Courage doesn't always roar

A big amount of pubs had a place in Shiganshina, but one of them was more popular than the others. Maybe it wasn't a good looking pub - it was rather small with an ugly wooden surface. Nevertheless, it always had a lot of visitors of various origins, mainly because of the delicious beer which was typical for this particular pub.

The owner of the pub was a man named Arthur Arlert. He was very strong and he always had something interesting to say, therefore people liked him. He had a son, who was helping him in the pub from time to time: Armin Arlert.

The bond between these two was kind of weird actually, as Armin was completely different than his father. Participating in local fights? Carrying heavy items? Tournaments in arm wrestling? No way! Armin's priorities were quite different. He liked talking to his grandfather and daydreaming about exploring the whole world beyond the wall. Snowy mountains, fields of sand... beautiful meadows full of flowers and... the sea. More than anything... he wished to be useful somehow.

"Hey, you little coward! Look!" Shouted one man sitting on a chair in the darkest corner of the pub, obviously drunk. He threw something invisible towards Armin, a big crooked smile was hanging on his face.

Armin let out a sigh, walking to another table with two glasses full of beer in his hands. He was used to this: people were making fun of him pretty often. Nothing new.

"What's wrong? Why didn't you run away yet?" The man laughed hysterically. Some other people laughed with him.

Arthur shook his head, observing his son. He knew Armin's not suited for this job with his personality and weak body. He is smart, not strong though. It always seemed like he has more in common with his mother. They share some personality traits and physical resemblances too.

"That jerk again?" Arthur asked.

"Yes. Don't worry, I'm used to this." Armin replied, trying to smile.

Suddenly someone opened the door. A tall, black-haired young man came inside a moment after. He seemed to be very nervous, his clothes were dirty as if he just fought with an angry bear. His forehead was decorated with shiny drops of sweat.

Everyone fell silent, observing the boy curiously, including Armin and his father.

The boy stood there for a little bit longer, before he finally chose a table and sat down. He didn't look like he wants to order something.

Someone had to start asking questions, of course, but Arthur didn't expect it to be Armin. He almost forgot how to breathe as he was surprised.

"Good evening. My name's Armin Arlert. If I may ask you... what happened to your clothes?" Armin asked politely and carefully, ready to go away if the man won't give him an answer. He was just too curious.

"Good... evening." The young man repeated slowly, his expression quite unfriendly. "Bertholdt Hoover. I... I'm trying to find a cursed princess but... I kinda got lost and..."

Before he could say something more, he was interrupted by Armin's excited voice: "A princess? A cursed princess?" The blue filling of his eyes shone like a brand new piece of glass.

"Y-yes." Bertholdt nodded before he fished out a portrait out of his pocket, handing it to Armin.

Armin's heart skipped a beat. The princess in the portrait had a seemingly cold expression, light blonde hair tied into a bun, icy-blue eyes, and an aquiline nose. Armin thoughtfully examined the portrait, admiring her beauty. Despite her intimidating glance, she immediately captivated him. She seemed familiar.

Bertholdt told him a story about forgotten castle, where the princess probably is. He said he has been experiencing vivid dreams in which he sees the princess and the castle lately, and that's why he had decided to try to find it. He had to find a painter for the portrait because he couldn't get her out of his head. Armin listened very carefully. Now he understood why the woman seems so familiar, while faint memories came to life inside his mind. He also had similar dreams not so long ago, but he thought it's nothing more than dreams. A frozen lake beside a castle, the exact same princess... what if those are... visions? What if the castle's real?

When Bertholdt left after about an hour, Armin looked around the pub determinedly. He stood up quickly so he got the full attention. "I've decided to save the princess! I'm going to marry her and I'll prove to you all that I'm not a coward!" He spoke loudly with his hand clenched in a fist on his chest.

"You?! No way! You don't even know how to save yourself! Let alone a princess! You aren't able to save a butterfly!" Another burst of laughter.

Armin didn't care about what they were saying, his decision couldn't be changed. In his mind, he clearly saw a big forgotten castle, where a cursed princess waits for her savior. His desire to go on the journey bloomed like flowers. Maybe for once he could be a hero, rather than a useless coward.

"Your son is crazy, Arthur!"

Arthur grabbed Armin by his shoulders, whispering: "Good god, Armin. What are you talking about? What princess? Don't be a fool, don't you dare leave Shiganshina."

"No, father. I have to go. I saw her in my dreams. I don't know why but... I can't resist. There's something about her... I believe she exists.

"Why don't you commit suicide right away? Your mother and I... we also wanted to explore the world, you know? But now we have realized how foolish it was. Whatever, Armin. Do as you wish."

Armin just smiled slightly.

***

On the next day, Armin visited his grandfather. He told him about his intention, knowing he won't try to stop him. Indeed he didn't, he understood his reasons. Instead he gave Armin some advice, which could help him on the upcoming journey through various destinations.

"Here, take this map, trench coat, and the sword." The old man handed the items to his grandson, who thanked him.

"Use the sword!" Said Mr. Arlert.

"N-now?"

Mr. Arlert nodded.

Armin swallowed before he slashed the air with the sword, closing his eyes during the action. When he opened them again, he discovered the sword isn't in his hands anymore - at least quarter of its blade has ended up inside the ground. Armin pulled the sword out with slightly embarrassed expression, holding the handle with both of his hands.

Mr. Arlert sighed. "Are you sure you want to go, Armin? Maybe you should forget about it." Of course, he was worried about Armin. "The castle from your dreams might not even exist."

Armin looked down at the map, doubting his determination for a brief second. He slowly shook his head - he couldn't give up now. "I won't know if it exists if I won't try to find it. I don't want to be a burden to my father and mother anyway. I bet they will be happier after my departure."

The old man sighed once again. "I see. Well then, I guess I can't stop you." He took off his hat and put it on Armin's head, smiling. "Good luck and I hope you'll come back soon."

"I will." Armin Whispered. He turned around and looked up at the pale-blue sky, his eyes narrowed due to the sun. What a beautiful day. He looked around one last time, watching a flag in the distance. The wind was playing with it gently, wings of freedom depicted on its surface. His journey has officially started.

While walking through a forest, Armin heard some sort of a suspicious sound. He stopped, waiting quietly. Nothing happened. The sound came again after a while, Armin's heart skipped a beat. "A hare... only a hare. Calm down." He sighed when a small hare jumped out of shrubs, running away.

"Hey, blondie! Put your hands up or I'll shoot you!" Shouted a man, who suddenly came out from behind a tree. He was rather fat with a wicked smile on his face, but most importantly... he had a gun aimed at terrified Armin.

"O-okay, please don't shoot!" Armin blurted out with arms above his head. It seemed like the time stood still, while the man was coming closer. Armin's nervousness was increasing with the man's every step. Saliva was dripping out of his mouth, twigs were crushed under his boots.

"What a pretty face." The man giggled, breathing heavily. His breath was very warm. He grabbed Armin's chin, examining his face thoroughly.

Armin winced, obviously disgusted. Drops of saliva were falling on his skin when the man spoke. He tried to turn away a little, it was impossible though. While squeezing Armin's cheeks, the man laughed.

"Stop, please. Who are you?" Armin asked, hoping he'll survive this somehow.

"A highwayman. Now let's see... if you have something valuable." The man grinned.

"I don't have anything, I swear."

"That's a nice looking sword, you little liar. It might come in handy." He reached out for Armin's sword, ready to steal it.

He almost had it, but then someone came from behind and hit his head with an ax handle. The man screamed in pain before he fell to the ground, his gun has landed in front of him. Armin stepped back automatically, looking down at the man confusedly. He felt both relief and fear, his body shaking slightly as he looked up. The person who saved him lifted the ax with an angry expression. Armin opened his mouth in shock.

"Hey, are you ok?" The person put the ax down, a fire still raging inside the greenery of his eyes.

Armin nodded in relief. "T-thank you."

"You're welcome. My name's Eren Yeager. Nice to meet you..."

"Armin. Armin Arlert. It's nice to meet you too." He pulled on a fake smile.

"I hate this scum." Eren picked up the man's gun. "It's sad that I can't kill him. People like him don't deserve to live."

A dose of silence.

"I... once again thank you. If you don't mind, I'll..." Armin stepped forward but Eren blocked the way, frowning.

"Say, Armin. Are you scared of me?"

"M-maybe a little bit to be honest."

"Why is that?"

Armin sighed, tilting his head to the side. "You know, you might use the ax to chop me into small pieces of rotting flesh, which you'd eat for lunch afterward."

"Huh?" Eren raised his eyebrow, laughing. Armin giggled awkwardly.

"You're a funny guy, Armin. I like you! Now tell me why you're here."

*** These two quickly became friends. As soon as Armin told Eren what's his goal, Eren wanted to join him on his journey. Armin's bravery made an impression on him. Armin thought it might be better to have some company, therefore he agreed.

They kept walking, until the sky above their heads became darker than blueberries, stars shining. They were tired - Armin couldn't even walk properly anymore, so they decided to take a rest.

"I wonder if I'll be dreaming of her this night." Armin mumbled, lying on the grass.

"Yeah." Eren said. "What are you going to do when you find her?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well... she's cursed, isn't she? You'll need to break the curse somehow. I've heard a kiss should help."

"A kiss?" Armin tried to imagine it, his insides were almost melting.

"Yes. I think you have to kiss her and then she'll be saved. Tell me, have you had your first kiss?"

"N-no." He admitted.

"What? How old are you?"

"I'm almost 20."

Eren stood up suddenly and walked over to Armin. He grabbed him by his forearms and helped him to sit up, looking into his eyes.

"W-what are you doing, Eren?" Armin asked, the speed of his heart has increased due to the surprise. He didn't expect this at all - Eren kissed him before he could even protest.

Armin tried to get away firstly, but then he just closed his eyes and cooperated. Eren was playing with his hair, while their tongues danced together.

"That was... good actually. I mean... for your first kiss. Now you're ready to kiss the princess! " Eren wiped his mouth. "Do you want to try again?"

Armin said yes after a long consideration. To his surprise, it wasn't so bad.

That night he truly had an another dream about the princess and the castle. He saw a path leading to the castle, which was made of shiny crystals. Crystals were everywhere. He was staring at the princess, his palm touching a thick layer of her crystal coffin. It seemed so real it was scary. He couldn't get to her. The crystal was in his way, he was useless.

*** The journey to the castle wasn't easy. It took them several days to find it. They had to do favors for various people, so they could get some food and a place to sleep at during that time. They would not have been able to continue without Armin's dreams, which were their guide.

It was raining heavily on the last day of their journey, while they were following a path covered with little stones. Its end was on a top of a small hill.

They were both dressed in green trench coats, hoodies on their heads. The rain couldn't have been any stronger, its wrath combined with an unpleasant chilling air was quite an obstacle. They were trying to move forward, breathing was difficult suddenly.

"L-look at that, Eren! It's the castle! It's real! It truly exists!" Armin shouted happily when they finally got to the top of the hill. His voice was excited, sparks of excitement in his eyes. He was exhausted but happy. It was exactly the same castle as in his dreams.

The castle was waiting for them under the hill, completely covered with shiny crystals. Armin has never seen anything more beautiful. It was a different kind of beauty seeing it in reality. There was a frozen lake right next to the castle.

"You should hurry, Armin. I guess we're not alone." Eren pointed a finger to a bunch of large, hungry-looking wolves and foxes. Their eyes were shining like candles, their silver fur completely wet. Armin gulped, trying to stay calm. He touched the handle of his sword automatically, observing the beasts walking towards them. Fear has taken control over him, as one of the wolfs opened its jaws and jumped. Armin couldn't force his body to move.

"Armin!" Eren stopped the wolf before it could hurt Armin. He put a long knife into its mouth, holding its jaws full of sharp teeth open. The other wolfs and foxes were coming, as he did his best to win the fight against the wolf.

"Armin, go! I'll take care of this!"

"But..." Armin stretched out his hand towards Eren. "I can't leave you here! There's too many of-"

"Just go!" Eren screamed furiously before he pushed Armin away, so the boy rolled down from the hill.

Just when Armin had found himself on the ground, he stood up slowly and collected himself, before he started running towards the castle, hoping Eren will be okay.

He was running as fastly as he could, however the surface underneath him was slippery, so he fell several times. He almost didn't feel his arms anymore due to the coldness. Moreover he was dizzy, his vision blurry. He didn't give up though. Useless. No, he didn't want to be useless.

When he got to the castle finally, he tried to open the door, however he wasn't strong enough. He was trying to open it again and again desperately, until he stopped and looked behind, seeing Bertholdt. He almost had a heart attack. Both of them actually.

"Armin? What are you doing here?!" Bertholdt barked out, completely confused. He also had a sword, fresh blood dripping from its blade. He was nervous and sweaty. Probably because of the wolves and foxes running towards them.

What a funny coincidence they stumbled upon themselves.

"I'm... I'm saving the princess." Armin replied, his eyes on the wild animals.

Berthold stood there, frowning at Armin nervously. Armin was also frowning slightly, knowing they don't have time to spare.

"I'm the one who's gonna save her! Now get out of my way!" Bertholdt pushed Armin aside and opened the door, just before the foxes and wolves have arrived. Armin had slipped into the castle quickly enough. The animals were powerless now, standing outside furiously.

Armin watched Bertholdt walking up the stairs, listening to the sounds of his steps, which sounded as loudly as gunshots inside of his mind. Knowing he needs to hurry up, he left the place on which he was standing and followed Berthold.

Drops of water were falling down from Armin's soaked trench coat, the whisper of the rain could be heard inside the castle made out of shiny crystals. Every single door has been opened, as Armin's and Bertholdt's search for the princess continued.

When it came to the last door, Armin and Bertholdt both took the handle. They looked at each other before they pushed the door open, coming in at the same time.

Armin's eyes widened when he saw the princess sleeping inside a crystal coffin. He came closer with astonishment on his face, examining the cold-looking body. He put his fingers to the hard surface slowly, feeling its coldness and sharpness. When he stroked the crystal, he shook a little. It was as if he just breathed in her soul. She looked exactly the same as in his dreams.

Bertholdt tried to break the crystal with his sword. The impact of the blade caused an unpleasant sound. It was useless - the crystal stayed unharmed.

"That won't work. We must think of something different." Armin whispered, thinking.

"Get out of my way, Arlert!" Bertholdt gnashed his teeth together. He stepped closer, but Armin picked up his sword and aimed it at Bertholdt, holding it with both hands shakily.

They were staring at each other silently, no one dared to do or say something for a very long time. Armin didn't want to fight, moreover he knew he wouldn't be able to win the fight.

"Bertholdt, please... let's..." He started talking, however Bertholdt didn't care about his words.

Armin closed his eyes instinctively, as Bertholdt attacked him. Thankfully Armin sat down to the floor before Bertholdt could have hit him with the sword.

"Wait!" Armin started screaming when Bertholdt was ready to try again. He was screaming so loudly that Berthold had to stop and cover his ears. Everything was shaking while Armin's voice sounded in the surroundings.

A small crack has appeared on the surface of the crystal coffin, which was getting bigger and bigger. Bertholdt couldn't believe it. He was staring at the crystal with covered ears, breathless. The crystal exploded eventually, its broken pieces flying everywhere. They were sharp as knives and beautiful as a sunset, shining lifelessly on the ground.

Armin stopped screaming finally, looking up with widened eyes. He broke the crystal! He broke it with his own voice. Berthold was too shocked to do something, therefore Armin stood up slowly and came to the sleeping princess, now free.

While looking at her lips, Armin gulped. He remembered his training with Eren, trying to calm himself down. He crouched down and gently touched her skin, which was extremely cold. Armin's skin was warm on the other hand due to his extreme tension.

He pressed his lips to hers eventually, the heat inside him extinguished in a second. He was freezing but he didn't break the kiss. It felt amazing. Everything else wasn't relevant suddenly.

Hoping it worked, Armin ended the kiss. He looked at her face with hope shown inside his eyes, however the girl stayed in her deep slumber. There was no response. Armin's expression was gloomy, the hope slowly leaving his being as he observed the aquiline nose of the princess.

He wondered why it didn't work when the girl made a slight movement suddenly. Finally. She opened her icy eyes, looking at her savior. She stayed quiet, frowning.

Armin was almost crying when the crystal castle has turned into an ordinary castle. The crystal coating was gone in a minute, no trace was left of it.

"Get out of me." Was the first thing Armin heard the princess say. He blinked before he did as she wanted.

"You! You little..." It was Bertholdt, who seemed to be extremely angry. "I'm going to kill you!" He grabbed a lighted torch from the wall and threw it on Armin.

Armin screamed as his clothes were set on fire. He grabbed the princess by her wrist, running towards a window frantically. Thankfully the lake wasn't frozen anymore as expected, so he jumped into the lake with her.

When Armin got out of the water he thanked God he's alright, seeing the princess sitting in a small wooden boat. She tucked a strand of her wet hair behind her ear, as she sent him an unreadable glance.

"We have to hurry! We have to go before..." Armin put his hand to his forehead, seeing as Bertholdt was staring at them from the open window. But the princess had a different opinion. She didn't intend to get up, so Armin got into the boat somehow and took a paddle.

She watched him as he paddled, the boat was moving away from the shore slowly with every second. The sun was sending an enormous heat upon them, the lake shimmered peacefully.

"W-what's your name?" Armin asked and smiled uneasily. Despite the fact they were probably safe on the lake, he was pretty nervous.

"Annie." She answered quietly, looking at the water. That's all she said.

"Annie."Armin whispered the name for himself. "I'm Armin."

She nodded, still observing the lake underneath them.

"For how long were you inside the crystal?" Amin asked after a long dose of an unpleasant silence, their boat parked right in the middle of the lake.

She sighed. ''I don't know to be honest. You can't perceive time when you're in there. I didn't expect that someone would save me. I'm cursed since birth. A hungry beast inside of me comes to life sometimes. I'm dangerous to others, and that's why I've crystallized myself.''

''So... the crystal... you made it yourself?''

''Yes, I did.'' She stretched out her hand and showed to Armin how it works on her fingers. Armin was quite fascinated and frightened at the same time. ''You see? How did you find me?''

Armin looked down on his thighs, shards of those dreams in his mind. ''I had... dreams. I've been dreaming of you and this castle. At first I thought they were nothing but dreams, but then...''

''Dreams?'' She blinked.

-Fate brings people together no matter how far apart they may be.-

''Yes. Bertholdt had them too. Without him... I wouldn't be there probably.''

''Bertholdt? Do you mean...'' She looked at Bertholdt, who was waiting at the shore.

Armin nodded.

''Come here, Armin! Let's decide which one of us is her savior for once for all!'' Bertholdt shouted as he threw up his hands.

Armin sighed and stood up, ready to paddle again. ''She must decide on her own, Bertholdt!'' He shouted back.

Bertholdt's eyes widened as he took a step back.

Armin jumped out of the boat clumsily and fell to his knees, before he stood up again, breathing heavily. Once again he found himself standing in front of the much taller boy. ''So... what do you think, Annie?" He turned around, waiting for her answer. She was standing in the boat, head bowed. A light breeze was playing with her bangs.

''You don't understand, I'm a monster." She whispered.

''I don't care, Annie. I don't see a monster. I see a good person.'' Armin said. Bertholdt gripped the handle of his sword more strongly.

''What? What are you talking about?'' The tone of her voice was calm, yet sharp as a knife. She winced and hugged her shoulders.

''There must be a cure for the curse!'' Armin clenched his fists, his mind was overshadowed by the feelings which were blooming inside him. ''I love you! I love you so much, Annie! When I first saw you in my dreams... so many times I wished that you were real! And now...''

She giggled and then she started laughing hysterically. Bertholdt and Armin just stood there quietly while she was laughing.

''Oh my god, that's funny.'' She calmed down and stepped out of the boat, smiling. ''Armin... I like you! You're a klutz but you do have guts.''

Armin's mouth conjured up a wide, cunning grin. Bertholdt reacted with an attack, however Annie defeated him with a strong kick. He fell down, hissing in pain.

''Wow!" Armin breathed out.

''Let's go, Armin.'' Annie said.

''To where?''

''It doesn't matter.'' She stepped to him and kissed him, playing with his hair. He put his hands on her shoulders, enjoying the taste of her icy lips. He wished this moment would last forever, the lake whispering in the background.