As Levi had said, we were woken up early and told to get packing. Everyone, with the exception of Bertholdt, who was on patrol, rushed to where they'd once lived, or whatever was left of it, and began packing away the things they couldn't be without.

For Eren and I, there wasn't much. I took a few books, but only what I could comfortably carry. The rest were stacked neatly for the next person to find. Or maybe we could come back to get them some day. The rest of my new bag was filled with clothes, dishes, and food. Eren and Mikasa both carried bags with similar contents, and we set them down next to Jean and Marco.

Once all of us were ready, we were put to work helping the civilians. They were much less eager to part with their belongings, and many had to be urged to leave unnecessary or heavy things behind. It was already getting dark by the time we were finally ready to start moving.

Bertholdt rested, and Reiner and Annie took over, one in front of us, one behind, everyone else in the middle walking at a steady pace. A pace that we had to push them for.

Titans were less active at night, and with the two shifters keeping them at bay, we hadn't run into any issues. But we had a long few days ahead of us, and we all knew it. It was important to put as much distance between us and our old home as possible, as soon as possible. We could slow down after we'd made progress.

Eren, Mikasa and I rode behind Levi and Erwin. Erwin had his good arm around Levi's narrow waist, much like mine were around Eren's. They were both quiet, letting Hanji give the orders when they were needed. It was obvious that they were tired. Erwin was still recovering, and I got the feeling that Levi's leg was suffering from more than just a little sprain, not to mention all the worrying he'd been doing over Erwin's condition. To have them on a horse at all was a miracle.

Mikasa fit in well, as it turned out. She rode beside Eren and I for the most part, on Annie's horse. When it was Annie's turn for a break, she was supposed to share. We were too short on horses for everyone to have their own, so the poor beasts were tasked with carrying at least two people each.

Despite that, we were still making decent time. We'd already made it out of the forest by the time the sun began to rise. But we trekked on, not stopping till we'd found the desolate remains of a town. Everyone scrambled for places to sleep, and Eren took his turn with patrol. Mikasa stayed with me, but her eyes remained trained on Eren as he walked around, growling on occasion at particularly daring Titans that ventured even a little too close.

Jean and Marco came to sit with us, followed soon after by Annie, who was flanked on either side by Reiner and Bertholdt. We built a small fire, and took out some food to snack on, exchanging what little information any of us had.

We learned from Reiner that we'd covered nearly thirty miles already. That was a relief, for I'd expected much less from our large party. If we kept at that pace, we could put a decent distance between us and danger in just a matter of a week or so.

We didn't talk long before everyone decided that we ought to get some sleep while we could. I'd have to steer the horse the next day, so that Eren could sleep. That in mind, I turned on my side, closing my eyes and trying to relax, though it was hard with the sounds of nature so loud in my ears.

I flinched just a bit as I felt a hand brush against my arm, but the embrace was familiar, and I relaxed back against Mikasa. She stroked my hair gently, barely touching at all. It was soothing, and nostalgic, and I offered her a soft 'thank you' before letting myself nod off. I had dreams about life inside the walls, life with Mikasa after Eren. And I woke up with a renewed sense of affection for the girl. It was stupid to be jealous, and it was even stupider to let that come between she and I. She didn't say anything when I hugged her for a few seconds after waking up, just patted my back and helped me get an exhausted Eren onto our horse.

It was in this fashion that we passed the next few days. The shifters took turns, and the people trudged on. Five days had passed before we allowed ourselves to really settle down. Even then, it was only for a couple of days, so that we had a chance to recuperate. We'd found an area that had buildings in decent shape, and we set up to rest there for a couple of days.

There were some who just wanted to stay there. Even I was sort of wishing for that. But I understood why we had to keep going. Just a few days wasn't enough. There couldn't be any chance of us being found again. So, after the two days of relaxing and idling time with meaningless small talk, we got back to trudging.

The shifters were getting tired, and we could all tell. Since we'd deemed it a necessary precaution to have two of them anytime we were moving, the time they had to rest was shortened. They didn't complain, but Eren wasn't able to steer the horse, leaving me with that task. More often than not, Annie had to cling to Mikasa to even stay upright. Reiner and Bertholdt had to ride in a cart. The only one that was faring alright was Ymir, and that was only because of her stubbornness.

The people were getting tired too. We had to take more frequent breaks, and they tried to ride in the carts a lot more often. Even Hanji was looking worse for wear, their usual chipper attitude replaced by a slightly more subdued version with a little less animated talking.

So, after nearly two weeks of travel, we were more than ecstatic to find a new place to call home. It was actually in better repair than the place we'd come from, most of the buildings showing minimal damage. With a bit of patching, things could quickly be in working order.

Hanji, Levi, and Erwin held something of an impromptu meeting in one of the buildings, to which I, the Titan shifters, and a few of the other soldiers were invited to.

Within, we discussed the pros and cons of the area, and ultimately decided it was probably the best we'd find. And, beyond that, our people were tired. They wouldn't make it much further.

Erwin made the announcement, and there was a loud cheer from everyone as they, once again, scrambled to claim the place they would call home.

What was once probably a city hall was deemed the new headquarters, of sorts, and the closest buildings were reserved for the higher-ranking soldiers. The rest of the buildings were fair game though, and it was tooth and nail for a while as people checked places out and decided whether or not they'd make their home there.

Eren, Mikasa and I went towards the outskirts, and it wasn't long before Bertholdt and Reiner were on our heels. Annie was behind them. By the time Eren and Annie were done fighting over a particular house (a fight that Eren lost,) Ymir and Christa had laid claim to another nearby building.

After some squabbling, we wound up between Reiner and Bertholdt's house, and Jean and Marco's. With our new homes picked out, we began the process of cleaning up and unpacking what few belongings we'd brought along. It didn't take long at all, and soon enough we were sitting on a couch nearly as decrepit as the one from our old house. It creaked under the weight of three people, but held us up as we all heaved a sigh.

It was going to take time to get things back to how they had been before, but we'd make it work. We always made things work.

-.-.-+-.-.-

It only took a couple of weeks for us to find a new semblance of normalcy. We'd gotten the old well back into working order so everyone had water, and we found out there was a river not too far off either. Eren, Marco, Jean, and I had already been for a little dip, and the water was crisp and refreshing.

Being away from the walls meant we had to put a halt to maneuver gear training until Hanji had set up a decent system for compressing the gas. While they could refill the tanks, it took a while, and was mostly more trouble than it was worth. We decided instead to just stockpile what gas we had for emergencies. As much as we hoped we wouldn't have to face another battle anytime soon, it never hurt to be prepared.

But, aside from the training, life was much the same as it once was. We still had meals available at headquarters every day, and we still had shifters patrolling. It took some time to get everyone rested enough, but patrolling eventually got back to normal, and the shifters were able to stay on their feet again.

Even better than that, though, was that Hanji was working on harnessing the shifter's abilities, hoping to make a device that would have the same effect. They said it would take a while to perfect, but that, within a few years, we wouldn't have to work the shifters as much. That was good news to my ears, at least.

With the time we weren't spending learning to use maneuvering gear, we were farming instead. We were going to have to rely on what we'd brought and what we could gather until we got a good harvest under our belts, but so long as nature didn't sabotage us, we would be alright through the winter.

Mikasa spent a few weeks living with Eren and I. Then, apparently, she became quite fed up with our constant canoodling, and decided instead that she'd be staying with Annie. Eren and I both gave her curious looks, wondering why on earth she'd be moving in with Annie of all people, but far be it from us to question it. Perhaps all that time riding with the small blonde had helped them bond or something. Maybe they were both just taciturn enough to get along.

We helped her move some things over there, eyeing the two of them like they'd grown extra heads until we were shooed away by threatening glares. Mikasa promised to visit daily before tactfully shutting the door in our faces. A few days later and we caught her and Annie kissing on the couch when we came to offer them some of the stew I'd made. They acted like nothing had happened and we acted like we weren't traumatized.

It took Erwin several days to get back on his feet. It was amazing that he'd managed the whole journey upright, but once he was able to relax, a fever caught up with him. So he and Levi were mostly out of the picture for the first week or so. Levi made his reappearance first, helping to get whatever was left set up, hoping to be mostly done so Erwin wouldn't have to deal with anything when he was finally off bed rest.

Erwin himself joined us at breakfast two weeks and three days after we'd claimed the area as our own. He needed to shave, and he looked more than a little rumpled and gaunt, but he was up and trying to learn how to eat with his left hand. He was talking, and offering small smiles, and not sporting an unhealthy flush or deathly paleness. He was starting to look like himself again.

When he made his second appearance that day, sometime in the late afternoon, he looked even better. Levi must have helped him shave, for his face was no longer scruffy, and his blue eyes shone with determination yet again. It was refreshing, to say the least.

Within a week, Erwin was looking more like himself. Without the fever, he was able to eat regularly and was getting at least a little exercise walking around and helping everyone get fully situated. He looked alive, and it was a fantastic change. Everyone visibly brightened when we had our commander back.

But what better way to lighten the mood than with a wedding? Apparently Bertholdt and Reiner had been planning to tie the knot, or so to speak, for ages. But a good opportunity had never exactly presented itself until then. So, although Hanji wasn't exactly a priest, they were official enough that we considered the two of them officially married.

The ceremony was as visually beautiful as it could be when everyone was living off of three sets of clothes at best, but it made up for the white and the lace with love and excitement. Literally everyone attended, and they all cheered when they said I do and kissed. The rest of the night was sort of a blur, thanks to too much freshly made alcohol. I do remember a lot of kissing. Not just me and Eren either; Everywhere we looked, people were going at it.

Mikasa and Annie were behind a tree, Ymir and Krista on a little bench. Jean and Marco were literally in the middle of our impromptu courtyard, laying on the ground and making out lazily, as if they weren't in the middle of a crowd of onlookers. They looked too blissed out for anyone to bother them, though. Marco caught the little bouquet of flowers that Reiner jokingly made Bertholdt throw. Jean gave him a look, and he was red for most the night after that.

Pretty much everyone woke up the next day with headaches and foggy memories, but we all had smiles on our faces none the less. Even Bertholdt, who was usually so nervous and shy, was beaming for the better part of the day. And, sure, it was hard work, tilling the fields every day. And sure, it was nerve-wracking to think that we might someday have relocate yet again. And sure, it wasn't perfect, and we still had a lot to do.

But it was home, and we were on our way to being happy. And we were free. Better to be starving wolves living on nothing but hope, hard work, and love than to be cattle living on nothing but fear.

A/N: I know I said one or two more chapters, but this is the last one, I'm afraid. I simply don't think I could take it much further without effectively ruining it. Sorry that it was sort of abrupt, but I hope that everyone enjoyed the journey here!

This story has been interesting to write, I must say. It's different than what I usually work on, but it wasn't bad at all. I got stuck a lot, and got frustrated more than I care to admit, but in the end, it was a worthwhile struggle for me. I hope it was worth reading for you!

I'd also like to apologize for how long it took to get this chapter to you. I know I'm always behind, but this time I was kind of stuck; I had the chapter written, but it was on my desktop computer. I just moved out, so needless to say, it took me a while to get everything up and running. Sorry for the delay, especially since I didn't give you guys any warning!

Anyway, that wraps it up for What Lies Beyond the Walls. I don't have any multi-chaptered EreMin stories planned at the moment, but they do appear as a side pairing in my JeanMarco story, Take Me to the Riot. And if you just like my way of writing, you're welcome to check out my other things as well. My current favorite of mine is Where Wildflowers Grow.

Alright, I'll leave it at that. Thanks for all the support and feedback, and for reading. It's been fun!

KuroRiya

九六りや