The following morning, the captains and I agreed that we should explore the ruins of wall Maria, in hopes of potentially finding a way to recapture the land. I was with Erwin now, a map spread out on the table in front of us. "We know that the cavity in the wall is here," I said, pointing to the gateway drawn on the map. Erwin nodded in response. "So our best bet would be to travel along this route," he added, running a finger along a clear path, connecting our current location to the broken gate. "Yeah," I said, studying the map. "Our best bet," I muttered under my breath so that only I could hear it.
We prepared our horses, and later that day, the newly graduated cadets, along with members of the Garrisons, watched as we made our way down the street. The gates began to open, as the crowd followed us in awe. A few shouts could be heard, calling out each captain. I could hear the excitement coming from Hanji behind me, as I rode next to Erwin. The gates opened completely, and we picked up speed as we exited the safety of Wall Rose, and entered the titan infested land of Wall Maria. I glanced left and right at the now demolished buildings, where civilization once flourished. I refocused my gaze forward, as we quickly came up on two 10-meter class. "Right off the bat too," I said, as Erwin shouted the command for us to break formation. I moved left, before swiftly jumping off my horse, and onto the roof of a broken building. I looked down as she instinctively moved with the wagons, which were stationed farther back. I turned my attention forward, readying my blades. I ran along the rooftops, before jumping onto the next one. more titan drew closer to us, and I pulled the trigger, flying through the air. I swung around, slicing the titan's nape, and continued onward. A crash sounded behind me, as the titan fell to the ground. The smoke and dirt caught up with me, swirling around me as I continued to fly through the air. I looked over to see a soldier in the mouth of titan. He raised his upper torso, saying something, before stabbing the titan. I stopped, and watched as Levi came in and killed the titan, who let go of the wounded soldier. I looked behind me, seeing an 8-meter. I flew by, locking my 3DMG into place. I sliced the nape of it's neck, landing sideways on the building my gears was originally attached to. I flew back over to were Petra was currently trying to tend to the soldier who had been bitten by the titan earlier. I grimaced, finally seeing who it was. He was one of the stronger members of my team. "Carlos," I muttered out, walking closer to him. Petra looked up at me with tears in her eyes. she had a gauze pressed to his stomach, and I looked down at him. "Captain..." he said, looking to the left. Petra and I followed his gaze too see Levi. He knelt down next to him, and I lowered my gaze, turning around. "was I...useful to mankind?" Carlos asked in a weak voice. I began walking away. I clenched my fist as I heard Levi reassuring him. "Captain...(Y/N)?" I stopped, and looked back at Carlos, Petra, and Levi. "You have a strong will, and you will die in anything but vain," I said solemnly. Carlos gave me a nod, a small smile was traced on his lips, as he lowered his head, and closed his eyes for the last time. I closed my eyes, loosening my fist. Horses sounded, and I looked up to see Erwin and some other men as they neared us. "Levi, (Y/N), we're going back," Erwin said, as Levi and Petra stood up. I gave him a confused look. "Why? We haven't completed what we originally set out to do," I said, as the rest of my team rode up behind Erwin's squad. "Did my men die in vain?" Levi asked, and Erwin shook his head. "The titans have started heading towards the city. It's just like five years ago," he said, and we all gave him a shocked look. "Could they have broken the wall?" I asked, as someone rode over, pulling out horses' reigns, leading them over to us. I pulled myself onto Midnight, as Petra and Levi got on their horses as well. "Let's go," Erwin said, turning around, and we followed behind him. I glanced over as Levi put Carlos's patch in his pocket. I returned my gaze forward, as we gathered all of our remaining members, before heading back to Wall Rose.
We quickly made it back, and to the top of the wall. "Pixis. What happened?" Erwin asked in a bit of a panic, as we all ran over to him. "We need reinforcements near the gate. I'll explain later," Pixis said, and we all nodded in agreement. We flew over, killing titans from every direction. Then, I saw it. The gate to Trost had been opened. But, it appeared to be plugged, at least temporarily, with a bolder. A decaying titan was next to it, along with 3 cadets from the 104th training squad. Levi and I ran in, as two 8-meter classes were closing in on the three. I sliced one in the nape, and Levi did the same with the other. We both landed on the titans' backs, before looking down at the cadets. I recognized one of them. Mikasa, a cadet who had been noted multiple times to us for her extreme skill, and overall performance. I heard Levi hiss slightly, and I turned to him. He was standing fine, but when I looked down, I could tell that he had injured his leg badly. "Levi?" I said, and he glared at me. I returned the stare, before hopping down to the three cadets. "What happened here?" I asked strictly, as one with blonde hair held onto another, looking at me with scared blue eyes. HIs little friend had brown hair and teal eyes, and looked fatigued. I turned to Mikasa. "Can you three make it back to the wall?" I asked, and she gave me a not. "Yes," she said, before standing up. "Good," I replied, before walking back to Levi. I pulled him off the steaming corpses, and to a building. I sat him down, before pulling his boot off. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked, obviously upset. I glared at him. "Seeing how badly you fucked up your leg," I replied, returning my focus to his leg. I pressed down on his shin bone, and he hissed in pain. "Hmm. You probably fractured it," I said, standing up. "Okay," he said, standing himself up, before cringing in pain. He leaned against the wall, and I looked down either end of the street, making sure we were clear of any titans. "Take off your gear. I'm going to have to carry you back," I said in a reluctant tone, looking back at Levi. He looked at me as if I was insane. "What did you say?" he asked, and I crossed my arms. "Do you have any better ideas, smart-ass?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. He opened his mouth, but then closed it. His jaw tightened, as he took off his 3DMG. I sighed, leaning forward at the torso, as he hoisted himself onto my back. "Hold on," I said, grabbing the triggers, and flying to the top. I felt Levi jolt back, grabbing my shoulders. I let out a breath through gritted teeth, as I flew over the buildings, quickly making it back to the wall. The trip was anything but graceful, or enjoyable for that matter. I landed on top of the wall, kneeling down, as Levi got off my back. I stood back up, stretching. "That was uncomfortable," I said, relaxing my sore back, and cramped neck. Erwin arrived shortly after, along with Petra. "What happened?" Erwin asked, as Petra fell to Levi's side in worry. I looked down at Levi's exposed leg. "I think he may have fractured it. I had to carry him back," I said, showing little emotion. Erwin nodded, before calling a first aider to tend to Levi. I watched him hop away, his arm slung over the first aid cadet. Erwin put a hand on my shoulder. "You did good," he said, and I glared up at him. I rolled my eyes, looking out at Trost. A memory of when I was little came to mind, and has been bugging me a little ever since I brought the brat back. Levi had injured himself once. It wasn't horrible, but he couldn't walk on his right ankle. So, I carried him back piggy-back style. Once we reached the doctors, they took him away, and fixed him up. I heard footsteps, and looked to my left, to see Petra. She had a worried look on her face. I forced on a smile, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. She looked up at me with tears brimming her eyes. "He's going to be fine," I said, and she nodded, sniffling. She hugged me back, and I kind of awkwardly stood there, kind of half hugging her. I'm not exactly the best in situations like this. "Thanks Captain (Y/N)," she said, letting go of me, and I gave her a nod. Petra has always been so emotional, and it's honestly kind of cute. I looked back out at the reclaimed land. It's a new accomplishment for mankind. The midday sun came out, shining down on us, as the others made there way back to the wall. The rest of the day was spent clearing our the rest of the titans. Majority were taken care of with explosives, then we came in and cleared out the rest. Eren was taken to an underground prison cell, where we waited for him to wake. I noticed that he had a necklace with a key on it. We had asked his sister Mikasa about it, and she told us it was the key to their basement from their old home. I turned to Erwin, who looked at the key, as it dimly reflected the torchlight. "You really think it holds information on the titans and the shifter here?" I asked, motioning to the cell in front of us. Erwin nodded slowly. "Possibly," he said, placing the key and string in his jacket pocket. We heard a slight moan, and turned our attention to the bed, as Eren woke up. He sat up, looking directly at us. "Commander Erwin? Captain (Y/N)?" he said in a questioning tone. Erwin sat up a little, before leaning forward, resting his elbows on his legs. "Have any questions?" he asked, as Eren looked between the two of us. "Um...Where...am I?" he asked in a confused stutter. "You are in an underground dungeon, in custody of the Military Police," Erwin replied. Eren looked down at the hand cuffs that connected to him to the wall. He looked up the chain that was attached. Erwin held up the key, and Eren gave him a shocked look. "We were given permission to see you a little while ago," Erwin added. "That key," Eren said with an angered expression. "Yeah. I'll give it back later. This key opens Dr. Jaeger's basement, which holds secrets about the titans. Am I right?" Erwin asked, and Eren let out a breath. "Probably, yes. That's what my father told me," he answered with a slightly calmer look. I looked at him suspiciously. "You have amnesia, and your father is missing," I said, leaning back against the stone wall. "How convenient," I added, crossing my arms. "(Y/N), we already have confirmed he has no reason to lie," Erwin said, giving me a glare, which I returned. He turned back to Eren. " I think the most important thing right now if for us to know what your intentions are," Erwin said, and Eren's eyes widened. "My...intentions?" he repeated in a question. Erwin explained why we would need him, and the extreme toll it would take on both him and the Survey Corps. "Your intentions are important here. The key to freeing mankind from despair," Erwin finished, holding the key back up. Eren looked down, muttering something I couldn't hear. "Well...you going to answer or not," I said, a little impatient. "what do you want to do?" I added, and he looked up at us with a very determined look. "I want to join the Survey Corps, and kill as many titans as I physically can," he said, and I was pleasantly surprised. He has a motive, a drive. I walked forward, to the cell. "I accept your application to join. Erwin, I will take responsibility of him. Should he gets out of hand, or betray us, I will kill him without hesitation," I said, grabbing one of the jail bars. Eren gave me a scared look, and I glared at him. "And don't think I wont. If you couldn't already figure it out, I don't trust you. But, I can't leave you in the hands of the wrong people," I added, and Eren nodded nervously.
A/N: Next chapter is done. By the way, yes...you are going to be in charge of Eren. Just thought I would make that clear. Also, as far as you position in the Survey Corps, you are in a sense co-commander. Your status is right under Erwin. You also have your own squad, and you tend to play a part with Levi's squad on occasion. If you like this story so far, please vote and share this. And those who are already our supporters, thank you so much. It really is awesome and thank you! -L
