Levi usually appreciated peace and quiet. He typically enjoyed the calm that came with the sounds of a forest. On many a day, with warm spring weather and soothing breezes, he and Amaya would ride into the forests well beyond their homes, with Emi in her lap or his, with the other holding a picnic basket.

They'd ride into the woods, and he'd watch her, riding gracefully and rocking easily to the rhythm of her horse, a serene sort of look on her face as she took her surroundings in. She had a way of appreciating things in a way he didn't. While he did like the forests, for as tranquil and quiet as they were, he would take it all in and little more.

But Amaya, she would let it show on her face. She would smile that pretty smile, and her skin would glow when dappled with sunlight, and her hair would shift in the breeze as though she herself commanded the wind and demanded it made her look as pretty as possible, and their daughter would look sprightly, and-

Dammit.

Lost in his thoughts again.

Anyway, the point is that he usually appreciated the peace and quiet.

But now, the sanctity of that peace and quiet had been ruined, and ruined by the worst possible person.

It'd be different if his wife and daughter were the ones making a racket, but they weren't. Instead, it was a stupid, blond, bespectacled, bearded bozo. One he hated with his entire being.

"-so that's how that went." A pause, finally. Then: "So, Levi." Oh, good. "How'd you two meet?"

"What are you going on about?"

"You and the missus. How'd you meet?"

"Tch. I'm not talking about that with you."

"Embarrassing story, then?"

"Hardly. You're just about the last person I want to talk to at all, let alone about that. You're hardly worth my time, let alone hers."

"It must be an embarrassing story if you're this adamant about it."

"You must want to lose your tongue again if you're talking this much."

"Touchy, touchy. I'll bet she's the one who asked you out, though."

"That is none of your business."

"Ah," Zeke said, even as Levi stood, brandishing a blade with the clear intent to rip his tongue out, "I must be right, then." Levi crossed the space between them, already lifting his blade high - he'd cut off Zeke's entire jaw. Maybe then he'd learn his- "She's a beautiful woman, you know."

What a stupid thing to say. As if he didn't know that already.

"It's good on you two to have had a kid already."

...

"It's not my kid," Levi lied, lowering his blade and hoping his skill hadn't worn off from when he was in the underground city.

"No? Certainly looks like you."

"My niece," Levi explained dryly. "Not sure how genetics work in Marley, but I tend to look like my family."

"Fair enough, I suppose," Zeke considered.

As silence wore on then, Levi got to thinking. It started off with anger directed towards Zeke, but it soon shifted to memories, cherished ones - ones he hadn't considered in a while.

Since getting to this damned forest, he'd had nothing but time to think considering he didn't exactly have the best company. He had his subordinates, yes, but even now he wasn't keen on opening up to people - and especially not when those people included Zeke Yeager.

But now, he thought not just of the important moments they'd shared - their wedding, their meeting, the birth of their daughter, Emi's first steps...

Rather, he thought of the more mundane, the things he'd perhaps taken for granted. He'd gotten used to it, the peace, and now he was regretting it.

He thought of the mornings where he'd be bitter if she preferred to have hot cocoa over the tea he made on frigid mornings.

He thought of their trips to the market where he'd try to stick to their budget but she'd see something pretty and obviously want it, and he would get it without her having to ask - and she'd make it up to him with kisses in return for the extra goodies.

He thought of how she would gush over the romantic stories she read, how she would read certain parts to him and he'd gripe and groan about it but just hearing her talk so passionately was worth it.

Dammit.

He missed her.

He missed both his girls.

But for now... he was stuck with a monkey.

—

"Over a hundred soldiers," Nile spoke, "including Floch Forster, have disappeared from their cages, as have the guards looking after them. We believe that all of these soldiers both freed Eren and deserted in the process. They are surely responsible for the commander-in-chief's murder, as well. That's... bad news for us. This subversive anti-corps organization shall be known as the Yeagerists."

I wanted to scoff, but fought the urge to once I remembered where I was and who I was around. This wasn't exactly a situation where a scoff, a laugh, or a snide remark would sit well with anyone. I didn't want to get myself in trouble, nor those in my Regiment. Still. What a dumb fucking name.

Another impromptu meeting, more bad news, and more heated conversations. Nile and the other heads of the Military Police were here, and so too were representatives of the Garrison. Hange, myself and the young officers of the Survey Corps were here. The Azumabito and her personal guard were there as well. Essentially, anyone who meant anything to the military right now were here, save for a few.

"As for their goal," Commander Dawk continued, "know what it is, Hange?"

"Their one and only purpose for now must be to put Zeke and Eren in contact with one another. Then, they'll purge the Corps with Eren at their center. Their murder of the commander-in-chief shows just how resolved they are."

I was never terribly close to the guy, but we were always friendly at least. To see Zackley take the fall for something like this... to be made an into an example, a show of power, a blatant disregard for the chain of command... It was terrible. But at the very least it did prove their determination, awful though it is. It also shows that they don't give a shit about who they take down to get what they want.

And suddenly... the thin veil of protection that came with being a captain, the prestige, the superiority... it was fading. It meant less now, now that we knew the Yeagerists would do anything to get what they wanted and to prove a point.

"But... how were these Yeagerists able to come together in such a short time? For them to fall in line behind Eren must mean there's a large number of soldiers who trust in Zeke's support."

"They must believe in Eren," Hange said, "who in turn believes in Zeke. Of course, all we ever did was doubt Zeke. We never tried to move forward..."

Well, he certainly never made it easy to.

"But ultimately, the Eldian people have no choice but to rely on the Yeager brothers' ability to Rumble the land," Hange continued, "which means it was the Corps who had been squandering its precious time, putting the Eldian people's lives at risk. It's no surprise that many soldiers felt that way."

No, surely not. Dammit...

"Most of all," Hange went on to say, "what triggered this was the Corps' attempt to transfer the Founding Titan from Eren to another soldier, without even notifying us, the Survey Corps."

"It wasn't hard to imagine the result if we had," Nile said.

"Not to mention that many of these Yeagerists are from the Survey Corps," another head piped up. "How will you take responsibility for that, Commander Hange?"

"I'll accept any punishment," she said firmly. I glanced at her sidelong, happy that I was at least on her right side to see her uninjured – and therefore uncovered – eye, so I could gauge her reaction. "But removing me from the Corps now would be the height of irresponsibility. And it's not like we know how many Yeagerists there still are, or where they're hiding."

"Yes," the man spoke up. "I may be looking at some right now. I wouldn't be shocked if one of you detonated a suicide bomb this very moment."

I narrowed my eyes at that man, unable to contain it for the sake of remaining professional. If we did, some last words those would be, asshole. Not like I was planning on it, but I know plenty of other ways to kill a man. A bomb should be the least of his worries.

"Rogue... don't be ridiculous."

"How can they prove they won't?"

"There's no way we can leave the Survey Corps at large as long as they can't."

"Enough," a newcomer said.

The familiar voice lifted a weight from my shoulders. I don't think I'd ever been so relieved to see Commander Pixis. He stood in the now open doorway proudly, carrying about him an air of confidence and ease that made him so damn good at what he did.

"We have a visitor," he continued. "This is no time to be bickering amongst ourselves." He directed his attention to his fellow commander. "Hange. How many soldiers know where Zeke is being confined?"

Hange seemed taken aback by the question. "Levi and thirty soldiers, who are there guarding him. Three more, responsible for resupply and communication, and me."

I could feel it when a few sets of eyes flickered to me, some confused, some shocked, some indifferent but curious to see my reaction. I kept my gaze straight ahead, staring at the far wall of the room. I rolled my shoulders back and tipped my head up a bit higher. Sure, it was surprising to them. But did they have to stare?

Hange must have noticed it too and decided to explain herself. "Not even Captain Amaya knows. We felt that it could be used as leverage to get at us or at him - or at her."

"Oh?" Pixis mused. "You must not have liked that conversation, Miss Amaya." Despite the serious nature of the conversation, he managed to slip a joke in there. It managed to relieve the tension somewhat, which I appreciated. I let out a quiet laugh, my gaze dropping before meeting his.

"Of course not," I said, trying to keep the smile from my face upon seeing his own but failing. "I fought it, naturally."

"Naturally," he agreed playfully.

"But I understood the necessity of it," I added all the same.

His eyes remained fixed to my own for only a few seconds more before looking back at Hange. "Bring those three here," Pixis ordered, referring to the pack runners before looking to the Military Police commander. "Nile. Is the queen's residence secured?"

"Only a select few know where it is," he responded. "But I'll check once more."

I was invited by Historia herself... should I mention that? No, probably not. Things would only get messier if I did. And I wouldn't want to get her in trouble.

"Eren's first target will be anyone who knows where Zeke will be held. Next, he'll try to secure Queen Historia, who could act as a replacement for Zeke. Our first task will be to make sure that these two are absolutely secure."

"Yes, sir!"

I couldn't say that negotiating Zeke's whereabouts – and by extension, Levi's – was something that I wanted to do. But Pixis was in charge now, and I had no reason not to trust him. His faith and judgment hadn't ever failed us before, so really, I had no reason to doubt him. Well, I had one reason. Emi.

Everything was quickly getting out of hand. This time yesterday, things seemed... clearer. Easier. More linear. But now, knowing that a large number of Scouts had rebelled, and deferred to the Yeager brothers... it hurt. I thought I could trust them. I thought that of anyone, I could trust the Scouts, those who so bravely donned the wing of blue and the wing of white.

And... had any of those deferred soldiers been those who had gone along with Levi? Might a group have planned to murder him, too, just as a group murdered Zackley?

No, surely not. We hand-picked them.

But... was there any way to know for sure?

For fuck's sake, so many of them had been around the Survey Corps' base and as such, knew that Emi was still around. So much for that plan, I guess.

Not like it'd worked anyway, because Zeke had seen her. I'm sure Zeke wasn't stupid enough to think that the little girl he'd seen was anyone other than our daughter. He wasn't stupid, but maybe he knew better than to talk about her.

Hopefully, all the confusion would get to the soldiers who knew about her, and they'd forget about her. Maybe in the hustle and bustle of everything else happening, they'd forget about my little girl.

Over everything else though, all I could think about was that maybe I should have bowed out of the fighting a long time ago. There was no stopping Levi, and I thought there was no stopping me. But just knowing that someone behind enemy lines knew that Emi was still alive and well terrified me.

Even just one person knowing about her was bad enough; to think about that extending to so many soldiers that I once trusted? And with Zeke being among them? I was terrified. Absolutely terrified.

If I'd done as he said, and just never came back to the front lines after giving birth, maybe things would be better. Levi wouldn't have to worry about being leveraged if I got caught, and vice versa, and doubly so for Emi.

I wouldn't be a threat, someone to pay attention to in this war. I wouldn't be standing in this war room. I wouldn't be standing here without my daughter, worried for her safety. Things were so muddy now; I couldn't stand it. I knew she was safe with Reyes. But fuck me, I hated this. All of it.

When the meeting was adjourned, I followed the stream of people leaving the room. Some pairs stayed inside to talk and plan their first steps. The Military Police and Garrison got to working together immediately, and I only noticed the way that we were, once again, outcasts among the military with the way that several sets of eyes followed me as I left.

I accompanied Hange and the kids outside. They were talking about something or other as we walked the hallways, but I wasn't listening. I was too worried about Emi, and Levi, and whether I could even trust who I thought I could.

This small unit though... I was confident in them. I trusted Hange with my life. Nothing would change that. The same went for Mikasa, Connie, Armin, and especially Jean. Of the kids, he was most like a son to me. I couldn't bear it if any of them had diverted or died.

Not that I thought they would divert; of anyone, they knew Eren the best. These were his friends. But I knew that none of them wanted this, just as I'm sure they hadn't been expecting it. They'd been caught just as blindsided as I had.

And... if truthfully I could not trust these scouts, then I had no one.

But Hange, at least, I knew I could always trust. Jean, too. Armin and Mikasa would not betray Eren, and Connie, well... he's easy to read. His intentions are clear.

Jean, having noticed that I slowed in my pace, slowed to match it. "Captain," he said gently. "Are you alright?"

Hearing his voice yanked me from my thoughts. "Yeah," I said, "I'm fine."

The light poured in through the large windows of the hall, and I tried to focus on the view outside, but I couldn't. Looking away from him like that, I guess I figured subconsciously that he wouldn't be able to tell what was happening behind my eyes, and that he wouldn't see just how conflicted I was.

"You know I don't believe that."

Well, that hadn't worked. Damn kid knew me better than to fall for that.

"I... I don't have a nice way of putting it, Jean. Everything just sucks. I'm terrified. I don't know where my husband is. He could need my help, for all I know. My daughter is in hiding with a family friend who doesn't know any of what's going on. Eren might just end the fucking world. Half of the people that I thought I could trust, I cannot. I don't know what to do."

"Go to her, then," Jean suggested. "We'll all understand if you do. No one is expecting you to stay here."

"I..."

"No one will blame you for leaving now, Amaya. Emi needs you right now. You can go to her, and be safe - both of you."

"And what about Levi?"

"I'm sure he's fine," Jean said. "You know him better than anyone." That's right, I did. And as such, I knew he wasn't nearly as unbreakable as people seemed to think. "Go to Emi, and leave the rest to us."

I was going to tell him that I couldn't. But I could. Nothing was stopping me, really. A plan was formulating in my mind slowly. I could go get Emi, make sure she was secure in the capital, and then go get Levi. And then we could... go home? No, that was too close to everything happening. We could run away, I suppose. Disappear for a while. We'd done enough for humanity, hadn't we?

Maybe... Maybe it was time for us to hang up our cloaks. To sheathe our blades for good.

To... give up our Wings.

"Captain?"

"I've got to go," I murmured. "Thank you, Jean. G-Good luck, I..." I looked up at him. He was confused, but I didn't blame him. I'd be confused too. Hell... I was confused. "I want to fight, but I... My family..."

"I get it," Jean said, assuredly, as though he knew what I was thinking. "You want them to be safe."

"Right, yeah," I said. "That's why... I'll be back. I just need to make sure of something."

"Wait, no. Captain, you're... coming back?"

"I don't know," I said. "Haven't decided yet."

"A-Amaya, think this through," Jean pleaded.

"I'm working on that," I said. I directed my attention to the conversation currently going on as we neared the doors leading outside. Realizing that I'd dropped the conversation, Jean did the same.

"No way... work with Eren? After he killed the commander-in-chief...?"

"We don't know for sure if Eren did it yet," Mikasa protested.

"Someone supporting him did," I muttered. And that's as much evidence as I need.

"You don't need to be so loud, Mikasa."

"You know that we're already suspected of being Yeagerists, right?" Jean asked.

"So tell us, Mikasa," Connie said with a certain amount of venom lacing his voice. "What side are you on?"

"I told you that Armin and I nearly got caught up in that explosion," Mikasa said smoothly,  seemingly unaffected by his accusatory tone. "Is that not enough for you, Connie?"

"Huh?"

"Stop it," Hange ordered. "Like Commander Pixis said: infighting will only lead to our downfall."

"In that case, you don't see any problems with entrusting Eren and Zeke with everything, Hange?"

"No," Hange replied, "it's not good. No matter how well Zeke and Yelena's plan went, they knew that they'd never be free of suspicion. So they concocted an insurance policy given that fact, and now it's paying out. This probably goes beyond winning Floch over."

We reached the courtyard where our horses were waiting, hitched to the posts. I greeted Strider, rubbing his nose affectionately before looking over at Hange again as I took his reins into my hand.

"If we want to be absolutely sure, we should assume their insurance doesn't end here. We need to figure out Zeke's intentions before they make any bigger fools out of us." She paused before mounting up, glancing back at the kids. "Of course, if this all ends up being wild speculation, then great."

"Do you have any leads?" Armin asked. Hange set one foot in the stirrups and hopped up, pulling herself into the saddle. I followed suit, shifting to get comfortable on Strider's back once I mounted.

"The Marleyan POWs she protected are in suspicious lines of work," Hange explained. "For example... restaurants."

"Commander Hange," I interjected before they could set off. I urged Strider into a walk only to line myself up alongside her horse before pulling him into a stop, getting an inpatient snort from him. "I've got something I need to do. I'll meet you there. Nicolo's restaurant, correct?"

"That's right," Hange said hesitantly. "Amaya, I might just relieve you-"

"Don't," I said. "My life is yours to command. You know that."

"Amaya..." The look she gave me wasn't the one a commander would send a subordinate. It was from one best friend to another. I could see in her eyes the trepidation at not just letting me go right now and understood - because if I was in her position, I'd be just as indecisive, just as hesitant.

She had the power to order me not to come back, certainly. But even she knew that she needed all the hands she could possibly get. We all made sacrifices in life. I wanted to stay safe with Emi. But I would regret not giving all of myself to this cause. I'd promised it years ago.

I entertained the idea briefly that maybe my priorities had changed, because they had, truthfully. If I had to choose between my family and humanity, I would choose my family. Every single time. But how could I wallow in my misery at home knowing that these kids and Levi were giving all they had to protect those who couldn't fight? I could fight. Which is why I had to. These comrades had become my family.

I know what kind of future I wanted for Emiko. But it wouldn't come easily. I needed to fight towards that end, otherwise I'd never forgive myself. This was what it meant to be not only a soldier, but a mother as well. To be both was almost contradictory in nature but I needed to, and I wanted to fight.

If my family could ever hope to live peacefully, I had to fight. Otherwise, I had no right to complain about whatever the outcome was. I had to fight for what I wanted. Hange knew that. Levi knew that. I knew that. It was just time for me to act.

Hange's eyes softened as she came to the same realization. There was a deep-set melancholy dancing behind her eyes, but at the same time I could see an intense understanding in them as well. Melancholy because it'd come to this; understanding that neither of us could bow out gracefully now.

There was also, in her eyes, endless love etched deep inside. We'd been through a lot together. There was no telling what would happen within even the next few minutes. We'd have to be careful from here on out; all of us.

"We'll meet you there soon, captain. Tell my niece I say hello - it's been a while since I've seen her, and I miss her."

I smiled at her. "Will do. And she misses you too, you know that. She asks for you all the time."

Over the past weeks, every move I'd made had been relayed to Reyes. Every piece of news I received, every rumor, everything I'd seen and heard, had gone to him in my letters. He had committed himself completely to watching and protecting Emiko. He grew to love her as though we were really were related.

With as long as we'd known each other, we were family. It'd been a bumpy road with him, especially with the way he still beat himself up over how he treated me in his youth and neglecting the promise he'd made to El, his best friend in the force. Regardless, he was still the uncle that I had looked up to him as when I was a child. The same now went for my daughter.

It just went to show that family wasn't really defined by blood. It never had, for me. The only one I did share blood with was my own daughter, but I did not mind. Not when I had such an incredible family - not bound by blood, but by mutual trust and love - that surrounded me now.

Reyes' kids were like nieces and nephews to me, and like cousins to Emi. His wife Edith was a wealth of compassion and love as well and had accepted me into the family readily. In my letters, I told him exactly where I was going, if I had major meetings, and more. Because of this, he knew that I was at the main military headquarters and not at home.

Not wanting to ever be that far from me, Reyes had taken Emi and followed at a distance. As such, he was staying in an inn within this district. He'd given me the address. And it was to this inn that I raced, riding quickly through the streets.

I got equal parts looks of distrust and disgust as I did looks of admiration from the people that I rode by who saw my uniform and clued in immediately to the Wings I wore. There were those who still thought of the Scouts as heroes, but now, there were those under the impression that we were not acting in Paradis' best interest. But there was nothing I could do about that.

I reached the inn quickly, dismounted, and hitched Strider to a nearby post. I made my way inside, asked to see Reyes, and was directed to his room. Once I knocked and was let in, Emi leapt into my arms.

"Mommy," she cried out happily as Reyes closed the door.

"Hello, my sweet girl," I said, lifting her into my arms. I looked at Reyes as Emi plopped her cheek on my shoulder. I rubbed her back with the arm not holding her up, appreciating the moment to just hold her. "I'm not here for long."

"Why the sudden visit?"

"Well," I said, "Zackley was assassinated."

His eyes widened. "I'd... I'd heard about that, but I didn't think... Are you sure? It's actually true?"

"Unfortunately," I answered. "Pixis took command for now. We don't exactly have the time to vote on it, but I trust him to do it. But there's worse news. Eren and his followers - Yeagerists, we're calling them - escaped. We think they're on their way to catch the pack-runners to weasel Zeke's location from them."

"Wait... Levi's guarding Zeke, isn't he?"

"That's right," I confirmed gravely. "So if they get Zeke's location, they're also getting Levi's. Commander Hange and my squad are off to visit one of the volunteers, get some answers out of him if we can."

"And you're joining them?"

"That's the plan," I said.

"They killed Zackley," Reyes protested. "They're clearly dangerous and have no regard for the hierarchy. Are you sure about this? They could very easily go after you, Amaya."

"I know," I murmured. "I know. Then again, Zackley wasn't known for his skills as a soldier, was he? He was a politician, a judge. He was an easy target because he couldn't fight back. Me, on the other hand..."

Despite the heaviness of the subject, he managed a warm smile. "Strongest girl I know."

I smiled wide, pride swelling in my heart. "I didn't train for nothing. I'll be alright. If I allow anyone to take me out, it sure as hell won't be someone like Floch. But still... I have to be with Hange and the kids. The Survey Corps is fractured in half. One half wants Eren to meet with Zeke and start the Rumbling. The other half... well, that's us. We don't want that to happen. There are so few of us as it is."

"They need all hands on deck, then," Reyes mused, "with you being one of those sets of hands."

"Yeah," I sighed. "I didn't earn the title of the Blue Wing for nothing, right? If I don't fight wholeheartedly for our freedom, who will?"

"I wasn't sure about this at first," Reyes admitted. "But I'm proud of you. And Emi is, too."

I chuckled and looked down at my daughter. "Yeah, is that right? Are you proud of me, Emi?"

"You're a hero, mama," Emi murmured quietly, cheek still pressed to my shoulder. I pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Now where did you hear that? Has Reyes been telling you stories?"

"Mm-hm! All about how mommy is a hero and is going to save the world!"

"Hm, well, so are you," I said to her. "You're being so strong for me and papa, you know that? We are so incredibly proud of you." That got a smile out of her. "Keep watching Uncle Reyes, okay? Keep him smiling. We all could use some happiness right now, and you, my dearest, are a wonderful source of that."

"I will," she said proudly. "I promise!"

"That's my girl," I said affectionately, my heart swelling with so much love. "And making promises already; you really are my daughter." I then looked at Reyes. "Do you have something to write on?"

"I do," he said, getting a small piece of paper and a pencil out.

"I called in a favor recently, and I got permission from her highness herself," I said, setting Emi down to take the writing materials from him. She immediately latched back onto my leg, hanging on as I walked to the desk set against one wall. "If everything goes wrong, you and your family can lodge on her private grounds."

"Really?" He asked, clearly not believing it.

"Really. If we get attacked, they don't know where Queen Historia is. They'll think she's in the center of our walls. But that's not where Eren is, which is more of a concern of theirs for now, considering Zeke has royal blood of his own. And where Zeke is, that's where Eren is heading. Eren doesn't want to sacrifice the queen, and since no one knows exactly where she is, you'll be safe there."

"Thank you, Amaya," he said.

"Don't thank me," I said. "Thank the queen. She adores Emi, so thank her for making this all happen." I wrote the address down and some directions on it. "No one else can see this, understand? The queen and her guards will be expecting you, if you need to head that way. But absolutely no one can know, ok? Don't even tell your kids where you're going. If word gets out and her position is compromised, they'll only move her and you'll lose access to the grounds entirely. Got it?"

"Affirmative," he replied, taking the sheet from me when I was done. I picked Emi up again, who was more than happy to be in my arms.

"Good. Thank you again so much for doing this. I'll never be able to repay you."

"You don't need to worry about that. Consider it my way of finally fulfilling my promise to Elwin." I smiled at him. He pulled me into a hug, keeping in mind that Emi was still in my arms. "Go save the world, kiddo."

"I'm going to try," I said. "I don't know when I'll be back, but I'll keep you updated. If anyone comes around asking for me or for Emi, do not let them in. Don't tell them anything."

"I won't. I'll take good care of her," Reyes promised as he drew away. I shifted my hold on Emi, holding her against my chest.

"My beautiful girl," I sighed out, hugging her to my chest. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, mama," she said. "Are you leaving again?"

"I have to," I said. "Your Uncle Eren is getting himself into trouble again. I have to go help him."

"Daddy too?"

"Daddy too," I repeated. "I got a message from him this morning. Wanna know what he said?"

"Mm-hm!"

"He said that he loves you, and he misses you," I said to her, planting a kiss on her cheek. "So, so much. More than anything. And I'm going to go find him."

"Find him? Is he lost?"

"Well, to me anyway," I told her. "He has a very important job right now, but I think it's about time we bring him back."

"Then we can go home, right?"

"Yes," I said. "I'll go get daddy, and then we'll all go home. How does that sound?"

"It sounds really good!"

"It's settled, then. I promise I'll bring daddy back home. I promise. But I have to go. Keep being good for Uncle Reyes, okay?"

"Okay," she repeated.

"I love you, Emi," I said.

"I love you, mama," she replied.

I kissed her cheek, getting one in return. With a smile and teary eyes, I set her down to stand on the floor. She looked up at me with those big blue eyes of hers. One last smile at her, and a nod to Reyes, and I departed.

It was tough, doing this. But if I stayed behind any longer, I'd have debated with myself for hours and probably would have ultimately decided to stay. So I made my way outside, unhitched Strider, and set off again.

The restaurant Hange was referring to was one that soldiers frequented regularly. For one thing, it was close to the main base, so it was convenient; for another, Nicolo made some damn good food.

It was a shame when he left the coast and was made to work here. Sasha, I remember, had been devastated. She'd written to me to see if I could get him sent back, as if I had any control over where they all were set to work.

Sasha... I still couldn't believe that she was dead.

She was always so cheerful and happy; it was tough not to love her. And she always knew how to lighten the mood. For her to not be here now, when we all needed a pick-me-up... it was tough. I missed her terribly. There had almost been no real time to grieve for her because of everything. This had all had such a quick turnaround since the Raid of Liberio.

It took time, but we eventually neared the restaurant. I could see the other horses hitched out front. Strider recognized them, calling out with a delighted whinny. He received similar greetings from the other charges as I slowed to a stop.

I didn't dismount; not yet. Something seemed off. It was a sinking feeling in my stomach, one that I hadn't felt since my days on the run with the other Scouts before Eren and Historia had been kidnapped. Before that, the last time I'd felt it was during my time in the Underground City.

It was an odd, uncomfortable feeling, not painful but definitely unsettling. For me it was a sign of impending trouble. In all my years, it had never been wrong. I wasn't going to bet on it being wrong today.

Besides, I was on my own. I had to be careful here, and have my own back. It wouldn't do me well to deny my own instincts.

I couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong to warrant this feeling, but... it was still early in the day. This restaurant was one that I came to very often with Pixis because whenever he wanted to talk to a pretty lady, I was apparently his go-to.

As such, I knew the workers here, I knew when their busy days were, and I knew that today, at this time, they should not be this busy. But right now, there was hardly room along the hitching posts.

Maybe they're having an event? Maybe everyone wanted to go out for brunch today? Aside from Hange and the kids, who else would be here right now? They're just... busy. Perhaps there's a special.

That's what I hoped, at least. But, on the off chance that it wasn't...

I hitched Strider where I could find the room a few buildings away. He seemed reluctant to do so, having to hitch alongside horses he didn't know as opposed to the ones he recognized down the road, but he obeyed. People would be less likely to recognize my steed if he wasn't standing with the others. I walked up to the restaurant, finding the front double doors wide open.

I pressed my back to the outside wall, then peeked inside. There was shouting, and a lot of it, coming from inside. It sounded like a heated conversation, whatever it was about. I couldn't recognize any of the voices, not from here. I slowed my breath, focusing only on the sounds coming from the restaurant.

Did I dare risk going inside for a closer look? Fuck it. I had to.

I slipped inside, being as quiet as I could. I crossed through the foyer, reaching the next doorway leading to the private dining rooms. I peeked into the next room. It was larger than this one, and already I could tell that the argument was happening inside.

"Do I look like one of your kind soldiers who's going to answer any question you ask me?" That was Floch's voice. I shouldn't have even been surprised. "Shall I prove that I'm not?" Then, the sound of a gun being cocked. My eyes widened. "I'd like you to come with us before I have to."

What is that idiot doing? Who is he threatening?

"Grior? Don't tell me you brought them here!" That one was Nicolo, I think.

"Nicolo," another voice said, "you've gotten too close to the Eldians. I knew this day would come. I was right to not tell you how to contact them."

Nicolo spoke again. "Did Yelena put you up to this?"

"Listen to me, Floch!" Hange. She sounded panicked, and I hated it. I didn't think I'd ever heard her panic before, and even with those few words I realized I never wanted to, ever again. My body twitched, but I held myself back.

I wanted to go to her rescue, but I was sure that if the kids were there, they weren't armed. None of our scouts in there had weapons. From the sounds of it, the Yeagerists were fully armed. I didn't even see what was going on in there. Fuck. What am I supposed to do here?!

Hange continued: "This is no time for us to be fighting one another! Wine contaminated with Zeke's spinal fluid has been served throughout the Corps! Zeke has us dancing in the palm of his hand! Grior over there should have an idea of what's going on here!"

No way. No way in hell can that be true. The wine was... Zeke's spinal fluid? First off, that's disgusting. Secondly, did that mean... he could turn who he wants into titans whenever he wants? This is bad. This is very, very bad.

Oh, my god. Levi and his soldiers had wine. They brought... and he's with them... This just got a whole hell of a lot worse.

"If anything," Grior said, "Nicolo is the delusional one here. He has no proof."

"You...!"

"Finished?" Floch asked. "We'll be tying your hands. Will we need to fire before you listen?"

That's my cue to leave!

A string of quiet curses spilled from my mouth as I hurried back through the foyer and out of the building. I wasn't sure what I was going to do now, I was a soldier with literally no orders, but I guess that meant I had the freedom to do some snooping and decision-making of my own.

I just wished I had my gear with me so I could tail them in a less suspicious way. As I was now, I was in full uniform with no cloak, only my long-coat, and the only weapon I had on me right now was my knife.

With no plan and no real direction, I figured I could return to my roots as a thug. Ditch the coat somewhere, change into different clothes, find a way to hide my face, and free my Commander and friends. With this rough plan in mind, I ran around the building, breaking out into a full sprint as soon as I could and ditched my long coat there.

I wasn't wearing any of my gear straps or anything of the like, just my uniform clothes and boots. Why would I? I'd come here for a meeting, not to fight. There was nothing I could do about this now, unfortunately. For now, anyway.

I ducked into an alleyway, one that was quiet and devoid of people. I glanced up and, stretched across the buildings I was sandwiched between, were laundry lines, stretched from window to window.

"Ah, perfect." I dug some spare change out of my coin purse and stuffed them into my boot for now. It was awkward, but I was able to climb up with one hand and foot on each wall. Thankfully, it was a narrow alley, one that I could reach both sides of.

I shuffled my way up, finagled the coins out of my boot, dropped them into one of the pockets of the pants hanging to dry, and snatched for myself a cloak. I slid back down to the ground, threw the cloak around my shoulders, and drew the hood over my head. Satisfied, I walked out of the alley, maintaining an air of casualness.

Thankfully, the cloak was long enough to cover most of my body. I walked briskly as I made my way to Strider, hurrying to get him unhitched. I kept glancing over my shoulder as I did, and I uttered senseless reassuring words to Strider as I worked to untie him. Though I'm sure that really, I was trying to reassure myself that everything was going to be ok.

Once he was free, I pulled myself into the saddle quickly before directing him down the road to wait. As if on cue, a line of wagons rolled up, manned by more soldiers wearing Scout uniforms. I kept my distance, only watching as they worked. I didn't want to get caught here.

My eyes narrowed as I looked at the Yeagerists leaving the restaurant. I hated to see the Wings that I bore so proudly defiled like this, pushed towards the wagons. A line of my comrades was led out in cuffs and forced into the wagons.

They were treating them like war criminals, when we were fighting not only for Paradis, but for all of humanity! Was trying to prevent global genocide really that bad?

Either way, it was best for me to stay hidden for now. It'd get worse for me if I got caught.

They started on a southward path. Were they going to Shiganshina? Banking on that, I tailed them for a while, and when we passed by the street the inn was on, I wrote a quick note and slipped it under Reyes' and Emi's door.

Shiganshina bound. Commander Hange and the kids in custody. Don't drink the wine.

Amaya xx

—

The forest was quiet.

The pack runners were early, today. The morning fog had only just burned away from the sun's warmth when they arrived bearing news and supplies. As usual, a handful of the Scouts under his charge got to work unloading and sorting the goods, while two joined Levi on a tree branch to talk with some modicum of privacy, one of them being the one that regularly relayed his wife's messages to him. He'd never admit it, but he was the one Levi looked forward to seeing the most.

Their news wasn't good today, however. Normally, he'd be given time to read the letters his wife had written (and daughter had doodled on), but the soldiers had delivered the verbal news first instead, meaning that it was important and he probably wouldn't like what they had to say.

What he heard had surprised him. There had been an assassination, by way of explosives. That was never pleasant news to receive, no matter who it was.

"Zackley was killed?"

"Yes. The Yeagerists effectively control everything inside the Walls. We believe all the chaos is being caused by Zeke by way of Eren and Yelena."

"And?"

"The Yeagerists should soon be brought to Zeke, just as they've been demanding."

"And Pixis?" Levi asked. "He'll just roll over?"

"As you point out, the Commander remains steadfast. He's now at work on a plan to create an opportunity while Eren is being led here."

"Most unfortunately," the other runner said, and this was the one that always delivered his messages to Amaya, "this is the only way to defend Eldia against rule by the Yeagerists and Zeke."

"... to have someone else eat Eren, right? By our hand."

Vinnie hesitated. "...Yes."

How many more times would they have to save Eren's ass? He alone had done it more times than he could count. He'd done it time and time again. Each time resulted in more casualties. But for the price of humanity's so-called hope...

This shit was giving him a headache. Minutes later, when the conversation was over, one of the Scouts left them alone to prepare for the ride back to Headquarters. Vinnie stayed. "There's a letter for you, captain," he said, fishing into his jacket pocket to retrieve a folded piece of paper. "From your adoring family."

"Thank you," Levi said, accepting it from him. With the letter secured in his hands, he dropped from the tree branch, using the gear to help ease him to the ground. He stood in place to read it, away from prying eyes.

Some of the comments made him roll his eyes and click his tongue, while others made him chuckle. Some got a smirk out of him. But when he read that his woman had a meeting with Zackley this very morning, he stopped. He read it again, and then again, just to be sure that he was reading it correctly. Wasn't he just blown up?

"Vincent," he called out, almost desperately.

"Yes, captain?" Thankfully, he was still nearby.

"Was anyone else other than Zackley caught up in the blast?"

"Four scouts were lost," he answered.

"Who?" Levi demanded. The scout in front of him looked confused, but only for a moment before he realized why he was concerned. The only thing was, the pack-runner had no idea if the woman he loved so dearly was safe or not.

"I don't know," he responded honestly with a hint of hesitance in his voice, as if afraid that he'd get a tongue-lashing from the Captain. "I've no idea if Captain Amaya was one of them."

The look Levi sent the young soldier was one that would surely turn him to stone if he had the power to. "Go find out."

"Yes, sir," he said with a hurried salute. "Right away, sir."

—

I trailed the Yeagerists to Shiganshina. The city was considerably worse for wear of course. It'd gone through a lot, but the progress was promising. I continued to hide away, staying stowed away in the inn I managed to book for myself. I didn't book it as myself, no.

It was under the name Joan Mercia. I couldn't put my real name, for obvious reasons. The Yeagerists were absolutely crawling through the city. If they caught wind of an Amaya staying at a local inn, they'd come barging in.

Hopefully, my grandmother would be proud of what I was doing. I honestly had no idea what to think nowadays. If my family and friends were looking down on me, would they be proud? Disgusted? Worried? I had no idea.

Reyes and Emiko were in the next room over, having followed after my note. I told them not to, but Reyes was stubborn; perhaps he was part of the reason why I was as stubborn as I was now.

I took solace in being so close, but I couldn't risk anyone knowing that I was here, or that Emiko was. Reyes had only followed me into Shiganshina because he believed that sometime soon, I could reunite with Levi. I didn't quite believe that, but it was nice to know that he did.

He also wanted to stay close in case I needed help. Sure, he had Emi to watch, but if worst came to worst, he could help me if I got caught. I was grateful for him being around because he brought me meals and updates on the movements of the Yeagerists. I couldn't do much right now, not without a clear understanding of what was happening.

From what he told me when I took my meals with them, Emi sitting in my lap as I ate in the room with Reyes across from us, everyone donning the Wings of Freedom were searching for any of the soldiers that hadn't picked a side. If they did pick a side, that determined what happened to them.

The Garrison and Military Police were deferring to Pixis' and Dawk's judgements, of course. But for the Scouts, with Hange in cuffs, it seemed that they all decided to listen to Floch and the Yeagerists.

Not only that, but they were branding all the soldiers they could reach with colored armbands, depending on their allegiance and if they'd had the wine. Reyes was able to fly under the radar, thankfully, considering he was a retired soldier. But it was too dangerous for me to venture outside. I couldn't risk getting caught. Careless movement would get me in trouble.

It was awful, being trapped here. I was terribly antsy and getting worse by the minute. Reyes had also heard, terrifyingly enough, that while the Yeagerists were scooping up all the Scouts they could find that went into hiding as soon as the faction rose to power, they were specifically searching for me.

That in itself wasn't surprising, but it was scary. Reyes, being a nice spy for me, had asked one of the Yeagerists who I was and why me, specifically. Well, it was simple, and just as I suspected.

They'd told him that I was Amaya Ackerman, Levi's dear darling wife, but I was missing in action. They didn't believe it when Hange told them – and all of the kids, too – that I hadn't been told where Levi was. They thought that maybe I could be used as a pawn to draw Levi out.

But they also didn't believe that Hange and the others didn't know where I was. I could only hope that they wouldn't be harmed for the sake of supposedly keeping information from the Yeagerists.

The Yeagerists only wanted me to be a pawn. Say Levi and Zeke were still in hiding, and word got out that I was captured in exchange for Zeke. To their knowledge, Levi would give in.

They thought that my life was worth more than humanity's success. Maybe to Levi, it was. But there was no way he'd fall for that. He loved me, yes, but I didn't dare think that he would compromise humanity's success for me.

What they wanted was to use me for information, for a way to lure Levi in and trade his life for mine. Levi was more of a threat. I understood that. That's why I could not get myself caught. I wanted to get them out, but to risk myself like that... I needed a plan. I needed time to devise a plan.

And that's what I was doing. I'd let them search for me. They didn't know where I was. Until I had a way to sneak in and break them out, I would stay put. Otherwise my punishment for hiding and my refusal to be branded would be far worse than just getting tossed in jail. This I was sure of.

Today, the biggest news Reyes had brought along with him was that Shadis' students in the 109th Cadet Corps had beaten him down at Floch's request. The very thought of that happening disgusted me. It absolutely disgusted me.

While I didn't always agree with his leadership methods as a commander, as a commandant, he was excellent. He created fantastic soldiers. And for him to be not only disrespected, but beaten down, by his cadets? The mere thought was appalling. I was nearly sick to my stomach when I heard it.

Reyes had gone out and bought me some new clothes to replace my uniform with. Dark, tight-fitting slacks, a plain cotton shirt, and a cloak that fit properly. I've managed to fly under the radar so far, but I couldn't remain holed up inside for much longer. I'd lose my mind.

Reyes had told me where my comrades were being kept, and just as I was preparing in my room to go scope it out, there was an explosion. A dull boom, easily mistaken for something falling over somewhere distant, but it was a specific kind of explosion, one that I'd seen and heard time and time again.

"What the hell?" It was the telltale sound of lightning that indicated nothing other than a titan transformation.

"Mommy...? What was that?"

Titans here? Why?

I immediately sprang into action, my instincts taking control. The book I'd been reading to Emi was dropped to the bed, and I lifted her out of my lap before I sprang up from the bed, dashing towards where I'd left my boots. I forced my feet into them, sliding the knife into its usual spot immediately.

I was going to leave after this story. If they wanted me to leave now, then so be it.

I hurried out of the room, lifting Emi with one arm to sit comfortably against my side while grabbing my cloak with my free hand. I crossed the space to Reyes' room right next door, reaching the door just as Reyes threw it open.

"What was that?" Reyes asked, panicked. That's when I realized that he'd never been around titans, or even seen the shifters.

"That would be someone transforming into a titan," I explained. I turned my head to meet his eyes, steely and determined. "Leave the city. Go towards the interior, fast as you can. Strider's hitched out front, take him."

"A Titan...?"

There was another explosion, bigger this time, but not big enough to be Armin. It rolled through the building, rattling the windows and rumbling the floorboards. "I'm guessing one of those is Eren," I muttered. "It won't be safe anywhere near here if titans are going at it. Take Emi on Strider and get out of here. Head to Historia."

"Hold on a moment," Reyes said. "Into my room. I've got something that might be helpful."

Not wanting to waste time arguing, I followed him back into his room. In one corner was a bundle of items covered by a sheet. He walked over and then yanked the sheet off to reveal a set of gear. My eyes met his uncertainly. He gestured to it with a movement of his head.

"Go on," he said. "Put it on. It's my set, the one I got after mine got stolen. It's an older model than the sets issued nowadays, especially since you all further developed yours, but it's what you're used to, right?"

"Ah," I said, realizing at once that he didn't know where I'd gotten my gear. "Well, about that..."

"Amaya?"

I smiled. "The reason you needed to get a new set was because I stole yours."

"You-Wait, what?"

My smile grew, full of mischief and delight.

"I should've known," he finally said with a smile of his own. "I suppose I deserved it. I certainly can't blame you, I was awful to you back then. But you managed to build quite the reputation for yourself in that city using used, old gear. And you didn't exactly get a new set once you joined the scouts, right? Not with the limited budget they had. If you could take the spot as Humanity's Blue Wing, our second strongest soldier with stolen gear, I think you can save the world with this."

"Reyes, are you sure?"

"Of course," he assured me as I set Emi down gently. "Go ahead."

With another nod, I walked over and knelt, fastening the belts as quickly as I could. Emi watched on curiously as she always did whenever Levi or I readied the gear in front of her. Because Reyes was larger than me, it took some adjustment, but I worked quickly, my fingers nimble and precise after years of working with the belts.

I smiled as I stood and fastened the harness in place across my back, feeling like a true soldier again. I rolled my shoulders and hopped lightly to make sure everything felt good and secure before moving on.

The sheath boxes were secured, gas cylinders tightened on top, and the winches in the bag prepared. I set the controller grips in their holders on either side of my chest, then did one final check to make sure everything was secure. There were new blades in the boxes, the gas canisters were full, and the winches were well oiled.

All in all, it felt good, and I was ready. The belts felt a bit stiff only because it wasn't my gear and it was molded to Reyes' broad body, not mine, and they weren't ever tightened as far as I had put them. I slipped my boots back on, sliding my knife into one, and tested the stiffness of the controller grips.

With no other way to stall, and nothing else to check, I fixed the long cloak back over me, happy that it was long enough to cover the gear when I rotated the boxes to lay flat along the sides of my thighs.

Once ready, I stepped close to Reyes and pulled him in for a hug. "Get far away from here," I said. "And quickly."

"We will," he promised me. "We'll head right for the queen. You be safe, got that?"

"I'll do my best," I said, pulling away. "And thank you for this." I gestured to the gear. He shook his head with a smile.

"Don't mention it."

"When I get back, I promise I'll have Levi with me," I said. I looked at my daughter. "Do you hear that, Emi? I'll bring daddy back with me." I picked her up into my arms. "I love you, my darling. I'll be back soon."

"Do you have to go?"

"I do," I said to her. "I do. Someone has to go save your father."

"You can do it," she said gently, hopefully. "You can do anything. Right?"

"Right," I said. "Exactly. So long as you believe in me, I can do anything."

She nodded, as though deciding to believe in me. "I love you, mama," she said sadly.

"I love you so, so much," I murmured. "I'll return to you. I promise." I kissed her cheek then handed her to Reyes. I went to the inn's window, sliding the window open. I took another look at the pair before stepping up into the windowpane in a crouch.

Towards the center of the city, there was fire and smoke already. But not only that, but a smoke signal. My eyes followed the smoke upwards, trailing through the sky, before landing on several large zeppelins. My heart leapt into my throat with fear. An attack from Marley? Was this all orchestrated then?

In that moment, there were several things that I knew, and many more than I didn't, all driving me to act. Here's what I knew:

Marley was here to attack.

Levi was in the woods somewhere with Zeke, who had the power to turn so many of our comrades into Titans.

Eren was roaming free somewhere, with the hopes to start the Rumbling.

Hange and the kids I'd grown to love were locked up, defenseless against this attack.

I knew what I had to do. All that was left to do was to do it.

"Leave the district as fast as you can," I ordered. "Strider's fast. Head inland. Go!"