Hostile Peace

4 - Titus Sucks

"Luna do not be afraid; Lexa can handle all your force. Strike with everything you have, how will you learn if you never try. Again." Instructed the Commander.

It had been 3 years since Lexa discovered who sheidheda was and Lexa never forgot the words of her Commander. The novitiates were gathered in the training grounds of the tower. The training grounds were located in a clearing surrounded by trees and consisted of multiple circles with a diameter of 6 metres. In each circle there were two natblidas duelling, with one exemption where three natblidas stood. The natblidas were grouped depending on their skills, Luna and Lexa were the most advanced and thus were paired together. Next was Gideon and Miles, then Louisa and Martina and lastly: Harlow, Arlo and Koa. The Commander was going from circle to circle, giving bits of advice and even stepping in to teach certain steps to particular natblidas. Lexa paid close attention to what the Commander was doing, when she noticed Titus walk over to the Commander. Soon after Titus escorted the Commander over to the bushes near the water stand.

"Oi, Luna look at that" Lexa said throwing her head in the direction of Titus.

"What?" Luna asked before following Lexa's line of sight to see Titus and the Commander talking. "What you think that's about?"

"I don't know, but I definitely want to find out, come on" Lexa said with a wave of her hand, beckoning Luna to follow her. The two girls walked over to the water stand and ducked under the table holding the water. From this position it wasn't hard to make out the sound of Titus arguing with the Commander.

"I beg your pardon Commander, but you've grown too close to the natblidas. I've seen how you look at them, you love them for Becca's sake!" A flustered Titus was wagging his stupid finger in an annoyed Commander's face."

"Don't beg me to forgive your impoliteness Titus when you don't mean it." Rebutted the Commander.

The girls shared a look of amusement as they saw Titus getting his ass handed to him.

"Honestly Titus what's wrong with love? Tell me? Don't claim that it's weakness, you know full well that it is not. Love is the reason that we fight for our lives, the reason we don't just give up and stop trying."

"But it is weakness" Titus insisted, "It leaves you vulnerable to attack. What if Azgeda holds them at ransom to get to you?"

"Titus, if the nightbloods got kidnapped that would be your fault... Are you telling me that you can't protect the nightbloods and that they are at risk of kidnapping?" The Commander shot back at Titus causing him to stumble on his words and step back. "Don't be a fool Titus. It would be an honour to die for the natblidas, their lives are far more important than mine, they are the future of the clans."

"But Commander the Clans cannot lose you- "

"I will always die Titus; the life of a Commander is not a very long one, I've already surpassed the longest reign of a Commander. The novitiates were born for this they have been ready since day one. Any one of them would make a brilliant Commander."

"But you've grown too attached to the novitiates! You spend all your free time with them, you let them skip lessons to go to the markets! I've heard you teaching them! When did compassion become a pillar of a Commander what happened to control?"

"Control comes with strength you fool! Titus did you ever think about why Malachi ended up the way he did? Did you even thing about why he went on a murder rampage and why you had to kill him? Did you ever think about why you became the stuck-up person you are today?" As she said this the Commander stepped forward until she was right up in Titus' face, "You and Malachi share something in common. Neither of you were offered any compassion and love, and that is why you are you and he was he. I will not let the future generation suffer from the safe mistakes that Maffei kom Boudalan and your mother made."