Ignorance is Bliss

Leading to the Fight (1)

Wall Ares stared down at me as I found myself hidden in the shadow of the same chimney as many other times. Every time I heard the tolling of a heavy brass bell, signaling the return of the survey corps, I was reminded how we, as humans, had been destined to live within a glorified cage of mortar walls. We lived here, in what was thought to be the last stronghold of humanity, protected from the world outside by such walls. Or rather, the walls were there to protect us from beings known only as Titan's, giant, brainless humanoid creatures that survived for the singular purpose of eradicating what was left of humankind by eating them. It was a terrifying prospect, and it wasn't that I blamed people for being afraid, it was simply... I blamed them for forcing us to be trapped within this glorified cage. As the bell tolled once again, I was drawn back to the present, to the gates of wall Ares swinging wide to allow one of the three guardian classes of humanity made their way back in. The first, in the innermost circle of the walls, was the Military Police, charged with protecting the noble classes of our stronghold. The second tier of the military was the garrison troops, charged with protecting the three walls, and the cities within all three. And third, there was the unit that was charged with traveling outside of our walls. For seeing this glorious world, outside of our fabricated cage. The Survey Corps.

I strained to see the green- robed soldiers as they entered the first of three walls. They were each clad in the same robes as one another, with black and white wings embroidered upon the backs of short, forest- green cloaks covering roughly half of their backs. I felt a small sense of pride in these soldiers, even as many of them limped, barely able to stay upright as they made their way towards the inner walls. I could name many of them, whispering, barely breathing the names to myself as they neared. Despite the hate many of the villagers felt towards these people, I respected them immensely. I envied the idea that they had seen so much more of the world than I had. The commander, a tall man with blonde hair, was cut off by an elderly woman.

"Where is my son?" She pleaded with him. "I can't find my son. Please. Andrew. Andrew Stark." The commander turned towards his subordinate, a girl whom had graduated only this year, and nodded.

"Give it to her." He whispered, and the red head nodded once, lowering a small parcel to the woman. "It is all that we could salvage, madam." The woman pulled on the edges of the wrapping. The others could not see what it was, but from so far above, I could.

It was a hand. A human hand.

The woman fell, weeping. Unable to do more than that. I grasped onto the chimney for a stronger support, hard rock cutting into my hands even then. I had always known I would join the army, my mother repeatedly telling me that the Military Police was the greatest honor. A part of me had always believed her words. And yet, I wanted to go beyond these walls, outside of this cage.

"Alice." The commander's voice again, almost right below me.

"Yes, Commander."

"What did we learn from the Titans this time, to make all of these deaths worth while?" He seemed tired, I watched them, watched the wings on their backs as they continued to draw away at an agonizing, slow pace. She turned and looked at me, then. The woman, young, with fire red hair. Alice.

"Nothing, Commander." I will always remember this moment. It was the very moment when, though she was speaking to him, her words had been there for me. Because, some how, she knew. She knew that my heroes had always been the survey corps. And my innocent, heroic representation of them? It was required to be crushed. To be completely destroyed, and replaced by a bitter truth.

The survey corps learned nothing from the titans, they simply offered themselves up as food. It was the only bit of her lesson that I understood at the time, despite there being so many more layers to her, so many underlying truths about freedom, about who we were. I wasn't prepared for such lessons, and so... I missed them.

She turned away from me then, but I still watched her, until she was long gone. It would have been easier if I had seen.