On The Ground (Lexa)

10.

Lexa woke in the middle of the night to the sound of someone moving about the novitiate chamber. With the nine of them sleeping in there, it was not uncommon for one to get up during the night, but the sounds of these movements were unsettling, almost frantic. Lexa sat up, looking around through the darkness; the other novitiates slept soundly in their beds, but one bed was empty.

The chamber door opened slowly, letting light from the hall filter in while a shadow silently slipped out. Lexa got up to follow, shutting the door quietly behind her. "Luna? What are you doing?" she asked, seeing the other girl from Trikru tiptoeing through the hallway.

Luna had changed out of her nightgown and was fully dressed in pants and boots, a sword was strapped to her waist and a pack was slung over her shoulder. She wore a black robe, the hood obscuring her face from view, but Lexa knew who it was even with the shadows cast over her deep blue eyes. She stopped in her tracks, letting Lexa close the distance between them before speaking.

"I'm doing what I told you I would," Luna whispered. "I'm doing what is best for our people."

Lexa stared at her a moment, trying to process what she was saying. And then it clicked. "You're running?" she asked. "You're running away? Abandoning the conclave?"

"Lexa, we both know that the other novitiates do not stand a chance against you. You are the commander that our people need, not me. And I will not fight you," she explained.

"You don't know that!" Lexa replied, her voice rising but she quickly caught herself, careful not to draw attention from any patrolling guards. "What if I fall, Luna? Trikru needs one of us to become commander. If you stay, we have a good chance at making that happen."

Luna shook her head. "I can't be the commander that the people would need me to be. I'm not strong enough."

"You can't do this," Lexa continued. "They'll hunt you down. You'll be banished."

"At least out there I stand a chance, Lexa. Asking me to stay here is asking me to die."

"All of us are being asked to die so that the spirit of the commander can choose its successor. Running away is selfish, Luna, and cowardly." Lexa could feel herself growing angrier by the minute, her green eyes burning.

Luna shook her head again. "No, Lexa, you're not understanding me. I'm willing to fight the other novitiates, I'm willing to kill them and do my duty, but I am not willing to kill you. You are the one that needs to win the conclave tomorrow, and I will not put that at risk. I will not fight you."

Lexa was silent for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm herself. She didn't want to fight Luna any more than Luna wanted to fight her. "Go," she said. "Do what you have to do to survive."

Luna nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she whispered.

"No. Don't thank me. I will always do what is best for our people, Luna, and I can see that you are doing what you believe is best for them too. But, you can't come back here again. Running from the conclave is treason. If I become Heda, I will have to kill you."

"When you become Heda." Luna smiled. "I understand the weight of my actions and bear that responsibility, Lexa. We do what we must to survive. Earlier I told you that I do not know how to make sacrifices for the greater good, but this is my sacrifice to you."

Without warning, Luna took Lexa in her arms, embracing her tightly. Lexa stood rigidly for a moment, but allowed herself to relax. "Mebi oso na hit choda op nodotaim, Leksa kom Trikru."

Luna turned to leave, disappearing into the night. "May we meet again," Lexa whispered to the silence around her.