I had mastered it all. Every single aspect. I could tie and take down Mikasa in a fight with blades, hands and feet, or all of the above combined. I could beat Armin in races around the castle with the 3DMG, when he had laps to go. As for Eren and I... Well, we'd become fast friends. We spent every spare minute talking, and always joked around. He even coaxed me into singing for him. I tied him in races, but I swore that some day I'd get him.

Tomorrow was the day. I'd be judged for heresy, and being allied with Them. And I would be sentenced as not guilty. I wouldn't accept anything less, and neither would Eren, Mikasa, or Armin.

Currently, we were packing up our supplies and preparing for a night ride. In order to get inside Wall Rose, we had to leave now, at about midnight. I was going to be a long, tiring, and boring ride, but my hearing was at 8 a.m. and I couldn't afford to be late. Better to be safe than sorry, I always said. Most the time, I was never safe though.

"Got the remaining gas?" Eren asked as I handed it to Mikasa to pack on her horse.

"Yeah, just packed it. You got the last of the food, right?"

"Yes."

I looked over my shoulder, to see Armin jogging up, with clothes in his arms. I recognized it to be the outfit that I wore before I came here, with my black Puma sneakers, dark skinny jeans, and brown faded Journey tank top. He stopped, and gave them to me. "You might want to change back. If they see you in the Survey Corp's outfit, it could be seen as...kind of offensive," he said, and shrugged.

I nodded. "I can imagine why. I'll change quick and give you back the uniform, okay?"

I went behind the bush, and changed back into my comfy clothes from before. The cool air of the night brushed over my exposed skin, and raised goosebumps on my arms and shoulders. My jeans seemed harder to put on than before, but I managed to wrestle them on. When I walked back out, I shoved the messily folded uniform into the pack of Eren's horse.

Because we only had three mares, I'd have to share with Eren again. But, he promised me that I could try and steer the horse for half the trip. I agreed enthusiastically.

We were almost ready to go. We had packed the last of the gas, the uniforms, our 3DMG, and the other supplies that we had arrived with. My heart was pounding, and my knees felt weak. It seemed like a whole migration of butterflies were making my stomach do triple-flips, and I was barely able to eat breakfast because I was panicking so much. Eren had been worried, but I told him that it was just my nerves.

"Ready?" Mikasa asked, already mounted on her horse.

"Ready!" we responded, and I whipped the reins.

Our horses started in a trot, but soon came to the realization that we meant business. Their pace quickened rapidly, until we were pressed flat against their backs. Like before, it was nearly a six-hour ride, and none of us could wait until it was over. Eren had his arms wrapped around me this time, which made me blush furiously for some strange reason. They were right around my hips, and it made me feel flustered.

When I thought about it, I realized that I had matching scars on either of my hips. One for pain, teaching me to never trust easy, and the other to show me that nightmares exist. Life wasn't all rainbows and gumdrops, it had ups and downs that were unavoidable. Mine life however, seemed to mostly plummet to Hell.

After about two hours, I was done. I needed sleep before we continued, and I didn't realize that until I fell asleep with the reins in my hands. Our horse kept going, but it wasn't until ten minutes later that Eren noticed that I was asleep. He took the reins from my hands, and I stayed asleep, curled up in his chest for the next five hours. It wasn't as bad as I thought, until Eren told me that I fell asleep while I was commanding the horse and that I practically cuddled into his chest.

When I woke up in the same dorm as I had woke in a month ago, I panicked. Once the thought of court hit me, all my anxiety returned.

"Eren, what if I'm sentenced of heresy? What if I actually die?" I said worriedly, and swung my feet out from the thin covers.

He looked at me, and his glare hardened. "That won't happen."

"But what if it does?"

"It won't!" he growled, and I flinched a bit.

Mikasa and Armin were supposed to be getting information about the hearing, like what courthouse it was in and who my judge would be. I was screaming on the inside, but trying to not pass out on the outside.

Eren stalked over to me, and I leaned back. Before I could even begin to comprehend his intentions, he grabbed my shoulders and pulled me forward into a deep hug. His arms wrapped around my shoulders, and my face was enveloped by the pine scent of his shirt.

"I'll make sure that nothing happens. If anything does, then I'll stop it. I swear that I will protect you, Jennika," he whispered.

My eyes widened a bit. Why was he going to such lengths? No one—not even my own father—ever had. After my thoughts had cleared, I astonished myself. I actually started sobbing. My hands balled up the material of his shirt, and I cried into his chest. He promised nothing would happen. He promised. Nothing will happen.

When the doorknob moved and the door creaked, we jumped back from each other. Mikasa and Armin walked in, and each had faint smiles on their faces.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Well, we have some good news," Armin said.

"Which is?"

"You're going to be judged by Darius Zackley," Mikasa said, "who is the same person that judged Eren a few months ago. He's like the supreme commander of the army, and all of the Military Police Brigade, the Garrison, and the Survey Corps respond to him."

I let out a breath, and twiddled my thumbs. "So, is he hard on people?"

All three of them exchanged looks. "He's fair enough," Armin replied, "But he goes by the book."

"So does that mean I will be charged with heresy?" I questioned, and sat back down on the bed, my knees getting weak again.

"Probably not. Like I've said before, we need all the people we can get. When they see your skills, they won't kill you," Mikasa said.

That was the last conversation we had before a messenger came to get us. They put us on our horses that were issued with, and led us without any type of intro. We didn't say anything. Anything that we did say could've been used against us in any way.

We came to a tall building, that looked like some horror-ish church. It was made of dark grey stone and had large windows on the side. It looked like something you'd see in the movies, and reminded me of Norman Bates' house in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. The best scene in the movie was the scene with the woman in the shower and person creeping up behind her with the knife... But now I was getting off topic. I had a bad habit of doing that either when I got bored or extremely nervous. Guess which one it currently was.

As soon as we entered, somebody pulled me off of my horse. I hit the ground, and let out a shriek. They grabbed my arms, thrusting them behind me and pinning me to the floor. When I looked up, I saw Eren clenching his teeth and Mikasa giving a death glare to the men. They cuffed me, and hauled me to my feet. Grabbing my now cuffed wrists, they shoved me into the courtroom, but I didn't oppose. Like I've said before, anything I did against them could've been held against me.

I was shoved into a room that I recognized as the exact room that Eren had his trial in, and got the shit beat out of him Levi. Wait wait wait...are they going to cuff me to that pole as well?! My heart leapt to the next level, and they shoved me into the center of the room. Everyone that I remembered stood around us, but none of them knew me. They'd only heard about me, and therefore were on the opposing side. I saw Eren, Mikasa, and Armin in the front row on my left side, and Eren gave me a grin. I feebly returned it.

I also saw Jean, Connie, Sasha, Krista, Ymir, and even Levi in the corner... Mr. Grumpy Gills himself. Who I didn't see was Annie...but then I remembered that she was in a crystal at the bottommost level of the headquarters inside Wall Sina. Well, even though she was evil, it still would've been awesome to see her, right?

"Darius Zackley is coming!" I heard people whisper and exclaim, and I looked around.

My hands were stiff cuffed behind my back, but I was going to use my freedom of movement to my advantage. In less than a moment, the grand wooden doors swung open and inside stepped a man.

He was fairly tall, maybe over 6 feet. He had a balding head and a long grey beard. When he presence came into that room, I immediately felt my hope dim. This isn't happening to me.

Zackley took his time getting to the tall pedestal, with the mallet and desk. He stood with authority, and I shrunk in size against it. Stacking some papers, he gazed at me and commanded, "Kneel to the floor, Miss."

I gulped, knowing what would happen, but did what I was told to. The metal pole shot up from the ground, and pulled me back against it. My spine hit it, and I cringed as I tried to lean forward.

"Miss Manri?" he asked, and I gave him my undivided attention. "My name is Darius Zackley, as you've been told. I'll be judging whether you are guilty of heresy or not."

I nodded, and sat up straight. Beside me, Eren was looking at me as though I was about to die. Thanks for all the confidence earlier, because it's long gone now.

"As you know, the penalty is death row. Now, first of all," he announced in his deep voice, "do you have a lawyer?"

"I don't believe so, Your Honor," I said quietly.

"Ah. I see." He leaned down, and grabbed a feather pen. He began writing something on a document, and I felt my chest cavity clench. Was it bad that he was writing something?

He looked up when he was done, and set the pen down to meet my gaze. "Do you have any objections? Anything that might serve in your favor?"

I said shakily, "Y-Yes, sir."

Darius let out a deep chuckle, and people in the courthouse nervously chortled around us in agreement. "Don't be scared. I'm not going to bite...unless I'm provoked."

"S-Sir?" I asked, and he folded his hands.

"Yes?"

"I-I have a valid point...in my favor."

"Which would be?" He crossed his arms.

My throat was parched and I felt like I was going to throw up, but I pushed past it. "I would like to point out that...that I am a very skilled soldier."

"Are you now?" Zackley asked skeptically.

I nodded vigorously. "Yes! I never went through any specific training, but I am very agile, fast, strong, and strategic. I know much about...Them."

He stroked his beard, and unfolded his arms. "While that is quite valid, I'll need more...physically evidence, if you please. You'll have to prove it somehow. Maybe, just maybe, it might be your key to innocence. Prove it."

I jiggled my arms, and the chains of the handcuffs slapped against the pole to make a point.

"Ah, right, right. Erwin, let her go free for the moment." He laughed.

As Erwin Smith came into the center to unlock me, what I'd never thought would be possible happened.

Darius let out a cry, and the crowd glanced up. His eyes were wide, and he sat straight. Our eyes trailing down to his chest, his heart precisely, and in it was a hole no bigger than a bullet. Blood blossomed on his shirt and gradually grew in size, and he looked down. People were in shock, and no one could say a thing. Zackley clawed at his shirt, at the hole over his heart, and screamed.

Now that everyone realized the severity, the crowd went wild. People screamed and the crowd shuffled around, and Darius let out a final cry, blood pouring from his mouth and onto his beard. It cut short after a minor continuation, and he fell over on his desk in a pool of deep vermillion.

Dead.

Darius Zackley had just been killed.

The crowd panicked, and people began screaming and running in every which way. The shrieks bounced off the walls and were deafening to my ears, and I was looking around in a daze. Was my judge...the most respected military officer...just killed before my eyes?

Someone jumped out from behind the towering wooden chair of the judge, dressed in all black. They swung down, and people started in a screaming frenzy all over again.

"JENNIKA!" Eren screamed, and jumped over the barricade.

But first, the person shrouded in shadow descended on me, and pinned me to the pillar with my hands above my head and chained to the pole. Their face was covered in shadows, only their smile pinching the corners of their mouths. It was impossible to tell who it was, but they clearly had planned this out and knew what they were doing. Was I going to die too? Was this the person that killed Zackley?

They had a dagger in their hands, and brought it up. I screamed, and I saw Eren run at me with Mikasa and Armin screaming behind him.

I almost can't recall what happened after, but I can tell you that it happened in less than a moment.

Their blade slammed down on my chest, and pain ripped through my core. Eren howled in dismay, and ran, but was still feet away. After that, the roof split, the fragments raining down on us as thunder hit the ground and sent everyone sprawling to the ground with the aftershock.

Was Eren turning into a Titan?! I felt my gaze fade in and out with my hearing, a dull buzz in the back of my brain. The person shrouded in shadow fell off of me, and I felt pain radiate through every nerve in my body and fry my veins. Eren was too late...

When my vision cleared, I felt like the room was spinning. I nearly fell, but became aware that my hands weren't cuffed. I blinked a few times, adrenaline still coursing through my blood, but all of it stopped when I realized what I was seeing.

I was hundreds of feet above the courthouse, which had its roof broken off. How did I know that? Because both of my feet took up the space of the entire courthouse, and people ran around my toes like ants scattering the building.

I was a Titan.