You used to love the smell of leather. The smell of the fresh air and dirt, a reminder of your life before the walls and all of this political chess. Your gaze dropped down to gaze at your outfit and chuckled softly. The long leather boots, the white pants, and various buckles and belts leading up to an olive green button-up shirt with an iconic leather jacket. That bastard always does get his wish, doesn't he? You managed to lift your dead-looking gaze in time as a man approached. the man was quite tall with a bald head, his harsh gaze looking at everyone that was gathered with you in this group of children known as the 104th. Your body struggled to even function at this point, your body weakened to the point you wanted to collapse into a bunk right then and there to rest. You seemed rather pale but managed to hold firm as he passed in front of you. A breath of relief almost naively crossed your lips as the man stopped and turned back to you.

???: NAME AND WHERE YOU'RE FROM?!!!

Of course, he had to stop at you. You sucked in a breath and stood up straight, not wanting to back down or get yelled at. You pressed your feet together and pressed your left hand shakily against your back, crossing your chest with a clenched right fist until it was pressed above your heart.

(Y/n): SIR, (Y/N) (L/N), SIR! I...

You paused for a moment as you pondered on where you should say you were from. If you proclaimed where your father lived then you would definitely be treated differently, but you can't exactly fall back on... Lucky for you, this man, Keith Shadis, didn't much care where you lived and cut you off with a loud toned bark.

Shadis: (L/n), huh?! A shit name for a walking pile of pigshit! Maybe your stink will keep the titans at bay long enough for us to patch up Wall Maria! Or better yet, we can just use your big ass head to patch up the wall good as new! About face!

You and the others in your row turned as you let out a sigh. You had to admit, Shadis was good at coming up with insults, which must be why he's the drill sergeant. Well... at least you took the brunt of his assault for this row, so if anything good came out of it maybe it was that. You let your hands drop back to your side as you could see how pale you truly looked. You needed to sleep... that's all... Shadis managed to find some new target, saying something about a potato as he walked off. You did manage to let your eyes fall upon the brown-haired girl in question, her demeanor totally serious as she munched on a potato. The sight almost brought you to a chuckle. It was then that you realized a soft smile managed to drag onto your lips. A real one? You didn't know but you quickly wiped it off your face before Shadis could inflict his wrath upon you. You just hoped he might go easy on the brave girl. She was clearly the bravest one here...

You rubbed your face softly, feeling your muscles tremble softly. You weren't sure if it was the anxiety that had built up over the past couple of days before coming here, the aspect of spending the next two years into total military training, or the pure rage you felt at your Father for imposing the life of a noble soldier upon you. You were completely drained and yet you knew your day wasn't over by any means. Your back straightened as you glanced around the empty barracks, realizing everyone must have gone off to eat dinner, or watch the dropouts, or whatever there is to do around here. You glanced down to your rock hard bed to find a neatly folded pair of clothes and a note. You knew exactly who the note was from and didn't even want to think about reading it through your tired mind simply wished to be done with this connection to him once and for all by reading it. Even in the softly darkening light of the evening, you could ake out the words on the letter.

Son,

This experience in the military will serve to strengthen the (L/n) clan and your position in it as well. August may be taking the helm as head of the clan upon my demise, but your presence will serve as an anchor for him and his inherited endeavors. At least try to make something out of this experience and after your rebellious phase is beaten out of you by the training, you can relax as a member of the Military Police, working within feet of your home. I would prefer you do something useful and manage to rank in this top ten I've heard of so that you can simply choose your regiment, but I'll find some way to make it happen regardless of if you fail.

Your Father,

Burhardt (L/n).

You couldn't even find the strength in your exhausted body to destroy the paper, simply crumpling in your fist as you tossed it back onto the bed, ready to get out of this uniform. Peeling free from the attire, you made sure to fold it as neatly as you could manage, glancing down to the crumpled letter.

(Y/n): I can't even find the time and energy to hate you anymore...

You admitted softly as you pulled the olive shirt free of your torso, moving to change clothes. You managed to slip into something resembling casual wear that you managed to borrow from a servent to seem less... pompous you supposed. You slipped into a pair of old shoes, the fitting but slightly grey baggy pants leading up to a long-sleeved beige shirt. You shook your head lightly to adjust your (H/c) locks before sauntering over to the door and pushing it open. You glanced out to see a few of the other guys and one of the girls standing out watching the potato girl from before run laps. You had honestly thought you had been left alone but you expected you wouldn't be getting much alone time from now on. Your first thought was to ignore them, but knowing that they would either catch you at the mess or here, your feet carried you over to lean against the stairs of the porch they all stood upon, your ears picking up the threads of conversation you had managed to hear.

???: I can't believe anyone would rather pull plants than fight.

???: I know about some of us, but you never mentioned where you were from, Eren.

the one known as Eren seemed more than willing to tell, placing his hand on the shoulder of another blonde lad.

Eren: Same as Armin, Shinganshina.

You didn't really expect that answer. You remembered the stories you had heard from the adults about the collapse of Wall Maria, the day that everything not only changed for you but for humanity itself. You pushed yourself off of the stairs, wanting to leave the others to their conversation of that day.

???: What about you, (Y/n)?

You paused and looked over your shoulder, the expectant eyes of the others awaiting something.

(Y/n): H-Huh?

Good first impression (Y/n), you thought softly as you croaked out a surprised mumble. The boy that had answered the question spoke up to alleviate your confusion, you scoured your mind for a name and managed to pull up... Marco? Yeah, Marco.

Marco: Shadis asked you where you were from but he kinda cut you off before you could answer. Would you mind telling us?

(Y/n): Well... sure I suppose I can.

Turning slowly, you clambered back onto the porch to look at everyone properly. They seemed to be genuinely interested in your backstory, and for once you thought about telling it. Maybe since you would be with these people for the next two years it would be easier to get some of this stress of your mind and back.

(Y/n): Well... I suppose I should start from the beginning...

(A/n): Hey there reader and thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this part and if you did, don't be afraid to leave a comment telling me how I did! thank you for your time and I'll see you in the next update!