Princess Ackermann

III: Hunter's Prey

12 years had passed for the Ackermann royal with no memory of who she was. Serhilda wandered through the forests to gather wood. Levi was on the other side of the forest with Petra.

Squirrels were climbing up the trees, storing nuts inside for the upcoming winter. Currently, it was autumn. Leaves had fallen from the ground and some trees were barren due to the loss of greenery and leaves.

Serhilda slid off her red cloak since it was getting hot. And every second that passed, the heat and silence in the forest had been bothering her. She walked in an uncomfortable pace until she saw a flat rock.

She sighs in relief as she starts jogging towards the object, but on her way there, she felt her feet lifted off the ground, and pull her up upside down. And with that, she let out a scream.

"Help!"

She tried to bring herself up to untie the rope that tightened on her ankle, but to no avail. Her hair fell down, exposing her scarred and bare forehead. She still wasn't accustomed to showing that part of her face, as it gave her some degree of discomfort.

"Help!" She screamed again.

This time, two unknown figures stepped right into the picture; with one holding a gun, and the other holding an axe.

"We have to get her down! Quick!" One of them said. She couldn't really process their images since her blood was nearly filling up her head. It caused her to feel nauseous.

One of them used the axe and cut down the rope that held her from above. Serhilda fell and landed on the other person's arms. A groan escaped from her lips as the redness in her face began to fade.

She was finally able to regain her composure and saw the face of her rescuers. She was still in the arms of a young man with teal eyes, tan skin, and brown hair.

Her eyes widened at the close proximity between their faces, but she calmly shrugged it off. "Er... you can put me down now." The young man felt surprised, yet gently brought her down to stand.

"Sorry about that. My friend and I made those traps for food. Were you hurt? We can treat you."

"No no. It's alright." Serhilda answered.

"We're really sorry, m-ma'am!" The one with blonde hair and blue eyes knelt down and clutched his chest. "It's alright. I'm fine—" Serhilda tried her best to reassure them.

"—it took me off guard, is all." She smiled and the two boys chuckled nervously. "Perhaps we should introduce ourselves." The one with brown hair said, "I am Eren Jäger."

"I'm Armin Arlert! Pleased to meet you, ma'am!" Serhilda giggled. "You don't have to call me that. My name is Serhilda." She responded. "Serhilda..." Eren stared at her calm black eyes. The young woman stared back into his eyes, as if she felt something familiar about it, but couldn't recall.

"Where are you from?" Eren blurted out. "I come from a village near Hermina. I suppose you two live somewhere near the forest?" Serhilda says.

"Er, we live in Shiganshina. Which is far from here. But... my parents died. And someone from here offered us a job." Eren replied.

"I am sorry to hear that." Serhilda had a look of sadness. "No worries. We hunt for a family from Dauper Village. That's our job." Armin replied. "So, what were you doing here alone?" Eren asks.

"Oh. I came here to gather wood. I was wondering if I should explore the forest for awhile, since I haven't been allowed to go out." She sighs. "This is no place to wander around, you see—"

"—lots of nasty creatures lurking around. No place for a young woman like you." Eren said. "Here, you can take some of our wood." Armin handed some of the load to her, and she gratefully accepted.

"Thank you, Armin. What kind of creatures live here?" Serhilda buzzed them with curiosity. "There is a grizzly bear in a cave here. You wouldn't want to hunt for that." Eren answered. "But I do know only one person can."

"Who is it?"

"She is also from Dauper Village, and her family are a bunch of hunters. Her name, we don't know of. But the townspeople from the village we work in (Dauper), says she is an expert archer. They say she's got the eyes of a hawk, and ears of a fox." Armin continued.

"Wow." The black-haired woman mused. "They also said she can hunt that grizzly bear by herself if she could!" Eren exclaimed, which resulted from utter surprise to laughter.

"Whew! It's awfully hot! When will it ge- OOF!" There was a loud thud, and there came two familiar figures standing behind Eren with a suspicious glare. "Serhilda, we're leaving. Have you got the wood?"

Serhilda ignored Levi for awhile and helped Eren up. "Are you alright?" She asks and Eren shot her a grin. "That hurt though! But no worries. Who're they?" She answers, "They're my family." Levi glared at the two unfamiliar young men, while Petra sighed.

"Ooh..."

"Eren! Are you okay?" Armin rushed to his side. "I'm fine, Armin." Eren grunted a little but stood up in no time. "What were you doing here talking to strangers, Serhilda?" Petra questioned. "I'm sorry, Petra." She said.

Levi was about to take Serhilda's load of wood, but his eyes drifted to the stain on her cloak and clothes. "You are filthy." He told her sharply. Eren and Armin grimaced. "I'm sorry! Should we go?" Serhilda said in embarrassment.

"We shall. Come on."

Before leaving, Serhilda walked to Eren and Armin. She then gave them a smile. "It was nice meeting you two. Eren and Armin. Sorry about earlier." She looked down in shame. "It's alright, really! Me and Eren will keep going! It was really nice meeting you too, Serhilda!"

"Yeah! Have a great day!" Eren added and she smiled, walking away with her two "family" members. "Who're they?" Petra asked the girl beside her as they walked.

"Eren Jäger and Armin Arlert."