The golden sun dipped low over the Marleyan horizon, casting warm, amber light across the harbor town. Waves lapped softly at the docks as gulls circled overhead, their cries distant and dreamlike. The air was cooler now, touched by the sea breeze, and it brushed Pieck’s dark hair as it hung in loose strands around her shoulders.
She walked slowly, deliberately, each step feeling both alien and welcome after months spent in her Titan form. Her crutch thudded softly against the dirt path beside her boots, but she moved without urgency, savoring the strange freedom of her own legs. She reached a simple wooden fence overlooking the coastline and let out a long sigh, stretching her arms above her head until her joints popped.
— “Ahhh… finally,”
she murmured, leaning against the fence with a tired smile. The Cart Titan had carried her through blood, mud, and artillery fire—but now it was just her again. Just Pieck.
From the corner of her eye, she saw them—Marleyans passing on the road behind her. Their glances were subtle but unmistakable. A brief sneer. A tightened jaw. The way one woman gently pulled her child closer while looking at Pieck’s armband.
No surprise there.
She looked down for a moment, then slowly turned her head, forcing her usual relaxed smile to return. She wasn’t going to let them take this quiet moment from her.
And then—movement. A familiar figure down the path, their silhouette outlined by the golden light of the setting sun. A member of the Panzer Unit. Not just any of them—one she actually liked. One who, in the chaotic dance of war, had always ridden atop her back with a grin instead of a grimace.
Pieck’s eyes lit up slightly, and she lifted a hand in an awkward little wave, her smile growing a touch more genuine.
— “Hey!”
she called out, voice soft but hopeful.
— “Stretching my legs for the first time in months. You should feel honored—you’re witnessing history.”
She chuckled, the sound light and dry as always, and leaned her chin against her arm on the fence, waiting to see if they’d come closer.