literature

The Fire in Her Eyes [Reader x Erwin] Part 1

Deviation Actions

Published: Jul 19, 2016

2K Views

Literature Text

Year 838

Erwin Smith took a deep breath as rode slowly under the massive gate leading into Shigashina. This certainly wasn’t his first expedition outside the walls, but crowd’s contempt and jeering at the Scouts Regiment upon their return never got easier. Today, the boos and hisses stung even more than usual.

The 29th Expedition beyond the walls was a devastating blow for the Survey Corps. Not only did they lose nearly 70% of the regiment’s lives, but the base they had spent years building was destroyed and now overrun by Titans. So many lives were sacrificed to establish that base, and now what did their lives mean?
Erwin sighed in exhaustion and diverted his gaze to the ground as the insults grew to a thundering roar. He was thankful at this time that he wasn’t Keith Shadis. The 12th Commander of the Survey Corps was the target of most of the crowd’s jeering.
“Commander Shadis!” They screamed,
“Do you think this expedition was worth all these lives?!”
“Don’t you care about the soldiers that died?!”

The tall, blonde squad leader was beginning to doubt himself. How would he ever achieve his dream of learning the secrets behind the Titans if they continued to tear apart the Scouts like this? How would he uncover the truth his father had told him about all those years ago? The truth he had died for sharing? No, it was no use. The Titans were too strong—humanity was far outmatched and could never stand a chance…

“Is that all you got?!”
Erwin’s attention was brought back to reality by the loud, high-pitched voice. Looking to his right down a narrow street, his thick eyebrows raised in surprise at the scene before him and he halted his horse temporarily.
Hands clenched in tight fists and feet planted firmly to her spot, a young girl with h/l, h/c hair stood in the middle of three boys, all of them towering over her by at least half a foot. A few feet removed from the fighters was a small, blonde boy with large, blue eyes, hugging his knees into a tight ball, eyes wide with fear.
Hair a mess and blood dripping from a cut on her lip, the girl charged one of the boys, yelling, kicking, and punching at him with all her worth. The other two grabbed her from behind and threw her to the ground, kicking up dirt onto her shaking figure, laughing, then turning their attention to the young boy.
“You can’t hide behind your stupid little girlfriend forever, Armin.”

Erwin stared, frozen. He was about to intervene when the girl spat out some blood, and began to immediately attack again. As she turned to face her foes, Erwin saw a flash of crimson in her e/c eyes. The look of pure fire and determination that consumed the girl’s face was so fierce, it caused his breath to stop in his throat.
“AHHHH!”
She jumped onto the back of one of the attackers, hitting him on the head with all her might.
"Leave! Him! Alone!" she yelled between fisted punches.
The boy, caught off guard, frantically wriggled himself around until she fell down once more. The three boys once again turned their attention to her, approaching her defenseless form with evil grins on their faces.
Erwin quickly began dismounting when suddenly, the attackers fled down the street. A middle-aged man with the same shade of h/c hair as the girl appeared, shaking his fist at the three running figures in the distance. Walking to the young girl, he helped her up, brushed off her clothes, and planted a small kiss on her dirty forehead. Taking her by the hand, he helped the young blonde boy up as well, and led them to a side street and out of sight.

The soldier still stood in shock for a few moments, before regaining his senses and telling his horse to move ahead again. He continued riding deep in thought. He couldn’t get the imagery of the fire he saw in her eyes, a ferocity so strong it could cut through Wall Sina. Her eyes said it all. She would not give up, no matter how outmatched she was, because she wouldn’t give in to those who prey on the weak, those who try to take away the few freedoms we have inside the walls.
Though he had faltered briefly, Erwin began to fill with hope again. The fire inside that girl’s eyes reignited his own flame. Upon returning to the Survey Corps Headquarters, he resolved to relook over his long-distance scouting formation to present to the Commander once more. He would not give up. He would find the truth behind these walls, the Titans, and would do everything in his power to bring down this era of being trapped inside like livestock.

Year 845

“Cadets! This is a real salute! Give your hearts!”

Commander Shadis belted out the orders and yourself, along with the fourteen other cadets donning their Training Regiment jackets, gave a shout as you beat your right fist onto your hearts in a salute.
“Yessir!”
The commander, standing on the stage at the Closing Ceremony, scanned the faces of the newly devoted Survey members. Almost all of them looked helplessly terrified, their eyes filled with fear. He continued searching the crowd, and stopped when he saw your face.
You stood rooted to your spot, your posture tall and proud. Your eyes shone with fierceness, and…was that a small smile he saw?

It was. You had just chosen to become a member of the Survey Corps, something you wanted to do since you were a little girl. Today was the day your dream would start to become a reality. Your dream to take back the outside.
It had been a tough three years in the Training Regiment, but you had the guts, aptitude, and determination it took to become the top cadet in your class. The others in the top ten…Hitch, Marlowe… they thought you were crazy for wanting to join the Survey Corps seeing as you could choose a comfy life in the interior.
But the interior wasn’t your dream. Your dream was with the outside world. The world your father told you about when you were little. The world that you would take back from the Titans someday.

The commander snapped back to attention and addressed the cadets once more.
“At ease. You will now follow the squad leaders to the carriages that will take you to our Headquarters. Dismissed!”
You let your arms fall to your sides, and followed your fellow soldiers single file towards the two Survey Corps squad leaders. They both were impressively tall men. The taller of the two with dirty-blonde, shaggy hair and small hints of stubble along his upper lip and chin led the new cadets toward the carriages. You furrowed your eyebrows as you watched the squad leader sniff a couple of your classmates in the front of the line.

The other squad leader stayed behind to take up the rear of the group. You observed him as you slowly approached where he was standing. His face was stoic in nature, everything about him emitted power and strength. He stood with his chest slightly puffed and hands behind his back. His jawline cut boldly across his face, and his pale blue eyes flashed like diamonds. You weren’t easily intimidated, but there was something about him that caught you off guard.
Suddenly, the man turned his head toward you, making eye contact. The soft expression on his face made your breath halt in your throat.

His eyes widened and his thick eyebrows lifted in surprise.
‘Those eyes…’ He thought to himself.
‘No, it can’t be…’
But it was true. He would recognize those e/c orbs anywhere. They belonged to the girl...from almost seven years ago…the girl that gave him hope.
Erwin realized he had been staring perhaps a little too long and shifted his eyes to face forward. You continued staring a few seconds longer before diverting your attention to the back of the cadet’s head in front of you.

‘What the hell was that?’
You shook your head, unable to get the squad leader’s strange look out of your head. You passed by him, unaware of his icy blue eyes trailing your figure as you walked by. After the last cadet passed, he took up the place in the back of the line.
You and the other cadets made a few turns, and then arrived at several carriages on one of the back streets. Climbing into one of them, you spent the majority of the ride thinking about the squad leader.

The look on his face made you think he recognized you, but that couldn’t be possible, you had never seen him in your entire life. You were also confused by the gentleness in his eyes. It was an unexpected kindness from an otherwise intimidating man.
The carriage began to slow, and you looked out the window. The silhouette of a massive, stone castle could be seen before the setting sun behind it.
You turned back to staring into your lap, a small smile warming your face. Thoughts about the strange soldier temporarily left your mind. You had arrived.