Agape (Fem!ErenxLevi)

Pathway

Moving from the forest towards the kingdom was more traveling than Armin calculated in his head.

He swore by foot it'd be at least a week and a half maybe two weeks, but no! Three weeks! That's at least a month, and of course nothing that's easy, especially with Eren involved.

If it was horse it was probably a week, even less than that. Armin frowned, doing his best to keep up. With his small dwarf legs, one thing he wasn't was athletic gifted.

He could definitely run when his life depended on it, it was just the fact that Mikasa was all but sprinting through the forest.

"M-Mikasa! Wait- you need to slow down we have to talk!" Armin cried just as breath began escaping him quicker than before.

She didn't turn back and it seemed that she wasn't listening to the words that came from Armin's mouth. Instead it seemed that her pace quickened.

"Please Mikasa, I can't keep up! Especially with you moving so fast," the dwarf yelled, not wanting to lose her, but as soon as Armin uttered those words, Mikasa had disappeared from his sights. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

He slowed down. There was no point in trying to keep up with Mikasa when she disappeared like that.

When things like this usually happened it meant Mikasa was way too determined to focus on anything else.

"Now... it's just me," his voice trailed off in defeat and now aimlessly just walked, not even trying to find Mikasa at this point.

If only he was stronger, he could do more. He could have protected Eren, fought off those two men even.

But here Armin was just a small, sad, weak dwarf with no really noticeable skill. Not like Eren or Mikasa.

Eren- who in a sense was the leader of their little pact- while not always thinking things through she was strong, courageous, compassionate and on top of that a good fighter too.

Mikasa, now she seemed like she could do it all with everything down pat. She was a great fighter with good hands on skill to boot. Maybe the ideal soldier even.

And here was Armin, just a small, little guy who barely could fight and just had ideas in his head of what reality should be. His smarts were his only good point.

After his negative thoughts just swirled in his head he heard a crunching sound.

The dwarf shivered for a moment before slowly creeping closer. "Hello... who's there? Hello?" Armin asked, his nervousness starting to get to him.  'What if it's a titan?' He thought, shivering in fear.

And when he saw the bushes move again, he waited in anticipation, only to have a squirrel come from the bushes.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips. "Aw, it was just a little squirrel." Armin inched closer and closer to the squirrel after pulling out a few nuts and berries for the little woodland creature to eat.

After eating, the creature left and Armin got up to make his way out the forest.

This time he heard another bush rustle. "Another squirrel," the dwarf moved back to the bush and put out his hand, "Come on little guy, it's alright. Don't be scared."

But this time a titan head appeared from out the bush and tried to bite Arlin's hand off.

'Why? Why?! Out of all the places a titan could be, here? That's it, I'm going to die. I didn't even get to say goodbye to Mikasa or Eren...' his thoughts trailed off as one lone tear shed from his cheek.

In a swift move as the titan reached out his hand to grab Armin, the dwarf was picked up swifter by something else.

'I'm... I'm alive... Why?' His eyes were scrunched close, when he felt that they stopped he opens his eyes, not even surprised at who had him in their arms.

"Mikasa..."

"Honestly Armin, what have I told you about going off on your own. What just happened could happen any time you're not by my side," she said, as Mikasa strapped Armin to on her back.

He lowered his head in shame. "I know." Not uttering another word.

Mikasa only let out a light sigh. "Don't worry, it's fine. You're safe now, and if anything comes in our way, I'll protect you," the girl replied with conviction in her voice as they set off.

'I see... she needs to "protect me". But I don't want Mikasa to be in constant worry about protecting me and finding Eren. I need to get stronger and find my own way. My own path.'