Natrona
Clarke's pov
The feast is exactly what I expected. Loud and full with people who drink themselves into oblivion. Music plays and children like adults dance. I have to try hard to keep my expression blank when I see a boy, maybe eight years old, bow to a girl, same age, and asks her to dance; a reminder that I wasn't that different when I first came down here. But then I learned how to survive, became a warrior and then a queen, forgot how to really live. I changed, for the better or the worse I can't tell, I can just tell that I hope that the boy doesn't have to change like that.
I'm pulled from my thoughts when someone stands beside me. „Are you enjoying the feast?"
The commander stands right beside me, almost brushing our hands together so I can feel the heat radiating from her body.
„Sha. It's very... entertaining."
I can hear a small chuckle. Did I actually make the great commander of the 12 clans chuckle?
„I know. Standing on the sideline is quite entertaining but I think participating is even better. Don't you think?"
I can smell her sweet scent. How can something so minor be this intoxicating?
„Are you asking me to dance with you, commander?" There's a smirk playing on my face but I don't make any effort in hiding it.
„Depends. Would you accept?" I can hear a smirk like mine in her voice. She already knows the answer.
„Why don't you try and find out?"
She moves to stand in front of me and offers her hand in my direction. „Would you do me the honor and dance with me?"
She doesn't bow like the boy did but I didn't expect her to either way. In the end she's still the commander.
To answer her question I only place my hand in her's and let her lead me to the dance floor. The music stops for a short moment, announcing the end of the song they just played, and starts the first tones of the next one. It's slower and the pairs around us get closer together.
„Was that part of your plan?" My smile is evident in my voice but I don't care. Not with her pulling me into her personal space and placing her hands on my waist. I let it happen and place in turn my hands on her shoulders. She pulls me only a fraction closer and brings her lips to my ear.
„No, just a great coincident." Her whisper sends a shiver down my spine.
I don't say anything in response, just pull her the possible bit more into my embrace and lay my forehead on her strong shoulder. I know I shouldn't do that, I shouldn't even dance with her but the warmth of her body against mine and her scent filling my nostrils make me forget all that.
She's become even more gorgeous in the past three years. Her eyes are still a piercing green and it still is my favourite color. I already caught myself in the ceremony thinking about what her perfect lips would taste like, what it would feel like to trace my lips along her sharp jawline.
Suddenly, I'm extremely aware about our close proximity and am grateful for being able to hide my face from the rest of the room.
„You became a great warrior in the past few years, Klark." She says.
„And you became a quite good commander, commander."
„Only quite good?" I can feel her raising her eyebrow against my cheek. „And I asked you to call me Lexa. Don't you remember?"
„How could I forget, Leksa?"
Her body shivers against mine. Do I have the same effect on her that she has on me? Before I can say something, Echo stands behind my. „Ai haiplana?"
Reluctantly, I pull away from Lexa and turn to my friend. „What is it, Echo?"
„There is a... situation in your room. You might want to come with me and see for yourself."
I turn one last time to Lexa. „I had a great evening. Reshop, Heda."
„Me too. Goodnight, Klark."
The first thing I see when I enter my corridor are my two guards, dead.
„Echo, what‘s the meaning of this?“ The sharpness in my voice could cut the air around us that‘s thick with tension.
„Ai haiplana, an assassin planned to surprise you in your room tonight to kill you.“ I can tell she‘s leaving something out.
„Speak. I will not ask you again.“
She‘s going even more rigid and I know she‘s afraid of my reaction to whatever she has to say.
„He is from our clan.“
I can feel my insides twisting and growing heated, the fury bubbling right under the surface of my skin. My expression stays blank and the only response I give is a nod; even when I want to do so much more but I will wait until I have the guilty under my knife to let it all out.
I‘m already looking forward to it.
„Where is he now?“
„Behind this door.“ Echo gestures to the door of my room. Good.
„You can leave now, Echo. If I need something I‘ll send someone. And send me new guards, they can clean this mess and take position after.“ I point to the corpses lying on each side of my doors. Without saying anything else, I stride through inside my room.
The screams resonate through my room; so loud in fact that the can certainly be hears floors below and above us.
All I‘ve heard from him so far are his cries. I love how I can ripple those sounds out of even the fiercest warriors. Or in this case assassins.
„Chon sent yu? (Who sent you?)“
He spits in my face, a mixture of saliva and blood. I don‘t even blink. Instead I twist my knife inside his stomach, enjoying a new wave of screams.
For occasions like this I‘m grateful to have been taught about human anatomy by my mother since I was old enough to understand what she‘s saying. But I don‘t want to think about her now, or ever, so I concentrate on the man in front of me again.
The door swings open and reveals the commander, swords in her hands and ready to fight. She relaxes slightly when she sees that I‘m fine. At least until her eyes land on the assassin behind me.
„What happened here, Azplana?“ Her gaze turns back to me.
„He was sent to kill me. Now he should speak or he will wish he was dead soon enough. Also I have to make my way back home tomorrow at first light.“ I say while I twist the knife a little further to underline my second sentence. My attention turns back to the man.
„Chomouda dula yu op gaf in frag op ai? (Why do you want to kill me?)“ At that he does start to speak. But not before I pull my knife out and dig it into his shoulder.
„Azgeda beda nou ste skrap kom eni kangeda. Oso mebi na rule odon moun clans taim oso kep in gonen. Oso ste mou yuj kom emo en Heda beda nou ste superior gon oso. O oso haiplana. (The ice nation should not be part of any coalition. We could rule over the other clans if we keep fighting. We are stronger than them and the commander should not be superior to us. Or our queen.)“
I growl and rip my knife out of his body.
„Yu ste nou longer kom Azgeda en yu na receive wamplei by thauz kot op kom we natrona yu ste. (You are no longer from the ice nation and you will receive the death by a thousand cuts as the traitor you are.)“
The commander is still there. I can feel her presence but I don’t turn around.
Not yet.
„I will tell Indra to make sure your horses are ready in the morning.“
Now I do turn around. „Thank you, Heda.“
I bow one last time for what I suppose will be a long time and make my way out of my room to get Echo. She will have to stay in my room tonight so we can guard the traitor in turns. As much as I trust Lexa, I don’t trust her warriors enough to not let him flee.