at her as she ate, gossiping to one another about her sudden appearance in the regiment.
