Fixing Clexa's story to give them an ending they deserved (an *ending, not the journey they deserved). They are clearly endgame but it turned into a bit more of an adult-themed journey to get there so just a warning it takes a slightly dark turn ar...
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It's dusk when the girls finally approach the outskirts of the capital. Vendors are closing up their stands for the day in the square, as soldiers without any orders sit around a couple of fires tossing back jugs of ale. There's a slight uneasiness in the late summer air and Lexa shifts in her saddle a bit as she takes in the city, searching for signs of where things stand among the citizens.
"You should stay here, I'll retrieve Indra to escort you to the tower." Luna says.
"No." Lexa says firmly. She repositions herself on her horse, sitting up straight with her shoulders pulled back and her right hand rested on the dagger sheathed at her waist. Now that she's here eyeing the tower ahead, she isn't nervous or afraid. She's back in her element and anyone wishing her harm, well, let them try.
Her nerves simmer under her skin, sure of what she intends to do. Slowly, the two trot out from the tree line into the city.
Several people immediately notice the two girls sauntering into view on horseback. The Commander's red sash is unmistakable and it does not take long for the low murmurs to escalate and what starts as a few fingers pointing in their direction becomes a crowd forming to line the path to the tower. "Heda! Heda!" voices from the crowd call as many try to push forward to get as close as possible, several arms reach out towards the horses. Lexa and Luna survey the faces, still suspicious and alert.
The commotion and crowd catches the attention of the guards up ahead, and soon Indra and a handful of her men appear and clear the rest of the path to the tower.
"I need to see Aden." Lexa says as she dismounts.
Indra nods, "Follow me Heda."
"Gather the council, no ambassador leaves the throne room." Lexa barks in her commanding tone at one of the guards. Her skin pricked up yelling out orders again. No, nothing had changed. This is still her city.
With that her and Luna follow Indra, who leads them underneath the tower, to the Flamekepa's sacred shrine to the first commander.
Not many even know of the shrine's existence, since noone but the Flamekepa or current commander was really allowed entrance. The Trikru's religion around the flame was rooted mostly in myth and stories of the spirit of the commanders, reinforced each Ascention by the reciting of the lineage.
Only the flamekepa and current commander actually knows of the tiny chip placed inside the commander's skin at the base of their neck. With Titus dead, Lexa makes a mental note to be sure to pass on the commander's notebook and ritual knowledge to someone.
Or perhaps she doesn't.
Maybe things did not need to continue as they always had.
Walking into the shrine room unnerved her. The stone walls felt dungeon-esque, and something about the crude paintings on the walls, symbols and depictions of the first commander creeped her out.
