No Hero: Lost Among the Flame

Andi Kom Trikovakru

Lexa

"I see" was all I could say. I wonder if Andi knows what happened to her parents. But it wasn't my place to dredge that up in front of her. She stared at her feet while her shoulder slumped. Then she quietly turned towards the desk and set the drawing down exactly where it had been before. To be honest I didn't know what I should do, the only children I interacted with had been my natbledas.

But Andi wasn't a nightblood, she was Freya's family.

A minute passed where she only looked down at the desk then I heard her sniffle. But she quickly wiped her eyes and crossed her arms still refusing to turn around.

"How old are you, Andi?" I asked in an attempt to distract her. Comforting other people was not something I considered myself to be good at.

Andi turned around slowly. Her eyes were a little red and her arms remained crossed tightly. "Seven" she said. "Almost eight I think" she added trying to think.

"You think?" I asked.

She only shrugged even though the sadness was clear in her eyes. "Mom always kept a calendar. My aunt and uncle tried to keep up with it but ever since Bekka came along it's kinda been forgotten" she told me.

The uncle she's talking about has to be Aden. If Freya purposely saved him and hid his identity then the only person she would trust the secret with was Anna.

"I knew your father, he was a good man" I said.

She unfolded her arms to brush her hair back. "Will you tell me more about him?" she asked interestedly. Again I wasn't sure what to say to the child. She must have read the look on my face because she continued, "Please aunt Lexa, I've heard so many stories about my mom but there's been no one to tell me any about my dad."

Sighing I carefully sat down on the bed behind me. "You do not have to call me that" I said thoughtlessly.

Andi quickly crawled onto the bed to stand on her knees. "But that's who you are" she frowned.

"Andi it is alright just-" I began.

"No!" She cut me off erratically, "Aunt Freya made sure I knew who you are. She -she said you would have liked me."

I sighed setting my hand on her shoulder. "Sit down" I directed in the gentlest tone I could manage. Andi huffed but sat down with her legs crossed. "Fine I will tell you what I can about Sirus" I said. She smiled scooting forward until her knees touched mine. I quirked an eyebrow at the gesture but said nothing of it. "Do you know where your dad was from?" I asked first to see where I should start.

She nodded excitedly, "he was apart of the clan Trikru. Same clan you are from."

A small smile twitched on my lips. I saw so much of Freya in this child already. "Yes that is right. Your dad lived in an important village named Tondc. I visited it often" I told her. She was listening closely to what I was saying. She was even leaned forward the tiniest bit. "He was one of the village hunters and a very good one too. I thought he may do well as a guard even though he was young" I recalled.

Sirus was about the same age as me. Many of the guards in Tondc were older so when I gave him a chance to be a guard he was unsure. Although I think apart of it was nerves from simply speaking with me. It had been the first time I spoke directly to him as his commander.

"The other guards gave him a hard time because of this but he worked hard" I added.

Andi rested her hands on her knees. "What did the guards do? My dad didn't talk much about his life before I was born" She asked.