Their Embrace (AOT fanfic)

Chapter 16

Just for you.... you know who you are.

     Preparing for a mission was like a ritual, to Chrysanthe at least. She sharpened all of her blades, cleaned out and replaced her gear, packed her rations and clothes into a singular pack. Once everything was set she approached the bathroom, turning on the water for a bath swiftly. As she waited for the water to fill the tub, she undressed and loosened the wrap on her bandage. Her arm had been healing swiftly, and she knew the stitches needed to come out soon.

     Deciding to not wait for it to fully heal, she started on pulling the stitches out. Once all of them had been placed in the trash she glanced into the mirror. Her body was beyond mutilated, her soulmate marks barely recognizable unless you looked closely. She shook her head, walked to the bathtub, and soaked until the stars had risen through the window.

     Drying off quickly the woman placed on her night clothes and laid down. Her mind was unwilling to sleep but her body was tired. Planning for 5 days had pulled her body into a deep, dreamless sleep.

     Waking with the sun had been ingrained into the very bones of her body. So waking before everyone in the palace was normal for the woman. She dressed in her combat gear, walking to the stables once everything in the room had been packed into its rightful place. Her blades were nestled tightly against her body in various places, the ODM gear strapped on tightly, and her hair braided.

     Arriving at the stables, Chrysanthe grabbed her horse, a beautiful stallion, and rode off to HQ. She hoped to meet Erwin there, then head to the wall ahead of the regiment. Chrysanthe wanted to clear out the area a bit before everyone left the safety of the walls. Seeing HQ in the distance, she sped up.

     Upon her arrival, Chrysanthe noticed two things. One, she was not the only one awake. Two, it seemed as if everyone was already ready to go. The woman made her way, on her horse, towards Erwin. Erwin glanced over his shoulder, spotted the woman, and waved her over.

     "I see you and I think alike. Ready to head for the gates?" Chrysanthe nodded her head, and started towards the gates at a gallop. Erwin turned his head for a second to alert his troops that they were moving out. He turned his head back only to see the woman's outline in the distance. He sighed and motioned for everyone to follow him.

     Chrysanthe had reached the gate quickly, whereas the rest of the army was still behind her. Letting her horse go stand by the gate, she climbed the wall swiftly. Standing atop of the wall made her feel weightless. The rest of the world was beyond these walls, but her entire world was beneath the rest. She cast her gaze to the floor below her, seeing a few titans here and there. Deciding she could handle this herself, she leapt over the wall.

     All of the Scouts watched in amazement as the woman climbed the wall faster than the human eye. They were amazed, but the moment she leaned over a tension rose in the soldiers.

     "Worry not. That brat can take care of herself. And if not, we will be there shortly." Levi cut the tension easily, causing the Scouts to calm down. Though he knew she could take care of herself, he worried for her. Hence the speed change. Hanje followed after Levi, feeling the same way. She worried for Chrysanthe, but knew she was safe.

     "Levi. I don't like not having her in my sights. It's dangerous out there and she's never fought titans before." Hanje voiced her concerns, hoping Levi would speed up.

     On the other hand Chrysanthe was having the time of her life. The rush of killing such monumental creatures gave her this rush of adrenaline. The blood flying everywhere brought her true satisfaction, and pleasure. Once every titan within 150 meters of the gate had been cleared she climbed back up the wall, only to find the squad leaders, and the commander waiting for her.

     "I understand that I am not your commander, but I would like to ask you one thing. Please don't go putting yourself into dangerous situations when there is no available back up. I understand you know your limits, but I also know that you have no limits. You were trained not to have any, but I don't want you to find that limit by yourself out here."

     "That's a fair request. I'll take it into consideration next time." Chrysanthe turned around leaping off the wall once again, speedily falling until she caught herself before landing on her horse. She could feel the eyes of soldiers on her and the blood that stained her skin, but she could care less. She pushed her horse to the front, riding next to the commander.

     "So, what's the plan? Straight ahead until we reach Shiganshina, or is there some cool plan involved?" Chrysanthe questioned the commander.

     "Ride quietly during this first day until we reach a forest. Once there we are going to set up camp for the night and next day. By tomorrow night we are going to be riding full speed for the hole. And we will do so for four days." The woman nodded her head and glanced backwards at the different squads. Finding Goldilocks was easy, so she turned her horse towards his direction.

     "Goldie. How's your day been so far?" Armin looked at her surprised as he was still half asleep.

     "Good morning Chryse. It's been good, I'm just tired." Chrysanthe hummed, acknowledging the man.

     "So he gets a good morning, but not us?" Chrysanthe looked towards Eren and Mikasa, a small smirk gracing her lips.

     "Sorry lover boy. I didn't see you, because you blend. No offence, but he sticks out solely for the gold hair. Anyways, good morning lover boy, Mikasa."

     "Good morning."

     "Morning Chrysanthe."

     The chit chat continued all throughout the day. Chrysanthe learned new things about the members in Levi's squad that day. For example, Sasha once stole meat from the officer's office. That made her laugh hysterically for meat had never been an issue for her. Achilles always made sure she was well fed and trained. It made her realize that she lived a good life with Achilles, but he also wasn't treating her like a human being. She was his weapon, and she was realizing that maybe that wasn't such a great thing. She had been missing out on all of the emotions that the people around her had felt. At the same time though, she owed her life to Achilles, and she was his ward.

     'These types of thoughts are what destroy weapons. I need to distance myself.'

     Chrysanthe excused herself abruptly, breaking the current line of conversation. Something about a potato and the previous commander. She rode back to the front where no conversations were being held. She found herself next to Erwin once again, but with Hanje on her other side. Levi's squad all glanced at one another with curiosity. What had they mentioned that pushed her away.

     "You seemed to have a lot of faith in your skills." Hanje hoped to start a conversation with who she hoped to be her third and final soulmate. She could feel the pull, but wouldn't act upon the tug.

     "I was trained by one of the most notorious leaders of the underground. My skills are above all, so I need not have faith." Chrysanthe was curt.

     "How long have you been training?"

     "Since I was 4. My training was complete at the age of 24." Hanje choked on air. She was shocked.

     "Any more questions, or has your curiosity been satisfied?"

     "I've got one, but it can wait for a different time." Chrysanthe hummed in agreement. She was getting fed up.

     Her plan had been simple but complicated. She needed to get her soulmates alone with her. If she could kill them at the same time and place, it would make it easier for her to escape. She just needed to get close to them. That meant playing nice with Levi and Hanje. Which means she'd have to open up to her soulmates. Lying isn't a viable option as Levi saw right through it, but with Hanje it might be easier. Only time would tell.

     "Soulmates bring emotions. Emotions make you weak." Achilles' voice rang in the back of her mind.

     'No emotions.'