"listen to me son, I have to go and I probably won't be coming back." A middle-aged man said to a boy, they both had somber expressions on their faces.

"W-what do you mean not coming back?" the boy asked tears welling in his eyes. The father knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder.

"The government has ordered me and hundreds of others to fight a retake wall, Maria," he lowered his eyes, tears started down his cheek, "Were taking our home back Chase!" he hated lying to his son.

Chase knew it was a lie, just a lie to make him feel better. They knew what 'it' was, they all did, just a clever ploy devised by the crown to thin the population, so the rich didn't have to give up their second helping. So they could fill their fat guts with more food than what they needed to survive with. Meanwhile, refugees like him were starving and were at more threat from the Titans.

The man sniffled, "I've made arrangements and pulled a few favors, my employer will allow you to stay with them till you turn fourteen."

'By employer, he was referring to Mr. Ford, he was a mean bastard that worked my father to the bone ever since the fall of Maria. He must have owed my father a hell of a favor if he was taking me in' Chase thought. "But Mr. F..." Chase was cut off by a yell.

"Hey you, times up, form up on the outside of the gate!" A Soldier called to his father.

Chase's father looked back at him, "J-just a second!" He ran a hand down his exhausted face, "Bastard," he said under his breath. He turned back to his son, "here son take this." His father pulled out a silver necklace with two gold rings hanging from them. "These were mine and your mother's wedding rings." He gave a sad smile, "T-they are yours now, find a pretty girl and give her one for me ok?" He chuckled sadly then patted him on the cheek.

"Hustle up now!" the soldier called again, the man hugged his son tightly, "goodbye son"

Chase watched as his father walked through the closing gate. He wondered if he would ever see him again, "goodbye dad."

-X-X-X-

He sat there slumped against a wall as a carriage rolled up beside him, the driver stopped.

The driver cleared his throat, "Mr. Holt I presume?"

Chase looked up towards the driver, "Yes" he murmured, grabbing his bag and standing to his feet. "Who are you?" he asked.

The man sighed as if he would rather be anywhere but here, "I'm Swanson, Mr. Ford's chief foreman, he has sent for you, I am to pick you up and bring you back to the estate."

Chase stood there unsure what to do, "Um..."

"Well come on then!" he Swanson yelled

"Oh ok," he reached for the carriage door handle.

"No!" a lash from the driver's crop lashed out and cut Chase across his face.

"Damn peasant, why you would think riding where Mr. Ford sits is beyond me!"

Chase stepped back in shock, "damn it...," he held the bleeding laceration and felt it with his hand. It seemed the cut stretched from the top of his right eye to the bottom of his top lip. "y-you bastard!" his hands were dripping with blood, "that was unnecessary!"

Swanson gritted his teeth, "And I'll give you another If you don't do as you're told. Now hurry up and get in the back Time's a Wasting."

Chase threw his hands up, "could have said that in the first place!" He yanked the bag onto his shoulder and threw it up into the cargo area of the carriage, then hoisted himself up. With a jolt, the carriage pulled forward.

"Well this is just great," Chase pulled a cloth from his bag and dabbed it, in less than a second it was soaked in crimson, the pain started to set in. "Hell, just what I needed," He sighed.

He leaned against the side of a box and soon drifted off.

The ride to the estate was fairly long in that time he dozed off he didn't know for how long, while he was sleeping the blood dried up and some of if dried over his eye keeping it closed.

When he woke he didn't know where he was, he was surrounded by industrial type buildings, and on the road heading up to a large house, that house was surrounded by smaller buildings. It seemed he was in a part of an industrial district.

A voice stirred him from his thoughts, "you awake boy?" Swanson asked

"barely," he said rubbing his eyes trying to clear them.

"Were almost there, when we get there you'll show Mr. Ford the best respect you can muster, I know it's hard for you peasants to do, you're lucky he's keeping his promise, you could be laying in a gutter."

As much as he wanted to say something cocky he kept his mouth shut, "yes sir," he murmured.

Soon they came to the estate, it was surrounded by stone walls and an iron gate. The carriage came to a stop after entering, he heard Swanson step off then start to talk to someone.

Chase then stepped off and grabbed his bag, and started over toward the two men.

The two men looked up at him from their conversation. A bigger man in weight that he assumed was Mr. Ford spoke. "So this is the boy huh?" He asked

"Yeah that's him, doesn't look like much does he?" Swanson asked

"He definitely has potential, but we'll have to wait and see." Ford sighed, "this is definitely last time I'll owe one of my workers anything that's for sure." He pulled out a cigar, "say what happened to the brats face?"

Swanson cleared his throat, "that'd be me, sir, he was trying to ride in one of the seats," he looked at Chase with disgust.

"Damn it, Swanson!" Ford looked ready to kill.

'Is he really going to stand up for me?" Chase thought.

"S-sir, you're mad for me hitting him?"

Mr. Ford snorted, "of course not!"

Chase rolled his eyes, "Of course..."

"No I'm more concerned for my upholstery, you know how expensive it is!"

"Yes, sir I do, far too expensive for the likes of him to set his filthy ass on." He gave Chase a sly smirk, "I made him ride in the back,"

Ford nodded, "thank you, Swanson, for replacing that would be costly."

"So let me get this straight," Chase started crossing his arms, "you care more about some stupid seats getting dirty rather than an assault committed by one of your men?" Chase shook his head, "arrogant prick." He remarked.

Swanson stepped forward, "you dare talk to Mr. Ford like that?" He pulled the crop he had of his belt, "I told you I'd give you another..." he raised it back to lash him, Ford stopped him and held his hand out.

Swanson realized what he wanted, he handed him the crop. Ford pulled back and made ready to lash him.

Chase moved before the crop hit him, he looked back and Ford already backhanded him, his ring leaving yet another cut on his face, it intersected with the last one, leaving him with a distinct X laceration on his face. Chase pulled back covering it with his hand, he hissed in pain, "Just what I was trying to avoid."

"Ungrateful bastard," Ford lit a cigar after shaking his wrist a few times. "I want you out of my sight, go to the shed behind the house, my maid Rita is waiting."

Chase jerked his bag off the ground and began to walk off till Ford held his arm in his path to stop him. "Get plenty of sleep boy cause tomorrow, I'm gonna have Swanson here work you like a dog.

Chase said nothing as he pushed passed him and continued to the shed. This estate is something, inside wall Sina, gated and full of beautiful shrubbery, statures and decore. He is taking his father's place, and as his father said 'It is a place for those who live there a heaven and the people who work there a hell.'

He reached the large building, and opened the double doors then stepped inside. Various equipment and tools used for lawn care and house upkeep were stored here, there were stairs leading to a second level with more boxes up top. "Hello anyone here?"

There was silence for a few seconds till a voice called back, "Yes up here," a female voice sounded above.

He made his way up and saw an older looking women preparing a cot. She looked behind her and smiled, "you must be Chase," she greeted, her smile turned to a frown when she saw his face.

"That's me, ma'am, miss...?"

"Rita, Rita Kurk. If you don't mind, would you like me to take a look at those cuts you have?"

"Oh.." he put a hand to his face, the pain returning to him, "Y-Yes Rita I would appreciate it."

Rita nodded dusting off her apron, "I'll be back, settle in make yourself comfortable." With that, she left making her way towards the house. Chase slumped on the cot digging through his bag for his personal belongings. He came across a framed picture on it was him his dad and..."mom."

-Flashback-

"Chase run!"

"Mom..." Chase looked up to see a five-meter titan pick his mother up.

"No, noo put me down you bas..." CRUNCH!

"Lisa nooo!" his father yelled in agony.

"No, mom!"

"Are you alright?" Rita asked coming up the stairs.

Chase shook his head of the memory, "oh uh fine, just fine."

Rita shrugged and sat a steel box on the wooden crate he was using as a nightstand. He looked at the emblem of the Garrison Regiment, etched on the box.

As she opened it he asked, "you were a soldier in the Garrison regiment?"

She pulled out a cotton ball and smiled, "yes I served four years in the Garrison Hospital, as a nurse mostly." She began to dab the cuts in a bottle of alcohol, he felt the wetness and then a burn, he gritted his teeth, "damn."

"Almost done dear..."

"So...how was it, working in the in the Garrison hospitals I mean," he asked

"We dealt with wounded scouts mostly," she paused a sorrowful look coming across her face, " a lot of them didn't make it, unfortunately, I can only Imagine how they manage now especially since the fall of wall Maria." She finished cleaning, "well there's good news and bad news, witch one you wanna hear first?" She asked a smirk across her face.

"Bad I Guess..."

Bad news, they are going to scar, the good news is they only need a few stitches, four each at the max."

Chase chuckled, "that's the good news?" He asked sarcastically.

"Hey it could be a lot worse," she took a needle and thread from the suture kit.

"This has been one of the worst days of my life," Chase said wearily of the needle coming for him.

She hummed a response, "this is gonna hurt a little, best to get it over with."

Chase closed his eyes as it penetrated, she began sewing the wound, "so mind telling me where you got these?"

Chase looked down, "our employers."

She shook her head disapprovingly, "what the hell is wrong with them? Look at you, still a baby!"

"Swanson whipped me because I tried to set in the carriage, didn't even tell me not to at first, I swear the bastard gets off on it."

Rita chuckled, "yes Swanson is a bastard, half the workers here want to slit his throat at night." She cut the last thread and taped a bandage around the stitching, she stood back to look at her handy work.

"Um, hows it look?"

"Like I said it will scar but I'm sure it won't affect your chances with the ladies." She laughed, "besides it could always be worse. Well, I should get back to the house now, still got a few chores to do." She shut the box and began to leave.

"Rita?" Chase called after her.

She turned, "hmm?"

"You have been extremely kind and the nicest person I've met since I've been here...thank you."

She gave a sad smile, "you've been through a lot, its the least I could do." She pointed to a large blanket. "Use that, it gets cold at night, now get some sleep." With that, she left leaving him alone in the loft-like space. He grabbed his blanket and settled into bed. He looked over to the picture of his family...

"Please come back dad, you're the only one I have left..." a tear ran down his cheek soaking into a bandage, soon he dozed off.

So hello everyone, this is my first Attack On Titan fanfic, it would be helpful to me if some of you could leave reviews for ideas, improvements for the story and pointers to help me become a better writer. So please leave a review and have a wonderful day!

~Dark Ranger