Warriors At Dawn

Chapter 3: Little Soldier

Maggie pov
Athena *age 3*

"James what did the council say?" I asked in a panic as he stepped through the door. I have grown quite attached and protective of our little Athena, as I liked to call her. James and I have decided we would do anything to protect her at all costs. She would not die if I had anything to do about it before she got to live.

I saw as James closed the door and took a deep breath before he slowly made his way over to me. I started to get a bad feeling. He looked serious as he took hold of my hand before guiding me to the couch. After we sat, he began to tell me the events of the meeting. "I presented our case to raise her as our own and continue to keep her blood a secret as we discussed, but I'm sorry, Maggs, they said it was still too much a risk. We knew this might happen, but we still have fifteen more years to figure it out, alright?" All I could think to do was sink into James as he held me. It broke my heart, but I won't give up on her. They warned us not to do this, get attached, that is. It wasn't my intention, but I came to see how she began to flourish with everything we taught her. As she grew, I knew that she would only be a threat or a monster if that's what we introduced her to become, and that was simply something I could not do.

"That's not all the council said," James said as I let go of him to meet his gaze. I held my breath, waiting to hear the rest of what happened at the meeting. "The doctors have been testing her since birth and presented new information to the council. They found the difference in her blood and said it would significantly affect her physical ability. She will grow much stronger and faster than any girl her age, starting in her bones, and she will be able to heal at a more accelerated rate. Nothing too crazy but faster than most people can." He gave me a moment to process before continuing. I gave him a nod to signal him to keep going. "That being said, they recommended the council use this to their advantage. Rather than let her gift go to waste, they decided she should be trained to become what they consider the perfect soldier. Someone stronger than any other guard, and no one would question her out of fear. Someone who they could....control."

His eyes met mine as I started to tear up. "Maggs, this is the only solution to keeping her alive until we figure out a better plan. As a head guard, I was asked to take over her training which is the best-case scenario. I would be completely devoting my time to training her, and with that comes complete control over what and how she is taught. We can show her the good and teach her to be strong. She will get through this." My head was spinning, and I couldn't tell if this was good or bad. What I did know was that we had no choice in the matter and had to make the best of the current situation. There was one question swarming my brain that I had to ask. "When do they want her to start?" He looked at me and then brought his lips to my forehead before saying, "Now."

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My hope is to give more insight to her time on the ark to get a better understanding of her. I hope everyone liked the chapter! Let me know what you think in the comments!