The Commander of The Founders: Book One

Chapter Five: The Legacy

The tiny flames of Lexa's orange candles flickered in the wind. The white curtains covering the opening to the balcony blew gently, allowing the sun to bleed into the room. Lexa lied on her black couch. Her head rested on the arm of the couch. A book laid lazily in her hands. Her legs were stretched out across the length of the couch.

Clarke sat on the tan chair across from Lexa. Her feet were tucked under one of the arms of the chair so that her knees were pulled up to her chest. Clarke's notebook was propped up on her knees and she skillfully sketched Lexa on her pad of paper. She matched her breathing with Lexa's calm breathing. Clarke smiled at Lexa as she looked up from her paper to check to see if she was drawing her right. Clarke would not allow herself to get even one thing wrong about Lexa. Lexa was too perfect and to draw a picture that did not resemble that was blasphemy.

Lexa's head moved slightly as she let out a quiet high pitched moan in her sleep. Her body twitched and Clarke looked up to check on her. Clarke relaxed and went back to her sketch. Lexa gasped suddenly and jumped up into a sitting position. Clarke's heart raced and she immediately put down her notebook and drawing utensil. Clarke moved quickly out of her chair and sat down beside Lexa. Clarke put her hand on Lexa's knee.

"It's okay. You're okay," Clarke said tenderly.

Lexa breathed slowly trying to slow her heart and shallow breathing. Lexa put her elbows on her thighs and rested her forehead on her fingers.

"What were you dreaming about?" Clarke asked.

Lexa sat up and adjusted her position on the couch.

"The Commanders before me. They speak to me in my sleep," Lexa said between gasps for air, "I saw their deaths at war, at the hands of an assassin."

"It was just a nightmare," Clarke comforted her.

Lexa looked over at Clarke as if she was naive and stupid.

"No," Lexa said gently, "No, it's a warning."

Clarke looked to the ground and shook her head. She just did not believe that dreams could tell warnings or advice. She did not want to hurt Lexa by telling her she was acting silly.

"They think I'm betraying their legacy. Jus drein jus daun has always, always been the way of our people," Lexa insisted.

"Listen to me," Clarke said more confidently, "A ceasefire is not a betrayal. What you did on that battlefield stopped a war. Your legacy will be peace."

Clarke took Lexa's hand and smiled at her. Lexa gave her a weak smile back. Lexa stood and collected the book that had been thrown from her body when she awoke. She walked over to Clarke's chair and saw her drawing. Lexa felt something melt her heart. She felt her stomach boil with a new sensation. Clare noticed her looking and stood up to retrieve her drawing.

"Oh, uh, that's, uh, that's not finished yet," Clarke stuttered.

Lexa picked up the drawing and stared at it. She was tracing every sketch mark, every texture, every shadow of the drawing. Lexa looked to Clarke in awe. Clarke looked her in the eyes and gave her a shy smile.

"Where did Didrika go?" Clarke asked Lexa.

Lexa gently placed the drawing back on the chair and looked at Clarke.

"Didrika went back to her home. She has to be there for the funeral ritual of the dead," Lexa said.

Lexa looked to the floor. Didrika did not want to leave. She did not want to go back to her home and deal with the harassment. Lexa wondered how she was managing.

-----

Didrika's fingers ran across the furs on her bed. The fur pressed against the gaps between her fingers. It was soft and cold to the touch. Her room was technically not her room. It was the Foheda's room. This was the room where Trea had been killed. This was the room where she spent hours with Trea. She refused to change it on the day of her Ascension. So it remained the way Trea had left it. The only difference was that Didrika had pinned her drawings on the walls. The walls remained beige. The curtains remained blue. The gray candles remained in the same places they were in for the past nine years. The furs remained on the same bed frame. Trea's collapsible bo staff remained tucked under the bed in between the frame boards.