Very sorry about the delay. It has not been the best year for me in any way. I have done my best to get back to writing. I have chapters ready in advance so I will be posting them shortly. My apologies to those who have left because of the delay, and for those of you who have still stayed, thank you. And to those who are new, welcome :)

Chapter inspiration- What Lovers Do- Maroon 5

W Is For Raven

Raven groaned as she sat in bed bored out of her mind. Thesda had been gone for hours along with her friends, making the only company the guard that checked in every half hour to ask her if she needs any assistance. He was friendly enough, but after the fifth visit she was getting irritated.

Knock knock

Raven scowled at the door before pausing her tablet and slapping it down next to her. "I DO NOT NEED ANY ASSISTANCE!" she screeched, "I SAID I WOULD SHOUT IF I NEEDED YOU,LEAVE ME ALONE STUART!" She huffed, satisfied her work here was done.

"Stuart is not his name, nor am I him." Thesda's voice came from the door. Making herself known before opening it.

"Oh shit sorry!" Raven crumpled up her nose. "The guard you left is just annoying and... wow you look hot as fuck and - Raven stopped her rant as a small boy with the biggest brown eyes she had ever seen, peered behind Thesda's legs using her as a human shield. She tilted her head to get a better view.. "Who is the cute half pint?"

"Why don't you go and introduce yourself?" Thesda nudged the boy forward who was curiously studying mechanic. "You will need to address her in gonasleng, she does not know our language well enough."

"I know a few words!" Raven protested making the boy giggle.

Deeming her no longer scary the boy walked up to Raven ,pulling Thesda along with him by her hand, the height difference making her walk hunched. But with encouragement of Thesda being by his side he spoke.
" Umm hi Waven, my name is Wune. I am this many old ," He let go of Thesda's hand and showed her four fingers, still clutching his bear close." And I'm here to keeps you safes."

Raven's mind wandered as she was trying to make sense of the situation. The boy backed up into Thesda's legs holding on to her cape like a blanket, clutching his stuffed toy with the other hand. He was obviously well taken care of, his cloths were very good quality for your average Trikru child.

"Raven?" Thesda raised her eyebrows before nodding her head towards the boy who watched her waiting for some form of response.

"Oh sorry, spaced out a little there. Probebly because I'm from there. Well I lived in a ship in space, that's in the sky. Far far away..." The boy gasped and ran over to the bed to rest his chin on the edge looking at Raven ramble on. "Anyway, I'm Raven Reyes from skykrew. Sass master , sweet talker, certified genius and the youngest zero-G mechanic in 52 years." Raven held her arm out in a greeting to the boy which he accepted.

"It is nice to meet you Waven." he turned and tugged on Thesda's cape for attention. She bent down so he could whisper in her ear.

"Of course you can, I'm sure Raven would love some sweet cake." Thesda called for the guard, Stuart as Raven decided to name him. "Please take him to the kitchens, he may take whatever he wishes. Do not take long."

"As you wish." he lowered his head before leaving with the boy hot on his heels.

There was an awkward silence as Thesda sat on the edge of the bed "Is ...Is He yours?" Raven played with the blanket on her lap feeling Thesda study her.

"Yes..But not in the way you assume." Thesda answered carefully. "It was..Is..Complicated." she hesitated. "Remember I mentioned have a seken in Polis? Well that is him."

"Babe, he's a half pint. He's half of a half pint. That kids a QUATER PINT!." She shook her head in disbelief.
"It is not uncommon for us to take sekens of a young train and become great warriors." Thesda said in defence. "He has had a better life with me. The alternative is not favourable in anyway.

"Sorry baby. I'm not saying your doing a bad thing, I just expected him to be... Older. And The R thing.. Its just made my head go boom." She made the motion of her head exploding. "And Its not just that, its the way he looks at you. This isn't just training baby." Raven watched Thesda lower her head. "He looks at you like your his mother, he was literally attached."

"I know." Thesda sighed as she sat on the edge of the bed, playing with the furs.

"How..Where did you even get him?"

Thesda sighed sadly. "As you know we lost many people to the mountain. The people they took had families, children.."

"Orphans." Raven concluded. Thesda nodded in response.

"I went on a hunting trip with Lexa and Hyatt years ago, not too long after Azgeda. Lexa thought it would be good for me to get out of the city for a day or two. We found a small village that had been destroyed. Many were killed, the rest we assume captured by the Maunon." Thesda placed her hand on the bed and Raven took it in her own. "I just had this..This feeling that I had to check. Does that make sense?"

Raven nodded. "Yeah, I know that feeling all to well. So if you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

Thesda finally looked up at Raven. "It all came to pass four winters ago..."

Flashback.

"We should not stay." Hyatt muttered as they saw bodies scattered over the village. This was not the hunting trip anyone wanted, This should not even come to pass. Especially not here.

"Maunon." Lexa growled as she picked up a gun shell and rolled it between her thumb and index finger. "They slaughtered them like animals."

"Ripa." Thesda muttered as she rolled over a foul smelling corpse. "They bought Ripa here. There has not been an attack this close to the capital. They are becoming brave. Far to brave."

"Heda." Hyatt called out. There's a trail leading east, I would say they have taken at least twelve of our people." He gestured to the disturbed ground. The soil was torn apart with boot prints and signs of horses.

"We must stay alert. The bodies are still warm, their spirit have not long passed." Thesda added as she left the Ripa. Heading towards a half destroyed hut. "Lexa, there are multiple tracks here I think-"

"Thes?" Thesda could hear Lexa call out but didn't reply. Seconds later, Lexa was beside her ,frozen in turn. Shortly followed by Hyatt. Thesda didn't need to say anything as Lexa looked on in horror. Before them lay the rest of the village.

The elderly and the young. Slaughtered like cattle, like there lives meant nothing. The elders bodies draped over the children in a last effort to preserve there lives. Lives that had been cut short, far to soon.

"They will pay for this!" Lexa snarled through gritted teeth , her knuckled white as her fingers gripped her dagger.

"Thes?" Hyatt whispered noting Thesda was not paying attention to 's attention was else where, staring into the trees.

"Do you hear that?" She drew her swords.

"Sha.." Lexa said slowly as she drew her own weapon. "Hyatt watch our backs."

Thesda advanced on the noise, something deep inside her telling her she had to go. It was like a magnetic pull. Like a force was willing, no. Pleading with her to go.

"I think we should leave. It could be a trap." Hyatt added quickly.

"You can watch the horses..If you wish" Lexa said lowly.

"He does not like mysterious things. They cause him shivers." Thesda whispered as Lexa took the lead, moving three paces ahead.

Hyatt sighed before following. "Women will be the death of me." He muttered as he closed in on the duo. Lexa definitely heard his complaints as he received a glare in response.

Lexa came to a stop and crouched on the floor, dipping her fingers into the sticky substance. She followed the trail of the red liquid with her eyes.

"Blood?" Thesda questioned.

"Sha. Still fresh." Lexa wiped her fingers on her cape, making no difference to the colour of the material.

Thesda scanned the area noticing damage to the trees. "There are round arrows in the trees.."

"Firegon."(gun) Hyatt agreed.

"Someone ran from the village, possibly trikru." Lexa followed the trail of broken twigs and blood. "They where hit." She pointed to the spray of blood that painted the trees trunk.

"Over there!" Thesda hissed as she noticed a leg behind a fallen tree, motioning for the others. Lexa nodded at Hyatt, who quickly understood. With his weapon at the ready, he moved with a deadly silence around the corner. He paused for a brief moment before turning quickly.

"Heda come quick."

Thesda and Lexa joined Hyatt to discover the corpse of a mountain man and a badly injured woman clinging to an infant. The mans white clothing was striking in comparison to the red circle that had spread from the knife that was embedded in his chest.

"Hyatt, go back. Being the horses." Hyatt moved without hesitation, sprinting off back into the trees.

"He..da?" The woman muttered as she tried to move.

"No no, stay where you are. You need to rest.." Lexa said as she removed the child, who started to wail.

Thesda held her arms out for the child , Lexa handed it to her quickly. Uncomfortable handling a wailing infant. Thesda made quick work of checking the boy for injuries as she wrapped him in her blue cloak.

"The goufa?"(The child)

"He isn't hurt, just cold." Lexa nodded in response as she started tearing fabric off her cloak. She needed to stop the bleeding as fast as she could. She worked swiftly while muttering calming words to the woman.

The woman's eyes moved to Thesda as she watched her with her son. Thesda smiled as the boy grabbed her hand and babbled. Thesda raised her eyes to the woman and gave her a soft smile.

"Thesda, I need you to press here." Lexa motioned to the cloth she had placed on the woman's wound . Thesda nodded and Lexa moved quickly to get supplies as Hyatt came into view.
Once she held pressure to the wound she knew the outcome. Lexa had tied off the wound to her leg to stop the flow of blood. But the one she took to her side had caused significant blood loss. The woman's skin was deathly pale, where it would have been once coloured by the sun.

"The spirits listened.." the woman whispered weakly.

"The spirits?" Thesda asked as she pressed on the wound while keeping the sleeping infant close, giving him her body heat.

"Sha..I asked them to ..to Care for my son..And keep him safe." She took a deep rattling breath. "I saw a girl..A girl with a scar. ...she ..she Is the are her."

"You are going to be -" The woman shook her head weakly and took hold of Thesda's hand.

"Beja..Promise me." She coughed heavily, wheezing to catch her breath. "Beja Thesda..."
Thesda looked at the child and then to the woman. She understood what she was being asked, yet she was afraid. She had never thought that she would be in such a similar situation to her own mother. Yet here she was.

"What if your name?"

"Ill..iana." The woman rattled.

"I Thesda kom Trikru, daughter of the General, sister of Heda .Swear to you Illiana that I will care, protect and raise your son as if he was my own." Thesda vowed to the young woman. "I know I am young, but I will give him a good life, I promise you.

Illiana rested her hand on her son and gave a weak smile. "His ..name Is..Rune." She whispered with a smile before closing her eyes for the final time.

End of flashback.

"I did not know at the time, but Lexa and Hyatt watched as I gave her my word."

"She didn't try and step in?"

"The spirits would not allow her to. .She told me she had every intention to step in for me , to take the burden as she said. But in her head the previous Commanders stopped her. It was not the will of the commanders, It was my journey to take. Not hers."

"That's deep. You are amazing, you know that?" Raven kissed Thesda's palm before pulling her closer.

"When we arrived here I had the choice to find him a home, with a family. In some ways I understand why it was offered. I was and still am young, but I could not give him up. I gave Illiana my word. And to be my word is binding."

Raven fell silent as she processed. Thesda seemed to sense it. "Raven, if you do not wish to be in a relationship with me I understand-" Thesda said with a set jaw as she moved away.

"Whoa whoa.I never said anything about leaving you because you adopted quarter pint .I'm not a monster just a shock." Raven pulled her back. "I just wish you had spoken about it more, that's all."

"You do not wish to leave me?"

"Fuck no! Me? Leave you? No way. No could have told me he was your own and I would have stayed. Hell you could have told me you was vegan and I would have stayed and eaten carrot sticks for the rest of my life.I will never leave you." Raven pulled Thesda forward and kissed her soft lips. To Raven it felt like they kissed for hours the way Thesda melted into knew they had to stop soon as the kid would be back from wherever he went.

" .you . " Raven said in between quick kisses.

"I am not sure what a vegan is but I love you also." Thesda whispered into Ravens neck, pressing a few scattered kisses on her smooth skin.

"Where did the little squidglet go?"

"Oh he has gone with the guard to fetch you both sweet said sick people have to have sweet cake."

"Ok the kid is awesome." Raven grinned. "I like him already."

"I am pleased." Thesda beamed before moving topics. "I have to go when he returns as the ceremony is close to starting...Would You like to look after Rune? If not I can get-"

"Its fine baby.I will babysit the kid... Iv got this."

"Are you certain?"

"Pfft me and the kid will get on just fine. Il show him how to blow stuff up." Raven laughed as Thesda jumped out of there hug.

"Raven-"

"Only kidding babe, il do that another day when I don't feel like my back has been kicked in by a horse."