Admission ceremony
The next day is over faster than I thought it would be and there it is: the day of my introduction into the clan in which I will spend the rest of my life. Well, at least I think so. But the truth is that I really have no idea what I have gotten myself into or what will happen in the ceremony. I also don't completely understand how the whole thing with the clans works. I guess I will have to just find out.
What I did notice is that absolutely everyone who lives in Azgeda has a big scar on the side of their faces. Maybe I will become one to today. It for sure looks badass but I am also positive that it has to hurt pretty bad. I don't know if I want that but if that really is tradition then I will have to go through that no matter what.
Yesterday Artis was even more excited than I was that I will join his clan and he immediately started to teach me what I will have to say and what the ice queen, Azplana in Trigedasleng how he told me, will say to me. It won't be too difficult but I am still very nervous that I will say or do something wrong.
When I woke up this morning a maid brought me a beautiful gown with white fur as an accent against the black silk which the dress is made of. At first I thought it would be freezing with only a dress but I soon realised that there was more thick fur on the inside. I got dressed and the maid put me warpaint around my eyes and braided my hair back in five braids on top of my head going to the back and the rest hanging lose. I must say, I love the way my reflection in the mirror looked. And then it was already time for me to go to the beginning of a new chapter of my life.
So here I am now: standing before the doors of the throne room where the ceremony will take place, waiting for said doors to open and welcome me officially into my new home.
The doors open and I walk through trying my best to look confident and determined which I think I succeed at.
There was a second throne added to the front of the room in which Lexa is sitting, her expression as stoic as ever. On the other throne that always stands there sits the ice queen.
As I stride towards Queen Nia, I can see Echo standing on her right side a few steps behind. She gives me a reassuring half-smile and I turn my gaze back to the queen while I come to a stop just an arms length away from the steps.
The queen stands up from her throne letting her gaze travel around the room.
„Oso ste hir deyon gon koma op admission kom branon niron gon Azgeda. Klark kom Skaikru na gon Klark kom Azgeda naton. (We are here today to celebrate the admission of a new member to the ice nation. Clarke of the sky people will become Clarke of the ice nation tonight.)" The crowd cheers loudly until they are silenced by the hand of their queen. Now she turns her attention to me and I kneel down just like Artis told me to.
„Yu ste, Klark kom Skaikru, willing gon dedicate yu sonraun gon Azgeda, fis op em yu branon hou en yuwas becoming Klark kom Azgeda? (Are you, Clarke of the sky people, willing to dedicate your life to the ice nation, making it your new home and yourself becoming Clarke of the ice nation?)"
„Sha. (Yes.)"
„Den swear yu sonraun gon ai, yu haiplana. (Then swear your life to me, your queen.)"
I can feel the eyes of more people on me then ever but despite that I feel confident and proud to become a part of my new home. The nervousness I felt before is gone like it was never there.
„You fealty gon yu, ai haiplana, bilaik ai na teik ai branon hou en emon klirnes fou ai gada in en shil op em kom ai sonraun. Ai na lev op gon gon gona ona dison clan gon raun en wan op kos klirnes kom ai kru taim ai gaf in. Ai badannes ste yun en ai na nowe ton au gon yu o Azgeda. Ai sonraun ste yun, ai haiplana. (I swear fealty to you, my queen, that I will put my new home and its safety before my own and protect it with my life. I will train to become a warrior for this clan to fight and die for the safety of my people if I have to. My loyalty is yours and I will never turn against you or the ice nation. My life is yours, my queen.)" When I come to the end of my oath my heart beats rapidly and I swear I could burst of pride that I made it through my part without stuttering or forgetting any words.
„Den ai monin yu gon dison clan en yu branon hou. Monin, Klark kom Azgeda. (Then I welcome you to this clan and your new home. Welcome, Clarke of the ice nation.)" The crowd behind me cheers but is once again silenced. „Gon completely gon skrap kom th Azgeda yu don sin in tali. (To completely become a part of th ice nation you have to bear the mark.)"
I slowly get up. Now comes the part that I was afraid of. It has to be, I tell myself and watch as a man comes over to the queen, my queen, handing her a knife. I gulp and try to keep my fear subtle but I know it shows in my eyes.
As my queen comes closer to me I throw a glance at Lexa. She is still there with that stoic expression on her face but when our eyes lock I can see something I can't quite put a finger on. Before I can think more about it though, I feel the sharp pain of a blade cutting through my flesh on the side of my face. I will get a different motive for my scars since I am from the sky. The scars vary between the clan you were born in.
I get two deep gashes parallel to each other on each cheek from close to the corner of my eyes down close to the corners of my lips and another on my forehead forming into a „v".
I am pretty proud of myself that I didn't let any sound out. No matter how much I wanted to scream the pain into the world I kept quiet while holding Lexas' gaze trying to find comfort in it.
Now, twenty minutes later, I am through with it and am escorted to a room to clean myself of the blood that's dripping down my face staining the white fur on my gown with an angry red.
As soon as I am in the room I got for tonight I notice a more casual but still solemn attire laying on the bed.
Just as I'm about to go to the bathroom I hear a knock. When I open the door I'm surprised to see Lexa standing there. She's standing straight and has her hands clasped behind her back.
„Can I come in?" Her voice sounds sweet but still somewhat commanding. I open the door further motioning for her to come into the room.
„I was just about to get my face cleaned up." I say that as I turn back to the room after closing the door and watch as Lexa, the fierce commander, comes out of the bathroom with a water bowl and a cloth.
„Come here." There it is again, her commanding tone, in full force. Silently I walk towards the bed where she already sat down and let myself down to her side. I face her and see as she soaks the cloth with a bit of the water and moves it up to my face.
I keep quiet the whole time while Lexa gently cleans my face of the blood thats still oozing from the gashes. When she's done after a while she once again vanishes into the bathroom with the bowl, now filled with dark red water, and the now also red cloth.
While she's gone, I walk over to a mirror. The gashes I could only feel until now look as bad as they feel. They are red and still oozing a bit, though not enough to drip down my face again. I like my new look and it will for sure look even more badass once the red wounds are replaced by white scars. I absentmindedly grin at my reflection until I am startled back to reality by Lexas' voice.
„That looks pretty painful." She once again surprises me but this time with a gentleness in her voice I never thought I would heat from her.
„It's okay. Hurt more when they were actually made. Sure was worth it though." I let out a small chuckle and turn around to look at Lexa. She has a grin of her own on her face.
„Yeah, looks really badass." We laugh at that and I can't help but notice that I find myself to like her laugh. It is feminine and a little child-like, two words nobody would ever associate with the commander of the twelve clans.
Suddenly, there's a knock on the door and Echos' voice comes through the door.
„Clarke, the feast starts in a few minutes. You should really speed a little up. I'll meet you there, okay?"
„Okay." I call back. We hear her footsteps getting further and further away until we can't hear them at all.
„I should probably go." Lexa makes her way to the door but turns around one last time. „I have to get up early to get back to Polis, so I can't come to the feast. I'm sure we will meet again someday." I nod sadly.
„May we meet again."