Clarke was beginning to understand why Lexa had ushered the bald man away from her yesterday.
While Lexa and her waited in the throne room for the clan Ambassadors, the bald man who Lexa called 'Titus' had barged in and began questioning Clarke's validity as Wanheda.
"I believe she is Wanheda. Do you doubt me?" Lexa asked casually but the venom in her voice was unmistakable.
Some of Titus's anger seemed to leave him. "Of course not, Heda. May we speak on this further in private?"
"No. If what you say pertains to Wanheda or her people then she deserves to hear it as well." Lexa said.
Titus eyed Clarke with suspicion before relenting to speaking with her present. "With the Coalition still in its infancy, a variable like Wanheda and her people is dangerous. The clans were just made to accept one Commander to rule over them. Trying to get them to accept another, and one that uses tech like the Mountain Men at that, could tear down everything you have achieved. It would be safer to fully absorb her people, separate them across villages in Triku, and for you to kill her and take her power for yourself."
Lexa shot out of her throne. "You go too far!" She raged.
"Stand down!" Clarke ordered quickly from a throne nearly identical to Lexa's. She had brought in so they could appear as equals while making their case to the Ambassadors. It was convenient that Lexa had a spare throne laying around but it made sense seeing that it was made of beautifully gnarled wood and likely fragile. While Lexa's throne was a dark mahogany, hers was a sun bleached white wood of indeterminate type that stood out in stark contrast to her black armor.
"Do not presume to give me orders, you are not my Commander yet!" Titus roared in indignation.
"I wasn't speaking to you." Clarke said while looking over his shoulder.
Titus followed her gaze and finally realized that Dax was towering over him with his massive hands mere inches from Titus's head as if about to squeeze juice from a fruit. The seven foot tall Sardaukar must have switched on his aural dampener to get so close undetected. Dax took another second to glare at the bald man over his armored half-mask before backing away to the corner of the room.
"To threaten a Fleimkepa is treason!" Titus yelled once he overcame the sudden realization of how close he had come to dying.
"As is threatening a Commander. I suggest choosing your words more wisely in the future." Lexa countered.
Titus's face became scarlet with rage and indignation before he nodded sharply and took up his position next to Lexa's throne.
Shortly after, the Ambassadors began to show up and give greetings to Lexa while viewing Clarke with a wide range of looks.
"I believe you all know why we are here." Lexa began once everyone was seated.
"So it's true…" The ambassador of the Boat People said while locking eyes with Clarke. He was a large burly man with wind-burned rosy cheeks that made him look like he was more at home on a boat than land, let alone a political meeting. A fitting image for a clan ruled by a council of ship captains. She was glad Lexa had given her a crash course on the clans and their political structures.
"We have all seen that Wanheda's star no longer hangs in the night sky. The age of Wanheda has come at last." The ambassador of the Shallow Valley Clan said with relief coloring her words. She was an elderly woman with a mess of grey curly hair and wrinkled, sun-damaged skin.
"If this girl is indeed Wanheda then she is of Azgedan descent. Just look at her features! Her power and her people's power belongs to the Ice Queen!" The scar faced ambassador of Azgeda yelled.
"I belong to no one, least of all your Ice Queen." Clarke growled, voice dangerously low.
"Mind your tongue Ambassador, or I will for you." Lexa not so subtly threatened with a similar tone.
Just then, Huginn and Muninn flew in through the open balcony and perched on the gnarled branches of their respective master's throne and cawing.
A low growl could be heard coming from behind the large double doors of the room. Ontari and Octavia moved from their corners and opened the doors to admit Freki and Geri.
The Ambassadors went completely silent in the presence of the deadly beasts, though not all were silent out of fear. A few, like the Floukru ambassador, were looking at the familiars with unconcealed reverence. Geri and Freki circled the Ambassadors table, snarling as they passed the Azgeda ambassador. Both Geri and Freki padded up to Clark and Lexa's thrones and sat beside them, much to the annoyance of Titus, as he was forced to move.
"The great spirits of the forest truly do serve you. I had heard the stories but…" The Broadleaf ambassador whispered in awe.
Clarke wasn't about to correct him or anyone else for that matter, a little postering could go a long way.
Lexa called everyone's attention with a raise of her hand. "As you can see, and have no doubt heard in the streets, Klark is indeed Wanheda. What's more, she has claimed the lands inside the fog border of the Mountain as hers by right of conquest."
"Some of those lands are within Azgeda borders! You can't just take away our land! Blue Cliff, that land is within your borders as well, what say you to this insult!?" The Azgeda Ambassador yelled.
The Blue Cliff clan was isolated in a mountain range and due to the harsh terrain they were forced to heavily rely on trade imports. They had become very savvy at business as a result. The Azgedan was likely trying to apply to the man's greed and imply that Blue Cliff would be losing money in the arrangement.
The Blue Cliff ambassador sat back in his chair and closed his eyes in thought before responding, "Those lands are uninhabited and dangerous to hunt due to their proximity to the Mountain. With the Maunen gone the area will be much safer. The land has little value, which is why I'm guessing Heda seems to back the claim. What will Wankru charge for safe passage through their lands?"
"As long as Wankru is made aware of the passage there will be no fee." Clarke answered, knowing she had made the Azgedan's plan backfire.
"In that case Blue Cliff has no issues with her claim. Besides, Wanheda deserves a bounty for the heads she claimed in the Mountain. All in favor of backing Wanheda's claim?"
All but Azgeda raised their hands.
"Good. Next, Wankru will join the Coalition as the thirteenth clan." Lexa nearly ordered.
"Just like that!? This is a decision to be made by the leaders of the clans!" Azgeda yet again argued.
Clarke was beginning to wonder if issuing a duel to the death would be considered crass or not.
"Their arrival was prophesied for a hundred years. It would be foolish to argue their acceptance." The Floukru ambassador said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"What does Wankru have to offer the other clans in trade?" The Blue Cliff ambassador asked.
"We have technology that can ease daily life, lost knowledge, art, music, entertainment, medicine and healing techniques that will increase the average lifespan and decrease infant mortality rate." Clarke leaned forward in her throne. "With our help, the Coalition can prosper in ways you can't even imagine."
"Your clan is small, what's stopping someone from simply taking your riches?" The Azgeda ambassador 'hypothetically' asked.
Clarke's smile was wolfish. "An army of Natblida that was trained since they could walk. An army that I only needed one hundred of to wipe out an enemy that has plagued you for a century. Imagine what I could do with a thousand…"
"She surely exaggerates! We must route them before they simply replace the Maunen!" He raged in response.
"Careful…" Lexa warned.
"The Maunen are dead and Wanheda walks among us. We should be celebrating, not arguing." The Shallow Valley ambassador said.
"A drink certainly sounds better than squabbling." The burly ambassador of the Boat People agreed.
"The land and Maunen are inconsequential to us in the Plains. The only thing I'm reluctant on is there suddenly being a second Commander, but if Heda has deemed her an equal then who am I to argue." The dark skinned ambassador of the Plains Riders added.
"Heda has not led us astray yet. Glowing Forest takes no issue with Wanheda or her people." The ambassador said with a respectful nod to Clarke and Lexa.
"All in favor of Wankru becoming the 13th clan and Wanheda assuming her rightful place beside Heda?" The Shallow Valley ambassador asked.
All but Azgeda raised their hands again.
Clarke was silently thanking Becca for inadvertently starting a prophecy to pave their way. This would have been much more difficult otherwise.
The Azgeda ambassador leaped onto the table and ran towards Clarke. His movements were not of a politician, there was no wasted motion, every single movement was deliberate and trained. This was no Politician, this was a wolf in sheep's clothing, this was an assassin.
"For the Haiplana!" He roared as he sailed through the air, a concealed dagger now in hand.
The other Ambassadors gasped.
Titus was attempting to intercept.
Octavia, Dax, Ontari, and Luna already had weapons drawn and were moving with superhuman speed.
Lexa and Clarke?
They remained seated.
Lexa's visage was impassive while Clarke smiled at the airborne assassin with fangs gleaming.
Geri and Freki snapped the assassin out of mid air in a blur of black fur and white teeth. They both had a hold on the man in their massive maws as they snarled. The man attempted to scream in pain but only a gurgling of blood could be heard. The wolves began to rip and tear at the man between them like a grotesque mockery of tug of war. The sound of snapping bones and the rending of flesh filled the room as Geri and Freki ripped the man apart before swallowing him down their gullets.
"Fool." Clarke sneered.
"I believe that concludes today's meeting, Council adjourned." Lexa stated, almost bored, as she rose from her throne, careful to step around the pooling blood that the familiars were now lapping up.
