Chapter Text
Sunlight filtered through the curtains on the other side of the bedroom. Someone had opened the window and the soft breeze made the summer heat a little more bearable. It was still early in the morning. Lexa took a big breathe as she opened her eyes. Another day, she thought. She pushed herself upright and brushed her hair behind her ear. She knew her mother wouldn’t be up for another hour, the queen never woke up before 9 o’clock. At least she would have some time to herself. She braided her hair with practiced ease. One of her servants had taught her when she was only nine years old and she had worn it like that almost every day since.
The queen hadn't been in a very good mood the last few weeks, for obvious reasons. A few months ago one of the courts physicians had diagnosed her with an incurable disease. He had not specified the amount of time she had left, but she was getting sicker every day. While this news must have been hard to bear, her highness had been even more worried about the future of the country. The law dictated that the sovereign's successor needed to be married in order to have a claim on the throne. And Lexa certainly wasn't.
She had never known her father and her already tight lipped mother had always refused to talk about the man. The birth of a princess from a unknown father would have been an immense scandal, which is why Queen Clementine had quickly married a rich son of a duke nearby after her Lexa's birth. They did not love each other, but luckily love had never been a requirement in royal marriage. His name was Korvik and he had the closest thing to a parent she's had. The man spend more time with her than her mother ever had. It had been him who had taught her how to ride horses, how to shoot with bow and arrow. She remembered how he'd stood beside her as he had helped her string arrows.
It had been twelve years since he died, yet she still heard his last words as if he spoke them yesterday. His sharp brown eyes had crinkled a little as he grasped for her hand. You will be a wonderful queen one day Alex. He was the only one who called her that. Her mother did not cry when her husband died. The day after though, Lexa had found her drunk in the banquet hall, all by herself. Her clothes were a mess, which was not like her and she was staring into the empty space before she noticed her nine year old daughter.
Lexa wouldn’t say she really knew her mother. The queen was always busy and Lexa had never been her priority. At least, not until she got sick and people started talking about the future of their kingdom. Lexa had one other sibling, Aiden. The queen and Korvik got him a few years after their wedding. The boy had blonde hair and pale skin, he was about twelve now. Aden had gotten all the good traits Lexa missed in herself. He was really funny, sassy and yet wise for his age. Aiden was the prince everyone loved and Lexa couldn’t even blame people for it. He should have been the heir to the throne. But he wasn’t, he did not bear the blood. She did, and that meant she had to find a partner, today rather than tomorrow.
Lexa slipped into a pair of black pants and a dark grey shirt. She found her favorite boots, tucked away neatly next to the bed. They were worn out a bit and ended just under her knees. She laced them up tightly. Someone knocked on the door.
'Princess Woods?' A voice asked. She recognized it immediately. Gustus was head of the royal guard and one of the very few people Lexa truly trusted. As a child Lexa had begged him to teach her how to fight. She was mesmerized by the way the soldiers moved their bodies. Dancing with swords twirling around them, deathly, but beautiful. It took months before he'd given in, just after Korvik died. She suspected that he had pitied her a little, but it hardly mattered now. Years of practice had turned her into a skilled fighter.
‘Yes?’ She answered, while walking towards the door. The doorknob was made of copper and felt cold under her fingertips. Gustus wore several complicated braids, a style he'd stuck to for as long as she knew him. What was different however, was the look on his face. There was slight concern hidden between the usual stoicism. It didn’t show too much, but Lexa knew the man well.
‘Hello Gustus.’ She greeted.
'Good morning Heda.' He was silent for a second before stating: ‘The queen wishes to see you.’
She glared at him for a second before remembering not to shoot the messenger. Her mother never asked for at this time of day.
Gustus patted her shoulder reassuringly, like he used to do when she was younger. She gave him a short nod in thanks before she closed the door behind her.
-
It was quiet in the main hallway. She passed Talli, a red haired maid who was washing one of the many windows and three of the guards. The palace employed more than fifty members of staff as well as the whole royal guard and she prided herself on knowing all of their names. The queen's floor was located right above the great hall, in the center of the palace. Edgar, a tall man with broad shoulders and dark skin was standing next to the stairway.
‘Blessed morning, princess’ He bowed his head a little, stepping aside.
This specific stairway led up to the queen’s private floor, it was guarded every second of the day, even at night. Edgar was almost always the one on this post during the morning. His patience was definitely something to be jealous of and Lexa knew from sparring sessions that he held up well in battle too. Small windows graced the circular walls of the stair case, the view getting more spectacular the higher you climbed. She wiped the sweat of her brow. It was unusually warm for the time of day.
The palace was surrounded by nature, forests so thick you could make people disappear in them. Sometimes, when there wasn’t much to do in the palace, Lexa would take out her horse just to be away from everything for a few days. Most of the time her duties didn't allow it, but that made these rare trips only more sweet. Lexa used most of her spare time to train her younger brother.
With her back straight and her head held high she took the last step, scanning the hallway.
She heard a soft noise behind her as she walked and turned around slowly. The doors here were almost silent, but Lexa wasn't fooled by that. The queen might have been a trained warrior herself, but she had nothing on her daughter.
‘I see Gustus' training has worked at least a little.’ The queen said, with only a hint of sarcasm.
Lexa nodded once. She had never quite understood the queen's dislike for him.
‘You wanted to see me?’ Lexa asked, changing the topic.
The queen wore a long, emerald green dress, the neckline decorated with beautiful gemstones. It accentuated her eyes, which were light green just like Lexa's. Her mother looked good today, her incredible paleness the only reminder of her declining health.
‘Yes, there is someone I want to introduce you to.’ She answered while staring at Lexa's clothes disapprovingly. ‘After you have changed.’
‘Yes mother.’ Lexa was relieved to see her mother up and about. Still this relief was dampened by the fact that this probably meant that she had to go on another date with whoever her mother deemed to be fit as her husband. The last time the candidate was a 52 year old prince. The man had started bragging before Lexa had even had the chance to introduce herself. After that he started explaining how every kingdom needed a king like him. She could smell his hunger for power from across the banquet hall. Definitely not someone she would want to spent a lifetime with, let alone rule a kingdom.
Lexa had her own room on this floor too, a place she barely visited. This wing of the palace alone had enough bedrooms to house 35 people, without counting the quest rooms. Remains of a time in which the royal family had been a lot bigger. She walked over the thick carpet, and took a look at the walk in closet. The whole thing was filled with dresses, formal clothing and lots of shoes. There were long dresses, the kind her mother wore, dresses with sleeves, several different colors and fabrics and black dresses that were only suitable for funerals. Most of them had never been worn, but her stylist still bought new ones often, although Lexa had asked her several times not to.
She let her fingertips wander over the different textures, until she found the dark red dress she was looking for. The dress had A high neckline with complicated lace patterns on the back. It was long enough to be formal, yet casual enough to wear on a date. Since she had no idea who she was dressing up for, a neutral choice seemed to be the best option. Besides, this one had pockets. She slipped two of her daggers into them and applied some make-up. A pair of dark heels completed the look. The woman staring back at her in the mirror did not really look like her, but the people she had been set up with to date never really cared about such details.
-
Lexa walked into the reception hall where her mother was waiting. She was surprised to find a blonde woman standing next to the queen.
‘Miss Griffin, may I introduce you to my daughter, Princess Alexandria Woods.’
Lexa still didn’t know why her mother introduced her personally to this woman.
The woman bowed her head a little. Her clothes she wore were just like the clothes Lexa had just changed out of: a black shirt with long sleeves, pants and low boots. Lexa blushed a little as she realized she must have misunderstood the intention of this meeting. The queen would never set her up with a woman, let alone a commoner wearing the type of clothes the queen despised on her own daughter. Why would the queen ask her to change into fancy clothes, just to meet a new member of staff? Lexa didn't recognize the woman and that was quite weird as well. New people usually started with simple tasks within the royal household, to make sure they could be trusted. She was kind of sure that she would have remembered a woman as good looking as Clarke.
‘Lexa, this is Clarke Griffin.’ The queen said, introducing her with a gesture. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, your highness.’ Miss Griffin said. She had a deep voice with a slight accent. Her eyes were blue like the sky in summer. Lexa had to force herself to look away.
The queen looked at Clarke with slightly pursed lips before explaining. ‘Miss Griffin will be your assistant, starting today.’ She said. It makes a lot more sense now. Lexa's maid left a few weeks ago, wanting to spend more time with his family. He did his job well, but Lexa was silently quite happy he was gone. She didn't mind cleaning up after herself, or chosing her own clothes at all.
'Clarke.' The blonde said. The Queen looked at her in surprise, as if she had forgotten the woman could speak. 'You can call me Clarke, I mean. Ma'am.'
‘Welcome, Clarke’ Lexa hid a smile.