Unwanted Power: An Armin Arlert Love Story

1. 104th Training Corps

The 104th training corps had trained together for a year already. Most knew each other and deserters had already left. So, when Armin saw a new face, he was surprised.

Armin was in cleaning dishes duty that night, so he left the kitchen a little bit late. He noticed a new carriage and a girl looking around a bit lost. She was not wearing a uniform, she wore a long elegant dress instead, so her presence confused him even more.

He would have noticed her if she had been there from the start, her wavy red hair would be hard to miss. He saw chief Keith approaching her and exchanging some words Armin couldn't hear. She moved her hair behind her ear and Armin noticed the jewelry in her ears, he thought she must have been someone rich, maybe from the capital, maybe a commander's daughter. She gave chief Keith a letter, he grabbed her bigger suitcase and they then walked somewhere.

When she turned to get the smaller suitcase, she caught Armin's eyes and he froze. Her eyes sparkling and full of innocence, he had never seen someone with such a soft look since he was a kid, since before his hometown was attacked. After he and his friends became refugees and then soldiers, he was used to strong stares, even disgusted ones. But the way she was looking at him, it was curiosity and warmth. She offered him a quick small smile that knocked the air out of his lungs before following chief Keith. It wasn't until she left his sight that Armin realized he was gaping.

"Armin." He heard his name being called, snapping him out of his thoughts. It was his best friend, Eren, calling him as he came out from the kitchen. "What are you staring at?" Armin looked to Eren and then back just to notice the mysterious girl had disappeared from his view.

"I... uh... there was a girl." Armin said.

"Are you daydreaming about someone?" Eren asked with a confused frown, Armin blushed in embarrassment.

"No, a real girl, Eren. She came from that carriage."

"Really? Who?"

"I hadn't seen her before. But she wore elegant clothes and jewelry and had a letter for the commandant." Armin explained. That peaked Eren's curiosity.

"His daughter or family?" Eren asked.

"Not likely, they had a rather cold interaction." Armin thought.

"Could she be someone else's family?" Eren asked.

"Maybe..." Armin kept looking at the spot she had disappeared into. Eren smirked.

"Was she pretty?" Eren asked.

"What kind of question is that?" Armin asked blushing madly.

"Hey, it's a fair question, you keep staring at nothing. It's clear you are interested." Eren said with a shrug.

"It's just that I had never seen anyone like her." Armin said. It was true, red hair was not common, but she also looked extremely elegant. He and his friends barely saw people in nice clothing, much less with jewelry, even before the fall of Wall Maria. She also walked differently, her back always straight and proper. People like that usually didn't spare a second glance to refugees or anyone with a lower social status than them, but when she turned to him, she smiled kindly. It made Armin wonder what she would be like, he wondered if he could somehow talk to her, he wished he could see her again.

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Mikasa was laying in her bed, waiting for the time of lights to be out while some girls chatted a bit. She was not usually one to chat, but she liked to listen. A knock was then heard and all stood up to receive whoever came in. It was Commandant Keith with a girl they hadn't seen before.

"At ease, ladies." He said. "This is Lexie Reiss, she will be joining the 104th Training Corps as of today. Reiss, you will bunk with Mikasa Ackerman. Ackerman."