The One Who's Fallen

Chapter 13

After Artigas comes in and tells Anya and I that Heda is wanting to see us, Anya leads the way from the tent. Nerves settle in my stomach again. I have no idea what this Heda's like. I've heard amazing things about her and her accomplishments, but I have no idea what she looks like. Or who she is outside of the part where she's Heda. Float me, I'm so nervous.

I try to hide my nerves by steeling my expression, but I know it won't fully work. My eyes always betray what I feel, even if I don't want them to.

Anya stops in front of a tent almost twice the size of mine. There are large, heavily armed and muscly guards at the entrance. Anya nods to one of them, an he nods back.

"Heda!" The man calls loudly, making me jump. "Anya and the sky girl have arrived."

"Enter." A surprisingly feminine voice commands.

Hang on, she sounds young. Sort of. She sounds young but with the wisdom of someone twenty times her age. If that makes sense.

Artigas holds the flaps of the tent open for us to walk through.

"You may not enter." The guard tells him in a normal tone of voice.

Artigas nods to him and gives me a slightly reassuring smile as I pass him. The inside of the tent is fancier than anything I've ever seen. There's a table with three chairs in the corner, an area hidden by a cleverly placed fur which I'm guessing is the bedroom, and at the opposite end from the entrance, an intricate throne made of sticks or wood. With a woman on it. A woman that looks like she's only a few years older than me. I thought she'd be in her mid-thirties at least with all she's accomplished.

My steps falter for a moment, but I continue to follow Anya until we're a yard or so away from the throne. The woman (Heda, I'll have to remember to call her that, calling her just a woman would probably be an insult and I don't want my head on a spike) is relaxed on the throne, her arms resting on the arms of it like she's been doing so her entire life. Her legs are crossed, revealing a sheathed dagger against her thigh. She practically radiates power.

Anya and the Heda give each other a respectful nod as I continue to stare. She's wearing black armor that looks really cool, and there's a glove on one of her hands that I'm dying to draw (it has a metal hand skeleton type thing over it). There's a shoulder pad on one of her shoulders that looks bulky, but fits together surprisingly well with the rest of her outfit. It has a red cape coming from it.

Finally, I let my gaze drift to her face and clench my jaw to keep it from dropping open. Holy crap she's gorgeous. Why does the Commander of the Twelve clans have to be beautiful? Her green eyes are piercing into mine, as I fight the urge to look away. It takes me a moment to realize she's wearing a metal gear or something on her forehead. On anyone else, I'd think it looks weird, but it fits, too.

I don't know how long we stare for, but I do notice Anya's amused look out of the corner of my eye.

Heda breaks the silence, making my eyes go back to her. "So you are the one who has fallen from the sky."

My nervousness comes to the surface and I blurt out, "And you're the one who leads the twelve clans."

I'm pretty sure I hear Anya snort ok amusement, but I'm too mortified to focus on it. I try to hide my embarrassment and shyness as she studies me for a moment longer.

Heda rises slowly from her thone, taking a step towards us. "Anya never mentioned your name in her reports."

Oh, she wants an introduction. Right, I can do this without messing it up. Hopefully. I stick out my hand. "I'm Clarke Griffin."

Heda grasps my forearm, surprising me. It's a sign of respect to do this. "Ai laik Lexa kom Trikru. You may call me Lexa."

I'm given permission by the Heda to call her by her first name? Can this day get any weirder?

Heda... Lexa doesn't let go of my arm for a moment, but I don't mind. I'm still kind of in shock that she's young and pretty and wants me to call her by her first name.

Anya says something in Trigedasleng that I can't translate, which may be for the best because Lexa gives Anya a death glare that sends shivers down my spine.

"Come." Lexa says in a calm tone. "We have much to discuss." She gestures for Anya and I to sit at the table I saw earlier. The three of us sit before she continues. "Anya."

Anya nods, apparently knowing what Lexa means. Then she begins to fill Lexa in on what's been happening, both in general around here as well as what's been going on with me.  Lexa courteously makes sure I'm included in the conversation, occasionally asking me to confirm what Anya's said or asking my opinion on a matter.

When the discussion turns to training, Anya says something that makes me enter the conversation. "Clarke is much more studious than you ever were." She jokes (which is another weird thing happening today, Anya making a joke without sarcasm).

"Wait, you're the other person Anya's trained?" I question.

Lexa turns to Anya and raises an unimpressed eyebrow. "You never mentioned this?" She looks back at me (she's been watching me almost the entire conversation, it's both unnerving and cute). "Sha. I was young when she took me as her Seken."

Anya laughs, an odd sound coming from her (just odd because I have never heard it before). "You were very young when I started training you. At first, you could barely lift a sword."

"I had not even seen my third summer, what would you expect?" Lexa says back, a slight twitch of her lips giving away her amusement. Wait. She wasn't even three when she started training?

Anya and Lexa's dynamic is so fun to write, as is Clarke drooling over Lexa (I find myself doing that too)! This chapter comes to you from me and the small dog sitting in my lap for almost the entire chapter. For those of you that are curious, Anya basically told Lexa "your gay is showing". Thank you for the wonderful comments last chapter, they really do make my day! Thank you all for reading, and stay awesome!