Chapter 16
Lexa spent the morning in quiet peace with Marie within the commander's tent.
The burial ceremony for their two fallen warriors had continued late into the night, just as she had already expected it to. Thankfully, the little girl had still been in a deep sleep when Lexa had joined her in the bed. It had worried her slightly that she had spotted traces of dried tears glistening on the girl's roundish pale cheeks in the dim moonlight which had filtered into the commander's tent and she internally wondered if the girl might have had a nightmare before. But her own deep exhaustion had quieted her worries quickly and Lexa had followed Marie into sleep only moments after lying down.
In the morning, the little blonde girl had woken her punctually with the rise of the sun and her slight squirming movements next to Lexa had woken the commander promptly. Lexa was used to having a light sleep as her life depended on it. Her position as the commander was dangerous enough that she always had to be vigilant of a possible assassination attempt, even while she resided in one of the protected villages of Trikru she could not feel entirely safe.
After Lexa had helped the little girl climb down from the bed, Marie quickly vanished behind the screen, separating the bathing area of the tent from the rest, to relieve herself and returned to the bed only a few short moments later with a kind smile turning the corners of her little mouth upwards.
Lexa stretched beneath the furs, biting back a little yawn of exhaustion. She had probably not gotten more than three hours of sleep during the previous night and felt that now. "Do you wish to sleep some more?" Lexa questioned the little girl with a hint of hope underlying her tone. She wisely had not scheduled any meetings for the early hours of the morning and knew that she now could afford to sleep in before her attention would be needed later when they would plan the attack on the invaders.
Marie titled her head to the side, grey eyes peering up at the woman inquiringly. She did not feel tired anymore, but she knew from her parents, that adults liked to sleep longer if possible and her father had usually allowed her to climb into bed with him, if she had woken up first. They would then continue to lie in bed together and cuddle. Sometimes she would fall back asleep again and other times she just enjoyed the closeness and listened to her father's soft snores. She had always known when it was time to finally get up for real as her father would usually tickle her fully awake then, before sending her off into the bathroom to get ready for the day.
Marie noticed now that Lexa appeared to be more tired as well. Her green-eyed gaze was not as sharp and awake as it had been the day before and it seemed that dark shadows were slowly forming beneath her eyes.
So, Marie slowly climbed back onto the bed and crawled under the fur Lexa was holding up for her invitingly. She immediately nestled herself back against the woman's side and quickly felt her own eyes growing heavy again as well. Lexa had snaked one arm around her and Marie felt her long fingers softly drawing soothing circles on her back, before she unbidden drifted off to sleep again.
Anya was slightly surprised to hear from Gustus that the commander had not left her tent at all yet. She knew how short the night had been, but it was still untypical of the woman to still be in her tent.
Gustus let the general enter without any hesitation and Anya remained standing in front of the bed in almost astonished silence for long moments. The fact that Lexa had not woken up at her entrance showed Anya clearly how utterly comfortable her previous second was in her current position. The younger woman's features were completely relaxed and the hint of a contented smile was playing around her mouth. Marie was lying on top of Lexa's upper body and the commander was protectively holding the blonde child even closer to her chest with both arms wrapped around her little body. Marie had nestled her face into the crack of Lexa's throat and was sound asleep as well.
Anya hovered in front of the bed uncertainly. She internally was happy to see Lexa obviously feeling so well in the closeness of another human being, after the younger woman had held up her strong unapproachable facade of not feeling anything so long after Costia's death. She knew that it certainly would get complicated and difficult for the commander to keep the little girl so deep in her life, but it was obvious that the decision had already been made and she would do everything within her power to support her with it.
Weirdly enough it was Marie who woke up first a few moments later. The child blinked her grey eyes open slowly, stretching herself a little on top of Lexa. It took her another moment to spot Anya standing next to the bed and her roundish features pulled into a welcoming smile, looking up at the general with her grey eyes shining. "G'd mo'ning, Anya" Marie breathed out in a soft tone.
The girl's movements together with her soft words, finally woke Lexa up as well. The brunette woman though seemed way more surprised to spot her former mentor standing beside her bed with a weird expression on her features. Lexa knew how dangerous it could become if she let down her guard and internally, she was angry at herself. If Anya had been assassin, there was no doubt within her mind that Marie would have been dead before she had even woken up.
Marie seemed to sense Lexa's suddenly darkened mood and a confused little frown settled on her features. She had still felt comfy and all warm when she had noticed Lexa tensing beneath her. Before she could have said anything though, the commander quickly sat up, her arms still wrapped around Marie for a moment and before she knew what was happening, she was standing next to the bed, blinking up at the woman in startlement.
Lexa gave Marie a little nudge in the direction of the tent reserved for bathing "Wash yourself" she ordered in a slightly brisk tone.
Anya sighed under her breath at the commander's apparent annoyance. She knew the younger woman well enough to be able to identify her little cues, like the slight clench in her jaw and the way her fingers twitched at her sides, before Lexa balled them into fists.
It was obvious that Marie was more than just a little confused at Lexa's brisk tone and the child blinked at the commander in rising worry for a moment, before her grey eyes switched to Anya.
The general gave the young girl a slight smile and mutely nodded her head for Marie to follow Lexa's order.
Lexa watched the minute exchange with a frown and it only fuelled her annoyance at herself.
"You are both protected here" Anya exclaimed in a carefully measured tone. She knew that she was no longer in the position to lecture the younger woman about anything and she was still not fully certain on how close they were again.
Lexa just snorted under her breath and rolled her eyes at the general; they both knew that she was never safe. Could she really take over the responsibility for Marie's young life and put her in that kind of constant danger as well?
Anya offered to let Marie accompany her to her planned training with Tris, sensing that it might be better to let the brunette mull over her thoughts in solitude for now.
Lexa gratefully accepted the older woman's offer. Marie had seemed fascinated enough with her swords that she was certain that the child would love the opportunity to watch a combat training.
Marie was visibly unsure once she joined them back in the main part of the commander's tent and the little girl kept her distance, remaining in the middle of the tent forlornly.
Lexa resisted her internal urge to pinch the bridge of her nose and instead forced a smile onto her features "You can go with Anya and watch her train with Tris" she informed the blonde child in a kind tone "How would you like that, little one?" she added in an even softer tone.
Marie's expression remained neutral for a moment as she processed the woman's words and her grey eyes seemed to search for something within Lexa's features, before she nodded her head and a smile began to brighten her features again at the prospect. She did not really know Tris yet, but she was really curious to see how well the older girl could already fight.
"Come on then" Anya offered to the young girl, reaching a hand towards her "We will grab something for you to eat on the way" she added, knowing that the child could not have had breakfast yet. The girl was too thin to miss out on any meals if otherwise possible.
Marie seemed happy enough to accompany the general out of the commander's tent, after Lexa personally had made sure that the child was dressed correctly and that her wild blonde locks had been put into place, tamed in a single braid now.
Marie let her gaze travel around them, holding on the one Anya's hands as she was led through the village. It was obvious that the inhabitants of TonDC had been up and about for some time already as the village appeared pretty crowded.
She still received a piece of bread with cheese and an apple for breakfast from a hut. Anya had asked for it in their native tongue and Marie promptly wanted to know what the specific words had meant. She tried to mimic their pronunciation under her breath a few times, trying to memorize their meaning as well. She wanted to learn this foreign language as quickly as possible.
Anya listened to the child's mumbled tries at Trigedasleng with a mixture of amusement and fondness. The girl's pronunciation was still far away from what it was supposed to be, but she did not think it pressing to correct her at this moment. She could only fathom how impressive all of these new experiences must be for the little girl and it was good that Marie showed interest in her new surroundings, showing her wish to adapt to it. The girl would need to adopt a completely different way of living if she was to survive on earth and blend in with their culture. But she guessed that it would be easier for Marie to adapt, as she was still very young.
Marie was still munching onto the bread when they reached the training pits. Anya directed the girl to sit down in a safe place, where she would not be in the danger of sitting in the way and being overrun accidentally, and called Tris over to her.
Marie curiously let her eyes flit over the older girl, taking in the sword dangling from her hip and the leather armour she was wearing. She wondered if she would look like that too one day in the future. She had asked Anya on the way if she would be allowed to partake in their training somehow, but the general had immediately denied her.
She sat down cross-legged, looking up at Anya and heard her speak a few curt words to Tris. The older girl nodded her head and a moment later both of them stood facing each other, sword in hand. Marie watched with rapt fascination how the two circled around each other for long moments, before Anya attacked.
Her mouth opened in a little "oh" at the speed and ferocity of the attack and Tris seemed barely able to raise her own sword up quickly enough to catch the blow and Marie heard the sound of the metal colliding ringing loudly through her ears. But she understood perfectly now why Anya had denied her plea to be allowed to participate. She remembered how heavy Lexa's swords had been and she knew that she would not even be able to raise it so high above her head, like Tris was doing, or quick enough. It also seemed as if Tris needed almost all her strength to catch the general's blows, so she knew that she herself would probably had fallen over after just one attack.
Marie continued to watch Anya and Tris fight with each other for what felt like a long time. The older girl had visibly broken into a sweat, but it seemed as if the general had not really exerted herself at all yet.
A group of younger children playing with each other near the edge of the forest caught Marie's attention some time later and she could not tear her gaze away from them. She could hear their bright laughter echo over towards herself even louder at times than the warriors fighting with each other. Marie internally wished that she could just walk over to them and ask them to join in with their play, but she was afraid that they would not want her to play with them.
Anya had noticed that Marie's attention had been on the group of children ahead of them for some time now and she sent Tris to wrap up their training with making a few rounds to boost her stamina. She stepped closer to the young girl, crouching down beside her for a moment.
Marie turned her head away from the group of children quickly, once she noticed Anya next to her and a sheepish expression settled onto her features "I was watching" she claimed.
Anya snorted slightly under her breath; she had seen after all that Marie had stopped paying any attention a while ago, but truthfully the child had watched them longer than she had anticipated beforehand. "Do you want to play with them for some time?" she asked the girl, when Marie's gaze returned to the group of children a moment later.
Marie nodded her head immediately but her first reaction of enthusiasm was dimmed quickly and her tone sounded unsure and soft as she asked "What if they don't like me?"
Even though Anya was crouched down right next to the child, she had to strain her hearing to catch Marie's whispered words. She highly doubted that the children would reject Marie though. She knew that children could be quite harsh though, but Marie would need contacts with children in her own age too. So, she inclined her head towards the blonde girl "You do not know if they like you or not until you have tried. And if they do not like you, then you can make them like you" Anya tried to reason with Marie.
Marie contemplated the woman's words for a few moments, before she seemed to straighten her posture and finally got up from the ground, walking over to the group of children with her head held high.
Anya watched the child near the group of children with an amused smile softening her features. It was plainly obvious that Marie was just trying to pretend to be sure of herself, but it seemed that the children were reacting at least with curiosity to Marie.
Her attention was called to Lexa suddenly appearing beside her though. The commander had obviously calmed down again and her green eyes were fixed on Marie.
"She is trying to make friends?" Lexa asked with a slight frown knitting her brows together. She had grown up in a small village and most of her childhood had circled around training. She had always known that she would one day have to participate in the conclave, so making friends had never been on her list of priorities. She had known that she would either die in the conclave or become the commander. Being commander meant to be alone. She had accepted this lesson with a bleeding heart after Costia's demise. She hoped that it would be different somehow with Marie though.
Anya inclined her head in agreement, looking back over to the blonde girl. She frowned as well, when she noticed how Marie had crossed her arms over her chest. The other children seemed to not be laughing with the blonde child any longer, but rather were laughing at her now. She sighed under her breath in rising annoyance. She would have wished it for Marie that she was easily accepted, but the child was still visibly a foreigner.
Lexa's expression also had darkened visibly and the younger woman seemed to contemplate interfering on the child's behalf.
Anya shook her head at her former second "Let her deal with it on her own" she advised. They could not always be with the girl to fight her battles and Marie would need to find her place on her own.
Lexa narrowed her eyes at her general, but remained standing beside the older woman with barely hidden impatience.
"Can I play with you?" Marie addressed all of the children in what she hoped to be a firm tone and smiled unsurely at them.
Two girls immediately nodded their heads, answering her smile with a welcoming one as well. The boys appeared less than ecstatic about her arrival though and the one who looked as if he was the oldest one openly sneered at her.
"How should you play with us?" he asked in a hostile tone.
Marie's brows furrowed together and she crossed her arms over her chest. She was lost for words though.
The boy's dark eyes glimmered in what he regarded a small victory and he looked back at a tree behind him. He quickly climbed up the tree, calling down loudly "Let's make a race!"
The other children seemed happy about the prospect and Marie was left standing in front of the trees.
"You are not from here" the boy shouted down, hanging from one of the lower branches with ease "You cannot play with us in the trees! You are not one of us and cannot climb"
Marie's frown deepened when the other children joined in on his taunting laughter and her lips thinned while her grey eyes flashed angrily. She would prove to them, that she indeed could. With determination burning through her veins, Marie approached the tree and somehow tried climbing it. She managed to get up a few branches without a problem and a triumphant smile settled onto her features "See, I can" she retorted towards the boy.
The boy did seem openly surprised "See, if you can keep up" he continued to taunt the younger girl though and jumped to another branch easily.
Marie tried to follow the other children and she smiled brightly when she managed to follow them for some time, but a moment later, she slipped and lost her balance. With a shrill scream, Marie fell down from the tree, falling onto the ground with a thud.
Lexa and Anya had been discussing the attack on the invaders while watching Marie and both immediately hurried over to the child the very moment her balance obviously slipped, but they were not fast enough to catch her.
Lexa's gaze was slightly murderous as her eyes connected with the boy who was now openly laughing at Marie, which promptly shut him up.
"Are you hurt?" Lexa asked the little girl in a worried tone, crouching down next to her, ignoring the other children still in the tree.
Marie's expression showed her shock and she was shaking slightly as she tried to stand up again, but a pained grimace settled onto her roundish features as her weight settled onto her leg. "Hurts" she breathed out with a sob already mixing into it.
Lexa immediately pulled the child up into her arms, cradling her little body to her own protectively "A healer will look at that immediately" she informed the girl and let one hand gently run over the child's back, before she tried to sooth her in a soft tone.
Anya followed the commander through TonDC and shortly left them to summon a healer to the commander's tent. She hoped that the girl had not broken a bone. She knew that a broken bone still mostly healed well in a child that young, but it would make everything even more complicated.
Marie slightly sobbed under her breath, feeling the fright settling into her system as she clutched onto Lexa's coat.
"Sshhh, you are safe, little one" she soothed the girl in her arms in a soft tone "You will be alright in no time" she promised, keeping the child close.
"I don't like t'ees no mo'e, mother" Marie retorted in a whiny tone, once Lexa had carried her inside the commander's tent and sat down with her.
"Oh, I am sure that you will like them, once you have learned how to move in them, little one" Lexa promised the girl in a soft tone, allowing Marie to lean away a little, so that she could gently wipe away a few tears from her round cheeks.
Marie leaned into the gentle caress for a moment, before she shook her head in denial "T'ees are bad" she retorted with the conviction of an offended child.
