Can't Get Along (Levi X Reader)

21. Past and Present

4 Months Later

Reader POV

I pulled my horse to a stop behind Nanaba, holding my torch a little higher to try and see the reason we stopped in our search for the breach in Wall Rose. Gelgar and the others. Had they found the breach in the wall? Had we somehow missed it? I looked to our right at the wall then to our left at the shroud of darkness. There was no telling what might be lurking out there. I returned my attention to Nanaba and Gelgar when I heard them begin to speak. "Did you follow the wall here too?" Gelgar asked, looking quite disturbed. "Yeah, where did you find the hole?" There was an uncertain pause and I saw Reiner and Bertholdt exchange a look I couldn't decipher from here. "We didn't find anything to the west. Didn't you find it your way?" Gelgar's disturbed look intensified at hearing that and he shook his head slowly. "No, there's no hole this way either."

"Is it possible we missed it? Should we check again?" Another Senior cadet piped up from beside Gelgar. Nervous murmurs of agreement were spread around both groups before Nanaba spoke up again. "We'll have to, but the horses and the rest of us are exhausted." I frowned and looked over at Christa and Ymir, the former looking as if she might fall asleep right there on her horse. "If only we had some moonlight..." Nanaba continued and as if on cue, the thick cloud cover began to dissipate and reveal the bright full moon. We all looked around us as the dim silver light illuminated our surroundings eerily. I didn't like it. This felt too coincidental, especially when we noticed the large castle ruins to the east of our position. Naturally, it was decided that we would head there for some shelter to allow our horses to rest, as well as the rest of us.

~~~~

I sat down at the small fire next to Bertholdt with a heavy sigh, watching the flames dance. Christa and Connie chatted off in the corner of the room and the senior cadets were up at the top of the tower to keep watch. Reiner and Ymir were searching for something to eat in the old storeroom down the short hall from where we were so for the moment it was just Bertholdt and I. Not that I minded too much, he was a pretty quiet guy, generally very nervous but kind as well. I never did talk to him much. In fact, I barely knew him aside from that main description. So I was a little surprised when he tried to start up a conversation with me. "(Name), I don't think you ever told us your story... Why did you join the Scouts?" I glanced over at him with a slight frown and he tensed up a little, waving his hand. "It's fine if you don't want to talk about it, I just thought, maybe it would make for a decent conversation since everyone else told their stories earlier at some point." "It's fine Bertholdt. It just wasn't a very pleasant story to remember is all. But I suppose it has been long enough that I shouldn't keep it all bottled up anymore." He visibly relaxed when I didn't get mad with him.

Christa and Connie had heard our little exchange and stopped their conversation to come to sit and listen as well, curious about my history and reason behind joining the Cadet Corps and the Scouts. I took a deep breath before beginning my story from the very beginning when it all started. "I had recently turned 14 and my mom let me travel from our home in Trost to visit my sick father in Shiganshina. They had gotten divorced a few years prior but he was dying and I wanted to see him at least one more time even if we hadn't ever been all that close. I just felt bad, you know? And I wanted to give him at least one last good memory with me..."

I ran into the house and tried to pull my dad up from the couch but he couldn't stand, too weak and fatigued from his sickness. He yanked his hand away from me and shouted through his coughing fit. "Run, (Name)! Get back to your mother in Trost." I hesitated, hot tears welling up in my eyes. I knew he was going to die eventually but I didn't want my father to die here, not at the hands of the titans that had just begun to tear into the city. My aunt ran into the house at that moment, panting and looking around frantically, coming up to me and grabbing my arm when she spotted me by the couch. "Sarah, get her out of here! Get her back to Trost, to her mother!" My father croaked out, trying not to have another coughing fit. He turned back to me and took my hand in his for a moment, kissing it softly before he met my wet eyes with his own that had tears welling up in them. "Daddy loves you, always remember that. Now go. Everything will be okay if you just run. Don't look back. Promise me you won't look back." His voice was urgent and rough sounding as the tears in his eyes spilled over and ran down his cheeks.