I WILL PROTECT YOU

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝟒

3rd POV

  Y/n shook her head just as a sigh escaped her. "You're about to go on a suicide charge and you're worried about my missing horse?" She asked Marlow in front of her. Recruits stood by their horses, saying their last remarks to their friends before hell commenced. And Marlow being the man he was, told Y/n that Floch had let her horse run off, rather than say his last goodbyes to her.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let Floch take your horse in the first place—" Marlow continued to apologize. Y/n quickly assured him it was fine. She didn't want him to blame himself when he was about to have a foot in the grave.

"Please, think of yourself at this time. Is there anything you want to say, to me, your family, friends...Hitch?" She asked him. Marlow flinched at the last mention. He hadn't even thought of that, he was so busy being the scout he always wanted to be to think of any famous last words. His silence made Y/n reach into her breast pocket to hand him her journal. "If you can't think of anything to say out loud, you can write something in here."

Marlow shook his head and pushed her journal away. "I'll rather not," he said. "Hitch would hate it if I left her with a letter. She isn't the keenest of reading." He laughed before he turned serious again. "Multiple soldiers before me left without notes, I shouldn't be an exception. But if you'd be as kind to tell Hitch...to take care of herself..." he finished.

"Of course, I'll tell her." Y/n nodded her head and put away her journal, she'd realized it wouldn't be fair for the others. She smiled at Marlow. "You've been in the Scouts for a short while but you're the bravest recruit I've ever seen. Far more than I was." She said. Marlow widened his eyes.

"I'm sure that's not true!"

Suddenly the two heard a loud yell from Erwin as he called the recruits to their positions. Marlow turned around and mounted his steed. Y/n watched, following beside him as he led his horse to the others. It was silent, Y/n realizing this would be the last time she would see all of these people.

"Y/n! Come over here!" Peering over her shoulder she saw Levi standing in waiting for her. With a heavy gulp she turned back to Marlow, and the two gave each other a small smile. Unsure what to say or do until Marlow said,

"Thank you for your kindness during my short stay in the scouts."

-

Zeke looked at the surviving crowd charging at him. "How pitiful...To never learn from the mistakes of history..." He said. "It's a tragedy how King Reiss stole their memories of the world. That's why they're repeating the same mistakes." His eyes narrowed in anger. "In the end, they'll send every last person in the walls, down to the children and elderly, on a suicide charge." He clenched his fist, pressing harder on the rocks he held. "Saying if they're going to die, they may as well die proud. It's bullshit!"

CRUSH!

Opening his eyes he glanced down to notice that he had crushed the boulders to a pile of dust. As he let the dust fall off his hand he chuckled at his foolishness. "What's gotten into me?" He asked as he grabbed another boulder. "Why are you getting worked up? You're not like your father, right? You gotta try to enjoy things." Recalled Zeke. Grasping the new crushed boulders in both hands he readied himself to throw.

"So let's turn them all into proud little chunks of meat!"

At the front of the recruits' charge, Marlow yelled out: "The second volley is coming! Fire!" They did as told, pressing on the trigger to shoot a line of smoke at the Beast Titan. Just at the same time, Zeke threw the boulders.

Marlow gasped for air, It's coming...He thought as he watched the Beast Titan throw the boulders. Everything around him seemed to go by slowly, he could hear his heartbeat and the flow of his blood, his thoughts ringing loud in his mind. Is this how I die? His breathing became rapid until his mind traveled to Hitch. I wonder what Hitch is doing...Wait, I bet she's still in bed...Sounds nice...His mind slowly calmed at the thought of her. Finding a bit of peace that Y/n would be sending his last regards to her after his death. I don't get it...Why am I, at a time like this...?