The Captain's Daughter

Chapter 4 ~ The Survey Corps

We then left the Underground and were met with a few more soldiers at the top of the staircase. They did this salute thing and we hoped on our horses to go to the Survey Corps headquarters. I rode on the back of my dad's horse with him.

The ride was long but I didn't mind it one bit. I enjoyed seeing all the things above ground that were never in the Underground. The people looked so much healthier and happier. We rode through towns and passed stands and stalls that were selling delicious-looking foods and fruits.

Everything just looked so different. It was brighter. It felt more free. I felt more free. Finally..., I thought to myself. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the warm sun on my face and the light gust of wind that blew through my hair.

Time skip

We eventually made it to a castle in the middle of the woods that was apparently the Survey Corps headquarters. I got down off my horse and stared at it in amazement. Never in my life had I seen something so grand. To me, it was absolutely beautiful.

"Come on, let's get you settled in." My dad smiled at me. I smiled back.

"Okay." I said.

We walked through a couple hallways with Erwin and Mike and a few soldiers passing by did the salute thing again. Weird...

"Why do all the soldiers always do that?" I asked my dad.

"The salute? It's the salute for the military and soldiers usually do it to us because we're their higher-ups." He answered.

"So you're a higher-up?" I asked.

"Yep." He answered. "I'm the captain, Erwin's the commander. Mike, Hanji and Dita are all squad leaders."

"Here's your room, Sophie." Erwin said and stopped by a door. "It's right next to your dad's that's connected to his office. We'll give you your own room so that you can adjust to everything."

"Thank you." I replied and walked in my room. There was a single bed, a nightstand, a bookshelf, two windows and a door that I'm guessing leads to my own bathroom.

"You like it?" My dad asked.

"I love it!" I replied. "So much better than what I was living in before."

"Well I'm glad you like it. I have paperwork to do now so if you need me I'll be in my office next door. For now feel free to explore and settle in. Just don't cause any trouble." He said and turned around to walk out.

"Can't promise anything." I joked.

I went to look out one of the windows. Down below I saw the soldiers training in what looked like hand-to-hand combat. They were all wearing the same uniform.

I was about to head to the bathroom when something, or someone, crashed into my room through the door. I looked down at the floor and saw a woman with glasses and brown hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"Oh my goodness!! You're even cuter than he said you would be!!" She screeched and ran over to me, wrapping me into a death-gripped hug.

"Commander Eyebrows told me all about you!! Are you really Shorty's daughter?!" She excitingly asked me.

"U-umm... yeah...?" I replied. She pulled back from the hug but kept a firm hold on my shoulders.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Hanji!" She said. The squad leader? This thing is a squad leader?

"Uh... nice to meet you. I'm Sophie." I said, still a bit taken aback.

"Wow! Who knew that Shorty had a family!" She exclaimed. "So where's your mom?"

"She passed away when I was two." I answered. Her expression immediately dropped a bit.

"O-Oh... I'm sorry to hear that..." She looked down at the ground.

"It's okay." I told her. "It was a long time ago." A moment passed before either of us spoke again.

"So how would you feel about assisting me in my titan experiments?!" She had this crazed look in her eye. Oh boy...

"Four-eyes!! Keep it down!!" My dad yelled from the other side of the wall. Hanji just laughed.

"Well that's my cue!" She said. "See you later!~"

She ran out before I could even reply.

I breathed a sigh of relief and thought jokingly to myself. What have I gotten myself into?