worthy opponent ✫ annie leonhart (on hiatus)

two

Chapter two: Journey

Mara's pov:

It had been four days since the wall fell. Four days since Marley sent those Titan Shifters to destroy us. 

As me and my younger sister bundled together on one of the top branches of a tree far above the ground, we were both scared shitless. 

Titans walked by slowly, their heads focused on what was in front of them, not above. 

The scariest one that we saw though, was by far the crawler. It was probably a fifteen metre titan, in which case if it stood up right we would be caught. What scared me half to death was not the appearance - which in itself was already mortifying enough. It had bright red eyes, the colour of red heucheras, and hair like wiry crushed garnet. But no, the thing scarier than its form was the fact that it walked at night, when me and Yana walked too. It's eyes were the scariest though, the most intelligent eyes I'd ever seen on a titan, like it knew better than all the rest. 

When it passed under our tree, it thankfully didn't stand. It didn't even notice us, it just went with the rest of the titans towards Wall Rose. 

I didn't think it was a Titan Shifter, since that would mean it was either the Cart Titan or the Riveren Titan. I almost laughed at the very thought. 

Even if Lady Ymir Fritz did choose the next Riveren Titan, I doubted she'd give it to an island devil here within the walls. 

I guessed it could be the Cart Titan, but I doubted it, that would mean Marley had lost it since it wasn't travelling with the Colossal and Armoured. 

I sucked in a deep, long breath, filled with exhaustion, sorrow and rage, and pushed it back out again. 

I made sure the coast was clear before propping Yana on my hip again and climbing down the tree. 

Once on ground level, we jogged from tree to tree silently. Well, I jogged, Yana clutched onto my shoulders and buried her face in my neck, refusing to walk. 

I wasn't sure how we made it, but eventually we reached the other side of the woods. I assessed the gap between the end of these woods and the town I could see in the distance. It would most likely take around five hours to walk, but we only had six until sunrise. 

I weighed up the pros and cons of going now. On one hand, we would have made a lot of progress, and make it closer to safety within Wall Rose, but on the other, when we reached the village, it might be overrun with immobile titans, but we would get caught when they woke up. 

I damned it all to hell, we either died here or we didn't. 

I was about to take a step from the cover of the tree when I heard the voices. The voices sounded around my age probably. Four sets of footsteps, three voices, all male. 

I hid behind the tree and covered my mouth to stifle my breathing, whispering at Yana to do the same.

"-f we get caught? What then? How do we get home?" One voice asked. I knew they were talking about Marley instantly, no one but the Titan Shifters that broke the wall would be able to talk so calmly within titan territory.

"We won't get caught, Reiner. We were the ones that were chosen for a reason." The second voice reasoned. Definitely the Titan Shifters.

"I agree with Bertholdt, if we weren't good enough, they wouldn't have sent us." The third said. I licked my lips nervously as the voices approached.

"Marcel, how long do you think this mission will take?" The first boy, Reiner, asked, sighing when he was finally convinced.

"I'm not sure. The plan was to infiltrate their military right? Do you know the age we have to be to join?" The third voice stated, Marcel. I assumed he was somewhat of the moral booster amongst the group.

"No, but I guess we'll just find out when we reach the walls." The second, Bertholdt, added. 

I was extremely tempted to peek out from behind the tree and look at them, but I knew I couldn't. I stayed silent and listened to the voices retreat into the distance. 

Eventually, when I was sure they were far enough away, I slipped out from behind the tree and watched their silhouettes walk across the empty fields. 

I glared at them enviously, how I wished I could just swagger across the fields without fear of titans, or have the confidence of someone assured of their own skills. 

Sometimes, I wished my parents had never been sent to Paradise Island. My mother had told me stories of the time she worked for the Marleyan military. When she and my father had been offered a secret deal. They were to be sent to Paradise Island, collect information, collect everything there was to know about the island devils, then when the job was done, they would be brought back and rewarded immensely. For example, one of the rewards had been that their first born child, me, would be given one of the six titans under their control. 

And so my parents had accepted the deal, they had fulfilled their end of the bargain exceedingly, but Marley had not upheld their end. As soon as I had been born, instead of sending the letter saying we could return to Marley, the letter said that my parents had been useful, and they thanked them for their effort. 

After that, they had never been able to contact Marley again. 

I resented Marley for that, but also thanked them for the life they had forced my parents to submit to. 

I truly loved my life, up until the four children I watched walk away had ripped it all away from me. 

The sadness in my eyes turned to anger. 

I swore that day that I would never let them fulfil their plan to exterminate the people within the walls. I wouldn't let them exterminate the people that had loved and raised me. 

I would avenge my parents and make them truly proud of me. I would make sure Marley never came near Paradise Island ever again. 

That was what I swore to myself as I stood under the cloudless sky, Yana propped up on my hip, completely oblivious. 

I swore it on the stars and the moon. I promised it to Lady Ymir Fritz even though she would never hear it. I promised I would protect what she had built. After all, she had created the walls for a reason, whatever it may have been.