Attack on Titan: Reluctant Hero's

​

Kala flushed at the praise, and felt her shoulders droop with relief. "Oh, yeah. Sleep is kind of important." She laughed a little, before pointing at the bed. Since most of these homes were built with families in mind, most of the beds also followed suit. This one was no different, a queen sized mattress laid flat on the wooden floor with a sheet and a quilt covering it. "You can have the bed. I can get another one, maybe in a couple of days." The whole town was in shock about the king's death, the thought of which prickled her with guilt, and no one would be in the mood to help her get another bed.

She crossed the room to the chest that was placed in front of the bed, and grabbed a spare quilt from inside of it. "I'll sleep here." She deposited the blanket on the rug next to one side of the bed, and then promptly sat down in the pile of tangled blanket. "I've never trusted someone this much before." She confessed to Galadorn, running her fingers through her darkened hair. "I hope I'm doing it right."

 

​

"I've never trusted someone this much before." Said Kala, Galadorn chuckled "Oh don't worry, neither have I" he smiled, then pondered the sleeping conundrum "Why don't we sleep in the same bed? It seems big enough" Galadorn's naive mind didn't understand the implications with this sentence. He began to take off his armour, he didn't really need it here, and left it on the floor. He then flopped onto the bed, his half-human half-horse form squirming as it tried to get comfortable

 

​

"That's not quite the issue." Kala fiddled with her hood, unsure of whether or not to tell Galadorn. She hadn't even told Flame, the only other person closest to her, so how could she tell him? Maybe there was middle ground here. She smiled to herself as she watched him try to get comfortable, and stood, grabbing an armful of the quilt underneath her. Preoccupied as she was with her internal struggle of trust and guilt, she didn't gather the entire blanket, leaving enough on the ground that when she moved to deposit it on the bed, her foot stepped on the edge and she slipped, tumbling onto the mattress.

Her hands flew out to catch herself, landing on the edges of her cloak, and tearing it off, leaving her head bare. She stared at the ragged red cloth; for so long it had been her cover, her barrier against the world. And a stupid mistake had just ripped the thing almost entirely in half. She sat on her knees, wrapping her arms around herself as she tried to figure out whether she was upset, or uncaring.

Movement on the bed reminded her that she wasn't alone, and her eyes widened as she looked up at Galadorn. "I...." She faltered, knowing he would see what she saw in the mirror every morning and evening. What she had kept hidden underneath that hood wasn't just her appearance, it was the appearance her magic gave her. Kala had discovered years ago that the more sated she became with the life force she took, the more her eyes glowed. Right now, with the fairy king's life coursing in her veins, they would be as bright as blue stars.

"I'm so sorry." She scrambled off the bed, falling off backwards and smacking her head on floor. Grabbing the sore spot with her hands, she gritted her teeth against the pain. "I'm uh...I"m sorry. That doesn't usually happen." She kept her eyes squeezed shut. "It's my magic. I can't control all of it and if I'm not careful people get hurt and I just...I'm trying, really hard, to be careful. And I don't know what happens to it if I fall asleep around other people. I'm sorry. So sorry."

She let go of her head and pressed her forehead against the ground, her palms placed next to her head in a position of supplication. "Please don't hate me."

 

​

As Kala fell Galadorn cried out and reached for her. While she didn't seem hurt, her hood had fallen and revealed her face... it was beautiful. He didn't understand why she was panicked. As she talked all Galadorn could think about were those beautiful glowing eyes, and he didn't understand why she seemed to be hesitant to reveal them. "Your eyes... they're beautiful. Why would anyone hate you? And you have nothing to be sorry about" he shifted himself off the bed "As you said, you can't control it, why are you apologising?" Galadorn didn't understand but he wanted to. He moved closer, kneeling down, and embraced her "If it's that much of a problem, you can have the bed. I can sleep anywhere

 

Henry's pov:

They were all fighting titans people randomly getting each others back. It was all a blur. He coved for someone quickly to lose sight of them as he turn around. everything was moving so fast, hitting a few titans here and there unsure of what was happening in the blur that was the battle. (and because john irl had been busy he decided to make the post as generic as possible) it was over almost as soon as it began the whole in the wall filled or it appeared to be. "Is that it? What is next? what do we do now" he asked no one in particular in whatever place they had mange to be (because I don't know were we are he is also asking the questions after the time skip if necessary)

 

​

"Because I-" She almost told him. She was so close to just trusting him, because he was being so sweet and kind. Because I have to kill people in order to survive. Yeah, that sounded great any way she said it, didn't it? But....but if she was killed by a friend, someone she trusted, was it really being killed? If that was what she wanted, then was it really murder? Or just a form of release?

Kala felt herself at the crossroads. She could carry this burden alone. She could protect Galadorn until the weight on her shoulders became too heavy to bear and she departed this world. Or she could trust him. And he would either help her, or release her, and where she was going, she figured she wouldn't care what happened after. She returned the hug, pressing her face against warm skin and taking a deep breath. Courage. Courage and bravery. She took another deep breath, when a quiet, calm voice in the back of her head told her what to do.

"Galadorn." She raised her face to look up at him, luminescent eyes glowing in the near sunlight. "In order for my body to exist, to survive, I have to feed off the life energy of another creature." Her voice wavered, but her gaze never faltered. Now, or never. "I'm a succubus. In order for me to live....others have to die. And I won't let you be an other." Tears gathered in her eyes by the time she finished speaking, but she refused to wipe them away, refused to move, barely dared to breath.

"Do you hate me now?" She whispered.

 

​

Galadorn was shocked by the reveal but didn't let it show. A succubus? Those creatures were evil he'd always been told. But looking at Kala he could see no hint of evil, all he saw was a girl with a burden she didn't want to carry. Galadorn edged in closer, his face close to hers. He stared into her glowing blue eyes with his own eyes of green, and he never released the embrace. Something was nagging at the back of his mind, was her succubus status affecting his feelings towards her? No, he refused to believe that, then why was he so enthralled by her? "...Kala... I... really like you" he stated slightly awkwardly, the answer to his query was obvious "You are like nobody I've ever met before. You're wild, untamed. When we first met you asked, without hesitation, to ride on my back" he smiled "and you're fun and you're independant..." he stated, it was all so true. "This issue... it's nothing. I don't care how you survive, all I see is the girl underneath who doesn't want this affliction. You're a succubus, so what? I'm the last centaur, I thought nobody would ever like me until you came along" he hugged her tightly "Never change who you are inside, because it's the best part"

 

​

Kala blinked back tears of happiness and kissed Galadorn's cheek, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "Just don't tell anyone." She whispered. "They can't know."

She felt so relieved, so uplifted that Galadorn had seen what she was, and he didn't shy away. Instead, he quite literally embraced her, accepting who she was. No one had done that before. She had been a weapon, a hindrance, a murderer, and a monster. But she had never been a girl.

The events of the day began to catch up with Kala as she hugged her centaur friend, and she blinked rapidly, stifling a yawn. It didn't help her body demanded sleep to finish converting the strange life energy into her own. "Galadorn...let's sleep." she murmured, releasing her hold only to curl up on one corner of the bed, her arms held to her chest as her knees curled inward. "Just make sure you don't touch me." She whispered, her eyes slowly shutting until they refused to open anymore as she fell asleep.

She couldn't remember the last time she had fallen asleep this quickly. It must be because she wasn't al-

 

​

Veera watched Queen Amber with a small smile on her lips. Despite the tragedy, she was holding up well, or well enough that her presence was one of solidarity and royalty. Something must have happened in the few hours they had been back to transform the Queen from a sad, orphan girl into the leader they would need.

Of course it wouldn't be easy for her; no. But Veera believed in her, and she was sure she wasn't the only one. All of this thinking helped her avoid the thought that most of the people who had been called up to the stage were there because they had come back for her. Regardless of whether it was an order or of their own free will, she was grateful. She just didn't care to be grateful to so many people at once.

Veera sighed, crossing her arms as she looked at the young faces on the stage. The next few years would definitely be interesting. Veera turned to melt back into the crowd, and find her way back to her home.

​

Zack watched with pride as Tessa was personally commended by the Queen. He had only wanted her back in one piece, but it seemed she had done much better than that. While Adelina had been busy with her responsibilities, Zack had sought out his friend and caught up with her on everything that had happened. Now, seeing her shining face looking over the citizens of Kantya, he couldn't help but feel a little dread. Nothing would be the same for them after this. They were no longer children playing at war, or teenagers dreaming of becoming heroes. Tessa was a hero, and Zack....he glanced through the faces, looking for Adelina before allowing a gentle smile to play on his face. Well the future would certainly be full of surprises.

As Tessa stepped off the stage, blushing with the praise, he stepped up and caught her in a hug. "Proud of you." he told her, and it was true. Zack couldn't be jealous of her, not when he had taken the spotlight so often. Now was her turn.

​

Tessa laughed as Zack squeezed her, lifting her in the air before setting her down once more. "You better be." She teased, smacking his shoulder as she stepped back. Her body ached from using her fae abilities during the battle, and she stretched with a slight groan, mentally making a note to practice that more often. She couldn't afford to be rusty, now that she was an official scout.

"What do you think happens now?" Tessa asked Zack, clasping her hands in front of her as she looked at all the people.

"Now..." Zack rubbed his hand through his hair. "I suppose we rebuild and train and hope we get left the hell alone." Tessa glanced at him, and there must have been worry in her eyes because Zack offered a smile in return. "I think it'll be fine."

"You just want more time with Adelina." Tessa accused, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she stared up at her foot taller friend. He blushed and she grinned before shoving him gently. "Well I hope she realizes that she can have you, but I get to borrow you every so often." Tessa's heart clenched a little. Zack was head over heels for the fairy, and Tessa was happy for him, truly, but it left her alone.

She grabbed Zack in a hug, hoisting herself into the air once more as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Proud of you." she whispered.

​

Kala tugged her hood over her eyes, keeping her head bowed as the Queen spoke. She kept her gaze fixated on the ground, trying to bury the shame and guilt she felt. I shouldn't have gone with. I should have thrown myself from the nearest tower into the titans. But despite that, she couldn't help smiling a little and peeking in Galadorn's direction as his name was mentioned. She was happy he had decided to stay, well, stay with her. It was going to be difficult, she knew that much for sure, but having told Galadorn one of her longest held secrets, she felt as light as.....well maybe a tree branch.

She had done a quick job of taking the hood from her cloak and sewing it to her shirt in order to keep her face hidden. It was patchy at best, but she felt more comfortable underneath the shadows the cloth provided. After Queen Amber finished speaking, Kala disappeared off the stage, only to reappear next to her friend. She remained silent for a bit, uncharacteristically unsure, before speaking, glancing back at Galadorn quickly. "I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'll stand beside you." She murmured, taking Amber's hands in her own. "I won't ever let anything happen to you."

Ever.

 

Karen's pov:



She walked up to the stage not saying anything. She was not sure why she was being thanked. She failed the kingdom, she failed Kaynta. The king was now dead and she did nothing. She knew what she was going to do in the next couple years. The king gave her the assignments she was to do. With the king gone there was no one to give her anything to do. She looked around the stage spotting various animals. A squirrel, a black cat, birds of all sorts. It seemed like every animal was here. There was people missing from this though and that was Griffin, and Hunter. Well she did not see Hunter, but she knew that she would not be seeing most of the people. She gave a bow of respect not saying a word and walked off stage.

 

Drake simply held Flame close, enjoying the moment as much as he could. Listening to her words, he had no doubt she'd make a good leader. The way she thought about things was exactly the kind of thing Kaynta needed, and as long as she had all those around her to help her he had no doubt things would go well. Her next words came as a shock. He'd known something had changed once he'd been rescued, but even so he hadn't expected such a strong one. As she uttered the words just before releasing him from the hug, his heart skipped a beat. Apparently being thrown into a life or death scenario and facing an onslaught of titans wasn't completely bad! He wasn't entirely sure of what to say...how was he to respond? Those words had been words he'd thought he would never hear, and to have it actually happen filled him with tremendous joy, as well as stirring up a great fear within Drake, for he now had something to lose.

As Amber left to prepare for the evening's festivities, Drake spent a short time still trying to figure out how to best word things...and got absolutely nowhere. Why was it so hard to talk to someone that meant so much to him? Reaching a decision, he got up and hurried to see the future queen of kaynta. He had thought he had made a firm decision, but the moment he stopped in front of the door he wasn't so sure. His legs refused to move, his hands unable to knock on the door right before him. God, he'd rather face another thousand titans than go through this. Eventually, he found the strength to continue onwards, and he knocked on the door three times exactly. He awaited a response, and when the door opened and he saw her standing there in what she'd be wearing to the ceremony, he simply gazed in awe for a moment. He'd never seen Flame dressed like that, had never really witnessed the princess-y side to her.

"The word 'beautiful' doesn't even come close to describing how absolutely stunning you are" he said, miraculously finding the words. Seriously, how had someone like her even looked twice at him? He certainly knew better than to pray for any other miracles, that was for sure. "I thought about what you said earlier, and I just couldn't wait until I saw you tonight so I had to come now. I've cared about you for a long time, anyone knows that, but I don't think it truly hit me until just recently. Inside that city, I was a captive. Bound but not beaten, I refused to give up. I couldn't give up, not when I had something so important to come back for. Then I was free, and confronted by the titans, but once again I found a strength I didn't even know I had. When times looked darkest, I found the spark of light to keep me going. It was you. With someone as important to me as you to come back to, there isn't a titan in this world that can stop me. I guess what I'm trying to say is...I....I" he started, his face lighting up a bright shade of red as he blushed deeply. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth once more. "I love you too, Amber" he stated, before breathing out a huge sigh of relief.

After what he'd just been through, standing up to get recognition later on would be a breeze. And it was! Without a word, he stood up, a slight smile on his face as he did so. He walked over and stopped by Amber's side for a moment, simply taking it all in, before he got down and went back to where he'd been sitting. There he simply allowed himself to enjoy the evening, the spark of passion within his heart now a powerful flame of emotion. He wondered what this meant for everything and everyone in Kaynta, but decided he didn't want to know. He'd rather see it for himself, with his own eyes, and with Amber by his side.
​

 

​

A sweet melody of birdsong twittered through the air, reaching Galadorn's ears through the window. He opened his eyes drowsily and squinted into the golden rays of sunlight that filtered through the leaves and through the window, casting a dappled shadow on Galadorn's chestnut flank. He stretched his four legs and two arms, yawning widely, and hauled himself off the makeshift bed. Running a hand through his wild, green hair, he trotted over to the kitchen, tiptoeing past Kala's bed as to not waken her. In the kitchen he made two cups of tea silently, and walked back, steaming mugs in his hands.
"Hey..." Galadorn murmured to her sleeping form, a kindly smile on his face "Hey Kala. Get up sleepyhead, we've got to go guard Queen Amber today" he shook her lightly. "I made you tea"

 

​

Veera landed softly, stowing her blades as she stepped forward, allowing room for her team to land. She ran a hand through her hair, wincing as her fingers hit a few tangles before turning back to view the crew. Zack and Tessa landed, followed by Gale. Their watch had been a quiet one, thank the gods. She waited until the rest of them had landed before she spoke. "Well done. Get some food, and get some rest. Tessa?" The girl looked up, quiet eyes inquisitive. "Afternoon shift is short, so you and I are helping to even them out. Five hours, here." She saw disappointment and exhaustion war with each other before the girl's head dropped and she nodded.

Veera nodded and turned, moving towards her own house. Shutting the door behind her, she flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, taking a deep sigh. The last two years had gone by so quickly. In that time, Flame had stepped up as Queen and married Drake, making him her partner. No one had really been surprised until the Queen had asked Veera to become Drake's replacement. Veera hadn't refused, and here she was.

Her eyes flicked to the picture that she had rescued from the hollowed out home, her old home. Her parents stood with a forever young version of herself, smiling. She gently rested her fingertips on their faces for a moment, whispering, "I love you." before rolling over and falling into an immediate sleep.

​

Zack frowned as Tessa was singled out to help Veera with the afternoon scout, but he said nothing. Tessa wouldn't appreciate someone else standing up for her, and Veera wouldn't appreciate the insubordination. Instead, he waited until their leader was out of sight before turning to his friend. "Wanna join me in the kitchen? I'm sure Adelina will make you something." He tried to weedle her into following him, but she shook her head. "I'm better off getting some sleep." She murmured with a small smile. "I'll catch you later, Zack." With a wave of her hand she strode off, making it to her house one weary footstep at a time.

Zack frowned after her, but went his own way towards the kitchens. He took the back door, and watched with a smile as Adelina bossed poor Chrono around in the kitchen. Stepping up behind her, he pressed his lips to the soft spot just under her ear. "I think he's doing a good job by himself." He murmured, taking Zelina from her arms and kissing the small girl on the forehead. She was his favorite, though he would never say as much out loud, nor would he admit she already had him wrapped around her finger. Smiling at Zarron, he turned his gaze to Adelina. "Have you had breakfast yet?" He murmured, reaching out a free hand to brush the hair away from her cheek.

​

She would have to remind herself to get to bed early tomorrow, and catch up on what she missed. With a sigh and a yawn, Tessa opened her door, letting it shut gently before opening the small, circular window. The sounds of birds singing brought a tiny smile to her face, and she stretched before shrugging out of her clothes, and shutting her eyes. Her form changed slowly, but when it finished, she stretched languidly, her white fur rustling with the movement before she jumped up onto her bed, circled a few times, and settled down.

Curling her tail around her nose, she shut her eyes, and fell into sleep. The last two years hadn't changed much for Tessa. She watched her friend fall in love and start a family, all with a smile on her face and a silent ache in her hear. She could never be jealous of Zack, never hate him for what he had. She just wanted it for herself, and losing her best friend, even to his own desires, still hurt. Despite it all, she kept a smile on her face and tried to be cheerful, looking at the best in life. If she didn't, she wasn't sure anyone else would.

​

Kala pushed herself up from the bed, rubbing her eyes before wrapping her hands around the steaming mug. "Thanks." she murmured drowsily, running her hands through her tangled hair. She sipped at the warm liquid, sighing as it wormed its way down to her belly, lighting a fire, however small. She smiled up at Galadorn in thanks before slowly drinking some more and setting the cup aside. I still can't believe you stayed. Two years later, she half expected every morning to wake up, and the centaur would be gone, no sign besides his bed that he had ever existed.

Yet he had stayed, waking up every morning earlier then she. It wasn't hard to do that, these days. Pushing herself up, she slowly made her way towards the bathroom, shutting the door behind her, and staring at the mirror. Shadows lingered underneath her eyes, looking like small bruises. She opened the small container of skin colored makeup, hidden behind the mirror, and applied it gently, hiding the marks before grabbing her clothes from the rack.

Dressing quickly, she walked back out tossing the other laundry in her "Needs to be Washed" pile, before grabbing the tea and taking a larger gulp now that it had cooled.

"How come you make it so much better then I do?" she mused, staring at the tea bag while the cup warmed her hands. Over the course of the time that had passed, sleep had not been kind to Kala. Nightmares of what she had done, nightmares of those she was sure was hunting her haunted her every night. It didn't help that she hadn't fed in weeks, but she had gone longer. "You should teach me your secrets." She finished her earlier thought with a smile at Galadorn.

​

 

​

Galadorn grinned lopsidedly and placed his hands on Kala's shoulders from behind "It's an ancient Centaur secret, the power of the tea" he murmured jokingly "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you" he chuckled. For a moment the smile lingered, before it was replaced by a vaguely worried expression "...did you get the nightmares again?" he asked softly, his voice a caress. He leaned down slightly and hugged her from behind, his own head resting on her shoulder and looking into her adorable eyes.

 

Karen's pov:



Right after the Queens stage for her dad she went into the forest and stayed there. She had to prefect her healing for everyone. She blamed herself for what happened to the king. Weeks then months went by and there was no sign on Griffin of anyone really. For the first year after the kings death she sent letters to Akari, feeling that she would like them, but after a year she pulled, back. She did not know what she would do if she managed to somehow hurt Akari too. So it might be best if she pulled back from everyone. So a year after pulling away from everyone she was still in a forest. The king was gone so she had no one to give she things to do. There was the queen, but it was not the same. She was happy for the queen and Drake, but she could not find it in herself to really do anything. She came to realized that she spent the last two year in the forest bettering her healing and skills. She would come across some injured animal and heal it. As the years went by she found that is was not the same as healing the people she cared for. She thought that people would forget her after the years, but she found out some way that people were asking where she went. She never showed herself, but it was nice that people cared. Today might be the day she went back to the city. She was not sure she was ready for that. Sure after two years being on her own she was better at healing and her skills were better, but she still was unsure. She sat I the forest waiting for something to happen.

 

​

"I get that your checking up on me to make sure that I don't mess up anything, but I can handle this much." Chrono said. It had been an interesting 2 years for Chrono. After Flame has presumably gotten more situated with her status of being the queen, he'd paid her a visit to see if she knew/had any information regarding his parents. Something he was originally going the the king before his unfortunate passing. Flame didn't have a direct answer for him, but she did show him the records in which he might find what he was looking for.

It was probably as good of an answer as he was going to get, so he started to look through the various records for anything that stuck out to him. Chrono wasn't quite sure how long it was before he found the record he'd end up going through, but he did remember seeing both an image of what was both his parents as well as their names, Zekiel and Mari, under the it. Further reading the article, he learn that not only did his mother learn about the adviser's plot to usurp the throne, but she, along with his father, were inevitably killed because of it.

The realization had left a mixture emotions swirling about within Chrono. sadness that his parents actually were dead, anger at the adviser who'd killed them, regret that the adviser had already been punished before he was aware of all this and lastly relief that he finally new the truth. Having learned what he came here for, he put the record back where he got it from, gave Flame his thanks and left, fighting back tears the whole time.

Now he was currently helping out in the kitchen, serving as a kinda assistant to Adelina while he handled her kids. Though she did spent a lot of time in the kitchen with her kids than just with her kids. "I'm making progress, it's not as hard as I thought it'd be."