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The mood was low as they all returned to their home. 

Grandpa came stepped out of the front door once he and Grisha took notice over their main gate being pushed open from the window of the living room. 

The males looking worried at the gloomy looks the four shared and Mikasa kept her head ducked as she took Hannes back towards their small stable to leave him to rest up. 

Armin and Eren sharing a concerned look, both wondering if they should go after her and be there for her if she needed to cry it out. But Carla simply placed a hand on both their shoulders and shook her head before pushing them towards her awaiting husband and oldest friend. 

"What happened" Grandpa asked once the three had reached them.

"You are a disgrace! You may look like abride, but you will never bring your family honour!" Eren screamed out as he quoted what the matchmaker had yelled before the whole town over Mikasa who they soon swiftly walked away from the judgmental eyes staring at her and all the whispering filling around them. 

"Eren!" Carla scolded back, smacking her son arm. 

"What? He asked and I just quoted what that silly cow said" Eren huffed back, holding his hands in surrender and not seeing what he did wrong. 

"Mikasa can still hear us. Let's not put more salt into her open wound. This was meant to have been an important day for her" Armin frowned as he looked towards the stable and wondering if one of them should go over and bring her into a tight hug but he also knew she didn't like to be seen when crying. 

"Let's leave her to calm herself down before we speak with her. She's had a tough day and taken a harsh blow today. Let's just be thankful that men would still wish to marry her even though she's gained dishonour" Grisha spoke up as he stepped back and nodded for the rest to enter the house, trying to find a bright side over this incident and cheer up the mood. 

"That's not the point. Mikasa is hurting. And why men may still wish for her hand in marriage, it's about Mikasa feeling if she's worthy to stand as a wife or not. She's going to lose confidence over this and assume she's not the perfect women anymore" Carla snapped back with an unimpressed look on her face over her husband train of thoughts over this. 

"Why don't we go inside and have some tea" Armin offered with a weak smile, knowing arguing would bring them no good over this right now. 

In truth, everything was going rather smoothly for Mikasa during her meeting with the matchmaker. She answered correctly and acted perfectly, impressing the matchmaker for the most part. But than Connie escaped his cage as it slipped from her dress and fell to the ground. The pin was rusted and slipped off as well and the matchmaker soon stepped on it, yelping in pain and jumping around. 

Mikasa moved quickly, sitting the matchmaker down and showing her basic medical skills that would show he'd be able to care for her husband if he gotten himself hurt or sick. Gaining more points for herself and pouring the tea to help calm the matchmaker. But than Connie, being let lose, went wild and brought on so much bad luck that everything turned into a horrible and unforgivable mess. 

That gained her to stand a disgrace. 

One Hour Later..

Mikasa took time to reflect on herself, slipping into the garden and washing her make up away with the steam that ran into their small pond. Undoing her hair and slipping the beads off, hooking the beads onto the washing line for Carla to have instead. Her tears stained her face as she felt like she failed not only herself but her true parents as well. 

She still remembered the joyful laughs and promises over giving her parents a grandchild once she stands as the most caring and best wife to be known. She remembered her parents looking forward to the husband she'd chose to take her hand and what type of women she'd stand as. 

But now, she only brought dishonour. 

She was damaged, as badly broken as all the townsfolks whispered about her when they thought she couldn't hear. 

But she could. 

Mikasa sits on a bench under the blossom tree, her favourite place to once the night sky was lit with sparkling stars. But for now, she only have a few of white clouds filling the blue sky above as the sun still shined down on them all. 

Grandpa approaches her, clearing his throat as he reaches the bench and watching as Mikasa turns herhead away. Shame still filling her eyes and she feared being disowned now.

Grandpa only sits down beside Mikasa with a small frown, thinking over the best way to help her and encourage that she still held worth in all their eyes. That the matchmaker words meant nothing and was only a wrong view to be seen. 

"My, my, what beautiful blossoms we have this year" Grandpa commented as he lifted his head, looking to all the blooms along the branches and leaving his walking stick leaning against the bench end. 

"But look, this one's late. But, I'll bet that when itblooms, it will be the most beautiful of all" Grandpa pointed out with his finger, gaining Mikasa to turn and take a look before finding the grandpa giving a fatherly smile towards her.

Both Mikasa and Grandpa share a faint almost unseen smiles. Mikasa resting her head against his shoulder and feeling a little less beaten up as she thought over his words and knew she still had a fighting chance. 

Drums start pounding announcing the arrival of Erwin, the advisor to Empire Furlan, and two guardson horseback. 

"What is it?" Mikasa asked as she and Grandpa are quick to stand, glancing towards the archway that led from the garden to the front of the house. 

Grandpa quickly walks to the entrance of their house with Mikasa quick to follow along behind him. The pair finding Grisha, Eren and Armin already opening the gate to check what was happening outside. 

"Mikasa, stay inside" Grisha advised his daughter, nodding to his wife that stayed in their front doorway, looking as spooked as the rest of her family. 

Armin clears her throat catching Mikasa's attention and notices him motions towards the barn stalls roof. Mikasa giving a small nod in return and hurries along while Armin slips outside the gate. Grandpa, Grisha and Eren already waiting outside, not noticing he took a little longer to step out with them. 

Mikasa spies the railing near the wall and climbs up to watch over the roof. She keeps herself ducked out of sight but stays focused on all the other men stepping out from their homes and seeing what Erwin was after. 

"Citizens I bring you a proclamation from the Imperial City: theHuns have invaded Maria!" Erwin announced as he read from the scroll, frighten and panicked gasps and cries echo the air soon after such a terrifying announcement was made. 

Mikasa stole a glance towards the male of her families, two of them grown and old enough to understand the horrors of war and knew how bad such news would be for their home. Maria was unsafe and in danger by the brutal Huns that even children knew to fear over. 

"By order of the Emperor, one man from every family must serve in theImperial Army" Erwin explained as he opened one of his bags and showing all the rolled up conscription notices that'd be given out and the families called upon. 

"The Xiao family" Erwin read out first, looking around before seeing a family member steps up, bows to the guardand takes the conscription notice from the guard. 

"The Yi family.Yi's Son" Erwin calls out next, holding the scroll to one of the guards who accepts it and turns as the son holds his old father back. 

"I will serve the Emperor in myfather's place" The son, mid twenties, answers and accepts the scroll in his old father place instead.  

"The Yeager Family. Both father and son" Erwin reads out next, holding both scrolls as the crowd freezes up over two males being taken from one family. 

"No" Mikasa whispered out in horror, knowing the chances of her brother returning from such a harsh war. She wasn't ready to lose a second family, not in this life. 

"I am ready to serve the Emperor" Grisha proudly announced, accepting his conscription notice to be doctor for his injured and sicken comrades fighting on the frontlines. 

"We need both a doctor and a soldier from your family" Erwin explains coldly as he looks towards a frighten Eren who gulps before stepping forward and shakily accepting his conscription notice. 

"The Arlert family" Erwin calls out next, glancing towards the Jaeger family once more as the three scolds were wrapped with the same ribbon at first before he undid the ribbon to read the scrolls names.  

Grandpa gives his cane to Armin and walks toward Erwin as Mikasa eyes grows wide at the scene. She's about to shout out her protest before filling with dread as Armin was already running after his grandpa, snatching the scroll from the guard first and passing his grandpa cane back. 

"I-I'll go i-in my g-grandpa place" Armin shakily announces as he looks towards Erwin who simply nodded back to show that was fine. 

"You stupid boy. War is no place for a lad like you. If Mikasa was going with you than I would have allowed it since I knew she'd protect you until the end but going alone .. you foolish boy" Grandpa scolded back towards his grandson as Erwin carried on reading names out. 

Mikasa quickly climbs down and stands by the gates as  Grisha heavily closes their main gates once the rest was tucked inside. Eren head still hang low and Armin eyes were filling with tears as the impact of his actions had quickly caught up to him.  Carla looked towards her husband, still in the unknown over what had happened outside the gate. 

Grisha placed his arm comfortingly around his son, walking him towards his wife and knowing they'd have to pass on the bad news. Armin crying as he followed the two inside and was already freaking out over becoming a soldier. He wasn't made for War, none of them were. He knew his own chances and he knew his best friend chances as well making him cry even more. 

"M-Mikasa. Is there no way for you to hide my grandson away and give me the chance to leave instead" Grandpa weakly asked as he looked towards the young women, taking notice over the comb still being tucked in her belt and hoping his deceased wife could help somehow. 

Hours pass and the sun finally sets, leaving the night sky to come into view but as did a heavy rain. It poured down on them, acting as if the heavens were crying for them all and making everyone mood even lower. 

Armin and Eren left in the late evening, the rain was light at first and they were given a lift with a neighbour who was heading out early as well. The cart pulling the two young men along with the supplies that the neighbour was also ordered to bring along to the training camp. Grisha wasn't due to leave for another couple days, to give the fresh soldiers time to reach their training camps and set all the tents up first.

Mikasa stayed sitting at the base of the Great Stone Dragon even as the rain grew worse. She bid farewell to her brothers, hugging them tightly and pressing a kiss each to their foreheads as she knew this might be their final time together .. all three of them. 

Mikasa looks down to see her reflection in the puddle caused by the rain, frowning as she saw the fighting fire in her eyes. She was a warrior, she could fight as well as a hundred men if given the chance but her mere gender was holding her back.

Shewatches her adopted parents in the bedroom, their outlines shown by the candle light and she couldn't picture how Carla must be feeling. Carla seems to turns away from Grisha and walksout of site, sobbing. Grisha blows out the light.

Mikasa as an wild idea shoot through her head, her last name was neither Yeager or Arlert. She was an Ackerman, proud over standing as one. She wasn't given a scroll but her family would have been written one. 

Mikasa quickly gets up and walks to the Jaeger and Arlert Family Temple. Mikasa's image reflects off the stone tablets as she lightsincense and places it in the hanging incense holder. She bows and prays toher ancestors. Silently asking for forgiven as she knew the dishonour she'd forever place on the families if her plan fails. 

Getting up, Mikasa hurries down the steps. Connie sees her andhops down from above and follows her, knowing he'd be taken for a wild adventure if he follows her instead of being left trapped in the garden. Mikasa goes to her parent's bedroom and picks up the conscription notice, reading where they were made and knowing where she needed to gain her own one. 

She reaches her shared room with Grandpa and silently steps over to his bedside table. Laying his cane to lean against the table instead of placed upon in and replacing it with the hair comb given to her.

She hurries out of the room and stops by an portrait that held all three family mixed as one large one. Everyone either looking serious or smiling like idiots, dressed in their Sunday bests. She pauses to give one last a loving, sorrowful look and hurriesout.

Breaking into the armoury with ease and knowing what she was looking for after seeing Armin and Eren collecting what they needed from it earlier. She opens the cabinet with the Ackerman armour. Carla had gotten Grisha to carry it to their armoury when it rumoured to be sold to another family if not collected from the Ackerman cabin a couple days after Grisha had found her. 

Using her father's sword, she cuts her hair short and ties it up above herhead. She finishes putting on the red and black armour and ties it in the front. She takesthe sword and places it in the scabbard to her left. Glancing one last look at the mirror on the back of the door and finally seeing a reflection she knew. 

Mikasa hurries to the in thestable barn doorway. Hannes rears back in fright at the sight of Mikasa and assuming she was a stranger breaking in to steal him away. Mikasa panics and goesforward and comforts Hannes letting him know her identity.

Once Hannes was calm enough and placed his trust in her once more, she walks Hannes outof the stable, Connie watches from the ground as she passes by. She stops by the gate, opening it up before taking one sorrowful glance back at her second home and rides Hannes through thegate and off towards the government building in town, stealing the Ackerman scroll before heading out towards the campsite.

An hour later the storm grows worse and a flash of lightening and the roar of thunder spooked Carla awake. She glanced to her husband, glad to see he was still there before remembering over her two sons being stolen away from her. 

Carla slipped out of bed and walked around the home. Peeping into her sons shared room before moving along to check on the rest of her family. She had a feeling Mikasa wasn't going to be sleeping tonight after all that's happened. She was hoping that she wasn't still left outside in the storm.

Finally reaching Grandpa and Mikasa shared room before sliding the door open and peeping inside. A troubled look filling her face over Mikasa untouched bed and she went to leave before taking notice over Grandpa cane not being on his bedside table. She walked over before freezing at the comb placed there instead. 

"Oh no" Carla breathed out in horror, rushing out of the room and heading straight towards the armoury first. 

Tears falling from her eyes before she rushed to wake her husband in hopes of having him to help her find their missing daughter. To reach her before she reaches camp and stop her from doing such a dangerous task. 

"You must go after her. Shecould be killed!" Carla begged as she clung to her husband, fallen to their knees over the news of Mikasa actions. 

"If I reveal her, she will be" Grisha warned his wife, hugging her closer and knowing that their sons weren't the only ones in need of their Ancestor help. 

"Ancestors, hear our prayer: Watch over our Mikasa" Grandpa whispers to the wind as he stands in the couple bedroom doorway, being woken by Carla as well as she headed to wake her husband.

At the Family Temple..

A wind blows out the incense at the base of thecentre stone.

The centre stone begins to glow as First Ancestor comes tolife.

"Sasha, awaken!" Sasha cheered as she stretched from her place of slumber.