Gwynevere of North Maria | Erwin Smith

by CrayNommy

Summary:

Due to a precarious watch, north of wall Maria was invaded not by titan, but by a mysterious woman.
A mysterious hunter she was. From no man's land yet remained untouched.

Her arrival was unexpected, but how she survived beyond the wall was simply mystifying.

The king wants her dead, but Erwin Smith sees the unmissable potential. He knew there's much that she could change. Even if only name she had in mind, her existence alone inspires him greatly.

 

☆ If any part of the story does not meet your satisfaction, then I humbly apologize and will try to improve.

☆ English is not my first language, so please be patient with my mistakes. Every form of support is greatly appreciated.

Chapter 1: Prologue: Gwynevere Enora Neumann

 

Female Lead's Main Theme

 

 

A beautiful young maiden, dressed in fine white satin can be seen reading underneath a giant tree. Her voluminous hair was brown in color, her sharp eyes as brilliant as the summer skies.

The young maiden had with her a resting stern expression as a result of constantly being challenged. Either by her father's teaching in hunting and survivability, or by her mother's maddening research on the giants they so called the titans.

Travelling in big groups were the Neumann. They were not people of the island but an escapee from a mad land overseas. The Neumann were all wanted by their former nation, wanted because of their believe of equality.

At least, that's what the young brunette could remember. Ever since her mother had begun experimenting on the young maiden, the daughter began to change drastically. Her body begins to change and she has trouble remembering things as if lately.

The young maiden was then approached by her father. He was grim looking, especially after he noticed how dull his daughter's gaze has become. Nevertheless, he smiles for her and sat besides her.

"I took it that's a fine book you're reading dear? I came across the most beautiful stag this morning. Took my breath away enough for it to escape." The father began to tell his story.

"Still. . . no matter how fast that stag could move, your arrow will soar true. Why did you let it go father? I must say that is odd indeed, coming from you." The young maiden smiles softly.

"Something is not right. . . I feel." The father responded earnestly. "Something about today, bothers me." The proficient hunter added.

"We have survived countless of titans. With your traps and mother's knowledge, we've prepared. We have endured." The daughter sound of assurance was her father's favorite kind of song.

But upon the mentioned of her mother. The father grew stern and dangerously silent.

"Your mother said that she has found solution. That she has found salvation. I don't want you in it." The father confessed, much to his daughter's surprise.

"All is well father. We may not understand her, but given time. . . I think we'll see logic even in her madness. I want us to be well, father." The daughter pleaded.

And for a while it was enough to soothes the father's worry. He was happy at last, but to his dismay, he saw calamity approach beyond the horizon.

"Gwynevere. . ." The father's face becomes pale. "Go and find your mother. They had found us." Said the father before hell break loose.

Gwynevere move on command before she could even think to retaliates with a question of her own. Gwynevere was baffled by her father's sudden change of mood, but that's when she heard it.

A sphere of iron sang before it landed dead center on the settlement and exploded a reign of fire and gunpowder.

Gwynevere was overwhelmed by the sudden burst and she was taken by the winds and the chaos. She landed incredibly harsh twenty meters from her previous position. Her entire body ache as screams of her people now can be heard.

They're ambushed, that one is clear but by who, Gwynevere couldn't understand or remember.

But despite her recent wounds, Gwynevere found herself safe from stray shrapnel that has now rain over the Neumann's settlement. With trained agility, Gwynevere brought herself to run towards home. Where her mother should be standing still.

Many men in their white uniform began to raid her land and plundered everything they could. They were looking for a specific someone, but Gwynevere couldn't care less.

In an almost absolute haste, Gwynevere arrived at her mother's lab. She look unshaken and stoic. As if she had prepared for this day to come.

"There's not enough time, love. It has to be you." Marianne look towards her daughter and find her baffled. Understandably so.

"But what of you? What of father?" Gwynevere now finds the need to retaliates.

"There's only this, but it's fine. Now you must listen to me." Marianne took her daughter by her arm, ready to inject her with the serum she had developed for the past three decades.

"You must find a man named Grisha. He'll have all the answers you need in due time. But for now. I need you to venture south. Find the walls, and look for Grisha Yeager."

". . ." Gwynevere said nothing but nod to her mother.

Marianne proudly smiles at her, as she was content to be able to raise such a capable daughter. Marianne began to cries as she injected Gwynevere. Marianne knew this will be their last seconds together.

The soldiers continues with their unrelentless havoc. But in the midst of their unforgiving attacks. A thunder roar, awakening madness humanity has yet to witness.

845, North  of  Wall Maria

The Garrison squad stationed on north wall Maria spent their entire night shift with game of cards and a lot of alcohol. They were of course too intoxicated to noticed someone had climbed the walls.

The hunter seems to be in dire lack of vigor, even before climbing a fifty meters wall. The woman knew she was loosing her consciousness fast, so, in desperate attempt, she began to write, pouring what is left of her memory into her seemingly tarnished papers.

 

 

 

 

My name is Gwynevere Enora Neumann.

Writing down fatal information such as my name is foolish for a start, but I'm afraid this must be done.

For each inks spilled, my mind continues to fade away. I'm losing myself, and in such a desperate attempt to hold onto what remains, these tarnished papers will have to do.

My mother came from a 'high bloodline' but had freed herself from it. She marries my father and has me not long after.

She... was a brilliant scientist. Able to adapt and calculate every solution needed in a blink of an eye. She was the sole reason my family gets to survive for so long in no man's land. She was the mind, and my father was the physical vessel she needed.

I learned survivability with my father and continued to sharpen my mind as I aided my mother in her research for answer. Titans and their origin, my mother was obsessed with... so to speak, breaking the cycle. What cycle? I do not know.

She proclaim to have found her solution when we were ambushed. Those men in their white uniform stood over their iron vessel. From their ships, they cast fires.

My father fought for a measle time, but that was apparently enough. Mother injected me with her 'solution', and thunderstorms were all that I could possibly recall.

Forgive me, father, for I am lost without a purpose. Forgive me, mother, for I do not inherent your brilliant mind.

I have nothing to write as fog overcame my mind. I feel myself becoming numb. Here in this foreign wall, I began to lose my consciousness.

I saw a girl on this wall I leaned upon. She reminds me of my mother's tale.

But why? I do not know.

With this measle attempt written, I hope it is enough to stopped myself from becoming hollow.

 

 

 

845, Orvud District - Wall Sina

Tarnished papers in hands, Erwin Smith never minded Hange's frantic excitement upon meeting someone from outside their walls. The mysterious hunter who turns out to be a woman is still unconscious within her cell. Her breath now slow but sure.

The outsider would've been dead by now if it's weren't because of his interference. Standing here in front of 'Gwynevere's' cell, Erwin was still somewhat astounded by his recent victory. Persuading the higher up that this woman wouldn't be much of their trouble was almost impossible, seeing as Erwin himself didn't know her at all.

But upon the thought that she would die as titan bait satisfied the corrupt higher up, strangely enough. Some of them wish to use her for pleasure before that, and those disgusting comments still made Erwin's blood boils. Women's right is unfortunately so below those scumbags.

"Now what kind of name is Gwynevere." Levi scoffed as he took a peak at the papers in Erwin's hand. "She could've been a cultist for what we know, judging by that name alone. What were you thinking, saving her like that?" Levi asked the bigger question.

"She had with her a sword and a gun. Yet she endured who knows how many titan out there. All alone." Erwin begins with Hange squealing even more. "It seems to me like she understand titans better than all of us combined, that or at the very least. . . she knew how to avoid them."

"Whichever skill should she possess between the two, her experience outside could be the key to our futures adversaries. . ." Erwin persuaded.

"Can you imagine it?! If she knows everything about titans?!" Hange Zoe was practically foaming at her mouth so much so that she begins to concern even Mike who had befriended her for long.

"We should expect amnesia." Erwin raised his voice, dulling down Hange's manic episode. "Judging by what she has written, she was loosing not just her consciousness, but also her memory when she wrote these. . ."

"So why even bother investing hope in this woman?" Levi asked, again with the heavy question.

"Even if her mind shall forget, her body won't." Erwin smiles to himself. Everyone was too busy looking at him that they didn't notice of her slow awakening. "I know a great soon to be soldier when I see it. I know by heart she'll have what it takes."

In a second, the mysterious hunter stood, ready for battle. Despite being held within a cell, she seem prepare to defend herself against unknown foes.

"If this papers belonged to you and if what is written here is correct. You must be miss Neumann." Erwin smiles at the hunter. Earning a sharp, alerted gaze.

 

 

Chapter 2: The Huntswoman & The Commanders

 

"Its four against one, no need to bother. You'll lose." Levi mocked as he couldn't stand the look she gave to those beyond her cell.

"Are you a titan hunter? Did you hunt titan for a living?" Hange asked with genuine, childlike curiosity. She and Erwin were the two that didn't harbor animosity towards the unknown woman. Levi and Mike on the other hand, they were both skeptical. 

"Gwynevere Enora Neumann, that is you, correct?" Erwin asked with a gentleness that surprises the mysterious hunter. 

"Indeed. . ." Was all that Gwynevere said. She now looks to be confused. It is quite apparent that she knew she is lost, both out of her mind and out of her current objective. Whatever it may be. 

"Other than your name, what else do you remember?" Erwin asked again, still with so much care and patience. 

"I need to find a man. Goes by the name of Grisha Yeager. I was told to venture south." Gwynevere replied rather blankly. "She said. . . I would find him here within these walls." The huntswoman added, earning many tense attention. 

"So you're saying. . . there's people out there?!" Hange raised her voice, at awe even at the possibilities of her question. 

"Yes. . . but my people. . . no more." Gwynevere took some steps forwards to hold the iron grates. "I remember fire and the havoc. But not more than that. Supposedly this Grisha Yeager could help me. He has all the answer that I need. That's why I need to find him." Gwynevere insist. 

"Spoken like you're not behind a bar. Do you really think you can just walk away after invading these walls?" Levi spatted, questioning this girl common sense. 

Gwynevere took some moment of silence, trying to understand her situation better at that particular question. "I suppose you're right. My invasion must seem intrusive but I mean no harm, I promise."

"You were about to be executed before I interfere." Erwin intercept, once again shocking the foreign huntswoman. "As noble as your intention may be, there are some conditions you need to fulfill if you want to stay alive within these walls. Joining the Survey Corp is one of them."

"I see. . ." Gwynevere subtly looks towards their uniforms. She then looks towards the man that is supposedly her savior and she give him a quick bow. "Then I thank you. I take it that going outside is what you and your people do?" 

"Yes. But unlike you, each and every single one of our attempt bear almost no progression. We keep losing our comrade in hopes to even understand the titans. The giants who seemingly cause you no problem from what we've seen." Erwin nodded. 

"Tell me, how did you do it?" Erwin asked to the outsider. "How did you venture the no man's land with just a sword and a pistol?"

"I was taught the way of a huntsman for as long as I can remember." Gwynevere tried to recalled. "Never engage in a fight you know you couldn't win and before one could even think about fighting. . . one must venture the land."

"Finding these walls wasn't without an immense difficulties. I secure my path before I advance. A miles an hour in average." Gwynevere's face becomes grim.

"But what about the titans?!" Hange asked, bringing back the topic titans. 

"If I can't seem to trap them, I sneak my way past them. Distract them if no other ways is possible. I lost my horse about halfway here. Walking slowed down my pace incredibly so." Gwynevere remembered. 

"So what? She know her way around. Still wouldn't guarantee her safety out there. If she's fighting with us." Levi pointed out as he is sure that Gwynevere never even heard about ODM gears. 

"But it's not like I have a choice now do I?" Gwynevere smiles, much to all surprise. "I owe you my life, if dying for your cause is inevitable. I won't mind it." The huntswoman added earnestly. Earning an unreadable look from the much shorter man. 

"It seems like our interest aligned in more ways than one, miss Neumann. I hope death won't comes between you and this man that you're looking for. In the mean time, I suggest you recollect yourself while you serve your time with us." 

"I'm sure as if right now, you won't even remember what is it that you needed to asked to Grisha Yeager. I hope with our expedition, it will help you recover in more ways than one." Erwin proposed and Gwynevere couldn't see any reason to denied this man's proposal.

After Gwynevere shows immense signs of both compliance and common sense, she was hereby a free woman, as long as she works for the scouts commanders, Erwin Smith. All of her previous belonging was given to her, that now with her weapons secured, she stood outside of her cell, with her father's coat in her hands. 

Mike, Hange and Levi left to take care of their carriages while Erwin lingers along with Gwynevere. The new appointed commanders soaks in everything he could learns regarding of this woman in front of him. 

Erwin knew that Gwynevere is desperately trying to remember her parents more, but it is apparent enough that though her amnesia didn't took everything, it still took most of who Gwynevere was before she arrives at the walls. 

"Seems like you were close with him, your father that is." Erwin tries to strike up a conversation, much to Gwynevere surprise. 

"I'm still alive due to his teaching. I keep hearing his voice." Gwynevere smiles softly. Her every crease upon her face, Erwin took notice of it. 

Gwynevere were almost as white as the snow. Her skin appears almost like porcelain, and beauty, she certainly has it. Albeit she look malnourished now, Erwin could still sees the strength within her. Her soul is unrelenting, Erwin is sure of it.

 

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On their way towards the Scout central base, Gwynevere shares a carriage along with Erwin and Levi. Erwin begins to educate her on what is considered normal, abnormal and taboo within the walls with Levi Ackerman spending their entire journey burning holes through Gwynevere with his eyes. 

Gwynevere soon founds out that her mere existence of being outside the walls itself is taboo and that Erwin had persuade the higher up to thinks that Gwynevere is a mere thieve wanting to run away from her dept collector. Gwynevere soaks in everything that was taught to her like a sponge absorbing water. 

Learning how to fight like the scouts was almost as easy as learning how to live within the walls. Emphasize on almost. Gwynevere has never considered being suspended so high on the air with just two strings from her hips. Although she was natural when it comes to balance and aiming, three dimension maneuver is something she needed to learn from absolute zero. It was like learning how to walk all over again. 

Each and every fall that she made was of course embarrassing, but though it hurts her pride, Gwynevere learns something new, especially from her mistakes. Hange and Mike was more than happy to teach her their ways. But Levi Ackerman was at first reluctant. 

Her way of thinking reminded Levin of Furlan Church, and her stubbornness reminds him of one Isabel Magnolia. Her resemblance to his former friends make it harder for Levi, but upon her skills of keeping things clean and sterile, she had won over even Levi Ackerman. 

Through her absolute desire to be an equal amongst the scouts, Gwynevere Neumann mastered her new arsenal in just three months of training. Although she is nowhere as godly good as Levi, she stood out the most from her fellow peers due to her eagle eyes and her adaptive nature in the trying times. 

Climbing the rank rather quickly within the military, Gwynevere was then appointed as huntswoman in the fourth squad with Hange Zoe as her captain. Now in her new life amongst the Survey Corps, Gwynevere spent most of her time training, researching with Hange and hunting to provide luxurious meals for her fellow comrades. 

Despite being 'illegal' Gwynevere finds and live a productive life within the walls. Grisha Yeager is still on top of her primary priority, but just as Erwin Smith had deducted, Gwynevere didn't even know what to ask if she ever meet the man. Gwynevere suppose she could start asking what needs to be asked. 

What is titan exactly?
What is life outside the walls truly is?
Who is our true enemy is?

 

\Gwynevere quickly rides her horse and off she goes to the distance. She had with her the supplies she needed to hunt as Erwin Smith smiles as he watches her from his office. Gwynevere to him truly is a mystery. But with her he sees hope of his true desire. To know the world beyond the walls. 

Little did they know, the Huntswoman and the Commanders continues to inspire each other endlessly. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

List of Trivia : 

<> Despite her looks, Gwynevere is in her late twenties. 

<> Not much is known for Erwin's actual age within the canon series, but for the sake of this story, Erwin is eight years older than Gwynevere. 

<> Having to spent most of her live as hunter apprentice and a lab rat, Gwynevere is a bit not right in her head. 

<> Gwynevere quickly became everyone's favorite because of all the animals she hunted and all the delicious meal she prepared for her peers. 

<> Gwynevere had all the legitimate documents she needs to hunt for her meats. She became a certified hunter in her first birthday within the walls. 

<> Everyone but Erwin Smith either address Gwynevere as Gwyn or Enora. Erwin refers to her as miss Neumann, but does call her by her first name when they're alone. 

<> Gwynevere loves makeup and love making herself look pretty. As much as she adores her hunter garment. Beautiful dresses made her feels like home.

<> Gwynevere has always thought that Erwin is incredibly handsome, but she's afraid that she just had a 'daddy issue' as how Levi would say it. 

 

Chapter 3: A Huntswoman From The North

 

846, Dauper Village - Wall Rose

After the fall of wall Maria, Gwynerve hasten her search for one Grisha Yeager. The huntswoman was worried sick for this unknown man especially after the Royal Goverment of the Walls enacted a culling in the form of a Wall Maria reclamation expedition. 

Nearly twenty percent of the population perished in a single fraud mission. It was an obvious gimmick to control the over population, but the people, they do not have a choice. Gwynerve sat on her wooden chair by the local inn. She was in deep thought, pondering over her next move. 

Grisha Yeager who she soon learns to be a doctor had a fantastic tracks of his career. The supposedly brilliant doctor was once in this village to take care of a pandemic in the past. He had saved the hunters and the animals within Dauper Forests with seemingly no problem. Gwynerve was hoping to find the next clue of this doctor from the locals, but after knowing that the man she is looking for is from Shiganshina District, Gwynerve is now clueless.

"You must be deep in thought. Judging by that posture of yours." A middle aged man sat besides Gwynerve raising his hat as an appropriate greeting manner. Gwynerve smiles at his gesture. Tipping your hat towards the other hunter is a very respected gesture amongst huntsman and huntswoman. 

"You could've fooled us with that garments of yours. I thought you were local, but I just knew I've never seen your face around here. Artur Blouse, at your humble service." Artur introduced himself. 

"Gwynerve Neumann, but you can just call me Gwyn." Gwynerve followed along, as she raised her hat towards Artur. 

"Neumann? Goodness me, you're not by any chance the Neumann aren't you?!" Artur gasp discreetly, not wanting to draw the entire inn's attention. 

"I was told that my name isn't that common, so. . . mayhap I am that Neumann." Gwynerve laugh softly at the older man's amazement. "But please, I'm a mere hunter, just like you Mr. Blouse." 

"Oh, nonsense!" Artur smacked the table with his big jug full of beers. "I've processed ungodly amounts of pelts from you alone! But despite your numbers, I can tell you honored the hunters law above all." The older hunter compliments, making Gwynerve rather bashful. 

"I'm not a hunter for a living sir, merely wanting to treat my fellow comrades back in our base is all." Gwynerve confessed, making Artur smiles ear to ear. 

"I can tell from miles away that you're a soldier. With five more people like you in the frontline, the future of our humanity is in good hands!" Artur gave Gwynerve some friendly pats on her left shoulders. 

And Gwynerve smiles genuinely at his touch. Without a doubt, there's something fatherly about Artur Blouse. His warmth reminds Gwynerve of home. And upon remembering her home, she begins to remember her father. 

"You don't happens to be looking for someone are you?" Artur Blouse was a bit nervous now, to which worry Gwynerve. "Soldiers like you aren't known for yer long breaks in between missions after all. There's always something going on with you Scouts."

"I'm looking for a man sire. He goes around as Grisha Yeager, a doctor so I've been told." Gwynerve answered earnestly, blowing away all of Artur's fear. 

Artur thought that she was looking for Sasha, who had caused some major trouble for her village just because she was hungry. "Why don't you pay my family a visit then? I remember my wife had mentioned that doctor once." Artur invites, much to Gwynerve's shocks and joy. 

"Truly? But, I don't want to impose. I know foods has been an issue, even around here." Gwynerve tries to reject the offer politely, but Artur didn't budge. 

"Hunt with me and my daughter! Give her a lesson or two while you're at it. And in return, we can taught you how to make our favorite stews. I can't guarantee that my wife has the exact answer you were looking for, but I can guarantee you a new recipe!" Artur insists, earning a chuckles out of the usual stoic Gwynerve. 

"Then I suppose, lead the way!" Gwynerve nodded and in no time she had arrived at the Blouse's residence. 

 

 

"Father? Who's that!?" A young girl shouted from the house door from a far. 

"Where's your manner Sasha, this is the woman who's responsible of keeping our family business afloat with her hunting games. Lady Gwyn, meet my daughter, Sasha Blouse." Artur introduces as said Sasha began to sniff her jackets. "Sasha!"

"You smell sweet! What is it that you bring with you?!" The young Blouse asked, disappointing her father even more. 

But Gwynerve merely smiles at Sasha. Her aptitude sense of smell reminds Gwynerve of her friend Mike. This girl will go far if given just a tad bit more of discipline. "I admire your acute sense of smell, that sweet smell you picked up on, is these shortbread cookies. You can have them, they're merely something I bought while on the central market."

"Really?!" Sasha was held back by a very flustered Artur as she had almost pounced Gwynerve on the spot. 

"Why of course! It's okay Mr. Blouse. I'm not much of a sweet tooth anyway." Gwynerve assures the father, giving Sasha the considered luxurious snacks just like that. 

Gwynerve lied of course, she actually is a sweet tooth. But Sasha is just that adorable in Gwynerve's eyes, that letting go of her favorite sweets is as easy as breathing. 

"But you really don't have to Lady Gwyn." Artur nervously chuckles as Sasha inhaled her given cookies. "Well Sasha, go and grab your bow and arrows. Let's express our gratitude by accompanying this huntswoman on a bit of a hunt." Artur looks to his daughter and Sasha was off in an instant. 

"She's a fiery spirit." Gwynerve compliments with a closed eyes, earning a weary exhale from Artur Blouse. 

"Tell me something I don't know." 

 

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Gwynerve didn't expect it that she could learn something new when it comes to hunting. The Blouse family has proven themselves as a very proficient hunters. Artur Blouse's wisdom upon the land they stood upon sounded like it knows no bound. Sasha on the other hand, had a killer instinct. Able to predict how a boar will move just from the movement of it's right front leg.

So as a gratitude, Gwynerve thought that it is only fair to share the Blouse something new with traps and what not. The Northern Huntswoman taught them how to improve the efficiency of their daily traps with just some different kind of knots. The times they had spent to hunt was plenty, but the preys they ended up catching wasn't lacking in terms of both numbers and weight in total. 

Just as promised, Gwynerve was also taught the best stew of Dauper district. It consist of fermented cabbage, whatever vegetables is on the season, and of course your catch of the day. Lisa Blouse was a very gentle and caring woman. As Gwynerve cooks along side her, Sasha's mother tell her everything she needed to know about Grisha Yeager. 

After dinner was concluded, Artur insisted on escorting Gwynerve and her horse all the way back to Dauper's gate. Both then bid their farewell before Gwynerve began onward with her journey back to Survey Corps central base. 

Gwynerve then recreated the Dauper Stew and serve it for everyone's dinner at the mess hall. As per usual, she garner a lot of compliments, seeing as there's never been a dull, boring meal ever since Gwynerve had stationed herself at the kitchen. But she didn't eat with the others, instead, she went to her chamber and changed out of her clothes. 

Wearing the beautiful nightgown she had bought with her first pay made her feels utter comfort. Gwynerve though look unbothered with feminine affairs, in actually loves making herself feels pretty. She adore the feminity she possess, and being a mere woman sometimes soothes her mind out of the chaos that is the titan onslaught. 

Underneath the moonlight Gwynerve wanders aimlessly. She had a spot she often went to relax on, and on there, she had her favorite chair ready. Her usual spot is the one balcony that often overlooked since it promise no outrageously beautiful view. Overlooking Hange's titan is not every one cup of tea, but it will do for Gwynerve. 

Braiding her hair, Gwynerve was now reminded of the grim truth to her personal mission. Gwynerve kept frowning until she felt a warm sensation on her right cheekbone. Looking towards the sudden warmth she founds a cup of tea brought by Erwin Smith. 

 

 

Gwynerve was of course shocked to find her boss here with her, but truth be told, them meeting at her usual spot has became a some sort of habits. With a tender smile Gwynerve accepted the warm beverages from her commanders and she now stood besides him. 

"How's your search of Grisha Yeager?" Erwin started, asking politely. 

"Not good. He's last seen at the fall of Shiganshina. . . It is safer to assume that he is dead by now. I do not regret helping Hange and doing my job at the time. . . but I can't lie either, I've never felt this lost. Not ever since my arrival here." Gwynerve frowned. 

"Then perhaps, this could help you a little." Erwin offered something else, and this time, it was a personal documents of Grisha Yeager. Gwynerve took it enthusiastically, even though she didn't knew how much of use it could be for her. "I pulled some strings to acquire the papers. I believe it holds enough information, especially regarding his home back in Shiganshina."

Erwin put both of his hands above each side of Gwynerve's shoulders. He reads with her the address of the man Gwynerve was looking for. As Erwin took notice of Gwynerve's heavenly scent, he proposes an idea. 

"Once again, our interests intertwined it seems." Erwin smiles. "If we reclaim Maria, humanity gets to hope once more and hopefully, you get to find traces of answers in Yeager's home. What do you say? Shall we try?"

"That we shall commander." Gwynerve smiles to the much taller blonde, earning a soft chuckles out of Erwin. 

"Please, Gwynerve. There's only the two of us here, no need for the formality." Erwin gently teases as his hold remains full of care around her. 

"But why? Why are you doing this, Erwin?" Gwynerve asked as she desperately need to know. "Why do you bother yourself so much with me?"

"Because Gwynerve, your existence alone is an astounding proof of the truth I needed to believe." Erwin looks down to meet Gwynerve eye to eye. "My father believes of a life outside of the walls, and for his believe. . . along with my foolishness, he was killed."

"Yet here you stood from no man's land. You have proofed him right and you made me feels so assured. That I'm not mad of wanting to go beyond. I never met someone desperately wanting the same thing as me. Albeit for a different reasons, it's good to know that someone is chasing the same madness as me." Erwin confessed. 

"And for you invasion a year ago, I thank you deeply, Gwynerve." Erwin took the empty cup from Gwynerve's right hand and kissed the back of her hand softly. 

Before Erwin could retreat, Gwynerve turns the table and took Erwin by his hand. "And I thank you for giving me purpose. I deeply thank you, for. . ." Gwynerve was at lost for words when she realized just how intense Erwin glared at her. "For everything." She ended up saying.

Underneath his smoldering gaze, Gwynerve's speech was cut short. And with his brilliant smiles, Gwynerve was left breathless. 

"You deserve only the best, Gwynerve. But I doubt. . . I doubt I could give you even half of what you should get." Erwin put on that professional mask once more and said this realistically. 

"But I don't even deserve you. How is it that I deserve more than you?" Gwynerve felt challenged and so she shoot back. Surprising Erwin while she done so. 

"Pardon?"

"I can't explained it. . . but this. . . whatever is it that you gave me. I do not deserve it. I should've earn it, yet you gave it to me just because. I thank you, I suppose." Gwynerve felt her face was warm despite being out in the open, in the middle of the night. "But I'm glad to know that our madness match! For now, goodnight sire."

Gwynerve fled right after, leaving Erwin Smith well. . . smitten. 

 

Chapter 4: To Aim and To Shoot!

 

847, Trost District - Training Corps Center

Keith Shadis is the current head instructor of the Military Training Corps. After letting go of his former title as the 12th Commander of Survey Corps, Keith Shadis was trusted to be more than capable of training and evaluating the new batch. Producing the next generation of soldiers is his now primary duty. One that is mocked by some others but respected by many. 

Gwynerve trusted her horse to continue with their journey as she was reading what she could regarding of this Keith Shadis. Never having to meet the said man made Gwynerve a bit nervous, but Erwin thought that she would be just fine. 

The reason as to why Gwynerve travels to begin with is that she was invited to teach the new batch how to properly aim and shoot their guns. Keith Shadis proposed that he will be needing another professional to minimalize the amount of accidents that may occurs. That and to avoided any major injuries happens on the course. 

Gwynerve agreed to the offer mainly because Trost District is the 'southest' area that she could comfortably gone to. If she needs to continue her search of Grisha Yeager, this is the best area that she could examine on. Of course, it is only realistic to keep her expectation real low, but something tells her, that a trace of Yeager she will probably finds in Trost District. 

 After a bit of hunting and detour, Gwynerve arrives at the Training Corps Center with piles of meat enough for Gwynerve to boils some huge batches of army stews. Gwynerve arrived just three hours before dinner, standing to greet her there was Keith Shadis. 

Keith looks to be tall and intimidating. He is bald with prominent wrinkles on his forehead and dark circles around his eyes. He had a small beard growing from under his chin. Gwynerve unmount her horse and held her chin up to greeted the instructor. They exchanged a brief and professional handshake, not longer than two seconds. 

Keith then notice the meat she had hunted, he then scoffed and shockingly smiles. "I must assume you wandered the wall Maria just to hunt them?" Keith pointed towards her meat piles. 

"Securing routes for incoming expedition has always been my job sire. Hunting is just what I do on the side." Gwynerve explained. "I tend to hunt a bit more than needed to bribe the garrisons along the way. Since titans do not eat the animals, someone has to keep their population in check." She added as Keith nodded. 

"I was told by the new Commanders that you're something else. I'm pleased to see that he is right." Keith still had his smile but now more subtle. "But you do need to bother yourself like this. Those brats hasn't earn meats just yet." Keith scoffed as some soldiers can be seen running around the grounds. 

"First impression matters, and if not through their stomachs I'm afraid I'll struggle. I don't exactly has my commanders' charm you see." Gwynerve smiles as she thinks about Erwin. Keith stares at her too long for his liking, but he couldn't help it. 

Gwynerve had that look that Grisha used to have. 

"I'll keep the brats busy while you do your magic then. I suppose you want to be introduced at dinner time?" Shadis asked and Gwynerve nods. "Then I'll see you at mess hall in three hours. Just don't keep them waiting." Shadis almost threatened, but Gwynerve took it as challenge instead. 

For obvious reasons, Gwynerve does not possess enough meats to feed each trainee a pound of meat. The limited amount of main ingredients however, does not bother Gwynerve at all. With army stew, Gwynerve can add all sort of vegetables that are present within the pantry along with all the herbs she had forage beforehand. 

Gwynerve seared all the meats to render their fats before separating the two into a different component. Gwynerve then began with the stock for the stew while she then infused the fat with herbs for the bread that will be served on the side. 

With her main star cooking along the way, Gwynerve began to brew tea in big batches. Levi would highly disapprove of the act to brew a tea in such a huge batches, but with average quality teas, it still is morally forgivable. 

Just when she had done with her cooking, all the young trainees began to fill the mess hall, with their ever so curious faces. It took Gwynerve by surprise to see just how young most of these trainees are. But with their young age, the glimpse of that enthusiasm can not be mistaken either. Their high spirit is what most older soldier possess no longer. Understandably so. 

With her back facing the trainees, one young voice Gwynerve could recognize yelled out loud. "What's this?! I'm smelling meat!!" 

"Oi! Sasha!" A young male voice shouted, sounding as if he's struggling. 

"Get yourself together! You're embarrassing us!" Another foreign voice added, also a male. 

Now facing the next generation, Gwynerve was face to face with the girl she once met at Dauper Village. "Oh it's you! The shortbread cookie lady!" Sasha's face gleamed upon recognition. "Then it must be really meats then!" Sasha pointed towards the big pot in Gwynerve's hand. 

"Get in line, it's army soup and toast for dinner tonight. On me." Gwynerve smiles to the trainee, earning many excitement upon her announcement. 

"Huh? She did something with our usual bread. . ." A boy with long undercut and bangs took notice. "Never had them smell this nice." He added with a big smile. 

"Seems like she cook it again." A serious looking girl with red scarf followed along. "Although, what she cooks it with, that we don't know."

"Well whatever it is, it's really good!" A boy with dark brown hair said with mouth full of toast. "We've never taste anything like this. . ." He closes his teal colored eyes and melt upon tasting his food, just like everyone on the mess hall. 

"If you like it so much, have mine, Eren." Said the stern looking girl, surprising the said 'Eren'.

"What?! No way Mikasa! You have to eat yours too!" Eren absolutely refused, making Mikasa started with her meal. 

And upon tasting her meal, Mikasa's eyes were widened with pleasant surprise. Indeed, she had never taste anything like this meal. 

"Uh, miss? Just what is in these soups anyway?" A tough looking boy with short blond hair asked with raised hand. 

"The soup are made out of the vegetables I could find, cooked along with herbs and meat I hunted before going here. I cooked the meat beforehand to extracted some of their fats and uses them to toast your stale bread with the same herbs. It's my attempt to salvage the breads, but let me know if any of you is allergic to something." Gwynerve explains, shutting down all noise in the mess hall. 

"But, how did you even get these meats, miss?" A very tall boy asked. 

"I'm from Survey Corps, assigned to scout and created routes to use for upcoming missions. Hunting animals along the way is my attempt to control the animal population since the titan don't eat them." Gwynerve answered casually, as if going outside is that easy. 

"You mean, you're a soldier?" A tanned girl with freckles couldn't believe it. 

"And you've killed titans before?!" Eren asked with wide eyes. 

"Yes and yes, but killing titans is not my specialty. Studying them is." Gwynerve enlightened and seems to remember something. "I might as well introduce myself, huh?" She smiles slightly. 

"My name is Gwynerve Neumann, but you may call me miss Gwyn to make it short and sweet." Gwynerve look around. "I'm staying here momentarily to guides you all about appropriate usages of guns and gunpowder. It's a course you'll start to take tomorrow." 

"I suggest you all enjoy the meals, and tucked yourself a goodnight sleep." Gwynerve began to walk out of the mess hall. "As a huntsman, I won't serve mercy to those fooling around in my classes." Gwynerve looks back and sent chills to the entire halls. "But as long as you behave, we'll go along just fine. So, goodnight. Hope you all enjoy a bit of my cooking."

And with that, she left. 

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Gwynerve's phenomenal cooking was still talked about the day after, but Gwynerve didn't let that stand in her way to become a teacher. With sternness that knows no bound, Gwynerve began the course with theories in classes. She made it a law that to hold firearm, trainee must first pass her written exams. 

After she deemed enough with theories, Gwynerve then began to teach the trainees how to aim and how to shoot. There was a lot of rules in her classes, but not a single rule is without a reason. All of her rules are standard law of firearm usages. 

Sasha, Mikasa and Annie were one of the best in her class. But some like Connie, Krista and Eren still lacks mostly on their precision. Connie and Krista just needed a bit of nudge and encouragement, but Eren was a different case entirely. 

Not wanting a singular kid being left behind, Gwynerve then demanded Eren's appearance in the evening for a bit more extra courses. Gwynerve allowed Eren if he wish to brings his friends along with him. 

But before evening comes to present times, Gwynerve had a bit of talk with Keith Shadis. Gwynerve complimented the 104th batches of possible cadets. Gwynerve noted that there's a lot of unique characters within the generation and that Shadis agreed with her opinion. It was in this talk that Gwynerve learned about Eren's full name. It is Eren Yeager.

"I beg your pardon sir, but is Eren related to Grisha Yeager?" Gwynerve asked, stopping Shadis in his place. ". . .It's just. . . I'm looking for him, Grisha Yeager I mean." 

"Then I'm sorry to hear that, but the man you're looking for is dead miss Neumann. Your best chance at whatever it is that you're looking for is through his son, Eren Yeager. He's much like his father I suppose, perchance that is something." Keith Shadis answered before leaving. 

Gwynerve taught Krista and some other interested cadet some of her usual recipes. In hopes that they could cook without her, Gwynerve then make haste towards the shooting grounds, where she found Eren waiting along with his usual friends. Armin Arlert and Mikasa Ackerman. 

Ackerman, another familiar name. 

"Hope you're not waiting for too long." Gwynerve stood bringing some hunting rifles along with her. 

Eren looks at the firearm with less enthusiasm he had for ODM gears. The boy didn't understand it why would he need to shoot good to kill titans. Gwynerve can tell from his eyes alone. 

"You must be wondering, why do you need to shoot good to kill titans huh? Well there's a lot of reasons." Gwynerve start with a smile, ready to educate. "The art of aiming itself is needed for ODM gears as well. To aim your wires good, you must practice your eyes and your intuitive."

"She's not wrong Eren." Armin encourage as Eren takes a deep breaths. 

"You can do it, just take a deep breath, focus and squeeze the trigger when you're sure." Mikasa followed along, giving the encourage Eren need to try again. 

"If this is what it will take me outside of our walls, sure. Let's do this!" Eren gathered all of his focus and shoot. It wasn't a bullseye, but definitely better than his latest attempt. "Damn it!"

"It's okay, you're onto something." Gwynerve smiles. "Try to image the center being titan's eye, Eren. Or imagine it to be a titan's knee or something. Imagine that with a single shot you took, you could take down a titan for an easy killing." Gwynerve added and Eren tries it instantly. 

Bang!

It was a bullseye. His friends congratulates Eren on his success, but Gwynerve cut their excitement shortly. 

"Eren, is Grisha Yeager your father? I know this may come out of the blue, but please understand that. . . that I'm looking for him." Gwynerve said these fast, as she felt like she wouldn't have another shot. 

"Uh. . . yeah, yeah he was. . ." Eren answered earnestly, but then there's a bitter sense to his expression. "I'm sorry miss Gwyn, but my father died."

"So I've heard, I'm sorry for your lost." Gwynerve nodded her understanding.

"Why are you looking for him miss Gwyn?" Mikasa asked with a hint of skeptics in her voice. 

"I lost my memory not too long before this. . . I was. . . I was told that he has answers that I'm looking for." Gwynerve replied, not wanting any bitter misunderstanding between them. 

"Were you one of his patients before?" Armin asked this time, but must softer in manner and tone. 

"No, just was told to look for him is all." Gwynerve shakes her head. "But it's okay. I'm incredibly sorry for making you relieve your lost. I didn't mean to, but I'm thankful for your cooperation nonetheless."

"I suggest you guys practice your shoots. It's only a week before my last practical exams." Gwynerve reminded and left towards her cabin. 

It shocks the trio that miss Neumann knew about Eren's father. Other than her question however, she acted rather oddly ever since she asked. 

Despite her slightly odd behavior, miss Neumann continues to become a brilliant teacher and had grew close to a lot of the young trainee. She was often being hit on with Reiner as Bertholdt and Annie could only sigh at their friend's behavior. Gwynerve is also close with Sasha and her friends, though she held a professional manner at all time. 

Gwynerve was beloved by many of the young trainees. But with their proficiency at firearm could no longer be doubted, the times for goodbye was soon approaching. Gwynerve threw one last feast before she departed back to Survey Corp's central base. 

In her hunter garments she mounts her trusty horse, off to go back to her usual routine. Gwynerve didn't find the answer she was looking for, but looking back at the young kids, especially at Eren, she grew attach and desires to protect them. 

She may never be her old self again, but Gwynerve wanted to make peace with that. If she will never be who she was before the walls, she finds a new purpose to protect those she finds herself fond with. 

It was very human and fool of her to do, especially as Survey Corp Soldier, but Gwynerve desire nothing but this. Her mind was made up. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

List of Trivia :

<> In her time as teacher, Gwynerve made a lot of new friends. 

<> Gwynerve seems to recall a girl name Fionna in her past. Upon looking at Ymir and Krista's interaction, Gwynerve remembers how Fionna used to keep asking for a kiss. And in her memory, Fionna was her first love. 

<> Gwynerve is indeed bisexual. She and Fionna used to make plans to marry each other had their settlement weren't ambushed. 

<> Gwynerve didn't understand why Reiner kept hitting on her. But she finds his flirtatious attempt to be adorable, as she sees him as a child. 

<> It was hard for Gwynerve not to play favorite with Sasha, but she managed. 

<> Gwynerve thought that Connie is the funniest out of the bunch, and she hope for Marco to go far as he was a bright gentleman. 

<> Gwynerve thought that all of the young trainees were adorable, and though they will delve into life full of despair, Gwynerve hope their finds their humanity through the memories they made along the way. 

<> Although it was foolish of her to do, Gwynerve couldn't help but to mother the younger generations. Despite all of the grieving that she'll have to endure, she did not regret her attachments. 

 

Chapter 5: Devilish Tongue

 

The latest expeditions enacted by the Survey Corps were. . . less than satisfactory, to say the very least. They made no redeeming progress towards their goals, especially compared to the resources that they had lost. 

Their decreasing number in human resources is indeed concerning, but morally so, it's heart wrenching and consume many sanity as a result.

Gwynevere felt herself crumbles as the causalities of their latest expeditions were those of her apprentices. The huntress felt bitter tears keep flowing freely, pouring rain down onto her weary steed. She felt a lot of anger, a hint of confusion along with a very apparent stress. 

She was supposed to teach her subordinate how to survive and how to become huntsman like her. But due to her very same teaching, they had lost their lives instead. 

Gwynevere couldn't understand it, she thought that she had taught them by the book and had passed down her knowledge impeccably so.

So why must she felt utter grieve upon their death instead? She couldn't brings her head up, she felt like she was worthless. She felt like she was hitting the rock bottom. It took a lot from her to retrieve the remains of her fallen teammates, but for their appropriate funeral? It is the least that she can do. 

In her civilian attire, Gwynevere visited each family member of her former friends, to give them the dreadful news herself. She stood tall with a face plagued with regret, shame and remorse. The huntress delivered each news with a trained sentences, but shaken she remain to be. 

In a sense, Gwynevere has never known defeat ever since she had joined the Survey Corps. She had always done each and every of her task considerably well that many considered her competence breathtaking. She thought she will always do good, but standing as a captain that has lost all of her teammates, she began to crumble in her first and utter defeat. 

Telling the remaining family of how they had lost their beloveds was unsurprisingly the hardest thing to do for Gwynevere. Now she stood over at her usual balcony, still in the civilian attires she had worn since the break of dawn. She was in too much stress, but even so, she had noticed an arrival. It was her boss, Erwin Smith. 

"I know that look." Erwin started as he offered Gwynevere a cup of her favorite tea. "Levi had made this." Erwin added as Gwynevere accepted his offering. 

"Say Commander, will losing my people ever be easy? Their deaths reminds me of something. I had nightmares, probably a fraction of my memory. That day, when I lost my parents." Gwynevere asked as Erwin listen. "I couldn't remember their faces, but I recalled their bloods. Spilled and splattered all over the grass I used to love."

". . . I'm afraid it will never be easy, Gwynevere." Erwin chooses to be truthful. "In a sense, I know how you must have feel right about now. But bringing yourself down is not going to bring them back to life. If anything, backing down will only cemented their death as nothing."

"I think. . . I think I'm not fit to become a Captain." Gwynevere was still in denial. "The first time I became one and already, I've lost them." The huntress added, not daring to steal a glance towards Erwin. "Maybe I should work by myself, like how I used to."

"I won't force you, but if perfect opportunity arisen. . . please do not deny my command." Erwin slowly smiles. "I may not have enough wisdom, but I have suspicion that. . . that you'll become a Captain again, overseeing just the right rookies. I mean, who knows?" 

"Well, your wish is my command, sire." Gwynevere smiles back, but only for a moment. "But as defeated as I am, it is still no way appropriate for me to compare my stress with yours. I know how the board has decided to cut our fundings. Yet again."

"I've also heard rumors about the upcoming charitable events held at the Astoria Manor. They invited us, most likely to taunt us. I understand your invitation, but not mine." Gwynevere confessed before taking some sips of her beverage. 

"I'm impressed you've had heard so many." Erwin lose his smile and nodded. "Word of your. . . beauty has spread far and wide. They thought you weren't in the military and never really has the right excuse to call you. Well until today."

"So I will be shamed then?" Gwynevere expect as Erwin tried to suppress his sour expression. "I suppose I earn it. Our absence will only solidified their victory by default. Scratch that, we're losing either way."

"I'm not going to let them shame you, Gwynevere." Erwin stopped the huntswoman from rambling any further and seize her arms by their wrist. 

Erwin then gently took her tea away from her before putting it down safely on the nearest cobblestones surface. "You may not see it Gwyn, but you are both brilliant and remarkable."

"As a hunter and as a woman." Erwin look down at her, his gaze piercing through her lenses, tracking down her very soul. "You deserve nothing but respect. And that is what you'll show them."

"But how, Erwin? To them I'm nothing but a Captain without subordinates. I'm nothing but a women incapable of overseeing my people. I'm just beauty they wants to toy with, how am I supposed to even wish for a place amongst those men?" Gwynevere had no choice but to look at Erwin back. 

There was no tears from her eyes, both of her eyes were just too dry to produce a tear. But Erwin's hold on her remain gentle, his eyes softened. "You are more than just your beauty. The madness within you may still be very well dormant, but even as mere cinders, that fiery madness that you had has achieve so many."

"You've secured multiple routes for our cause, and those were only just the beginning. In your selflessness and grace, you've spark hope amongst fear ridden man and feed them morals and newfound passion." Erwin release his hold and placed his palms on both of her shoulders. 

"Goodness me, Gwynevere. You may not be aware of this but, your comrades has learn to trust and respect you. The grim reality of Survey Corps as I know it began to change the moment we met. . . with ambiguous self and nothing but your name in your mind, you have inspires so many. You have done so. . . so greatly."

"But I can't lose another comrade, Erwin. The young candidates who are training themselves for our country, I've met them and I want nothing more but to protect them. Their souls, I desperately need to cherish it." Gwynevere began to break down. "And how am I supposed to do that if I'm just keep on losing my subordinates now?"

"That's why you need to learn." Erwin gently raised Gwynevere's head by her chin. He wipes away her new formed tears with his other hand as his right hand tenderly held her towards his direction. "We need to learn our mistakes as leader, in hopes we can avoid repeating history."

"Gwynevere. . . I" Erwin hesitates. "I need you to trust yourself as much as I trust you." 

"Erwin. . ." Gwynevere no longer cry but now are surprised. 

Erwin began to felt his restrain becoming undone. There's that one string he desperately hold to keep himself together. But upon Gwynevere's touch on his wrist, he knew he was too far gone. 

Erwin closed his eyes as he lower his hold onto her. He lets out a groan, needing to create distance from Gwynevere. "Commander? Did I. . . do something wrong?" 

By gods, they way she said his title is just simply too much. If only she knew what she constantly do to him. Oh how Erwin find himself enamored by everything that Gwynevere do. Even her simple act like breathing and thinking was magnificent to Erwin. And her voice, calling out his name, is just addicting. 

"No. . . Gwynevere. You are. . . just. . ." Erwin tried to find the words. 

"Just what, sire?" Gwynerve made her worry apparent, and her worry made Erwin worry. 

"I think we should prepare ourselves for the event tomorrow. Many will try to break our spirit, it will challenging. It's best if we come prepared, no?" Erwin changed the topic almost effortlessly, but effortlessly would really be a lie. 

"Oh, indeed." Gwynevere realizes and nod. "Then let me see if I have anything to wear. I'm sure I've spoiled myself enough. I'll see you tomorrow then, Commander." Gwynevere quickly turn around and made haste towards her chamber. 

She left Erwin there in shambles, but unknowingly so. 

 

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848, Stohess District - Astoria Manor

 

Dressed in her finest fabrics, Gwynevere accompanied Erwin Smith into the lion den that is the charitable event held by the king of the walls. Speaking of Erwin Smith, the Survey Corp's Commander adorned himself in fine tuxedo along with his usual bolo tie. Noticing Gwynevere's anxiety, he offered his arm for her to take, to which was an offer the huntress accepted. 

Into the lion den they venture, hand in hand they began to gathered many attention. 

Many of the high society has known Erwin especially due to his recent promotion within the rank, but what these people were really looking for was the rumored beautiful huntress. Gwynevere didn't want to show weakness among the snobs, so she held her gaze strong and true, even if her heart yearns for nothing more to be on her bed right about now. 

Attracted to her beauty, many began to flock the two, asking about Gwynevere and her relationship with her Commander, but before the two were forced to answer, Roy Nosveratou, the duke and the host approach them. 

"I'm glad the two of you are here at last! And my. . . my. . ." The duke took notice of Gwynevere. "If it's not for your official documents, I would have never assume you're in the military, miss Neumann." Roy compliments, but something about his gaze towards Gwynevere was predatory. 

"Of course I must assume the two of you are mere comrades, so if I may, please save me a dance tonight miss Neumann." Roy winks but Gwynevere didn't like his tone at all. 

"If the opportunity ever arise, that we shall dance, Mr. Nosveratou." Gwynevere emphasize on Roy's title as a married man. Wishing for the duke to stop undressing her with his predatory eyes on her. 

"Come meet my lovely wife, then!" The duke changes topic, ushering rather young woman towards their way. "Meet Camilla, my lovely wife." The duke then introduces. 

Camilla Nosveratou was the very opposite of the word 'ugly'. In her lavish dress she brings youthful beauty but paired with a well-trained grace to her every move. Gwynevere however, wasn't astound by Camilla's beauty, but rather, her apparent youth. Camilla look no older than eighteen years old where as the duke himself is known to be in his early fifties. 

"Nice. . . dress. If you can call that one." Camilla opened her mouth and took Gwynevere by surprise, even Erwin too. "But I suppose, with military money, that's the best you can get, now is it?" Camilla looks at Gwynevere up and down before settling into her lips and her chosen shade of rouge. 

"Well, you're not wrong. Most of my money, I spent it on research." Gwynevere smiles, not shaken by Camilla's early jabs at her. "But I do love your sense of style. I adore your dress." Gwynevere added, taking words out of Camilla's mouth. 

"Now, now Camilla. . . why don't you be nice to her and lend one of your dresses? You simply have to many either way. Take miss Neumann with you, go on." The duke earned Erwin's sense of suspicion as Camilla nodded tensely at his command. 

"You hear him, I'll show you the way." Said Camilla sternly as Gwynevere let go of Erwin to follow her. Gwynevere and Erwin looks at each other quickly before departing. 

 

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"You really don't have to, I wouldn't want to impose, really." Said Gwynevere gently as the two venture deeper into the manor. 

"You don't get it do you? He wasn't asking." Answered Camilla bitterly. "He has something planned about you, now speaking girls to girls. . . it's best you endure it." 

Gwynevere didn't understand what exactly Camilla is trying to say, but before she knew it. They were already in a closet with Camilla shoving a new dress into her arms. Gwynevere looks down and her skin grew pale. 

The new dress is not even a dress to begin with. It was merely a glorified thin scarf, white in color. The length of the thin satin indicate that Gwynevere could still covered herself nicely, but the dress will still be very revealing. 

The only accessories that Gwynevere got with the said satin was a pair of golden armband and a waistband that is barely her size. Looking at Camilla, Gwynevere took notice of fear and traces of domestic abuse all around the poor girl's body. Camilla was bloody good at covering her bruises, Gwynevere almost missed it. 

"You don't have a say on this, didn't you? Was it an arrange marriage?" Gwynevere asked, shocking Camilla enough to make her shiver. 

"I'm not like you, I only have my body." Camilla said with a bitter face and a shaken voice. "You have to wear it, I don't. . . I don't really want to know what would happen to me if you don't use it. I know it is selfish, but I have someone waiting for me. I need to stay alive for her. Please. . ."

Gwynevere nodded in understanding as she began to learn more about Camilla. 

"I understand. Please wait for me outside. . . You'll still have to guide me back into the civilization, right?" Gwynevere tease, making Camilla smiles. 

"Of course! I thank you! I thought. . . you would resist at all." Camilla now felt bad. 

"No need to feel so bad, in a world like this, we girls need to stick together, right?" Gwynevere added and Camilla smiles. 

"That we do. . . thank you, miss Neumann." Camilla bowed but Gwyn stopped her. 

"Just Gwyn or Enora please." 

"I can't call you Enora! That's. . . that is her name. My true beloved I mean." Camilla had her eyes widened. "Wow. . . first it was your shades of rouge and now your name. . . what a coincidence."

"Just Gwyn then, go on then. I won't be long. There's not much to wear about this anyway." Gwynevere chuckles before groaning at her fate. "But tell me, why do I feel like I recognize this from somewhere?" Gwynevere pointed towards the very suggestive dress. 

"That's what the whores around here usually wore. He wanted to display you as his whore. He's using his power and influence, so if you were to deny it, he's going to tell everyone how ungrateful you are." Camilla confess with grimace. "But if you were to wore it, you would have to endure the shame and all of the well, harassment."

"Me and Commander expected this already, really." Gwynevere confess something in return, shocking Camilla once again. 

"Truly?"

"Truly. It was suspicious already that he summons me and not Erwin's right hand, second in command. And the rumors did says that it was my beauty that caught his eyes." Gwynevere nodded. "Nosveratou strikes me as the type to control over everything that he desires. I knew for sure going against him head on will only be a problem."

"So, how are you going to face this?" Inquire Camilla with nothing but worry. 

"Using this as my advantage." Gwynevere raised the white satin with a devilish smile. "If my beauty is all that he sees, the so be it. I'll give him what he desire, and more."

 

✧┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈✧

 

Erwin was truly worried for Gwynevere as she hasn't come back from her detour with the duke's wife. The Survey Corps commander never minded the whispers of insults surrounding him as he only has his eyes on his pocket watch. Erwin simply smiles at the pocket watch, it was his first gift from Gwynevere. 

Erwin was that bothered that he couldn't even think about drinking alcohol. Levi would call him foolish for not taking the free liquors, but then again, he would understand why since tea is all that he had on his germaphobe minds. 

"Oh my! Isn't that a bit too scandalous?" Erwin suddenly hears the whispers change their topic. 

"But you have to give it to her. She made even that. . . rather graceful. Though yes, it's very. . . revealing." An older woman he heard. 

"Isn't she the beauty that comes with the Survey Corp's Commander?" At this, Erwin's interest and worry is peaked. 

Looking towards where the crowd is seeing, Erwin finds Gwynevere forced to adorned herself in such a revealing dress, if one can call a mere sheet wrapped around the body and being held by just one waistband a dress. 

Gwynevere still makes her shameful dress works with how well she stood amongst the crowds. She made the dress belonged and with her beauty, she uses that to her advantage. Still, Erwin couldn't help but to feel rage towards the duke. He and Gwynevere has already expected this, but still, it hurt him to know that someone even had the audacity to shame and harassed Gwynevere.

Erwin made his way back to her as fast as he could to give Gwynevere some cover with his coat. Appreciating this, Gwynevere smiles as she looks at him. Camilla throws an apologetic looks towards Erwin, receiving an assured nod from Erwin himself. 

"That's not how you suppose to wear that dress, but dear, you make it work!" They all hears the voice of the perverted duke. 

"I appreciate the gesture sire. If I may, I just have to make a bit of speech of your kindness. If you'll let me of course." Gwynevere smile slightly and she batted her eyelashes towards him. It was enough to lower his defense and Gwynevere took her chance. 

Clink! Clink!

Gwynevere raised her drinking glass tall and tapped the side of it twice with her fingernail. She didn't have to do much to gained everyone's attention, since her dress was already ridiculous as it is. 

"Tonight here I stand to say many gratitude towards Mr. Nosveratou." Gwynevere started. "As some of you may know, Survey Corps hasn't had the best of time as if lately. . . yet Mr. Nosveratou over here had offered us many. Including this very dress I'm wearing. It was a glorified scarf, but I make it work nonetheless." 

The crowds laugh at this. 

"This party is such a big change for me you see. . ." Gwynevere's gaze shifted down. "Not too long ago, I was made a Captain. In hopes to educate some others to become like me."

"I thought I had done everything to prepare them. . . but in our latest expedition, I had lost my pupils." The crowd gasps. "They had fought brilliantly, hence why I could not really accepted their absence at first."

"Since they were brilliant and were adept, I had to draw a conclusion that they simply weren't made to fight out there. But we all know it's not like they have a choice do they? It was the military or the streets. Titans or poverty." 

"I could see it in their eyes that they knew they weren't going to make it, but despite that fear they fought. Why you may ask? I wasn't really sure either."

"In our last dinner together, I remember how they fought not because they were forced but simply because they wish for a world for us without a titan. And I want to make that dream come true, for them and for us."

"But the Survey Corps can't make that happens if everyone here thinks it won't matter. Because it does matter." Gwynevere raised her gaze. "You only going to get the foods that you eat if we reclaim back wall Maria. And your power, your influence won't ever strengthen if we don't make our nation greater and far wider."

Nosveratou was now confused as to why the speech isn't about him anymore, but then, Gwynevere looks at him. 

"Before going here, I did a bit of digging." Gwynevere calls some butlers and main, much to Nosveratou's confusion. "In my hand here is a paper. A bill of sale. This document to which is illegal in actuality will reveal to you as to why this charitable event was held."

"I must assume that many of you had spent quite a lot of money for this event. But have you wondered what for?"

"Wait!" Roy Nosveratou tried to retaliate but was held back by Camilla. "What?"

"Ladies and Gentlemen. . . your money won't be distributed for the good of the need nor the good of your needs. The charity held right now will fund Mr. Nosveratou sickening desire of building his own brothel!" The crowds began to look at the duke. "That's right! Your money will be funding a whorehouse, based on this bill of sale."

"Mr. Nosveratou over here had spent dare I say too many money buying an illegal asset for an even more illegal reasons. Funding a desire such as this won't look good on any of you, I assure you. To which I must raise some personal points."

"Take back your money while you can, and when you get to choose. . . the very least that you can do is to be kind to yourself. Soldiers die in every expedition done for the hope of flourishing your life. And it's not like we're asking for your sympathy, we ask of your awareness."

"Do something good in your life, even for some time in your life. While you still have a choice in your life. Make it count."

The duke of Nosveratou was apprehended by the Military Police but not before many had their chance with him. Many of the people felt like they were betrayed as many refuses their name to be tainted by the duke's action. Gwynevere knew it was always everyone for themselves in high society around wall Sina, hence why she wanted to use it to her advantage. 

And with the illegal document making publicity, the corrupt police who were on it didn't have that many choice but to actually sentenced Nosveratou. And due to her slight influence, awareness of Survey Corps's importance in their power began to spread. People of wall Sina began to think that they needed Survey Corps to succeed for them to flourish their lives even further, this resulted in financial stability for the regiment. 

 

 Here's to Devilish Tongue!

 

Erwin and Gwynevere had their own celebration right after they are back in Survey Corps Central Base. Both were drinking Erwin's finest liqueur in his office, both were celebrating alone because it was simply too late in the night for them to bother the other. Erwin thought that it was fine, he can tell the rest at next breakfast anyway. 

Erwin and Gwynevere had been drinking enough for Gwynevere to be bold. She took Erwin's bolo tie as he let her, wanting to see how his favorite piece would look on her. Erwin couldn't help but to adore how his bolo tie looks around her neck and on her chest. It was erotic how the end of his bolo tie fell perfectly between her breast but his need to be professional kicks in before anymore erotic thinking could develop. 

But Erwin couldn't help but to notice the way she would look at him, he was afraid that the alcohol influence her deeply, but her gaze was still sober. Gwynevere could handle her alcohol just fine. 

"You did brilliant back there, Gwyn. I must say, I didn't even expect you to get your hands on the illegal bill of sale." Erwin raise a topic in hope to stop himself from thinking about anything devilish. 

"I thank you, I really didn't want us to come just to lose and be humiliated. I want them to see us, even if they think they can use us for their own good." Gwynevere confessed. 

"But why?" Erwin couldn't help but to asked. 

"Because I don't mind being just your pawn. You always gives me a sense of direction, I never really have to fear for much. Which is why I think that sometime, people just need to be told for them to not fear for much." Gwynevere shrug her shoulders. 

"You're more than just a pawn, Gwynevere." Erwin smiles, a bit pained that Gwynevere could say such a foul thing. 

"I know, I can see it your eyes, Erwin." Gwynevere laugh, but there's a pain to her laughter. "Although I make peace with it, it still pains me how you. . . held yourself back, making us play this game of waiting, see if anyone dare to find out."

"You're my subordinate, doesn't matter how much I love you, I shouldn't." Erwin puts down his drinking glass as Gwynevere looks at him. 

"Even if it kills me that you won't. . . you wouldn't even dare?" Gwynevere challenged, desperately needing Erwin to take the bait. 

"I'm sure there's someone out there for you, I'm much too old." Erwin closes his eyes but opened them in an instant when Gwynevere sat on his lap, her breasts on his face. "Gwyn."

"Just for tonight, let yourself be selfish. You don't have to, but I'm giving you a chance. Because I know you'll never give yourself a chance." Gwynevere whispers and Erwin could feel himself loosen up. 

"But if I do, nothing about us will feel the same. You'll change the way you look at me, and I'll never be able to stop myself for wanting you. This is a warning Gwynevere, and I'm a man of my word." Erwin looks to Gwynevere but found her unshaken by his firm tone. 

Instead she smiles so addictingly, she gave that one smile she only give to him, only when they're all alone with each other. "I know you love me for my voice becoming your logic, Erwin. . . but I fear that right now. . . I'm too madly in love with you to be your voice of logic."

In a harmony, like magnet attracted to each other, Erwin and Gwynevere crashed their lips for a frenzied kiss that they've been longing for too damn long. Their kiss grew even more frantic than the last as the two instantly knew they are now addicted to each other. 

They made out fast and hard, but their passion and their pace went slower with each kisses lasting longer. The fabrics of Gwynevere's dress fell from her shoulder, leaving her chest now bare in front of Erwin. The Commander couldn't help but to be surprise, and he certainly couldn't help but to admire her greatness. 

"Like I said, Commander. . . let yourself be selfish. I mean it." Gwynevere was flustered but remain strong with her desire. 

"Gwynevere, once I do, I could never stop. Not like this, not with you I could never stop." Erwin gently remind her. 

"Then start from now and never stop, make me yours."  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trivia and Author's Note:

<> Everyone in Survey Corps notices the way Erwin would stares at Gwynevere. They bet on when the two would ever be together. 

<> No one in Survey Corps really mind it if the two ended up together. Those in Survey Corps are constantly facing death that love to them is love. All agreed that one should love while they can. 

<> Author is going to fix the inconsistency of Gwynevere's name throughout the chapters, really sorry guys. I tend to be half asleep when writing this fanfic.

 

Chapter 6: Changes in Their Eyes

 

Two year has passed since Survey Corp secured their funding, and a lot has changed within the military branch. For once throughout their history, the insults and the lack of hope thrown at them has lessened with many noble giving supports through their sponsorships. 

And yet, despite this shift, the Survey Corps still walked a perilous line, their existence balanced on the fragile edge of public approval. Their work remained dangerous, their survival uncertain. But in recent months, the weight of it all had become just a little more bearable.

A lot has changed between Erwin and Gwynevere as well. 

At first, it was merely the way they would look into each others eyes, the lingering glances, and the stolen moments between the chaos of their duties. Then it was the sudden frequency of their private meetings. As subtle as they might try, many personnel and even their local mad scientist Hange Zoe began to question their interactions. 

Speaking in Erwin's defense, he had valid reasons. Gwynevere had begun securing new paths for their expeditions beyond Wall Rose, a task that demanded his attention. He made a conscious effort to balance their private meetings with official ones, but deep down, he was no fool of a man. He knew he was losing his grip on the carefully crafted stoicism that had once defined him.

So, in a futile attempt to suppress their growing intimacy, both Erwin and Gwynevere buried themselves in their work. It was strategizing and managing human resources for Erwin while for Gwynevere, it was hunting and her study on titans. 

To a degree, their efforts to conceal themselves began to paid off, but alas, behind the closed doors of privacy, in the sanctuary of stolen nights, neither hesitated and they made sure to utilize every possible seconds they could to be with each other. 

Love was an unfamiliar territory and it was something new for the both of them. For Gwynevere, to be clearly cherished by Erwin felt like a new chapter of her life. Night time began to change for Gwynevere too. Before Erwin, night time was merely a time in her life to pass by, either with overtime of research or with sleep that she often pray to be kind enough. 

But after experiencing love with Erwin, night time became something she look forward to. She would steal through the quiet halls, carefully dodging patrols and hoping, each time, that Levi wouldn’t catch her. Every careful step was worth it, for at the end of her path, he was always there. Waiting for her arrival. 

With a glass of wine in hand and a rare, rested smile upon his face, Erwin would turn to greet her, his gaze softening at the sight of her.

The beauty Gwynevere held inside out was far from just her apparent beauty. To the world, Gwynevere is a huntress—unyielding, fierce, untouchable. But in the privacy of these moments, the sternness cracked, revealing the woman beneath the armor. A woman with a spirit as unwavering as it was beautiful.

Erwin had seen beauty before, but none like hers. Others might have shared the shade of her hair, but none had let it dance through the wind of battle as she did. Others might have possessed similar eyes, but none saw the world quite the way she did. 

Erwin do not doubt of the uncovered potentials some other may held within, but to his knowledge, no one held within such potential as great as Gwynevere. No soul burn as brightly as hers. 

Unraveling Gwynevere’s mysteries felt akin to uncovering the truths of the world itself. To say she had become his world was as certain as the sun’s rise.

And yet, that certainty terrified him.

Erwin fear that his love for Gwynevere may dull his instincts or for even worse, blind him as a soldier. Yet knowing that, at the very same time, he do not dare to interfere with such progress. For Erwin Smith to experience a love he does not dare to stop, for him to love without a restraint, it is groundbreaking kind of new.

His love and his devotion for her steadily grew in each waking moment and even in his sleep here he would think of her. And there she is, standing in front his doors, thoroughly happy she wasn't caught by Levi. 

When she genuinely smile, unguarded, is when Erwin find her the most attractive. But because their reality isn't so kind as they would like to admit, a genuine smile from her isn't something she could do just because. He took in the sight greedily, knowing all too well how rare such moments were.

He's beyond help at this point, but it's not like he's asking for help either.

She ran into his embrace, and he held her close, their warmth intertwining. More often than not, Erwin’s body ran warmer than hers—perhaps from the endless hours spent behind a desk. 

Without hesitation, he poured her a glass of her favorite red wine. Since Gwynevere considered herself as a busy person, the young woman preferred a delicate red wine with light body. Gwynevere was not one to indulge often; she preferred to keep her mind sharp, her body ready. But on nights like these, she allowed herself this fleeting pleasure.

As capable as she is, Gwynevere once confess that she would lose a battle if it was an ambush. Logically this is what a soldier should think, but Erwin was amused nonetheless.

"Hm, are you that desperate to taste wine in our kiss? How's your plan for expedition tomorrow?" Gwynevere teases the Commander before her well known sternness comes to light.

"I can't believe you sneak all the way here just to challenge my capability." Erwin let out a light hearted chuckles as his body began to move to respond. Erwin guided Gwynevere to his strategy desk, where an immersive map Gwynevere had drawn was now decorated with notes of plans along with the placement of traps.

Though imperfection is inevitable when it comes to a battle plan, the young woman studies Erwin's vision with worse case scenarios played within her head. With each worse case, Gwynevere also think of the most optional solution for each possibility. The huntress then look to Erwin's plan, to see if his plan prepared the soldiers for it.

"Considering everything, you've done well Commander." Gwynevere took a sip of her wine as she felt Erwin's strong arms around her waist. Erwin had long abandoned his empty glass as Gynevere emptied hers in his embrace.

"I wonder. . . How many of my men must I kill this time?" He murmured, his lips grazing her cheek even as his words carried the weight of his burdens.

Gwynevere then put down her empty wine glass and put her hands above his. Her soothing touch grounded Erwin back to her. To them. "You're no longer standing here all alone, love."

"The dead of our comrade will not fall solely on you. If anything, my incapability to understand titans will cause more death."  Gwynevere ponder as well. "Losing our men is inevitable, but we can try our very best to lower the cost."

Erwin sighed, pressing his forehead against her shoulder. "I've killed Gwynevere, even before you. . ." Erwin sadly confessed. "For less than the unknown I had sent my people to die. They deserve better." He added.

Visiting the graves of his fallen comrade has become one of Erwin's habit, especially since his promotion on becoming the Commander. Gwynevere has accompanied some of his visit, even more frequently after the night they got together. 

"You swore an oath," she reminded him softly. "To ensure that every sacrifice has meaning."

"And you have promise to yourself as well. . . you'll find the truth of our world soon enough. With me, together." Gwynevere turn to face the tall blonde, she look into his eyes. Her gaze softened. 

He searched her eyes, finding the assurance he so desperately needed. "I only wish the truth would come sooner," he admitted, voice weary. "I've realized that I've changed."

"How so?" Gwynevere softly pleaded for Erwin to continued, not knowing how much she would be surprised by what he said next.

"I once thought I was a man with nothing to lose." Erwin took her hand, pressing a reverent kiss to her knuckles. "But now, I see how wrong I was." His voice was barely above a whisper. "I have far too much to lose. I have you and your dreams."

The words caught Gwynevere off guard, leaving her momentarily breathless.

He smiled at her then, something pure and unguarded. "Stay with me tonight," he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Let me love you as if this is my last night to do so."

Gwynevere felt the warmth of his words settle deep in her chest. She was sure her face had gone scarlet, but she no longer cared. "Isn't that why I'm here?" she whispered, her voice laced with affection.

A playful smirk touched her lips as she pulled him closer. "Then love me, Commander. Love me like you mean it. I want your love upon me."

 

850, Trost District

The morning sun had barely begun its ascent when the Survey Corps launched into preparation for the day's expedition. Soldiers moved with purpose—some double-checking their gear, others tending to their chosen steeds. The air buzzed with tense anticipation, a quiet understanding passing among them: today could be the last for any one of them.

The regiment moved out in organized groups, with Gwynevere positioned in the primary unit. Their objective was clear—secure the perimeter and, if fortune allowed, capture a new Abnormal Titan for further study. Because of the latter, Gwynevere had been assigned to Hange Zoe’s team, given her expertise in the traps designed for such a dangerous task.

As she rode, Gwynevere found herself lost in thought.

"I have too much to lose. I have you and your dreams." 

Erwin’s words from the previous night lingered in her mind, threading themselves into her consciousness like an unshakable melody.

In the Survey Corps, those words were not uncommon. Comrades often formed bonds, promising to watch each other’s backs, to ensure sacrifices were not in vain. But coming from Erwin Smith, a man defined by his unyielding pursuit of truth, the sentiment carried a weight Gwynevere had never expected.

She stole a glance toward him from the back line. He rode ahead with practiced ease, his posture impeccable, his presence effortlessly commanding. To those who followed him, Erwin Smith was more than just a leader—he was a man consumed by his vision. He would do everything in his living moment to understand the world and this is known by many. 

Even Gwynevere had once believed him to be nothing more than a soldier willing to die for his cause. She had accepted, long ago, that she had fallen for a man who saw his life as a mere tool in pursuit of the truth. She had made peace with that. She had vowed, silently and resolutely, to ensure Erwin lived long enough to see his dream realized.

She was willing to die for that cause. She was willing to die for him.

But last night changed something.

To hear that Erwin felt the same toward her—that she had become something worth losing—it shifted her world in ways she hadn’t anticipated.

All she had ever wanted was to recover her lost memories. What significance could that possibly hold for someone like Erwin? There was no guarantee she would ever recall them. Even if she did, the likelihood of them holding any relevance to his vision was impossibly slim.

And yet, he had placed his faith in her.

The realization left her feeling cherished yet conflicted. As the group rode past the crowds of Trost District, Gwynevere made a silent vow: she would never allow Erwin to die before her.

She would not let him sacrifice himself. Not for her. Not for anyone.

The distant roar of the crowd pulled her from her thoughts.

"It's here! The main unit of the Scout Regiment!" A man acting as the town crier bellowed, his voice carrying over the bustling streets. "Commander Erwin! Give those titans a real thrashing!" He added.

"Look! It's Captain Levi!" Another man pointed excitedly. "They say he's as mighty as an entire brigade!"

"Tch. Talk about annoying. . ." Levi commented, clicking his tongue in irritation. "This is all your fault, Gwyn. You lick ass with the nobles and now people won't leave us alone."

Gwynevere arched a brow, unfazed. "Yeah well, licking their ass is what got you your damn tea, Levi." Gwynevere replied far too fast than the short man's liking. 

The short man shot her a look, clearly unamused.

"AHA!" Hange erupted into laughter. "She got you there!" They nudged Levi playfully before grinning at Gwynevere. "Honestly, I couldn’t be happier about the funding. Have you seen our research lab, Levi?!"

With that, Hange launched into an excited monologue, their words coming rapid-fire, drowning out all hope of silence. Levi, looking as though he regretted having ears, exhaled a slow, suffering sigh.

Gwynevere smirked. If nothing else, at least some things remained constant. 

 

The sun barely peeked through the clouds as the Survey Corps rode beyond the walls. The mission was clear: secure a perimeter and capture an abnormal Titan for research. Gwynevere, positioned with Hange Zoe’s unit, kept a sharp eye on their surroundings. She was no stranger to the dangers of expeditions, but something about today felt off.

Gwynevere pushed aside her instinct to aided Hange's team with the traps installments. With Levi's team eliminating every titans on their way, not much time was spent for them to rigged the entire deserted city with the titan traps. 

The Commander and his team had secured a building to act as both their camp and their temporary headquarter. He quickly updated his map along with his strategy after Gwynevere and Mike had reported the raising number of titan in the area. 

Erwin stole a glance towards Gwynevere, but much to his surprise, he was caught by Mike Zacharias. "Hm, I thought it was odd how I smelled you on her. . . imagine my surprise when I smelled her on you as well."

Erwin exhale as he had suspected this to happen soon enough. Mike's capability to smell is almost supernatural, Erwin wonder why would he even bother with lying with such nose like that. 

"I don't exactly know how, Mike. . . but I'm falling for her." Erwin spoke in a whisper towards Mike. 

The man who was taller than Erwin, if that was possible then furrowed his eyebrows. Mike was worried for Gwynevere. "Would you give up on her like you gave up on Marie?" Mike was stern when he asked this. 

The questioned startled Erwin for a second, but not more than that. "I've tried, but that doesn't seem to be case. In fact, I don't think it is possible for me to give up on her." Erwin smiles. 

"How so? What makes her different from Marie?" Mike questioned some more. 

"I've never seen such spirit like hers. I don't think there's anything even remotely close as hers." Erwin turned, pouring his focus back on to the map Gwynevere had drawn prior. 

It wasn’t long before they encountered their first abnormal. The creature moved with an unsettling intelligence, dodging traps and lunging unpredictably. Hange, always eager, barked out orders as her squad worked to subdue it.

But chaos ensued. 

A second abnormal, previously unnoticed, barreled toward them with terrifying speed. It wasn’t headed for the front lines; it was going for the research squad—Hange’s subordinates, who were setting up equipment. The soldiers barely had time to react before it was upon them.

One of Hange’s subordinates, a young soldier named Elias, froze in terror. The Titan’s massive hand came down, ready to crush him. Seeing the scene unfold, Gwynevere didn’t hesitate.

With a forceful kick against her horse, she launched forward, drawing her blades in a fluid motion. She struck hard and fast, severing the Titan’s fingers before it could grasp Elias. The beast howled, thrashing wildly. Its other hand swung blindly—Gwynevere barely had time to register the impact before pain exploded in her body. Her world tilted.

She hit the ground hard, rolling through dirt and debris. Hearing Elias scream, Gwnevere knew it was far from over. Giving her body no time to recover, memories of her former subordinate comes into her mind. 

Gwynevere began to recalled how brilliant they were. The way their eyes would shines with anticipation and hopes, it was as if she saw them yesterday. She recalled their joy as vividly the day they died. Their scattered corpses fueled her nightmares, Gwynevere wanted no more of such sight. No young soldier should die, not on her watch.

The huntress screams and moves to pushed Elias aside. Gwynevere didn't have that much stamina, and it was a fatal flaw at that moment. She could not make another move to escape, but though she felt as if she couldn't, Gwynevere still tried. 

She reaches out as the abnormal titan opens it maw. A sharp, wet agony coursed through her left side, her vision blurring as she realized—her left arm was gone. Blood spattered the ground beneath her. Someone was screaming her name.

The world faded in and out as she struggled to breathe, darkness creeping at the edges of her mind. But then, another sound pierced through the pain—the distant cry of a flare.

Gwynevere couldn't see but she could hear from where exactly the flare originated from. It was from their temporary headquarter. If that is true, then that means there's a breach in formation.

Gwynevere’s heart pounded as she forced herself up. She could barely hold her sword in her remaining hand, her head spinning from blood loss. Through the haze of pain, she saw the remaining soldiers struggling. They were going to be overwhelmed. 

She quickly trapped the titan besides her by triggering the trap that was placed above the titan. At least that's one mission taken care of. Hearing a stampede in the distance, Gwynevere turn to the South finding hordes of titan heading North, their way. 

More flares flies into the air with Gwynevere glued into the ground. She had scouted this area solo and she has never seen such huge amount of titan prior. Something attract them here, and it's going to kill many of her comrades. 

And then she made a decision.

The air around her shifted. Her remaining fingers dug into her palm, and the surge of power within her called out like an unrelenting storm.

Lightning cracked across the battlefield.

The earth trembled as flesh and bone knitted together at an impossible speed, growing, expanding—until she stood in place of the fallen soldier.

As the lightning subsided and the dust settled, what emerged from the explosion of steam was not just another titan, it was something different. Hange could not believe their eyes as they panicked. Their assistant pleaded for them to evacuate, but Hange was frustrated. They did not caught from where the unusual titan comes from. It happen in front of their very eyes, yet they missed it. 

Moblit insist to evacuate his maddening leader with him, even if Hange is too busy taking notes of the new titan. 

"What. . . what is that?" Mike had his eyes opened the widest in his entire life. Many watch the scene unfold with him, including Erwin. "It's attacking the other titans."

"Not just attacking, it's hunting them down!" Hange bellowed like a maniac. 

Standing at 15 meters tall, the titan was a striking figure of both lethal grace and raw power. Unlike the hulking, brutish builds of most titans, the frame was lean and agile, it muscles coiled with explosive speed and precision. Every movement carried the poise of a seasoned killer—efficient, calculated, and unrelenting.

Its arms bore jagged protrusions of bone, which erupted from it forearms like natural weapons, honed for both offense and defense. These protruding bones could be ejected from the titan's palms, turning into deadly projectiles that shot through the air as fast as an arrow loosed from a bow.

The titan's hair was long, flowing like a dark river caught in a storm, but it was no mere aesthetic feature. Like its bones, it could harden at will, becoming as sharp as obsidian blades. When the abnormal titan moved, strands of it followed—like the fangs of a beast waiting to strike.

Her face was veiled beneath strands of her own hardened hair, giving her an eerily feral and enigmatic appearance. From beneath that shadowed visage, piercing eyes burned with undivided focus, glowing like embers in the storm. This was no mindless titan—this was a hunter, aware and fully in control.

Her legs, long and powerful, were built for unparalleled agility. While most titans relied on brute force, the Huntress itan excelled in speed and precision, moving with an agility that was almost unnatural for her size. She could scale trees, leap great distances, and maneuver through battlefields like a ghostly specter of death.

Her skeleton was unique, built not just for endurance but for war. Unlike most shifters, her titan body could constantly regenerate and reinforce its own bones, allowing her to reshape her weapons mid-battle. If she lost a blade, she could grow another. If she needed a spear, her body would provide.

But perhaps the most terrifying thing about the titan was how it fought. It fought incredibly similar to Gwynevere.

 

Chapter 7: For the Walls and Beyond

 

 

Levi Ackerman's voice cut through the low murmur of gathered soldiers like a blade.

"Now just what is that supposed to be?" he muttered, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the tree line beyond their temporary headquarters. "I've never seen a Titan act like it has a brain for anything other than killing and eating us. What's with that one?"

The others didn't answer at first, uncertain themselves—until Hange Zoe, wild-eyed and breathless with curiosity, stepped forward.

"We have to call it the Huntress Titan!" she exclaimed, voice pitched high with manic excitement.

Levi shot her a look of sheer disdain.

"Can you quiet down for a second? Sure, yell out our position while you're at it." He slipped his gloves on with practiced ease, then reached out and clamped a firm hand over Hange's mouth before she could say another word. "Honestly," he muttered, "you're lucky I don't tape your mouth shut during missions."

Hange mumbled something against his palm, and he grimaced, thankful for the leather barrier between her and him.

Just then, two more horses trotted into the clearing. Erwin Smith and Mike Zacharias dismounted, the last of the officers to return after ensuring no soldier had been left behind. Mike lingered near his horse, head tilted slightly, nostrils flaring as if still trying to make sense of the scent he'd caught earlier.

"Whatever that thing is..." Mike began, his voice low and cautious, "it hasn't killed any of us. Not yet."

He turned to look over his shoulder again, where the Titan had vanished moments before.

"But that doesn't mean we can let our guard down. That'd be... illogical."

Levi scoffed.

"No. That'd be idiotic." He let go of Hange, who staggered back, still pale.

Erwin, silent until now, took a slow step forward. His eyes scanned the crowd of soldiers, searching, counting—until his gaze settled on the absence he hadn't wanted to name.

"...Where's Gwynevere?" he asked.

Hange stiffened. Color drained from her face.

"She was last seen at the site where the Titan first appeared," she said slowly, almost as if processing it aloud for the first time. "One of my team members said she... saved his life. Just before the explosion. A second later, that Titan showed up."

Silence fell as every soldier stood still.

And Erwin didn't move.

"I see..." Erwin said at last, voice composed, every syllable wrapped in the kind of practiced calm expected of a commander. He looked out over the gathered soldiers, jaw tight, eyes unreadable. "Let's improvise with the situation we have. We've lost a great soldier today. Let's make her sacrifice worth it."

But not a single soldier stirred at his words. No one bowed their heads in solemn agreement. No one drew strength from his well-honed stoicism.

Not on this mission.

Not this time.

Not for this loss.

And yet—duty prevailed. Like a finely tuned instrument, the Survey Corps moved. Orders passed wordlessly. Formations reassembled. Equipment checked. Roles reassigned with ruthless efficiency. In record time, the temporary headquarters was fortified, and every man and woman braced themselves for the next wave of Titans encroaching from the forest.

Despite the suffocating weight in the air, they worked—because they had to. Because that's what Gwynevere would have done and wanted.

Erwin stood back, surveying the trap lines laid across the perimeter. His gaze followed the movement of Levi's team, stationed strategically in the southern ridge—each member positioned exactly as the scenario had been planned.

A scenario she had designed.

This contingency, this fallback plan, every layer of defense—it had been her strategy. Her promise.

"At least for this mission," she had told him, voice steady but hopeful, "you won't lose anyone. I'll make sure of it."

How he wished that were true.

How bitterly he wished it.

A deafening roar echoed across the ruined village.

The unknown Titan—silent for so long—had finally screamed. The sound was unlike any other: piercing, guttural, laced with fury and something dangerously close to grief. Every head turned, even Erwin's. Even his bitter mourning paused, if only for a heartbeat.

There she stood. Surrounded by the rising steam of countless fallen foes, the Huntress Titan looked weary. Her massive chest heaved, shoulders slumped ever so slightly beneath the weight of battle. The air shimmered around her from the heat—an eerie veil of mist that distorted her outline, making her seem almost ghostlike. Almost human.

Yet even in fatigue, her stance remained firm. Defiant.

And Erwin saw her. Truly saw her.

That gaze. That posture. That fire.

He blinked hard, but the illusion didn't fade.

"Gwynevere...?"

No. He had finally lost it.

"Titans! A horde of 'em from the east!" someone shouted from atop the barricades.

Erwin turned sharply.

Sure enough—dozens of them. Titans of all grotesque shapes and impossible sizes lumbered toward headquarters in a chaotic stampede. The ground trembled beneath them. Individually, none were a match for the Corps. But together?

A massacre waiting to happen.

Before orders could be given, the unknown Titan stirred again. Her head turned eastward—toward the thunder of approaching footsteps—and without hesitation, she began to run.

She sprinted past the soldiers. Past the village. Past the makeshift barricades, kicking up broken stone and ash in her wake.

Not once did she look at the humans.

She was aiming for the horde.

Levi's eyes narrowed.

"Tch," he muttered. "This one's definitely suicidal."

But before his thoughts could catch up with his instincts, he was already moving—ODM gear flaring to life, wires hissing. He didn't know why he followed. He only knew he had to.

The horde was coming from the east. His sector.

Protecting the east was his duty.

He anchored his hook into the unknown Titan's left shoulder and launched forward, using her massive frame as a pivot point. He spun around her with blinding speed, blades drawn, prepared to intercept the first wave of incoming Titans.

"Captain!" Petra called from behind, her voice laced with panic and confusion. She watched as he shot past the rooftops and disappeared into the haze with the unknown Titan. "Captain, wait!"

But Levi didn't wait.

He had a job to do.

And if that thing—whatever it was—was going to fight, then he'd damn well fight alongside it.

Once, the unknown Titan had fought with calculated grace—movements clean, efficient, elegant in a way that defied its monstrous form. But now, it fought with unrestrained fury. No longer a tactician, it was a weapon of vengeance. Every punch crushed bones. Every swing hurled another Titan into ruin.

At first, it didn't seem to register Levi's presence.

But that changed.

Somewhere between the fifth and sixth kill, its patterns began to shift—subtle at first, then unmistakable. The Titan adjusted its footing, swatted enemies away from Levi's blind spots, and lunged to intercept attacks aimed at his back. It moved with him—not just in sync, but in harmony.

Levi noticed.

Fighting alongside the Titan was easy. Too easy.

It felt natural. So natural that it sent a shiver down his spine.

The way it moved, the timing of its counters, the fluid precision with which it complemented his strikes—it wasn't coincidence.

It was memory.

Like it had fought beside him before.

Like it knew him.

From the safety of the fortified headquarters, soldiers paused mid-battle just to watch. Even amid chaos, the synchronization between Levi and the Huntress Titan was impossible to ignore. This kind of coordination took years to achieve. Dozens of missions. Countless drills. Trust.

It was muscle memory. Only...it wasn't supposed to be possible.

Hange stood frozen, stunned silent for the first time in what felt like years. Eyes wide, breath caught in their throat, they whispered under it, "No way..."

A theory was already forming—built from patterns, movement, and instinct. The Titan didn't just know how to kill. It knew how to kill like Gwynevere. And more terrifying—it knew how to fight alongside Levi.

It was Gwynevere.

It had to be.

The final Titan of the horde fell with a sickening crack, its spine crushed beneath the Huntress Titan's foot. And then it was over. The battlefield fell into eerie silence, the air thick with rising steam and the stench of blood.

With a low, rumbling groan, the Huntress Titan collapsed to its knees. Shoulders sagged. Breath labored. Steam poured from its battered frame like smoke from a dying fire.

She was spent.

Naturally, Hange was the first to react. They leapt onto their horse, heels digging hard, and galloped toward the downed Titan. Erwin followed, along with Mike and several captains, weapons at the ready—just in case.

When they arrived, Levi was already there.

He stood atop the Huntress Titan's massive head, balanced carefully among the long, dark strands of hair that now cascaded down like a tattered veil. His blades were drawn—not in fear, but in readiness. He was poised to end it if he had to.

But he didn't move.

He just stared down at the steaming body beneath him.

There was no fight left in it. No rage. No defiance. Only silence, and the soft hiss of evaporating heat.

She had fought herself to death.

"Is it dead?" Petra's voice broke the silence, sharp with tension. She stood among the captains who had followed Hange to the fallen Titan, eyes locked on its steaming form.

"No!" Hange shouted, stumbling from their horse in a frenzy. "We haven't—I haven't gotten anything from it yet!"

Ignoring the protests that followed, Hange climbed onto the Huntress Titan's collapsed body, hands slipping against its steaming, scorched skin.

"Get down from there!" Mike snapped, half-drawing his blade.

"She's going to get herself killed," murmured another.

But all the commotion came to an immediate halt when Levi raised his hand.

He didn't speak.

He didn't need to.

His silence carried more weight than a dozen orders. With just a steady hand in the air and his blades still drawn, Levi commanded their attention. His eyes never left the Titan's skull.

Hange stilled. The chaos in their limbs paused, replaced by something else. Quiet awe. They moved again—but slower, more precise now—as their fingers gripped the nape of the Titan's neck.

Erwin watched from the base, unease tugging at him like a cold wind. Something was wrong. Or perhaps... something was right.

"Hange," he called out, voice measured. "This silence is not like you. What is it that you've found?"

There was a pause.

Then, a whisper.

"No way..."

That was all Hange said.

But it was enough.

Erwin didn't wait for an invitation. He climbed—boots crunching against the scorched, crumbling muscle of the Titan's neck—every step weighted with something heavier than command.

Longing.

Grief.

Hope.

It clawed at his chest, rising with every breath, every heartbeat.

Gwynevere.

She had haunted every waking thought since she vanished. Since that explosion. Since the Titan appeared. And now—now, just as he'd learned to bury her memory deep enough to keep breathing—

He saw her.

As Levi's eyes widened, Erwin reached the top just in time to see Hange dragging a limp body from beneath the layers of steam-slicked muscle and unraveling flesh.

The Titan's nape split open like fragile parchment, and from within—

Gwynevere emerged.

Her unconscious form spilled into Hange's arms, wrapped in fragments of the Huntress Titan's flesh like a grotesque cloak. Her hair clung to her face, drenched in sweat and blood, but it was her.

Alive.

Breathing.

And very much herself.

 

✧┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈✧

Two hours passed.

The air outside the medical tent was thick with heat and silence—unnatural, heavy. Soldiers moved in hushed tones, their eyes often drifting toward the tent at the center of camp, where the impossible now lay resting.

Inside, Gwynevere stirred.

Her eyelids fluttered, then opened slowly. The world around her was blurry at first—soft light filtering through canvas, the sterile scent of alcohol and burnt steam lingering in her nose. Her body ached, every limb heavy as if she had been asleep for years.

She didn't panic. She didn't speak. She just breathed, letting the silence ground her.

Voices came shortly after. Familiar ones.

Hange was the first to enter the tent, notebook already in hand, eyes wide with wild curiosity barely restrained. Erwin followed—calm, composed, yet his gaze flickered with something far more personal. And then Levi, standing just behind them, arms folded, ever watchful, ever silent.

Gwynevere sat up slowly on the cot, wincing as the bandages across her ribs tightened with the movement.

"You're awake," Hange breathed, as if afraid to jinx the moment. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been trampled," she rasped. "By a hundred Titans."

Levi raised a brow. "You weren't far off."

Erwin stepped forward, arms behind his back. "We need answers, Gwynevere. What happened out there—what you are—is something none of us can explain."

She nodded slowly. "I understand. I'll tell you what I know."

"I...  began to remembered something," Gwynevere said. "Not much. Just flashes. Feelings. But there was moments... when I was younger—much younger. I remember my mother. I remember her experiments on me. She said I'd understand when the time came."

She paused, eyes unfocused, as if reliving it.

"It seems like not too long before my arrival here, my mother injected something into me. I didn't know what it was. I remember I wasn't scared of the injection, but I was scared for something else entirely. And then..."

She swallowed hard.

"I remember the thunder. Not a storm. A sound like thunder. Then fire. An explosion. And everything went black. But that was the first time. This time I remember everything."

Erwin exchanged a glance with Hange, who had stopped writing. Levi's jaw tightened.

"I didn't die in that explosion," Gwynevere said softly. "I changed."

"The Huntress Titan," Erwin muttered.

"Is that what you call it?" Gwynevere laugh softly. "It was me," she confirmed. "I fought a titan and lost an arm before the shift. Seems like I'm in one piece though now."

"How is that even possible?" Hange wondered out loud.

"I'm guessing I got it back when I shifted." Gwynevere recalled and remembered more. "Come to think of it, a scar never seem to last on does it?" she added.

"But enough about me, the titans." Gwynevere stood to face Erwin, she stood as if she had something to report back to him. 

And Erwin, who just glad to have Gwynevere back nodded to her. "What is it?"

"All of these titan are heading towards Trost. I do not know exactly why, but judging by their movement and numbers, they were called to Trost." Gwynevere revealed.

"No reports have come back from Trost yet," Erwin said. "But if what you're saying is true—"

"Then something worse than this is unfolding there," Levi finished grimly.

Hange's hands trembled around their notebook. "That would explain the sudden influx of Titans. We weren't supposed to encounter this many..."

"Exactly." Gwynevere nodded. 

Levi turned toward her, expression unreadable. "But what about you? Are you in any shape to fight again?"

The question hit the room like a weight. All eyes shifted to Erwin.

He didn't hesitate.

"She'll focus on recovering," he said firmly, his voice that of a commander—but his eyes, when they turned to Gwynevere, held something gentler. "When we return, she'll observe the abnormal Titan we've captured. She'll assist Hange with research."

Hange lit up with excitement. "Perfect. We can study her Titan's abilities along the way. Her transformation, her regeneration, maybe even trace how long she's had this power—"

"For now," Erwin interrupted, "our focus turns to Trost. They may need our help."

He looked around the tent. Every word that followed carried absolute authority.

"What happened today stays between us. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

But Levi was not so easily reassured.

"I don't trust the higher-ups to stay in the dark for long," he warned. "It's only a matter of time before they find out."

Erwin closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. "I know..."

He opened them again—and turned to Gwynevere.

"But I'll convince them. I'll show them."

His voice softened, just slightly.

"She's our chance... for the Walls, and beyond."

 

 

Author's note:

Yup, I'm back. 
Despite everything life has thrown at me I'm back. 

Sorry for the wait, but I promise you. I'll finish this story because I love Erwin Smith that much.