The Beginning of Lexa

8

Forest green eyes snapped open in the dark room. Lexa winced slightly as her neck ached, feeling as if a thousand needles are being pierced into it.

"Remain still Heda." Titus order her, the change in name causing Lexa's eyes to widen. "I am carving the commander's sign into your neck."

Lexa relaxed slightly, the cause of pain at her neck accounted for. 

"I suppose you met the commanders?" 

"Yes." the brunette stared at the floor for awhile, trying to stop her heart from pounding against her chest. 

They remained in silence for awhile after that. Lexa's mind continued whirring with unanswered questions, one standing out particularly. She sighed and opened her mouth to speak. 

"What now?" 

"Now, you lead." Titus' answer was simple. "You will lead us as our past commanders did. The previous commanders will be there to advise you when you are unconscious, and I will be here when you are awake. We will lead Trikru to victory in the war among the 12 clans."

"What if I want to do something different?" Lexa asked, for the first time since the conclave, she felt like she is herself. There may be voices whispering in her head occasionally, intruding on her thinking space, but for the first time since then, she was able to do whatever she wants. Sure, she has some expectations to meet, but how she meets them is up to her. She does not have to kill anyone unless she decides she has to. She does not have to sacrifice lives unless she thinks it is necessary. Everything is in her control now.

"What do you mean Heda?" Titus' hands stopped moving across her neck, the tool in his hands held away from her skin, close enough to feel the heat but not enough to leave a mark.

"The 12 clans going at war is idiotic." Lexa said matter of factly, staring at the stoned floor. "We are fighting one another when there is an enemy watching us, safely hidden behind their fortress of metal. If we bring the 12 clans together, we will have an army bigger than we have ever seen to bring the mountain men down. They have terrorised us for centuries. Stole our people from under our noses. Children, women, warriors, elderlies. It is time for us to take back the reins. It is time for us to bring them down."

"And how would you bring together the 12 clans that have hated one another for centuries, Heda? How would you bring down the impenetrable metal fortress which hides our enemies from us. Holding us back for centuries?" Titus asked, his hands continuing with his artwork across Lexa's neck.

"I do not know the answers to them all yet." Lexa answered. "But I do know that I have to take the first step. Yes, the 12 clans have drifted apart. But I do not think it is impossible to unite us all together. We may be at war, but they still respect the legacy of the commanders. They continue sending Natblidas born in their clans to Polis and train to be Heda. I believe that if I were to ride to each of their clans, with the wisdom of the commanders, I would be able to convince them to be a part of the union. To join the coalition and defeat the mountain men together."

Titus listened intently. If he was not convinced by her words, he was convinced by her tone. Lexa may only be 15 years old, but her voice was powerful and commands attention. A smirk slowly form itself on on the bald man's face. It was that moment, barely an hour since the young girl became Heda, that Titus knew she was special. In his time as flame keeper, he had served 4 commanders and none had made an impression this deep in him. 

"So your plan revolves around your belief?" Titus clarified, finishing the sign on Lexa's neck. "I say that is not a plan Heda, that is a prayer."

Lexa twisted her body, smoothly righting herself to a sitting position. "One has to have faith to make a prayer Titus. If you have faith, there is a chance for the coalition to happen." Deep green eyes challenged sharp brown ones. Challenging him to say no. To say that the plan would never work.

Lexa widened her eyes in surprise when the bald man cracked a smile and nodded.

"Yes Heda. There is a chance. It has never happened before because we had thought it was impossible, so much so that we brushed the idea aside. But you are right. There is a chance." Lexa watched as the bald man returned to the stone table, placing his equipments down, keeping them into a small sachet. She watched as he kept a familiar metal box in a letter belt where other sharp metals were attached to it. 

"Wait." She called out as he moved to keep the needle he had used to ink her. "Leave that, I'd like to have another piece done on my back. In honour of the other officiates."

Titus frowned. "You care too much. Remember, love is weakness. It will result in your death if you are not careful."

Lexa shook her head. "I am not doing this for love. I am doing this out of respect of the people who had to die for me to become Heda. I am doing this as a reminder of what was sacrificed so that I would always do my best to be Heda." 

Titus nodded and left the device on the table. "Is there anything else?" 

"Please call for Costia to enter. Thank you Titus." Lexa nodded her head at the flame keeper.

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Lexa laid down on the table again, her back exposed to the cold air.

"Are you sure Heda?" Costia bit her lips in hesistance she held the needle above Lexa's flawless skin, waiting to be marked for eternity.

"Yes, I trust you Costia. And I trust your art." 

A few minutes prior, Costia was asked by Lexa to design the 6 circles linked by a few lines on her back. When the other girl reached for a paper and coal, she was stopped by the brunette. Her eyes had widened significantly as Lexa explained that she wanted it to be done immediately on her back because 'nothing beats the first draft'. 

And so, Costia set to work. Her hands were warm and steady, occasionally brushing across the brunette's skin. She hummed to herself as she worked, totally immersed in her task of marking the commander.

"What song is that?"  Lexa couldn't help but wonder. 

"It is extremely old Heda."

Lexa scoffed and grinned at the stone floor to whom she was getting extremely acquainted to. "All existing songs are old Costia. No one has touched anything musical besides the horn and the drums since Premfaya."

Costia blushed as she realised her stupidity. "It was from a band, Imagine Dragons, I believe." 

Lexa cocked an eyebrow at the strange name.

"The title is called It's Time. It reassures them that no matter how high they rise in ranks, they will never change who they are. They will remain in the same, down to earth people in the world. They will never forget the ones who helped them reach where they were then. I thought it is a beautiful motto to live by." 

Lexa listened intently, hanging onto every word the dark haired girl uttered. 

"I'm never changing who I am." Lexa tried out the words for the first time. A smile appears on her lips. "I think it is beautiful too."

Her mind brought her back to the warrior who practically brought her up. Barely a teenager herself, she allowed a 5 year old to follow her everywhere she went. She trained her to become who she was today. Without Anya, Lexa knew she would not have survived the conclave.