Blue and White - Levi Fanfiction

Ch. 66 - The Island of Devils

We must have read the words in Hange's letter about a hundred times each, and then a dozen times more easily, because we both could not quite believe it. I read it aloud to him once more, because how could these words possibly have been in such a sequence?

A ship on the horizon, honestly. It was strange enough to think we even had a horizon that wasn't shadowed by walls. Rather, we did have a horizon, a newly-found one in which the sapphire water went off towards unfathomable lands and met the sky seamlessly. Still, for as strange as it was to keep in mind that we had a horizon in general, it was stranger still to think that there was a ship there.

We had boats, sure. Our rivers regularly escorted passengers to and fro the districts via boats, and some fishermen even took to our lakes in small paddle boats to spend their days on the water. But for boats to be on the ocean... I mean, there were waves, and turbulent waters, and who even knew what kinds of fish lived there? Our own rivers certainly featured some real monsters of fish. In a body of water like the ocean? Goodness, I couldn't even imagine what lurked beneath those waters.

Still, Hange wouldn't lie. As our commander, we had to take Hange's word as gospel and regard her orders with just as much weight.

And our orders were as follows: get to the coast as soon as possible.

We did just as we were instructed to do, as fast as physically possible. Our horses ran as though they had wings, their strides long and purposeful, their gaits even and balanced. Though hitched to a wagon, it was as though the burden wasn't there at all, for as fast as our horses got us there. The entire time, because I was not focused on staying upright in the saddle or maintaining a steady course, I had plenty of time to worry about the implications of a boat approaching our island.

After learning the truth of our world, and our history through Grisha Yeager's books, I wasn't stupid enough to think that people just went by peacefully. We were the world's enemies, and as such, we could only believe that the boat approaching Paradis was coming with malicious intent. It could have been recon, it could have been to deliver more Titans, it could have been for a direct attack - the possibilities were endless, truly, except for one: a leisurely stroll by the island on a luxurious tour of the world.

The only breaks I got from worrying about the state of the world today came when I had to take care of Emi. Caring for her was a welcome reprieve to be sure, but it was really hard not to worry about things like the relative safety of our island and why these visitors were on the horizon when I was holding my daughter in my arms.

Still, our focus remained on the horizon before us once we left the safety of the walls and headed ever southward towards the sea. With the checkpoints set up between the shore and the walls, travel was streamlined and quicker now. We were lucky, though, that the ship seemed to be taking its time.

By the time our small family arrived, the large ship Hange mentioned was still on the horizon, but it was far closer than Hange had noted in her letter and it was assuredly getting closer by the hour. It was nothing more than a smudge against the waterline, but it was definitely there and headed our way. Hange had first been tipped off by one of her lookouts, but judging by its behavior, it was as the ship was hesitant to approach the island.

"I suspect it has something to do with the fact that we stole some Titans from them," Hange had said once we arrived, leading us through the camp with brisk strides and reading off report after report and sharing her findings.

Upon our arrival, the kids had been excited to see us, though I suspected it was Emiko that they missed most, judging by their behavior. They stole her away damn well immediately from my arms, but it was likely better off that way, because it allowed Hange the chance to catch us up on what we'd missed while we were away without them bugging us and without distractions.