Chapter Text
“Sir! There’s a girl, she’s laying on the driftwood.” Someone shouted. Most of the crew began crowding the side of the deck, pointing and whispering. A young girl was lying amidst the remains of a brutal battle. Bodies and splintered wood were among the many things floating in the wreckage. But somehow, she remained unscathed.
“Lower a boat and bring her aboard.” Levi ordered as he sauntered over, not at all concerned with the scene they came upon.
As she was pulled onto the ship everyone remained silent, waiting for Levi to make a decision. They simply watched in silence as he began inspecting the stranger. He walked around her a few times before kneeling by her head; he reached a hand out, gently pushing her wet hair away from her face. His thumb lightly stroked the scar that ran from right under her jaw to below her cheekbone. His eyes widened slightly when he realized what he was doing, everyone’s eyes on him. He stood up quickly and steeled his expression as he turned to the crew.
“Someone take her below deck,” He barked out, “We’ll see what the Captain wants to do with her.”
Mikasa and Sasha managed to drag her below and laid her on a cot, while everyone else scrambled back to work. Although they were still whispering amongst each other. Levi stood to the side, deep in thought, as Mike and Hange came over, having previously observed the situation from afar.
“That was a weird little, uh, thing you did there Levi,” Hange teased, raising a brow. “Wanna tell us what that was about?”
“I don’t have the faintest clue what you’re talking about.” He deadpanned back, not bothering to give Hange the satisfaction of her joke.
“I think you know exactly what I’m-”
“Hange, leave Levi alone.” Mike mumbled, suddenly sniffing the air. “Wait, do you guys smell that? Smells like a lovesick pirate.” He stated with a smug smile.
Levi glared at the duo and elbowed them as he passed, “We have no idea who she is, she could be from the enemy. A spy perhaps.”
“Now now Levi, I don’t think a girl like her would be working for-”
“Doubt like that is what will get you killed, appearance means nothing.” Levi spat out, “I’d go make yourselves useful before Erwin shows up. He’s going to be interested in this new guest.”
~~~~
Erwin spent a few minutes observing the girl as she laid there, taking note of every little thing about her appearance and committing it to memory in the case that she truly was a spy. He searched for anything familiar, but came up blank.
“We can’t just blindly trust her. She could be working with the enemy.” Levi frowned.
“Not everyone is working for people against us, Levi. She seems like she genuinely needs help.” Erwin said, not bothered by Levi’s attitude.
“You say that now until we’re being attacked because she ratted us out.” Levi grouched, his frown deepening.
Before Erwin could respond, their conversation was interrupted by frantic coughing. The pair watched as the girl bolted upright and choked out the water that had filled her lungs. She breathed heavily as she placed her hand on her chest in an attempt to calm her breathing. Her eyes scanned the room in a panic.
Levi cleared his throat causing the girl to wildly look at him, her hands slightly shaking as she gripped the edge of the cot.
“We’re gonna make this short and sweet, who are you and what are your intentions?” Levi sharply asked, cooly leaning against the wall and watching her every reaction.
Her gaze went down to her hands as she played with the blanket covering her. “I-I can’t remember much.”
Levi opened his mouth, only to be cut off by an even sharper glare from Erwin, “Then tell us what you do remember.”
She glanced up and took a deep breath. “I remember screaming and gunshots, then...then all of a sudden silence. It was..warm, comforting even. I’m not sure why I was on that boat, I-” She stopped, her eyes becoming glossy.
Erwin looked at Levi, who only shrugged. “Do you remember your name?”
“Alice.”
“Okay Alice, welcome to the Maria.” Erwin introduced, with a proud smile.
Alice’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, her eyes flickering to the empty sleeve tied in a knot. Her demeanor became more guarded. “So you’re pirates?”
Levi pushed himself off the wall and strutted over with a raised brow, “And so what if we are, got a problem with that?” His hand lightly gripping the hilt of his sword.
Alice only groaned and shoved her face into her hands as she mumbled. “Of course I’m on a pirate ship, this is just my luck. From one ship to the next. I just can’t escape.”
“Hey missy, if you want to keep mumbling then we can arrange for you to be at the bottom of the sea instead.” Levi interjected, a more than bored look on his face.
Erwin gave Levi the standard “calm down” look before turning back to Alice, “It will be an adjustment, but we have to ask you a few more questions.”
~~~~
After extensive questioning, Alice was given new clothes, loose brown breeches and a poofy sleeved white shirt with a violet corset. She wasn’t accessorized with weapons, like everyone else was, as Levi claimed she was still too “dangerous.”
Alice sat on the ground while Sasha and Mikasa sat on the cot behind her. Sasha braids her hair as Mikasa merely watches. They seemed to have some kind of unspoken kinship, considering they were some of the only females around.
“You’ll get used to it soon enough,” Sasha said, “Most places aren’t safe for us women, but here. Here... it’s safe.”
Mikasa nodded, “We’re family.”
Alice turned her head slightly and looked at the pair, both were giving her sympathetic expressions. Maybe they were in her situation before.
“I don’t know if it ever will,” Alice began, “I don’t even know if I can trust anyone here.”
Sasha patted her shoulder as she stood, “It’ll get better, it really will.”
Mikasa gave her a small smile as they passed and made their way above deck. Alice stayed on the ground for a few moments more, reveling in her last few moments of peace.
~~~~
The salty breeze brushed Alice’s face as she walked across the deck, breath taken by the beauty of the open sea. The waters were deep blue and the waves calmly shook the boat. She had only stood to the side and observed everyone work, unsure of where to even begin.
“You must be the new girl!” Alice turned and spotted an energetic woman with big glasses walking her way. She had a green patterned bandana wrapped around her messy brown hair and then black pants, with a white button-down loosely tucked in.
She nodded slightly before the woman wrapped her arm tightly around her. “I’m Hange, the quartermaster. I’m basically second in command should anything happen to Captain Erwin. And you are?”
“Uh, I’m Alice.”
“Nice to meet you uh Alice!” Hange teased and dragged her further across the ship. “I figured I’d introduce you to some people, especially since it seems you’re gonna be here for quite a while.”
They made their way to a pair of guys shouting at each other, one tall with a sandy mullet and the other shortish with a close buzzcut and a monmouth cap. They seemed to be arguing over a knot in the rope.
“Now these two here are Jean and Connie, quite the duo if you ask me.” Hange mumbled under her breath. “Boys, say hi to Alice!”
They both stopped and their faces flushed in embarrassment. Alice meekly waved from under Hange’s tight grip, but they only continued to stare. Particularly at her scar.
“Alrighty, moving on.” Hange concluded, “I swear, all this testosterone is making these boys awkward. Well, more awkward than normal.”
Next, they walked to a pair of adults, an abnormally tall man with hair in his eyes and a shorter woman with a blonde pixie cut.
“Here we have Mike and Nanaba, if you ever need anything they’re the people to go to.” Hange said, “This is Alice.”
Nanaba came right up to her and shot her hand out and grabbed onto one of her blonde curls. “My, your hair is beautiful.” She exclaimed, “It makes me regret cutting mine.”
“Thank you,” Alice mumbled back as she ducked her head down, not used to compliments.
“It’s quite the pleasure to meet you dear,” Nanaba continued, giving her a gentle smile before backing up. Giving Mike the perfect opportunity to come over and give Alice a big sniff, causing her to tense up and push Hange in front of her quickly.
Mike turned to Hange with a questioning stare, “She doesn’t smell like a traitor. In fact, she just smells like a regular girl.”
Hange’s expression became thoughtful, but it turned back to excitement just as quickly. “I’ll take note of that for Erwin and Levi. See you guys later!” She grabbed Alice by the arm and rushed away from them. “That’s how Mike greets people, he has the strongest nose I’ve ever seen. Can whiff out a two-timer in seconds. But you have his stamp of approval, so that’s one step in the right direction!”
They continued the tour, with Alice meeting Eren, then Moblit and Armin, who helped navigate the ship and was driven by his strong passion for the ocean. By the time Hange had shown her every nook and cranny of the ship, it was meal time. The cook, a blonde haired man named Niccolo, had made biscuits and sausage gravy. Most of the Crew, except Levi and Erwin, gathered around on barrels to eat and play card games. Alice sat between Mikasa and Sasha, not missing the longing glances Sasha sent Niccolo every few minutes.
The moon had long since risen before they had slowly trailed off to bed. Each person going down one by one, drowsily stumbling down the stairs.
“Alice, me and Mikasa are going to bed now if you’d like to come with us.” Sasha offered, watching Alice at the side of the boat peering up at the night sky.
“I’ll be down in a bit, I want to look at the sky for a bit longer.”
“Goodnight then,” Sasha whispered as the floor creaked as she made her way below deck.
Alice’s moments of peace were interrupted by a grumpy and mildly suspicious Levi. “What are you doing up here..alone?”
“Gazing at the night sky,” Alice answered without turning. Levi frowned at her inattention, but soon joined her. They were both silent as they stared at the stars.
“Do you see that constellation?” Alice said, pointing at a bright collection of stars. “That’s the dragon, Draco. Well, he was actually called Ladon; he was a hundred headed dragon that guarded Hera’s golden apple tree. But one day, the mighty hero Hercules lulled him to sleep by playing music. So as a punishment, Hera sent him into the stars and that’s where he’s been ever since.”
Alice was only met with silence, she frowned and turned to Levi, who was incredulously staring at her. “You believe that stuff?”
“Well not necessarily,” she mumbled, deflated. “I do love the stories though. Helps you make some kind of sense of the world.”
“You’re still playing the memory loss card?” Levi groaned.
Alice calmly looked to him, “I’m not playing, I genuinely can’t remember. I have bits and pieces, but it’s foggy. When I remember, I’ll make sure to tell you.”
Levi narrowed his eyes and stalked closer to her. Alice steeled her nerves and managed to stand her ground. “I don’t care if Mike says you don’t smell like a traitor, as of right now I consider you one and that’s how you will be treated. Understand?”
“Loud and clear, sir. Now I must be getting to bed. Goodnight.” She spun on her heel and kept her chin up as she made her way to the stairs, not looking back to Levi. As she laid down, she tried to remember more of her past. But the soft lulling of the ship drifted her to sleep.