A Different Landing

Chapter-39

Charlotte stood silently in the shadows behind the commander's throne. It was her first day back at full duty since they had returned from the mountain. Her side still ached dully and was tender, restricting her movements when bending beyond what the average warrior could handle. However, she was capable of serving as a common guard. She was also finding it amusing to watch the way she could practically see the hairs rising on the back of the bald sour faced advisers neck at her presence. The other guards had seemingly accepted her easily thanks to her bond with Aden and Tris. It was the stiff adviser who was paranoid and untrusting, he'd do well in Azgeda.

She saw Aden standing with a few of the other nightbloods. She'd found them all to be excellent training partners and looked forward to being back in top shape so she could do so. For now, at most, she just showed them up with her ability to throw knives with pinpoint accuracy. They were a strong group but the way they behaved changed when they were together. They were far more polite and submissive when grouped together or if Titus was passing nearby.

The ambassadors on the other hand made her want to sheath her daggers into something a little more alive. They were foolish, jockeying for position and gains for their clans that didn't matter at the end of the day. Really, she was surprised Lexa had only kicked the one out of a window and that was a story she really ought to ask Aden about sometime.

Her attention snapped to where Lexa seemed to be idly tapping on the arm of her throne. She understood it as her family's bastardized form of Morse code. Shock seemed to roll down to the tips of her toes, she had not known Lexa knew that. Clarke must have taught it to her. It wasn't exactly a secret considering they had been teaching it to civilians in the Ice Nation in order to help with those who shared similar struggles to Dax. Still, it wasn't something that she would have expected Clarke to share with Lexa. Paying attention, she made sure she had the message she was repeating down before she slipped easily out of the room.

She was unsure about why she'd been ordered to Lexa's private chambers but she didn't ask either just quickly doing as told. The passageway was exactly where Lexa had informed her it would be and she easily dropped from the ceiling into the room. Deciding on a defensive position, she found a corner where a tapestry ended, leaving it shadowed and melded herself into it and waited. It didn't take long for the doors to open letting in Lexa, Gustus, and Anya. Charlotte stepped out of the shadows as soon as the doors closed.

"Sweet spirits!" Anya exclaimed as soon as she noticed her. "How do you do that?!"

Charlotte grinned. "An assassin must always be the knife in the dark. They must become one with it. It is their role to be unnoticed until death is already inevitable."

Anya stared at her rather blankly. "Cheery, I'm sure you're full of other hopeful lessons."

"Anya enough," Lexa said clearly wanting to get to business as quickly as possible. "I didn't summon you all here to argue or snark at each other."

"Why did you summon us Heda?" Gustus asked.

Lexa sighed and seemed to tense along her shoulders. "To plan the invasion of Azgeda in the event of Klark failing in her mission."

Charlotte hissed but settled quickly. She'd known this was coming. After all, she'd been told to inform Lexa that the army was within a day's travel of the capitol just that morning via radio. The letter from Clarke rested in her inner breast pocket where it was safe. Swallowing, she spoke first. "What do you plan Heda?"