fragile | clexa

chapter one

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Since ten years, Lexa had been Heda.

Ten years of killing and battles.

Ten years of seeing people at their worst, seeing people dead, seeing people tortured.

And yet it was that day, after a decade, that she saw the worst one of all. That day was it, that Titus knocked and signed his death sentence with a present Lexa apparently was supposed to enjoy.

It was a pretty day, actually, starting with a cancelled meeting and the chance to sleep in, then the sun warming up the city quite nicely for early spring, and even the meeting at noon was cancelled. Lexa thought, in fact, that it was one of the most relaxed days she'd had in a long time.

Until there was a heavy, quick knock on the door that foretold Titus and Lexa braced for some drama.

"Titus," she greeted as politely as she could, with only a slightly annoyed undertone. She motioned for him to come in, behind him following two guards with a box carried between them. "What's going on? Is everything alright?"

"Yes, of course, Heda," he said, "I thought of a little present for you. A quite great present I must say!" He clasped his hands behind his back. "I'm sure you will have your fun with it, it's a shame no one has thought of this for the Heda yet."

Lexa forced a smile.

"That's very nice of you," she said, and had to hold back from raising a brow at the wooden box that now stood on the ground of her throne room.

"Usually every Heda is gifted with one at their ascension day, as they need a little bit relief too, but it had been quite difficult since you uh- were rather young," Titus went on.

"Ah," Lexa replied with raised brows. The guards stepped away from the box and he smiled, seeming so utterly pleased with himself it confused Lexa only further. The box was bigger than Lexa had thought it to be at first, and she shot Titus a questioning look. He didn't answer it.

"Open it," he ordered instead.

Lexa wished the guards hadn't obeyed after they had.

At the sight in front of her, Lexa wanted to so many things, she could do none at all. She wanted to throw up, and she wanted to hit Titus, kill him. It wasn't the first time she'd wanted to do that.

"Leave her," she heard Titus say to the guards, but it sounded so far away. Then he was closer. She didn't want him to be.

"I will leave you, too," he said. He probably expected her to say something, but she kept her mouth shut.

At that moment, she couldn't have said anything if she had wanted to. As the door closed, she was still staring at a girl, so incredibly thin, bones showing under her bruised and bloody skin. Her hands were tied and she was gagged, as if she could run away in her current state. She had no muscles on her, her blonde hair seemed too weak and it was incredibly pale, just as the few inches of skin that weren't red or blue. She was shaking, as much as the box, now seeming tiny, allowed her to.

It was a box for hostages, or the worst prisoners. They had had a Mountain man in one lately, but Lexa would never imagine such a fragile thing inside of it. As a gift. I thought of a little present, she heard Titus say in her head. Every Heda gets it, as they need a little bit relief. Now she definitely wanted to throw up.

"I'm going to lift you out of the box," she announced as softly as she managed with her disgust, but not before she'd kicked out the rest of her guards. The girl tried to stop herself from shaking even more, but she managed only poorly. When Lexa's hands were on her body, though, it seemed like something inside of her clicked. She went stiff, and as Lexa carefully lifted her up, trying to touch only the little clothing she was wearing, the brunette could make out a tattoo on the hurt, pale skin.