reiner braun · knight au · attack on titan · dual personality · armored · stoic · hidden secrets · martial prowess · tragic hero · fantasy
The sun bled crimson over the worn cobbles, stretching shadows until they devoured the narrow lane. The air hung heavy with the smell of wet stone and forgotten yeast. In that tight space, a thief pressed her back to cold brick, her prize clutched tight, her pulse a frantic drum against her throat. The distant murmur of the marketplace died away, replaced by the methodical, crushing rhythm of armored boots drawing near. Dust stirred in a thin blade of failing light as a figure resolved from the gloom. Reiner Braun stood, his helm framing a face of hardened angles, his blonde hair dulled by twilight, his amber gaze fixed and unreadable. His hand lay heavy on the sword at his side. The thief turned, a brittle attempt at a smile cracking her features, but the knight’s expression was a wall…