Just as I was about to take a bite of the mush they call food, Indra's voice reached me.
"Hello, Octavia." I dropped my spoon and turned around to see her, dressed fully in her regular grounder garb. I saw her eyes scan my body and stop on my leg, the frown obvious on her face.
"Indra," I gave her a nod and was about to stand to properly salute her but she just waved me off, so I sat back down next to Eretria.
"I got here as soon as the messenger told me what had happened. Are you alright?" I nodded my head, not exactly in the talking mood about my near death situation. I never told anyone, but the nightmares have started. Last night I woke in a cold sweat panting, it's a good thing Clarke is a heavy sleeper. "Well that's good to know. So I hear that you saved the Commander?" She turned to look to Aden before putting her fist to her heart and bowing.
"No need for that Indra. If it weren't for you training this fine warrior, I or my sister would've been dead by now. So I wish to thank you, and may I have a word with you in private?" He stood from the table and led Indra away to another hallway for privacy.
Eretria turned to me, "I hope she says yes. I mean, to you training under Aden. It would mean a lot to him to know that he was training such a capable young warrior to protect me." She paused and took a bite of her food and cringed. I laughed.
"You'll get used to the taste; eventually it becomes tasteless so it won't matter anyways." I took a bite of mine and swallowed without cringing. She looked to me in shock.
"How can you eat this, oh what do you even call it, this slop."
"I like to call it mush so it sounds at least a little less gross than slop, but yea that's pretty much what it is. We have many people to feed here at Arkadia, so the cooks just throw whatever we have large quantities of into a pot and warm it up for us all to eat." I noticed she stopped eating and pushed her bowl away.
"I do not think I will survive here for very long," I laughed again at that, knowing she was right. Eventually even the best of us get used to the mush. I looked into her dazzling green eyes and her long silky black hair, it had two braids on the back of it that went down and tied together.
"I like your hair, Eretria. Who did it?" I asked trying to take her mind off the mush as she began to eat it again.
"Well I've not had any girlfriends growing up being the Commanders sister except Kendra, so it was just me in my rooms most the days, Aden being to paranoid to let me out, learning and doing my hair. I even give Aden his hair cuts whenever he needs them." I nodded my head at that. It was kind of like me under the floors of the Ark.
"Ha, your stories almost like mine. Being the second child on the Ark, I had to hide under the floors my whole life growing up whenever someone would come to inspect." My tray was empty and so was Eretria's. "Here I can take our trays back up," I extended my hand for her tray but she just playfully swat it away, grabbing mine instead.
"I'm not lazy, Octavia. I can take ours up," she walked away and I found my eyes on a particular part of her lower back as she made her way towards the trash can. I looked to the table Clarke and Roman moved to and saw their food practically untouched and papers across the table. Then I turned back to the hall that Aden and Indra disappeared to and saw Aden and Indra talking very calmly about the matter before coming back towards our table. Eretria, Indra and Aden all sat around me at the same time before Indra turned to me.
"I guess I trained you too good if the Commander wants my Second for his sister." She pulled out her knife and pulled the top of my shirt down, exposing where she cut me the first time of releasing me from my duty before I felt the blade do it again. "Octavia gon Skai crew, ai release yu kom duty." I didn't flinch when the blade cut my skin, but out of the corner of my eye I could see Eretria make a face. I almost smiled at how easily she could be unnerved if the situation weren't so serious.
"Thank you, Indra," Aden smiled as he stood and made his way over to me.
"It was my honor and pleasure to give you my Second, Heda." Indra stood and saluted before turning to me, "I will be staying here for a little while, Octavia. If you find some time, come see me and we can talk." I nodded to her and she turned and walked away. I looked to Aden.
"Octavia, later today you, me, Eretria, Roman and Clarke if she wishes will travel to a lake to have you properly titled as Eretria's new guard and Second. Tomorrow, we will start training. I was thinking about having Roman teach you in the art of stealth and observation to begin with, as for physical training I noticed you don't have a bow. Two days from now we will go to the Blacksmiths to have a bow specially crafted for you and will begin archery lessons. We will continue this cycle until you're healed, then begin the physical training."
"With all due respect Commander," Clarke and Roman were coming our way, "I would like to be the one to determine if she's ready or not?"
"Yes Clarke, I trust you as Lexa did. You may clear her when you feel she is ok again." He nodded his head before turning to Roman. "Are you up for a hunt, dear cousin? It seems the kitchen could use someactualfood in here, what say you?"
"Oh Aden, you know I'm always up for a good hunt. I will get the horses ready if you grab our weapons?" Aden nodded his head and Roman left.
"Octavia, I already trust you with my life," I was surprised at his words but didn't show it. Would you and Eretria stay in our living quarters though, while Roman and I are out?"
"Of course, Commander."
Aden nodded before turning to leave. Clarke was still eating so Eretria and I waited for her until she finished before making our way back to our living quarters, Clarke having to go somewhere to help her mother. Eretria took my crutches and put them to the side again, me whispering my thanks to her as we sat in the living room facing each other.
"So Octavia, why don't you tell me about how you got to earth? I heard of the small war that Anya, one of our older Commanders, tried to hold on your people. What happened there? I've heard rumors of a burning star killing our people."
I knew she was talking about when Raven got the spaceship to take off in the air for a small amount of time, killing the majority of their warriors. I wasn't there to actually see it, but I heard Bellamy tell me. God that seemed like ages ago, that was when I was with Lincoln.
Unknowingly, my hand reached my leg where I was shot with the arrow that night, Lincoln taking me away from the battle.
I must've been quiet for too long as Eretria sensed my distance to the topic and quickly said, "I'm sorry. That wasn't appropriate for me to ask of you to relive that."
"No, it's ok. It's just that I wasn't actually there when the Dropship took to the air. My old boyfriend, Lincoln, he was a grounder," this seemed to catch Eretria's interest as she peeked up a little, "I was shot with an arrow so my brother Bellamy asked Lincoln to take me away from the battle, and he did. We later found out that the arrow had poison in it and he carried me all the way to his village where he was willing to die for an antidote, he almost did if I didn't take their only Healer hostage and free him. It just got crazy from there but that's also where I met Indra."
Eretria stayed quiet for a minute before speaking. "I'm sorry for bringing up a sore subject. This Lincoln guy, he meant a lot to you?" I nodded my head. "I'm sorry for your loss. How did he die?"
"Ha," I actually laughed at the memory of killing Pike. "This crazy guy that hated Grounders held a bunch of sick grounders hostage. Lincoln and I, we were at the door to escape, to freedom. But he stayed behind to protect his people and got a bullet for his trouble." My thumbs were playing with each other as she listened.
"Kendra," my head shot up at the mention of her old guard, "she almost died numerous times protecting me. Arrows, swords, cuts, none of those bothered her. She would die in a heartbeat if it meant saving me, and she did. But she wasn't just my guard," our eyes met before she quickly looked back to the ground. "We were lovers. I even took an arrow for her once." Eretria laughed a little before lifting her shirt up just enough so I could see the arrow scar to the left of her belly-button. "Aden never let that go. He almost fired Kendra but I convinced him to let her stay, telling him it wasn't her fault. A few months ago, we were ambushed, Kendra and I in the forest. Azgeda thought they could take me, but Kendra wouldn't allow it. They already killed my small escort and Kendra fought them off enough to allow me to escape that day. I still haven't forgiven myself for leaving her."
"Hey," I called to her. When she eventually met my eyes, I continued, "Kendra died a hero. She gave her life for yours, if you were captured, how many more people would've died fighting to get you back? I think Kendra was a hero for that, and so would many others." Her green eyes bore into mine. The moment between us gone, I abruptly stood and reached for my crutches before making my way back to my quarters. Before I entered though, I looked back to see Eretria still sitting there, before she looked to me.
"Goodnight, Eretria." I went to bed, not waiting for Clarke or anyone to get back, knowing I had a long day ahead of me. As I lay in bed, I thought back to how I was supposed to have physical therapy with Clarke but that never happened.
When I woke up I noticed that Clarke was still sleeping. Looks like I'll be getting ready on my own today. I stood up, got dressed and hobbled out to the living room where a wide awake Roman sat, waiting for me. Candles were lit all around the room, the sun not even up yet as the shadows danced around the walls and books lying on the table.
"Are you ready for some bookwork, Octavia?" Roman's deep voice bounced around. He talked in a hushed voice as to not wake anyone else up as I made my way to sit across from him at the table.
That's how it was all morning until the sun came up and we finally finished. Just as I thought we were about to take a break, Roman took me outside where dark clouds loomed over Arkadia and into the forest. Knowing this place like the back of my hand, I knew we were heading to a lake where we would probably meet Eretria and Aden. I saw Clarke leave to go help Bellamy and Monty on a small mission.
When the forest opened up to reveal the lake, I already saw Eretria and Aden standing in it wearing white ceremonial clothing. I stopped and took my leg cast off and left the crutches on land before slowly, with Romans help, making my way towards them. The cold morning water was up to my hips when we finally reached them.
"Octavia gon Skai crew, do yu swear kom serve en protect Eretria gon Trikru down kom your dying breath?" Aden spoke to me in Trikru language.
"Ai do," I promised.
"En kom gonplei gon her taim yu no longer can?"
"Ai do."
"Den ai declare yu the new protector gon ai sis, Eretria gon Trikru." Aden and Eretria each grabbed one of my hands and I let myself be taken under into the water with both of them, coming out as the official new protector of Eretria. When I emerged with Aden and Eretria, that was the beginning of my training to be the ultimate protector.
