Sky Above Me, Earth Below Me

Chapter 8

EMILY
After the events last night, we gathered the council and reported the news about the survivors. Then the image of the fragile girl with golden curls hunts me. The same girl that hunts me in my sleep. Ever since I set my eyes on that beautiful golden curls and icy blue eyes I never stop thinking about her not even once. Sure I have my own fair share of women but no matter how I tried to forget her there's just something about her that wants me to get to know her more. I restrained myself not to snatched her to the other man's arms. She's dangerous for me, she could be my weakness and I couldn't afford to be weak. That's why I tried to avoid her after that night even if they were my responsibility as a commander. I never visit the infirmary, I would ask my men to do that for me and Lexa noticed it that I'm trying avoid that girl like a plague. I was pulled out by my thoughts when Lexa look at me with questioning look and also the rest of the council. Shit. I cleared my throat and said "ahmm..come again?". Then the ice nation representative spoke "It seems that your distracted commander." And smirked sarcastically. That made my blood boil but I tried to calm myself. "She doesn't have much sleep actually we all do and your heads rest in her hands so I understand if the commander is little bit not herself. I think that is all for today. You're all dismissed." Lexa said. The council immediately left the room. I rubbed my temples and closed my eyes. "What's with you lately?" Lexa broke the silence and asked. I look at her, she was still sitting on her throne playing with her favorite dagger while waiting for me to answer. "I'm sorry Lex.." I said. I couldn't even explain it to my bestfriend, I'm so fucked up and confused. "You know you can't hide it from me." She said while focusing on her dagger, turning it around repeatedly. I was shocked and stared at her. "What do you mean?" I asked. "C'mon Emily you may hide your feelings from other people but you cannot hide it from me, I know you too well... It's that golden haired sky girl right?" She asked. I was paralyzed on my seat. Ofcourse he knows we practically grew up together. She can read me just like I can read her easily. I sighed and answered "I'm fucked up" then she smiled. "We all are. Just don't let our people know your weakness." "Yes I know. I wasn't planning to." I answered back.

5 DAYS PASSED

"We can't wait any longer!! We need answers now!" The water nation representative Luna said. We are gathered again in the throne room, trying to solve the uprising problem. The 3 women was still in the infirmary and 2 of them are still unconscious. We needed them for they were the only ones encountered the reapers. We are still at risk for the barriers are now gone. I look at Lexa starting to turn her dagger while in deep thoughts. Now the councils are bickering to one another. Stupid fools. "SILENCE!!!!" I said which they immediately responded. I was about to say something when the door of the throne room opened and a nervous looking Titus entered the room. "Sorry to disturb you your excellencies but the sky women are causing a commotion outside wanting to speak to you personally.." Titus said. Then we heard noises outside, metals scraping, men shouting and a loud bang that causes the hinges of the double door loose. The warriors came rushing in making a barrier to protect us. I stood up as well as Lexa. Then the brunette who shifts entered then the brown haired girl and lastly the girl who hunts me day and night walked to the room looking extraordinary despite what happened to her. Finally I could see a glimpse in that icy blue eyes of hers. I could sense power radiating power from her. I think she used to be one of the high ranks of the sky people as well as the other 2. The warriors started aiming their guns at them. "THAT'S ENOUGH! STAND DOWN!!" I command my warriors. "But commander they are a threat! why would you tell your men to lower their weapons?!" answered the dessert nation representative Caleb. Stupid as always. "Because general they are the only living creatures in this room encountered the reapers!" I spat my words at the stupid general. "As I said lower your weapons!" I shouted at my men which they complied. "NO YOU ARE ALL BLIND!" Said the desert general and pulled the trigger. My eyes widen when his gun pointed directly to the golden haired girl but everyone freezes when the 3 bullets just stopped in front of her. She gazed at the general and smirked then the bullets just fell on the floor making it useless. "GENERAL FROM THE DESSERT ISLAND CALEB DATIRI YOU REJECTED A COMMAND FROM YOUR COMMANDER!!! I THEREFORE STRIPPED YOU DOWN FROM YOUR RANK AS THE QUEEN OF THIS KINGDOM I DO NOT TOLERATE TRAITORS!! GUARDS TAKE HIM AWAY!!!" Lexa spat her words like venom ready to poison anyone. She is beyond upset right now. "AND YOU SKY PEOPLE YOU ARE INSIDE MY TERRITORY LEARN TO RESPECT MY PEOPLE AND THE PEOPLE WHO HELPED YOU! DO NOT JUST GO AROUND AND PICK A FIGHT!! WE MAY NOT AGREE TO ONE ANOTHER BUT WE HAVE GREATER MONSTERS TO FACE!!!" She continued, acting like a true ruler.  "Warriors you are dismissed." I command them which they followed immediately. Now the room was filled with awkward silence. We stared at the 3 ladies standing before us and they returned our stares as well. Then a voice broke the silence.
"You know we will not fight like that if your warriors will treat us with respect and stop man handling us like a piece of crap... your highness" the brunette spoke with sarcasm at the end. "I never took you for a clown shifter" said Lexa. "Shifter.. nice come back highness" the brunette answered with a smirk on her face. "What do you want to talk about that caused some of my men injured and a broken door?" Lexa spoke. Then the golden haired girl stepped forward "I believe we haven't introduced ourselves properly, your highness. I'm Lady Allyson Fierce second in command of Princess Clark Eliose Griffin daughter of the late Queen Abbigail Thermopolis Griffin. My bloodline possessed the powers of levitation and creating force fields.We've met before but I think you didn't recalled." She looked over to her right where the brown haired girl stood and continued "This is Lady Octavia Metropolis 3rd in command. Her bloodline can harness metals and manipulate them." Octavia bowed slightly at us to show acknowledgment and respect. Then Allyson turned to her left where the shifter is and said "This is Raven Reyes 4th in command. As you witnessed already she's a shifter. Her bloodline can copy anything or anyone." Then the girl just nod. I almost let out a smile for her stubbornness. Then Lexa spoke "Now tell us what happened to your land." I could see fear in her eyesa when she glance at us then look down. She sighed then started to talk " After we came here and asked for your help which your people rejected. We came back home and plan immediately our next move to save our people. But the missing people are increasing that causes our population to deteriorate. The princess did not stop looking for clues searching everywhere within our perimeter. Later on we found out that the ones taken them might be outside the barriers. Since our barriers are facing on the outer edge of this world than yours, we will be the first one to be attacked if creatures really do exists outside the barriers. Then one night the queen was slaughtered inside her chambers. She was drained with blood that's when the barriers was taken down. They took it as an opportunity to invade our land. They... they look like living corpse... some of them we recognized.. it was the missing people. They we're fast and they do not die easily. You need to aim on the head in order to defeat them. They were too many for us to handle even with our powers its like everytime we defeat a pack of them another immediately adds on.The princess command the nobles to fled with their people inside the forest in order to save their lives.

She sobbed but immediately composed herself "I was with her in the whole fight, the kingdom was vacated but we remained there killing what we can. Until the princess found an opening of their portal which they came from. We pushed through  the reapers and tried to get closer to it. The more we move forward the more reapers we fought. We are all injured and exhausted but we didn't care. Our goal was to shut the portal down and kill every last one of them. Raven and Octavia was separated from us during battle. The princess commanded me to make a force field to replace the barrier. She told me to.. track down our people and try to cover them all ex-except her. I realized what she's planning to do and I opposed it. But in that moment we don't have much choice but to try..." she tried to stop herself from crying but her eyes betrayed her. As well as the othe two girls Raven and Octavia. "She sacrificed herself to protect her people..That's why we saw fire and heard explosions..." Lexa said in half-whispered voice while staring at Allyson blankly. "Yes.. she set everything on fire with a full blast. It was dangerous to use our powers to it's fullest extent, it may harm or kill us.  The last thing I saw was her beautiful smile... she still smiled to reassure me that everything will be alright before running deep into the reapers hole then that was it.." Allyson covered her face and kneeled down after sharing the events. Hearing her cry and seeing her like this made my heart bleed. I gripped my armrests tightly that it almost crack. Everyone was silent only the sad silent cries of the 3 sky ladies filled the room. I glance at Lexa and was shocked to see a tear fell from her eyes. This is the first time she showed emotion even on her father's death she didn't cry not even once. She wipe it off immediately and concealed her emotions again putting her mask. Partly this was also our fault, if we didn't let our prides win.. we could have helped them and might end up differently. It seems the council was also in deep thought and felt their agony. We stayed silent to give them time to mourn for their loses, to their once called home and their loved ones.