The Love We Give

Flashback 03 - When We First Met

Flashback 3 takes place some days after chapter 11, "Arrival" and I'm excited to show a bit more about Sira's potential, about her heart, and the way she grows, too.
The time has also come to introduce another main character in this story: Reiner. In this chapter, you get to read about the beginnings of his and Sira's relation. Well all know who Reiner really is and what will happen later on - and I promise the pain is going to hurt so so good. :,) For the sake of not wanting to make things feel weird, I decided that Reiner is three years older than he canonically is, which gives the two of them an age difference of 7 years. Honestly, it doesn't really change anything else for him or the story.
For everyone worrying now about Hange and Sira: DON'T! Never in their lives would one of them cheat on the other, I promise!

Song recommendation for this chapter:
"Attack on D" by Hiroyuki Sawano

"Who is that woman standing with Keith Shadis?"

"I've seen her on the training grounds for some days..."

"She's from the Scouting Legion, isn't she? Look at her jacket."

"I heard her name is Smith, just like Commander Erwin!"

"She's his sister, didn't you know that, idiot?!"

"I heard she got promoted recently."

"Didn't she serve under Keith Shadis, too, back when he was still the Commander?"

"Yeah, she has been in the Survey Corps for many years now..."

"One of the few long-living Scouts, huh?"

Whispers and chatting filled the crowd of cadets this morning, as they stood on the training fields in groups. Of course, many of them had made notice of Sira's arrival some days ago and some of them knew enough about the Survey Corps to know her, too. After all, being the sister to the infamous Erwin Smith had meant getting recognised by others for some years now.

Not too many of the things that were said actually made their way to Sira herself, as she was still quite a distance away from the group of... well, kids. That's what she still thought they were. Although almost finished with their trainings, to her, they were kids. And when she stood on the training grounds on this day, she asked herself, if someone, anyone, had ever looked at her like this. Back then, when she was just a child, too, standing there and training for something that should be unimaginable for children to think about. Training to go into a fight no child should ever be sent in to.

"I reckon some of them will bore you with questions afterwards, Smith.", Keith Shadis said to her, a rumbling laugh coming from him, as he looked over Sira's shoulder. Some of the cadets noticing this immediately turned their faces away from him. Sira couldn't help but to smile silently; in the end, even here Shadis wasn't only respected, but also feared, just like he was back then, as her Commander. His voice pulled her back from her thoughts, as she followed Shadis' eyes now, taking a glance towards all these cadets.

"I really thought I had left the training grounds behind for good, when I last saw them.", she now said at the bald man in front of her, readjusting her brown jacket that held the Wings of Freedom embroidered on her back.

"Not much has changed over here, I'll guess. You will do just fine. How many years has it been for you? Nine? Ten?", Shadis asked her with a smirk, throwing aside a clipboard with various notes and scribbles.

"Almost thirteen.", she answered, in disbelief about this fact herself. Almost thirteen years, since she had stood in line with her brother and Nile. With seven other cadets, who had made it into the Top 10, just like herself. Sira remembered this night, the night of the ceremony. She didn't know where exactly these memories came from all of a sudden, but they were there, bright and clear. She remembered how the sun settled on a hot summer day, nestled between the hills of the training grounds, until she couldn't see it anymore. She remembered standing between the many cadets of her class, up until her name was called and she stepped forward, claiming her space for making 6th place in the front line.