FicWad

The horse's hooves click and clack as they pull the wagon through the large gates that shield humanity from the atrocities that lurk outside of the towering walls. The wheels roll over the paved streets and the jerking motion brings you to consciousness.

You gasp as you feel air fill your lungs. You blink and notice a dull light coming through the silky white sheet that covers your face and the length of your body. You clench your moveable arm around your torso in response to a deep stinging coming from your ribs, and stomach.

What happened? Had the mission succeeded?

Your memories are mere fragments floating around in your aching head.

Was the female titan captured? Was Yeager alive?

You force your body to sit up and push off the white sheet that obscures your vision. Despite the mind-numbing pain that slowly envelops your limbs, you barely notice the deep gaping wound in your side.

Panic spreads through every inch of your disheveled body. Around you is many other bodies covered with the same white sheets. Many are stained with crimson blood, others have lifeless pale hands hanging out of the fabric confines. Your mind reels as you realize that you are also piled on top of the bodies.

"Wasn't there more of them when they left this morning?" A woman's disembodied voice exclaims from within the large crowds lining the streets.

Another one scoffs, "This is what they waste our tax dollars on?"

You can't contain your voice even though it pains you to open your mouth. A tremulous and nonsensical yelling leaves your lips in desperation. Salty tears drain from your (Eye color) eyes and you can taste them running down your cheeks and mouth.

Jean Kirschtein shouts to Commander Erwin from atop a chestnut brown horse,
"Commander! We have a live one back here!"

Armin Arlert, the starry-eyed blonde boy, spots you from the array of white sheets and gasps in disbelief, "It's Squad Leader (First Name)! She's alive!"

Out of the crowds of people, you spot a stoic looking Captain Levi listening to an enthusiastic man with deep-set wrinkles on his complexion. Although it sounds like you are observing everything as if it were underwater, you can hear some of the muffled words the man is saying,

"She says she intends to devote herself to you completely like that. Well... that was her pride talking, but she doesn't understand how worried that makes me!"

Who was he speaking about? How can he speak so fondly when it appears like so few of the Survey Corps members made it back?

Your mind begins to wander from that train of thought and soon you let your muscles relax and your heavy eyelids close. You feel a pair of arms wrapping around you and lifting you out of the pile of the cold corpses of your comrades.

"(Last name) needs a doctor! Quickly! I think she's bleeding out! She's fading fast.."

_ _

Your eyes flutter open to a soft breeze floating through the open window above your bed. You prop yourself up on your good arm and adjust your injured one that is secured in a tight sling. The incident that had bruised a few of your ribs, broke your arm, fractured your collar bone, and almost killed you had happened more than a week ago. It was a slow recovery process and your bones ached. Your memory was slowly starting to return, and in turn all the horrible atrocities you had witnessed.

One of your closest friends, the obnoxiously excitable scientist, and squad leader Hange Zoë had filled you in on the missing parts of your memories the day you woke up in the hospital bed, she listened to many eye witness accounts to be able to type up the official report.

She had thoroughly explained while sitting on your bedside,"everyone thought you were dead when the female titan had slammed you against that tree! The members of your squad had stayed behind to guard the entrance of the forest, but Eren and the other members of Captain Shorty's squad had watched you try to take the monster down."

Hange helped bandage and clean many of your wounds while she distracted you from the pain with her happy-go-lucky attitude.

"You sure took a beating girl! You looked pretty darn dead so they got you wrapped up in the white sheets and everything," she slapped a hand on your back playfully and you hissed from the pain it triggered in your body.

"I guess I was one of the lucky ones," you had whispered back somberly and rubbed your aching body.

You pull aside your bedsheets and slide yourself out of the safe blankets. You're certain to place your pillow and bedding into pristine condition once again, just in case the clean freak Captain Levi decides to spontaneously stop by.

You pull open the drawers of your dresser and search through them for something that would be relatively easy to pull on. You select a gray shirt with short sleeves and a pair of loose fitting white pants. You replace your sleeping attire with the casual outfit and run a comb through your (Hair length) (Hair color) hair.

You peer into the mirror above your dresser at your reflection. Your face has seen better days but looks pretty decent considering the bandages and gauze that almost completely covers the entirety of the rest of your body.

A sudden knock on your door surprises you and you could have sworn your heart stops beating for a split-second. You effectively finish pulling your hair into a tight bun with one hand and do up the last button on your pants.

Calming your flustered heartbeat, you turn the metal door knob with your good hand and greet a cadet whom you can't recall ever meeting before. She wears a serious look on her young face and her salute is proud and confident.

"My deepest apologies for interrupting your rest Squad Leader (First name), but the Commander urgently requests an audience with you," she states in a breathy but formal tone.

Commander Erwin? What could he possibly request of an unusable injured soldier like yourself?

You nod your head and offer her a polite smile, "Thank you, I'll head down and meet him straight away."

You snatch your Survey Corps jacket off the back of your desk chair and drape it over your shoulders. You need to make an attempt to at least look a bit more presentable in front of your superior.

You make your way down a few winding stone staircases and long corridors to Commander Erwin's office.

On the way, you pass the dining hall that's bustling with cadets and loud conversations. The smell of breakfast being served reaches your nostrils and your mouth begins to salivate.

Your stomach continues to make badly timed rumbles as you knock briskly on a large intimidating wooden door.

Damn, you should have woken up a little earlier to grab a blueberry muffin, they would definitely be gone by the time you make your way back.

Commander Erwin's deep voice comes from inside, "Name and purpose?"

"It's (Last Name), you requested to see me, Sir?"

"Ah yes, please come in."

You step into the spacious and tidy office and lower yourself down into a chair, careful to not bump your healing ribs or your broken arm. The blonde Commander with bright blue pupils examines you from across the desk.

"I hope your feeling better? You weren't doing so well the last time I saw you. Nonetheless, I commend you for your sacrifices."

A small smile spreads across your lips, you had always liked Commander Erwin. He was a trustworthy, sensible, and honorable man.

Erwin continues, "I trust you've heard the news... we lost some good men and women out there. Captain Levi was injured assisting Mikasa Ackerman in protecting Yeager, and the whole Special Operations Squad was completely decimated. Those were some of the best soldiers humanities ever had."

So that means that Petra... Oluo.. Eld.. and Gunther.. are dead? You hadn't seen them around, and they weren't causing their usual ruckus but you would never have suspected that they lost their lives in the same battle that you somehow survived.

You choke on your words as you try to speak, you hadn't known the team as personally as some but you have some fond memories of them that you hold dear. They were some of the best of the best, and it was almost incomprehensible that they were defeated. You used to hang out with Petra between her missions when you were still a cadet. She had an ambition that was unrivaled.

Anger and confusion boil within you, "Sir, I wasn't aware that the mission caused loss to such invaluable soldiers as them."

You keep your voice calm, but you display blatant grief in your eyes. The Commander keeps his gaze directed toward the paperwork on his desk and he clenches his jaw. He abruptly stands up out of his chair, showing off his tall height, and proceeds to admire the view outside the window.

He laces his hands together behind his back, "Levi will now be on leave from his duties beyond the walls, but will still be running some important business from within. I'm assigning you to him whilst you are in recovery."

Your cheeks begin to feel hot, "Commander Erwin, Sir.. you're asking me to become the Captain's assistant?"

"We can't have such a capable person sitting around doing nothing, now can we?", he has a subtle intimidating tone to his voice. Almost like he was just daring you to try and challenge his decisions.


With the added security of his back to you, you roll your eyes at your superior. Your oh so 'capable' self will be put to such good use cleaning the Captain's office and doing his paperwork.

"Of course not, Sir."