"My Warrior"

Chapter 12 "A bit about Wanheda"

Chapter 12 "A bit about Wanheda"

Clarke's POV 

Lexa is driving down the road, her free hand in mine. We are almost home, (when did home become her house). Squeezing her fingers, she glances at me, and I ask, "Can we stop at grounders?"

     "If you are up to it. I just thought that you would want to relax tonight." She says, already pulling over.

     "I do want to relax, but there is something I have to do first." I tell her.

     I feel guilty, Junie lost two of her people and a little boy lost his parents. I can't help but feel responsible for the deaths and the damage to the restaurant. I can tell that Lexa isn't all that excited to go in, but she still helps me out of the jeep. 

     I lean on her for a moment, before kissing her cheek and saying, "Lexa, I am ok."

     She shakes her head a moment, takes my hand in hers, "I know you are, but you almost weren't. You almost died." She says quietly as she opens the door to the restaurant.

     I don't have time to respond, though I know it is a conversation we will have to have at some point. The moment we step in the door, I am engulfed into a firm but gentle hug. I stiffen for a moment before realizing that I am in no danger; it is just Junie.

     I fall into her arms, sobbing, "I am so, so sorry. It was all my fault."

     I feel Lexa reaching out for me, but Junie shoos Lexa away. "I've got this, Lexa." Junie says, pulling me into the back.

     Junie pulls me over to a stool, wrapping her hands in mine, looks into my eyes and says, "I am going to tell you a story about a battle our people once had. It was the longest battle in our history. We had been fighting the enemy for years. The enemy lived in the caves of a mountain. They would take our people from us. What they did with our people, we never knew. The Heda at that time knew we could defeat them, but not alone. The enemy of our enemy is our friend."

     Junie pauses for a moment, "We were at war with many people at the time. All we knew was war. It was how we survived. The alliance was meant to accomplish two things, the defeat of the mountain men, saving both of our peoples and to bring both clans together in unity. The plan was going as it should have. Most of both of our people were rescued. Heda and the other leader, Lana stumbled upon one last cave."

     Junie shudders before continuing, "Inside, it opened to a massive size room and that is where they found out what the mountain men were doing. They were using our people for food and that is where they found Lana's parents, or what was left of them. In her grief, Lana burned everything in the room and as they left, she caused cave-ins, sealing off the mountain men and killing everyone left inside. It was days later that Lana realized what she had done. She had killed off a whole civilization. It earned her a new title, Wanheda, commander of death. She fulfilled her part of the bargain, bonding with Heda, but she was never the same. Years later, her guilt having built up, she left, never to be heard of again."

     "Most stories have meanings behind them. What is the meaning behind this one. Raven told me that Wanheda is a god or goddess symbolizing rebirth. She said it was something she read once on ancient civilizations." I tell her.

     Junie smiles and says, "Guilt is a powerful emotion. It can eat one up and destroy who they are. Most times it is also misplaced. With Lana it was misplaced. The mountain men would have always found another way to take people. In killing them off like she did, she saved many other lives. You should not feel guilty about the actions of another. Nothing that has happened, has been your fault."