The Blossoming

Chapter 1

Birds flew lazily overhead, every wing beat no harder than they needed to avoid plummeting to the ground. There were puffy clouds and soft blue skies. It made the world seem so small. It made the Walls seem so small. It made me wonder about that vile word; beyond. For the first day in my life, I questioned my existence. My worth. My life. All because the Colossal Titan came, teaching me not to fear, but to be brave.

I was on patrol that day, lazily wandering from post to post as I held onto Toby's hand, the sun glowing onto his fiery hair in a halo. The bright crimson shade matched the Garrison rose sewn onto both of our chests, only making him seem all the more evangelical. It suited him so well. He was made for this job. To protect the Wall. To keep the peace. To lace our finger together and walk with me even when I had no destination. He was so good to me; that's why when he proposed, 'no' wasn't even an option. I took to examining his face for any signs of remorse or doubt, but when he caught me staring intently at his eyebrows, he squeezed my hand and turned to me.

"What's wrong, Zuri?" He chuckled, slowing his pace as my grip on his hand loosened. Eyes still stuck on his eyebrows, I was all too aware of them furrowing into a position that could only be fear when I didn't answer right away. He was only twenty three but I could see the worry lines he would have when he was older. "Zuri? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Chirping, I pecked a small kiss on his cheek as he let out a pleased, rumbling sort of sound. No sooner than my lips left his face, he dropped my hand and instead took to picking me up bridal style as I let out a small squeal. "Tobias!" I could feel blush blooming over the fact he was making such a public display of affection while in uniform. When we wore them, we were soldiers over lovers. "What are you doing? Somebody is going to see!"

"Nobody pays attention to the Wall." He purred, burrowing his face into my neck. "If they interrupt I can just say I'm rehearsing for our honeymoon."

"T-Toby!"

"Just listen." He hushed me, starting to walk intently towards the edge of the Wall so we were overlooking it. Shiganshina was a beautiful district. There were rolling emerald pastures dotted with sheep or cattle, even horses running happily in fenced areas so large that they wouldn't feel encaged. The loose, fruitful fields of corn and grain dipped and swayed in the light breeze like heavy ripples on a pond of vegetation. Even the town itself had a sort of happy buzz to it, like every person inside was being hugged by the outdoors. I loved it so much more than the inner cities. Here, things were peaceful. Toby and I had often pondered about moving just inside Wall Maria, looking to start a family in one of the more rural areas. I may be nothing more than a skilled foot soldier, but Toby was a Garrison squad leader. He promised me that we could buy a house together and that he'd work hard enough so I could quit the guard and start a shop of my own creations. Sure, the thrill of skirting the Walls and peeking at Titans was fantastic, but I could do so much more than be just another soldier. Creating and fixing things was my passion. If I could take off my uniform and hang it up, I would love nothing more.

"Do you see that house down there?" Toby nodded his head downwards. "The one standing a little bit outside the town but not quite alone?"

"Yeah?" I raised an eyebrow and cast my gaze back at him.

"One of the men in my squad's aunt owns it. She's planning on moving to the inner Wall because she needs almost constant care, so it's for sale and..."

"Toby!" The grin on my face couldn't be restrained.

"I made an offer that she accepted. She said we can start moving in at sunset, but I just wanted to make sure that it was everything you'd every wa-"