Left Behind (Erwin Smith X Reader)

Chapter 2:Emperor

      The sound of horses had stopped signaling the arrival of us being at the wall. Which was also my signal to go up front towards the commander. I sat up from my laid back position and scooched off the cart. Letting my feet hit the ground firmly I started to pass many soldiers on my expedition towards the front of the regiment. Eventually passing Hanji who greeted me with an excited hi and a Levi who just did his iconic tch. My gear clunked as I finally reached my destination of up front. I lightly tapped on the white horse on my left and looked up with pleading eyes.

"Hey Commander could I like, you know, ride on the back. I kind of well lost my own horse back there." I said sheepishly, yes I know it wasn't very appropriate but what else was I supposed to do? Walk like a peasant?

"Section Commander this will be the last time, correct?" Erwin said as his blue eyes met with mine

"Of course sir." I get on the back of his horse and situate myself awkwardly trying not to hit the man in front of me. Finally getting situated I was met with the wings of freedom in my face. These pair of wings though belonged to a man who didn't necessarily want freedom but instead truth. Kind of ironic. They also belonged to a man who was so well built that his broad shoulders were accentuated by the green cape over him. 

The white horse I was on top on moved unexpectedly causing me to jolt backward and almost fall, as a natural reaction I reached out and grabbed for something. That being Erwin.

"Are you ok back there?" He asked without looking back. I smiled sheepishly and hummed as we started to ride through whispering crowds.  

3RD PERSON POV

The green capes started to fill into the city.  A lot less then there were in the morning and most notably the two capes that sat atop a white horse. One belonged to the Commander of the scouts and the other belonged to his right hand man, who was a woman. But that wasn't the only thing noticeable about those capes. See, in the ride out the woman had been behind him,on her own horse, with her own squad.  Now she ride with a man and no horse nor a squad.

"(L/N)" Screamed someone from the crowd. Just then an older gentleman who had been shriveled like a raisin from old age stepped out. His nose came out farther than his crippled fingers. His back was hunched at an almost 90 degree angle which was most certainly unhealthy and his beady brown eyes had now stared down the younger woman who he called out after. She had turned her head towards her name and politely climbed off the horse. She had adjusted her cape from it being slightly tilted to the side to being correctly laid on her body. Making her appearance more mature and professional. She started making her way towards the older man. Before being stopped by him, he throwing himself onto her with wide eyes. He started to plea unintelligible words as tears formed. His already fragile voice started to break and crack more as he noticed the straight unbothered face that the lady had. He finally formed words that only the woman could hear. His voice starting with a crack "Where is my daughter?" 

The woman grabbed his veiny arthritic hands and looked down at the ground apologetically . "She's dead." She whispered. 

"What?" The elder started to silently cry realizing his child was gone. 

"I said she's dead. She is gone because another one of those monsters took an innocent life from a good person. She is gone because of me. It should have been me instead I'm so sorry." Those sentences could be heard throughout the town. It rang in the ears of the old shriveled man as the woman who just broke down with pure inflexion in her voice, looked up with a straight face and one simple tear running down her cheek. She let go of the man's hand and wiped her one tear off her cheek. Turning around she scurried to the horse and with help of the blonde gentleman that occupied it, lifted her up. When she got up she gently put her arms around his waist and laid her forehead on his back. The sound of hooves started to fill the air as the survey corps walked by the stunned old man who still stood out of the crowd. Soon enough the whispers started again but this time on a completely unrelated subject. The commander and section commander.

(Y/N) POV

I laid my forehead on Erwin's back as I reflected another loss. We had lost Emma today. One of the people who I graduated with in the cadet corp and truly it was my fault. I had gotten carried away in a pure rage due to the deaths of my three other soldiers in my squad. I didn't notice the titan behind me as I slashed and gutted the titan that had perished in front of me. She has pushed me out of the way as it had attack.  It was quiet but quick. I saw as the titans mouth covered her body down to her stomach and bit. Hearing a crunch that made my stomach hurt and seeing the rest of her body go limp. The knees hitting the ground first then falling with a wet thump. That was my fault. She had a husband and a child to go back too and I made her child grow up without a mother.

"(Y/N) calm down your hurting my back" Erwin's hushed voice breaks me out of my thoughts as I notice heat and pain in the part of my forehead that had laid on Erwin's back. I reached up and felt it as if I had gone out of a trance.  We had finally reached the Headquarters for the corps. I unsteadily got off the horse and walked away like an empty shell of a person. Something that almost always occurs right after missions.

3RD PERSON POV

Four of those green caped people met up after getting off their only form of transportation. One was obviously shorter then the others. One sported a ponytail and glasses, another a beard and blonde hair, while the last one had a neat looked to them.

"There she goes again." said the one with with the beard, who was also the tallest.

"She needs to get over it" snarked the short black haired male.

"I'm going to go cheer her up" said the one who sported glasses

Then went away the tall one and the ponytail wearing person to go on their way. Only leaving two. Levi and Erwin. Silence stood between the two, like two strangers waiting for a bus.

"Do you think she will be ok this time?" said Erwin. It was said with worry that only seemed to be worry about his own self and corps.

"The brat always comes around." Levi replied as he went one his way.

Erwin was left to stand there by himself as he contemplated whether to act as friend or commander and it the end chose commander as he left for his office to fill out overflowing paperwork.