Freedom's Horizon

Chapter 53

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Cora's POV

The morning after the memorial service Cora found herself checking over her luggage once more, unable to find a shred of excitement within her despite the fact that she was finally setting off on a journey she'd been longing to embark on. Her wardrobe was emptied, her bed stripped, and her personal belongings being hiked away to the carriage that awaited her. Giving her room a final once over, she sighed and closed the door shut behind her.

However, another room just down the hall at the farthest end caught her eye. She hadn't dared step into Sawyer's room since his passing, not wanting to let a single person or a single bit of his essence out. No one had cleared out his room, she'd made sure of it, after all it's not like there would be anyone staying in it for quite some time. Excluding her, the Survey Corps had twenty-two members after both the expedition losses as well as the fall of Wall Maria. With trudging feet and a bit of reluctance, she made her way to the end of the hall, hand quivering as she reached for his doorknob.

She half-expected him to jump out and surprise her when she opened the door, or to wrap his arms around her from behind just to scare her as he used to. Instead, she opened his door and was met with a deafening silence and a painfully empty room. A layer of dust coated everything, his books, his clothes, his bedsheets, yet everything still felt like him. She ran her fingers along everything, not caring about the dirt and dust that had gathered, before rummaging through his wardrobe and pulling out some of her favorites from his collection. It was nothing but a few sweats, some shirts, and a jacket, but she was going to keep them.

She didn't care for books, however took his book on philosophy just so that she could read it and feel like she was talking to him. She hadn't noticed she'd begun to cry until she was forced to wipe off both the book cover as well as her face repeatedly, her tears leaving sticky streaks along her cheeks. His desk then caught her eye, sitting in the corner of his room beneath his window, almost beckoning her towards it.

'There's a letter in my desk that is addressed to you, in the case of my untimely demise. Read it when you're ready, okay?' She frowned at the memory, that specific memory being half of the reason she'd dared to set foot in his room in the first place. Her fingers shook as they wrapped around the drawer handle, before slowly sliding out the top drawer where indeed, a letter sat ready and waiting addressed to Cora Sallow herself.

She took the thin envelope, which smelled faintly of pine, and smiled. It still retained the scent of that stupid cologne he wore, even if it had been in this room for a month. Taking the envelope and tucking it within her jacket, as well as the small bottles of cologne she knew he had stocked up in his desk drawer, she briskly made her way out of the building without leaving a trace of herself behind.

"Got some keepsakes, I see?" Erwin asked her when he saw her approaching in the courtyard, a saddened look on his face. She hadn't been as close to Erwin as the other four, but she had grown to like him over some time. Although he could be a bit intimidating, and a bit obsessive over the outside world, he had his heart in the right place when it counted.

"Nothing but memories now," She answered with a sad smile in return, the first smile she'd shown in weeks. "Still, no matter how much stuff I pile in here... I don't think it'll ever be enough."

"I understand," She nodded before carefully sliding her added on luggage into her carriage, a slight frown tugging at her lips as she did so. "Cora, you don't have to do this-"

"I do, Erwin." He sighed, whatever argument he'd begun to form he knew would merely fall on deaf ears. Instead he reached a hand out for her, the least he could do being offering a firm handshake for her hard service. She shook his hand without hesitation, she had no qualms with this man as far as she was concerned.