A/N: Hello everyone! So, this is my first Attack on Titan fic. I've been active for awhile in the Fullmetal Alchemist fandom especially but this idea has been turning in my head for sometime. Petra is one of my favorite characters from Attack on Titan and I've always wanted to explore her life in more detail.

If your a LevixPetra shipper, this fic is definetily for you, as there will be more of that later. However for the first few chapters, the story focuses exclusively on Petra.

So, enough of me prattling on. Enjoy!

A SUNLIT STORM

Chapter 1: Before the Fall

Petra Ral hadn't planned to start her day dangling from the uppermost branches of a tree. In fact, until this morning, she hadn't known her father was planning to chop the tree down to make room for the smaller plants to grow. Of course, Petra knew the importance of sunlight to the rest of the garden, and she would have been perfectly fine with cutting the tree down, if not for the nest of birds near the top of the tree. She had watched the eggs turn to hatchlings in the last month, and she knew the babies weren't yet ready to fly.

Perhaps she should have asked her father-or her brothers for that matter-for help in retrieving the birds. Instead she had climbed out her window and onto the roof herself. From there it was a short hop onto one of the branches and a short climb to the top, which sounded easy in theory. But with the branches thinning out, Petra worried they might not hold her weight. The wood creaked threateningly under her bare feet.

"Petra!" her father called up to her. "What in the world do you think you're doing? You're going to fall. That tree is full of rot."

"Everything is fine," she called down.

Everything was decidedly not fine. She wasn't tall enough to quite reach the nest but any further and she would snap the branches. Her brothers would be tall enough, maybe, but they were all far too heavy to climb this high.

"Geez, Petra, are you nuts?" Her brother Al leaned out her window. "You're going to break your neck."

"Almost there," she responded, standing on her tiptoes to reach.

The branch snapped and she fell a few feet, causing her father to cry out. She landed in a crouch on a lower branch. Above her the baby birds tweeted in panic. Her fall had shook the tree, jostling their branch. With a snap, it gave and the nest started to fall. Thinking quickly, Petra wrapped her legs around the branch, spinning upside down and throwing out her hands to catch them. Somehow, the nest fell into her outstretched palms.

"I-I got them." She did a quick count. Five birds, just like always. One of them pecked her hand in a panic, drawing blood, but she barely felt it. "Don't worry I'm fine."

"Good," Al said. "Now give me the birds and get down from there now."

Petra smiled, her golden hair fluttering in a passing breeze. "Right. Sorry."

From the time Petra was young every one treated her like a flower. That was a side effect of being the youngest of four and the only girl amongst three brothers. Al, Deidrich, and Gendry had always been Petra's protectors, even when she didn't need them. When she could have defended herself, they stepped in before she could try.

Not that it bothered her that much. Not really. She loved all of them and her father dearly. Sometimes she just wished they wouldn't be so dramatic.

"You should have asked us for help," Al said, bandaging her finger. It was only a small cut, but Al always tried to be on the safe side of things. "We could have found a way to get the birds down."

"You're all too big to climb trees," Petra said. "Nothing bad happened."

"Yeah, but if you fell out of the tree, you could have broken something." Gendry trotted into the room, followed closely by Deidrick. They both filched oranges from the bowl in the center of the table. "Tree is down. Now the garden will have an easier time."

"I hope the birds like their new perch," Petra said. "It should be out of the way of most predators. I just hope the mother doesn't panic."

"They're birds." Deidrick shrugged, sitting down next to her.

"Well, that's our sweet sister." Gendry ruffled Petra's hair. "Always so concerned over everyone and everything. She's going to make a great little wife someday."

Petra batted his hand away. "And who said I'm planning to be a wife, Gendry?"

"I mean, eventually, right? You have so many admirers around town, you'll have to pick one of them at some point," Gendry pointed out.

"I'm only eighteen. I'm not near ready to think about that yet." Petra crossed her arms. "Besides, I don't like any of the boys in town. Neither do you."

"We're not supposed to like them on principal." Deidrick tapped the kitchen counter. His blonde hair kept falling in his eyes. He needed to cut it soon. "You're our little sister. We're not going to like any of the guys you bring home."

"Then I guess I'll never bring any home," Petra said.

"Oh, you're going to elope, sis?" Gendry winked. "Very rebellious."

Petra flushed. "I am not going to elope!"

Al hid a smile behind his hand, shaking his head.

"No one is eloping anywhere." Petra's father entered the kitchen, rubbing a cloth behind his neck. "Are you okay Petra?"

"I'm fine," Petra insisted. "My finger barely got cut and you're all making such a big deal out of it. I'm not that delicate."

"But you are very small," Gendry said. Of her brothers, he was the biggest, towering over six feet. If you fell and hit the ground, you could shatter.

Petra's eyes narrowed. "Rocks are small too, but they could make a dent in your head if I threw them hard enough."

"Alright, alright." Their father raised a calming hand. "We're glad you're alright Petra. And I'm glad that tree is finally out of the way." He sat down at the table. "The garden will have a chance to thrive."

"I hope the tomatoes turn out this year," Al said. "Last year we had a bad bunch."

"They'll get plenty of sunlight at least." Petra smiled.

"Yes." Their father leaned forward. "Oh, Miss Nanaba has returned from her latest mission with the survey corps. The town is buzzing."

"Miss Nanaba?" Petra brightened. "When did she get back?"

"This morning when you were hanging out of a tree," her father replied. "The town is glad to have her back. She's a strong soldier." He sighed. "She avoided coming home for a long while too, but after her father passed away, she started showing up again. It's strange."

Petra didn't say anything. It really wasn't so strange. Everyone around town used to talk about how Nanaba's father was a terrible drunk. People often theorized he was cruel to Nanaba and her siblings in his drunken rages. It wasn't confirmed, but considering she joined the survey corps so young and didn't return until he died...

Not that her father would acknowledge such things. He could often be naïve and he always tried to see the best in people. At the very least Petra had inherited that second trait from him. Optimism was a rare characteristic behind the walls, and often much needed.

"Now that her dad's gone, I'm sure she wants to take care of her siblings," Al said. "I would do the same if you died." He ran a hand through his short brown hair. Al was the eldest of Petra's brothers, even if he was also the smallest. He still had several inches on Petra but that was no great feat.

"We don't need taking care of." Deidrick shrugged.

"Ah, you definitely do," Al said. "Especially Gendry."

"Yeah, yeah." Gendry waved a hand dismissively. "Anyway, Nanaba is incredible. She's out on the front lines of humanity, killing titans like they're nothing. I want to be a soldier like her one day."

"You'd make a fine soldier, I'm sure," their father said.

"She is incredible," Petra said softly. In truth, she could only imagine being someone like Nanaba: someone strong and brave. No one treated her like a flower. To them she was a polished blade.

"Oh," Al said. "I almost forgot, we're out of eggs and milk."

"Aw, really? I'm starved," Gendry said.

"I'll go pick some up." Petra stood. "Anything else we need?"

"There's a list on the counter," Al said.

"Got it." Petra snatched up the small sheet of paper. "I'll be back soon."

Petra had well memorized the path to the market by now. Her family had never lived anywhere else. She picked her way up the busy streets, humming to herself. It was a beautiful day. The spring was finally chasing away the cold. It put a slight hop in her step.

"Oy, Petra."

And nothing took the hop out of her step faster than that voice. Fredrick Lockhart was one of Petra's more persistent admirers, and one of her brothers' least favorite. It wasn't hard to see why. He had good looks but they were always twisted with a creepy sort of smirk. A leer, Al called it, like he was trying to see past her blouse.

"Fredrick." Petra turned to look at him. "I'm sorry, but I'm in a hurry today."

"You should hold up." Fredrick forcibly looped his arm through hers. "You're always around those brothers of yours. I never get to talk to you alone."

Petra slid out of his grasp, quick as a cat, and stepped backward. "What's wrong with my brother's being around me?"

"Well you know. They're always protecting you," Fredrick said.

"If you're not a danger, that shouldn't be a problem," Petra said. Her smile was sweet but her voice had a hard note to it.

"I'm not a danger, Petra." Fredrick took a step toward her. "Come on. Walk with me."

"I don't want to."

Fredrick reached out for her. "Don't be so-"

A hand caught his wrist, pulling it away from Petra's arm and to the side.

"The girl said no," Nanaba said in a cool voice. "Or are you deaf?"

Fredrick gulped and stumbled back. "No. No I'm not. I'll just be going." Then he hurried off down the path.

Petra blinked, bewildered, before she remembered herself and quickly bowed her head. "Ah, thank you, Miss Nanaba."

"You're Petra Ral, right?" Nanaba asked. "I've spoken with your brothers before. They're interested in becoming soldiers."

"Yes," Petra said. "Yes, I'm Petra." She was surprised Nanaba remembered her name. They had only met a few times. "I'm sorry to trouble you with that. I have a few persistent admirers."

"No trouble. I'm sure you could have handled it yourself. But he was annoying me," Nanaba said.

Petra stared. People rarely told her that she could handle anything by herself. "He annoys me too." She clasped her hands together in front of her. "So, you're back from beyond the wall. How was your mission?"

"Less casualties than usual," Nanaba said. "But it was a short mission."

"Oh." Petra's face fell. "A...a lot of soldiers die in the survey corps, don't they?"

"Every time we go out," Nanaba said. "It's a fact of our job. But we make progress. Or so I'm told." She sighed and smiled. "I'm sorry, I don't want to scare you. You're safe behind these walls at least. You'll never see beyond them."

"I want to though," Petra said without thinking. "I want to go beyond. My brothers aren't the only ones who want to be soldiers."

Nanaba tilted her head to the side. "You want to join the survey corps." She paused. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be surprised."

"That's alright. Anyone would be," Petra said. "That's why haven't told them. I haven't breathed a word of it to anyone because I know they would laugh at me." She smiled. "But I...I'd really like to be someone like you Nanaba. You're strong and people respect you."

"Being strong isn't always a privilege, Petra. It comes with it's own set of problems." Nanaba shifted. "Do you only want to become a soldier to be seen as strong?"

"I...well I'm not sure," Petra said.

"If that is the only reason, then the soldiers life isn't for you. We all have our own reasons and goals, but those who becomes soldiers for their own egos often end up dead," Nanaba said. "And no one is strong the moment before death. No one."

Petra felt a chill go through her but she held Nanaba's gaze. "It's not just for my ego. I wouldn't want my brothers to go off without me." She looked down at her bandaged thumb. "And...soldiers help people don't they? I've always been good at helping people."

"There are a lot of ways you could help people," Nanaba said. "Far be it from me to tell you how you live your life. You seem like a smart girl. I'm sure you'll excel wherever you end up." She gave her a nod. "I don't mean to take up your time. You look like you have a list of things to find. I should be going."

Petra's fingers clenched around her paper. Right. Her list. "Ah, yes. It was good to speak with you, Miss Nanaba."

Nanaba smiled faintly and turned, heading further down the street, leaving Petra alone in the crowd again. She watched her back, studying the symbol of the wings of freedom.

Petra didn't think often about why she wanted to be a soldier. Maybe she did only want to don a uniform to earn respect from her friends and family. But still...was that really so bad? Was wanting to grow stronger so terrible.

No one is strong the moment before death. No one.

Petra swallowed, looking back down at her list.

"Right. Eggs and milk."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the fic. If you did, drop me a review with thoughts, questions and predictions. Until next time, happy reading!