Chapter Four

Chapter Four

"So how do you guys know where we're going without a map?" Sasha asked. Matthew and Gilbert just smiled, but didn't answer.

The scouts kept traveling for almost an hour before the first titans appeared. There were two about two kilometres to the east, one crawler and abnormal. Matthew and Gilbert had a silent communication and Canada drew his blades.

"What's happening?" Connie asked watching the nations carefully.

"Keep close to me." Prussia said. "Ve don't want to get split up out here."

"There's only two of them. We could take 'em." Jean said.

"We don't plan on fighting them, but if they do notice us or get too close I will take them on." Matthew said. "If I get separated I can't really get lost out here."

A few of the trainees listened while the others looked ready to jump off their horses at a moment’s notice. They kept in a tight formation as they passed by the titans. The ugly giants didn't even move as they galloped by.

The scouts relaxed as they got further away from the titans. The Canadian sheathed his blades once they were out of sight.

Over the next couple of hours they saw only a couple titans in the distance. The titans didn't make a move towards them. There were fewer titans in the cold and the ones that were around weren't too active.

Prussia watched Matthew closely waiting for his facial expression to change. He could tell by Canada's body language that they had just crossed the old border. The Canadian looked a lot more relaxed.

It was starting to get dark when wall Maria came into sight. They could see little lights and shadows moving on the top of the wall.

"Armin, shoot a blue flare please." Canada called over his shoulder. Armin nodded and shot the flare. The Canadian watched the people up on the wall scramble as they got closer. The people shot a flair back in response. When they got close enough the gate started to open. The scouts rushed through and the gate closed behind them.

Canada pulled Spitfire to a stop and quickly checked to make sure everyone made in inside. He sighed in relief that they had made it there and with so little titans encountered. People started to flow out of the town to see the new comers.

"Hello!" A member of the districts garrison greeted them. They had long dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. Gilbert and Matthew dismounted their horses and the trainees did the same. "What are you scouts doing way out here?"

"On a little bit of a trip." Prussia said. He introduced himself and the others. "And jou are?"

"My name is Anna; I'm the highest ranking officer of the garrison here." They said with a confident smirk.

"Ahh good. Ve'd like to talk vith jou." Gilbert said.

"Of course." Anna said. "I'll take you to the stables because I'm assuming you're staying for the night."

As they were walking they got a better look at the city. After over ten years without contact with the other cities it looked pretty run down. The people looked a little worse for wear. Their clothes had holes in them, but they didn't look sick or starving.

"How have you been managing?" Matthew asked once they had left the stables and were in the garrison’s headquarters.

"Fairly well. At first we survived off what we had for about a year, but we ran out. It's pretty cold up here so we can't grow fruits." Anna said scratching the back of their neck. "We didn't do much farming up here in the first place. It took a little while to figure out, but we're doing okay."

Canada and Prussia continued to talk business with Anna for the next hour. The trainees looked board, but they listened through it.

------❄"Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday."❄-----

Soon after Anna showed them to where they could sleep for the night. It was a small cozy home with a wood burning stove in the corner. Prussia thanked Anna as they left.

"Ah, it's so nice in here." Krista hummed warming her hands.

"Is it going to be this cold for the rest of the way?" Connie asked rubbing his ears.

"It will be colder for the next couple of days; there were some snow clouds on the horizon." Canada explained. "It will be warmer when we get closer to the ocean. It’s the season where one day it could be snowing like crazy then there is a heat wave the next day."

"Snow?" Armin asked. "I haven't seen snow since I was little."

"Snow is so much fun." Gilbert said with a smile.

"I remember when it snowed every year." Canada sighed.

"How long ago was that?" Eren asked.

"That was before the walls existed." Matthew said setting his stuff down. Gilbert sat his pack beside Canada's and sat down next to it. The trainees set their stuff down and started to set up for the night.

"So how old are you?" Sasha asked. Unrolling her sleeping bag and sitting down.

"Well I was about four hundred and fifty around the time the titans came, so maybe eight hundred, nine hundred? I haven't been keeping track." Matthew said.

"You're immortal?" Mikasa asked keeping a neutral face.

"No, not fully." Prussia said.

"Is that part of the nation thing?" Jean asked raising an eyebrow. "What is a nation anyways?"

"There are two definitions to 'nation.' A nation is an area of land that is sectioned off vith invisible boundaries. The people that live inside those boundaries make up the nation." Prussia explained. "It's like one of the districts, but governed by different people in each.

"So you're a piece of land then?" Connie asked skeptically. A few of the younger scouts laughed.

Matthew smiled and shook his head. "No, we are the other definition of nation. We are the personifications of the nation or country. We represent the people and land as a person."

"So, are your country's called Matthew and Gilbert?" Jean asked raising an eyebrow.

"No, those are our human names. My nation name was Canada and Gil's was Prussia." The Canadian said.

"Where are we right now?" Sasha asked.

"In my country." Matthew said.

"Is that how you knew where we were going without a map?" Sasha demanded. Canada nodded.

"What is your relationship to each other?" Mikasa asked. "Are you dating?"

"Engaged, actually." Gilbert said with a smile.

"Awww!" Krista squealed. "For how long?"

"How old is Pixies now?" Canada asked. "60ish? Around that long, maybe a bit longer. We don't keep exact dates very well."

AN: Posting a little bit early today!