The decree is posted in the center of town while everyone is at work. A few lines on a simple, unassuming piece of paper. Armin looks at it with trepidation.

ATTENTION

Previous Residents of Wall Maria are hereby required

to register with the Selective Service Order for the

possibility to join the Effort to Reclaim Wall

Maria at the end of this year.

Those under the age of 15, cripples, women currently with

child or with weaning children, active duty military, military

recruits, persons in essential government positions, and

citizens with permanent residence within Wall Rose or

Sina for a minimum of 2 years prior to the Fall of

Wall Maria, will not be required to register.

Armin's frown deepens. According to the paper, he and Mikasa aren 't required to join this Effort, but Eren 'well he doesn't actually know how old Eren is, but he probably wouldn't be able to pass for fourteen anymore. He had filled out very well from the year or so of hard labor. He turns to Hannes, who is rereading the paper with a closed expression.

The look Hannes gives him is grim. "You're probably going to want to keep Eren busy tonight, Armin."

Armin looks at him. "Are you going to call a town meeting?"

Hannes gives a small, weak smile. "Unless the rest of the town suddenly became literate without my knowledge, yes."

He nods. Not many of the citizens were as proficient with reading and writing as the doctor, so it fell on his and a few others ' shoulders to explain the posted words. Armin counts himself lucky that his grandfather was able to teach him before he died. It was a privilege that not many in the outer walls had.

"You don't want Eren to know, do you?" He asks, looking up at the man.

Hannes shakes his head. "Not yet. He's still hell-bent on joining the Survey Corps for goddess ' sake, who knows what he'll do if he finds out about this. Kid would probably volunteer even if he

didn't

get drafted."

Armin nods grimly in agreement. Eren hasn 't shown the best self-preservation instincts in the time they've known him. 'He won 't like it if we keep this from him. '

'I know. Just 'wait a few days? I want to make sure we break it to him gently. No sense in upsetting him. ' Hannes says.

Despite disliking the idea of lying to Eren, Armin has to agree with that. "Alright. But I'm telling Mikasa tonight '" he says trailing off when he sees it. His brow crumples in thought as he looks at the paper. It seems as though there 's a rather obvious loophole; it could just be a simple matter of ' "Hey Hannes '"

'What 's going on in that devious little head of yours, Armin? ' He asks, a hint of warning in his tone.

"It says that recruits don't have to go."

He doesn't need to explain further before Hannes 's face shows his displeasure with the idea. 'I thought the plan was to convince Eren

not

to join the Survey Corps. '

Armin shakes his head 'This changes things. If he doesn 't join, he 'll be required to join

this

. ' He gestures at the foreboding slip of paper. 'If they 're really leaving at the end of the year, then that means whoever 's running it plans on giving the draftees practically nothing in the way of training. ' He presses his lips together in a hard line. 'They'll be slaughtered. If Eren is adamant about leaving to kill Titans, I'd rather he train as a recruit for three years before he does."

Hannes is quiet for a long while before he gives a reluctant grunt that Armin takes as assent.

"It would work for you, too you know." Armin says quietly, taking advantage of the silence.

The man gives him an incredulous look. "I'm a doctor, kiddo, not a soldier." He gives a huff. "I can't even imagine myself as one."

"I can." He shrugs at the look Hannes gives him 'the suspicious squint of a man that doesn 't know if he 's just been insulted. "You're a good man. You would do whatever you could to protect the people you care about." He looks to the ground, scraping at the dry earth with his boot. "My grandfather told me once that a true soldier doesn't fight because he hates who's in front of him, but because he loves who's behind him. I think that sounds a lot like you." He looks up to see the man who has become like a father to him flush at the praise.

"No need to get all sentimental, kid." He grumbles. "You'll ruin my tough-guy reputation."

"You don't have a tough-guy reputation." He gets a light jab to the shoulder for that.

After a while, they start walking back to the doctor's house, discussing ideas on how to break the news to the rest of the village, before the conversation eventually turns back around. "You really think I should join the military?"

Armin nods. "You could join the Garrison. I think you would be good for it. Besides, they might need someone with medical experience."

Hannes hums in agreement. "I'll talk with Carla about it."

"Of course." He looks off in the direction of the fields where Mikasa and Eren are working as they pass. "Just 'remember that if you don't, you're at risk of being drafted into this reclamation effort. I don't want Maria to grow up like I did." His lips thin as they press tight. "My grandfather used to tell me that my parents loved me to Sina and back when they were alive, but when I was younger I still used to resent them for leaving me."

Hannes goes quiet again. "What happened?"

Armin shrugs. It doesn't bother him as much anymore. He must have been four or five when they left, so he doesn't remember much of them. Just warmth and soft voices and vague memories. His grandfather had kept a portrait of them on the mantle, so he knows what they had looked like. That picture, he realizes with a sense of mute grief, is probably crushed under rubble now. "They were researchers. They went outside the Walls to study the world out there and one day they didn 't come back. My grandfather raised me after that."

When he looks to the doctor, the man has a grim look on his face. "I'm sorry." He pauses "Was your grandfather 'did he not get out during the Fall?"

Armin shakes his head. "No it wasn't that. He was gone before then." He swallows thickly. "Fleshrot."

Hannes shudders at the mention of the plague. "Goddess, Armin. I'm sorry." The Fleshrot was a gruesome way to go. He turns his face to the ground, but his eyes are shut, unseeing. "My first wife 'she got it, too."

Armin looks up at that. He didn't know the man had married before. "Is that why you became a doctor?"

Hannes nods. "Not that it did much good. We still haven't found a cure for it."

"You helped me. ' He says quietly. It 's true, too. When he and the others had come here, the wounds on his legs had already begun to swell and burn. Without the doctor 's skill, the infection would likely have spread and taken hold of his fail body.

They had reached the door then, and Hannes fiddles with the key before he answers with a small smile. "Well, I guess it wasn 't too bad of a decision, then."

Eren pushes his fingers through the tall grass that flows over the hill and sighs pleasantly. He 'd been surprised when Armin suggested they go for a walk just after they came home, but despite the chilly air of the evening, it 's been nice. They 'd eventually come to rest on one of the hills just outside the village, and Eren had all too happily kicked off his shoes (he 's been getting more used to the hateful things, but they still made for an unpleasant experience) and collapsed on his stomach in the downy vegetation.

Mikasa and Armin are sat next to him, chatting idly, and he takes the opportunity to roll over and look at the sky. It 's streaked with the purples and pinks of the setting sun and Eren can 't help but enjoy the sight. It doesn 't quite compare to the majesty of watching the sun sink into the sea - when the light of the sky reflects on the waves and shines back in an achingly beautiful array of colors - but it's stunning all the same.

They stay outside until long after dusk, and the walk home is lit by a gentle half-moon. It reminds him a bit of his days in his Titan form, when he would often wander aimlessly, with no actual destination in mind and no set time to be there.

It 's nice.

When they get back to the village, Eren makes a beeline for Maria because he hasn 't seen her all day, which is completely unacceptable. The small hatchling has indeed gotten bigger since her hatching just like Carla said, but she still fits perfectly in his arms. Not now, of course, because she 's sleeping soundly in her nest as he talks softly with Carla. She 'll wake up soon, hungry and fussing until something is done about it, and Eren is content to wait. When she finally does, Carla is quick to feed her. She strokes her downy hair and kisses the soft dimples at the top of her head, before handing her to an eager Eren, who soothes her back to sleep with soft coos and wordless murmurs.

Armin seems anxious to get home however, so Eren settles the hatchling back into her nest, and they leave earlier than he would have liked.

He had asked what was bothering him, but the little blond human had evaded his questions, and Eren didn't push. Armin seemed to need time to think things over whenever he was upset about something, and most of the time he 'd eventually find a way to fix whatever he was hung up on. He would tell them when he was ready, and by then everything would probably be okay.

Levi generally walks around in a constant state of disgust and disenchantment with the world as a whole, but today something 's gotten pretty deep under his thick skin.

'What happened to me being a shining fucking beacon of hope? ' He growls, hands planted firmly on Erwin 's desk.

Erwin looks resigned again, and it 's fucking annoying. 'We 're trying to limit the number of soldiers we 're sending out. Especially decorated officers like you. '

'Yeah that 's great and all, save your own asses all you want," he gets an eye-twitch for that, "but I 'm going. '

'This won 't be like any excursion you 've ever been on." The Commander says seriously. "There will be people all around you who haven 't been trained in the same maneuvers as you have been. Who don't know their weapons as familiarly as you. Think of what it would do to morale if you were to fall in combat because a civilian didn 't follow orders correctly, or didn 't know how to safely execute a tactical blade-change. '

Levi leans forward, bringing them eye to eye. 'Either you send me out, or I go out anyway. This isn 't a discussion. '

Erwin sighs - gusty, resigned sighs of course being the commander 's forte - and pulls open a drawer of his vast, oak monstrosity of a desk, taking out a slip of paper. With a mild glare in Levi's direction, he plucks a pen from his desk and signs the bottom with a flourish, depositing the paper on top of a rather large stack of similar forms. 'It 's done. '

Levi narrows his eyes suspiciously at the paper, and then at its officiary. 'You had that filled out for me already. '

'I only ever had the faintest hope of holding you back. ' He gives a quick, wan smile - really just a stretching of lips. 'Now go. Have a list of things to organize that 's taller than you. '

The soldier takes a moment to decide whether or not that was a jab at his height before brushing it off. Even if Erwin did suddenly cultivate a sense of humor, he 's one of the only people Levi would actually let get away with it anyway. With nothing left to say, he thumps a fist over his heart in a practiced salute, feet snapping together and shoulders going rigid in easy coordination. Erwin nods his dismissal, and Levi is out the door feeling strangely satisfied.

Erwin didn 't generally inspire that feeling in people.

Mikasa fiddles with the coarse blanket underneath her.

It's been a week since Armin told her about the decree, and they'd all agreed that it was time to tell Eren. They've gathered in Carla and Hannes' house, hoping that the presence of Maria might soften any negative reactions Eren might have to the news.

At the moment, he sits on the floor with Maria in front of him, her back braced firmly against his front so that she can play with a small wooden horse without slumping over. He coos at her in his special way, and she babbles back, banging the toy against his shin with a gummy smile.

"Eren?" Carla asks, drawing his attention. His smile is blissfully ignorant of the conversation that's about to take place, and Mikasa wishes they didn't have to erase it. "Eren, something has 'happened. With the military."

It doesn't take long for Eren to register the mood in the room and when he does, the smile fades from his face. Say what you will about the boy, but he's very adept at reading body language when he wants to be. "What happen?"

Carla looks to Hannes, who sighs uncomfortably. "The government is going to send a lot of people outside the wall in a few months. They're telling people that they're headed to Wall Maria." Eren perks up at that, but Hannes lifts a hand to stop him from saying anything. "But it's a trick. They don't want to reclaim the Wall, they want 'they want people to die."

This time, it's Armin that takes over. "The outer wall had a lot of farmland and a lot of people. When Wall Maria fell, we lost the ability to feed a lot of people." He stops to make sure Eren understands. "Right now, we're living off of the last few years' food store. There are food cellars in Rose and Sina that are filled with grain and dried meats for just this purpose, but '" he looks at his hands, "they won't last. They're probably almost empty now, and this years' harvest won't be enough to feed everyone." Mikasa doesn't envy Armin for being the one to tell this to Eren. "So they're sending some of the refugees from Maria outside the walls so that they don't take all of the food."

The room is silent as everyone waits for Eren's reaction. He doesn't disappoint.

It's been a long time since Eren has actually

growled

, but he doesn't seem to have forgotten how to do it. It's a low snarl that catches wetly in his throat. Maria stills at the sound of it, and she drops her wooden toy to the floor with a clatter when Eren snatches her up into his arms. "They try." He snarls, clutching the infant closer to him with a furious expression.

Armin is on the floor next to him in a second, "No! Eren! Hey, it's okay, they wouldn't send Maria. Or Carla or me or Mikasa for that matter." He waits until Eren has gone quiet before continuing. "But they'll probably want to send you and Hannes."

Eren frowns at that, and Hannes takes this as his cue. "Joining the military means we don't have to go. So 'when you join after harvest," he gives Eren a stern look that says 'and you

are

joining after harvest', "I'm joining with you."

Eren takes a moment to let everything sink in, and Mikasa is relieved to see his tight hold on Maria loosen. "How many? ' He asks Armin, who shrugs helplessly.

"I don't know. But it's going to be a lot." He frowns "If it's going to be effective, I'd say they'd need to 'they'd need at least a hundred thousand people to leave. Maybe twice that."

Eren stares blankly at him, and eventually tips his head to the side. When she realizes what's wrong, Mikasa gets Armin's attention. "You haven't taught him that high yet, Armin."

"Oh." Because doesn't that just drive the number in even more profoundly. He bites his lip "Well then 'a lot of people."

Eren nods slowly. He looks to Hannes. "And military 'safe?"

The doctor makes a face "Not safe, but '

safer.

"

"And you all come?" He looks around at them all, but Carla shakes her head.

"Maria and I will be staying home."

Eren nods again, stroking the top of Maria's head. Her toy was out of her reach, so she was chewing on her fist instead, and seemed content to sit there and be pet.

"Okay." He says, focusing his attention on the child in his arms. "We go together."

And the finality in his voice says that the conversation is over.

Hanji raps a few times on the door for appearances ' sake before barging in without anything close to permission. Not that Levi would ever deny them entry. As much as the eccentric scientist annoys the shit out of him, they 're his best friend.

'Levi! I heard the news! ' They screech, throwing their arms around him and squeezing until 'goddessdamnit 'his feet lift off the ground. 'I can 't believe you 're

leaving

me! ' The edge of their goggles dig into his scalp as they press their face to the top of his head, and he winces.

'Put me down, shithead, before I make you regret it. ' He growls, unable to put as much steel in his voice as he would like.

Hanji releases him - and he 's going to ignore just how far down he drops, thank you very much - but their hands clamp onto his shoulders, and suddenly there 's watery, glass-shielded eyes peering into his. 'I thought we were going to hold the fort together and help train recruits together and have sleepovers and you were going to help me with my experiments and I was going to help you get the stick out of your butt, and- '

'

Hanji! '

He snaps 'Breathe. ' They obey, bottom lip trembling, and fat tears lingering in the corners of their eyes. 'You can 't honestly believe that anything other than being swallowed by a Titan would keep me from going on this mission. '

The scientist huffs, 'I know, but Erwin promised he 'd try, and you usually listen to him. '

Well okay, that 's true, but it doesn 't mean he never makes his own decisions. Despite his flaws (because who

doesn 't

have a few of those?) Erwin is a good commander. He treats his position of power with the respect it deserves and does the same to the people under it. On top of that, he has good instincts and a sharp, strategic mind. Most of the time Levi would have to be either an idiot or an anarchist to

not

listen to him. 'Not this time. ' He doesn 't exactly have the cleanest record, but at least he can still sleep at night. He 's not itching for that to change any time soon.

He can see Hanji contemplating a sulk, but they apparently decide against it. They slink to the doorway with a huff, but turn around before they actually leave. They jab a finger in his direction, 'You 're bringing me back a present. At

least

ten meters. '

He smirks and thumps a fist against his chest in mock-salute, which earns him an immaturely stuck-out tongue, which he definitely doesn 't consider returning.

The night breeze whispers across the grassy plain as the female scours a furrow into the earth with her skinless fingers. It rustles the trees and bushes and startles an owl or two from their perches, but it doesn 't affect her pace. She works tirelessly, scraping at the soil until it 's crusted deep beneath her fingernails. Her mates stand on the lookout for any possible threat, fragile cargo held firmly in their arms, making sure nothing interrupts them.

When she is satisfied with the size of the trench and the small dimple at the bottom, she holds out an expectant hand. One of her mates - the armor plated one - carefully hands her a soft, precious egg, and she presses it into the earth with the reverence it deserves and gently brushes damp soil over the top of it.

She climbs out of the trench with only a small bit of difficulty, looking back at the disturbed ground with a satisfied growl. One down, and - a glance at the delicate piles in her mates ' arms - twelve to go. A primal part of her brain whimpers that she should burry the eggs together, but she furiously shoves it down. No. They will hatch alone. None would harm her brood, not even each other. They will be caught in the trenches until their bloodthirst fades, and unlike every other dam to ever lay a brood, she will come back for them.

She will nurture them.

She will train them.

And when they have been perfected, they will die for her.

Her army will raze the human cities. They will defend her territory from any who would oppose her. And they will kill any she despises. Although those are sparser than one might imagine. There have been few that she has

truly

loathed in her long lifetime.

Like the Heretic. The barbaric one who dared to devour her children. The one who was

pathetically

obsessed with the humans.

The thought of the little parasites leaves a bitter taste in her mouth. Humans are not

interesting

. They are not

worthy

of such dutiful attention. They are

broodmeat

and nothing more.

It 's a pity that the Heretic could not be convinced to join her. He would have made a suitable mate and surely sired strong hatchlings. Not to say that she didn 't relish tearing through his nape with her teeth, because she absolutely did. She only regrets the wasted potential.

With a nod to her mates, she treads lightly to the next planned spot to dig and proceeds to do just that.