Chapter 18
Polis- Earth- Before the sky fell.
For months Lexa has been on edge, plagued by strange dreams she can never fully remember. There is a woman in her dreams with blonde hair that shins as the sun but Lexa can't see her face. Now and then she will get glimpses of blue serious eyes but the full image never reveals herself. All Lexa knows is she has never met this woman in this lifetime, she does not know who she is and yet every fiber of her being is screaming out that she needs to find her and protect her. When she wakes from yet another dream, she is unable to remember, Lexa wipes the sweat from her skin and sits crossed-legged on the floor. She communes with the previous commanders trying to glean some answers from these dreams but the commanders either don't know or are unwilling to share. Lexa's not sure which infuriates her more.
Lexa rises from her meditation and decides she needs a physical outlet for her frustrations, she puts on her armor with practiced ease before grabbing her sword and making her way to the training ground. Her guards have become familiar with this routine and know that all of them are about to feel the brunt of Heda's bad mood. Once at the training grounds, all three of them circle Heda and attack together knowing that it is the best way to survive against Heda's ferocity in a battle for longer than a few minutes.
They strike one but Heda Lexa she a great warrior, she moves with should ease and precision it is like a dance to watch as she blocks, parries, and strikes back at her guards. Her body is fluid in its motions, mind, and body working together to react in perfect harmony to anticipate the next moves and meet them head-on. Well-timed kicks. A punch here. A hit with the flat of her blade. Heda is fierce and yet considerate. She does not aim to injure her guards only wounding when they have shown a weak spot to teach them where they need to defend more. These are the best warriors of the clans loyal to Heda, she respects them enough to not mortally wound them but she will not let them grow sloppy especially when entrusted with her defense. After a good round of sparring Lexa dismisses them to get clean up while she returns to her quarters to do the same.
Lexa cleans up putting on more formal clothes in preparation for her meeting with the clan ambassador, usually, during these meetings, Lexa would forego her usual war paint as a demonstration at they are one people during a time of peace. However, since the dreams began, she has needed the paint as an extra layer of protection, it gives her confidence but also hides the bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. Heda must not show weakness so when questioned by Titus he approved of her reasoning. The Clans ambassadors had initially been curious about the war paint and had addressed this with her. All Lexa had said was that the spirits were telling her something is coming and she must be ready. As the weeks turned into months, the ambassadors got used to their Heda in war paint during these meetings but were growing skeptical, fearing their Heda had lost her connection to the Spirits. As the days went day Titus begged Heda to address the whispered insults and prove her strength, but Lexa would reply the same. She would tell him to be patient and to wait, that the time was coming.
Lexa sat through the meeting with the ambassadors with a neutral expression on her face, appearing to listen to the squabble going on between Azgeda and Sangedakru as they argue over a trade agreement they feel the other has not fulfilled. Lexa watches them with a bored expression, her mind trying to piece her dreams as it always does in these moments. She is only half listening until she hears the insult spat in her direction by the Azgeda Ambassador,
"You are only getting away with not fulfilling this agreement because Heda is weak...even the spirits have forsaken her." Lexa's concentration snaps back to the moment the other ambassadors either rise to her defense or not, everyone begins to shout. Lexa raises her hand and with a voice full of authority says,
"Daun ste pleni" The room goes quiet, Lexa rises from her seat,
"Join me Ambassador, and I shall hear what you would have me do." Lexa leaves no room for argument as she walks to the balcony, the Azgeda ambassador puffs up his chest and glares in triumph at the Sangedakru ambassador before marching towards Heda to stand in front of her on the balcony.
"Heda someone must pay for the disrespect they are causing my clan by not fulfilling the bargain..." the ambassador begins. Lexa nods clasping her hands behind her back she stands straight before kicking the ambassador over the edge of the balcony. As she turns and moves back to her throne a huge rumble fills the sky above Polis and a huge fireball falls through the sky toward Trikru territory. Lexa smiles, this is what she has been waiting for. She masks her features and turns back to the ambassadors,
"Does anyone else dare to doubt my connection to the spirits?" she questions with a raised eyebrow. She met with a chorus of no's before she dismisses them, sending a scout to discover what has fallen to earth...or hopefully who.