The Shield of Heda

Then Comes Peace

"Lexa, abo-..."

"Stop." She said Harshly, turning to look at me.

"Did you forget? I am your Heda, therefore you shall address me as such."

I struggled to keep myself from letting out an exasperated sigh. She wasn't going to make this easy on me at all.

"Heda, about what happened that night... We need to talk about it... YOU need to talk about it." I could see the cogs turning in her head, her silence and lack of response shows that she was at least listening to my words.

"You are my best friend, my only friend... and I am yours. I care about you, and seeing you suffer in silence, knowing there isn't anything that I can do because you won't let me... It hurts. I don't want to see the strong woman that I've grown to care about suffer anymore, please Lexa... let me help you." I finished softly, staring into her eyes. I could see them moisten a little at my words which gave me hope.

She stared at me in silence for what seemed like forever before finally speaking. "James, I-..." she was cut off as one of the generals approached us from the now setup camp. Looking away from me towards the direction of the approaching general, I thought I had lost my chance to help her.

"Shield, after this battle with Azgeda is finished I will speak with you on these matters."

Her words made me smile, once again happy that my face was hidden behind a mask.

"Understood Heda." I spoke calmly, keeping my happiness from leaking into my words.

The general that ruined the moment Lexa and I were having came to inform us that an Azgeda messenger has arrived at the Heda's tent. Acknowledging the news, the three of us made our way to the before mentioned tent.

Following the Heda to her throne like chair at the head of the tent, I quickly took my position on her right side while she sat down with a relaxed air around her. No sooner had she sat down that the Azgeda messenger was escorted inside of the tent. Stopping about five feet from the Heda, the messenger sneered in disgust and my grip tightened on my spear in response. The blatant disrespect shown to Lexa was enough to make me want to kill the man right there. I could see Lexa's jaw tighten in anger as well, but there was no other outward response to the mans disrespect.

"Well, does your queen surrender?" Lexa asks with a smirk, knowing that Nia wouldn't surrender so soon.

"My queen would never surrender to a false commander like you! An alliance between all twelve clans is simply despicable!" The messenger snarled in response.

I had enough of his blatant disrespect, no one treats Lexa like that in front of me. Quickly striding forward, I land a solid punch to the mans nose with the hand holding my spear. There was a satisfying crack of bone that filled the air immediately after my punch landed signaling the mans nose was broken. While the man cried out and clutched his face in agony I sent him the meanest glare that I had possibly ever given anyone before.

"Never disrespect the Heda in such a way you Azgeda scum!" I roar in the mans face. I was about to punch him once more when a small hand was placed on my arm stopping me. Looking over my shoulder I see Lexa with a small smile on her face and an unreadable emotion in her eyes.

"That is enough, my Shield." She said softly yet firmly. She then turned her attention towards the suffering messenger. "Tell your queen, that if she does not surrender, then her people will starve. We have her city surrounded and there is no possible way she will make it out of this alive if we decide to attack directly. If she ends up coming to her senses, she is to make her way here to my tent along with her son, Prince Roan. She has two weeks." Lexa finished, turning away and walking into the joining room that is her personal quarters.

Looking to the messenger, I don't need to say anything. I simply give him a harsh glare and adjust my fingers around my spear and he nearly stumbles over himself trying to leave the tent. Smirking to myself once he is gone, I think back to the smile that Lexa had on her face only moments ago. I haven't seen her smile since it was discovered that Lexa had been killed.

Finally, Progress...

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

It was the day before the end of the deadline when we got word from Queen Nia. They were gonna retreat, and they were going to come tonight for Lexa to dish out the terms of their surrender and make sure that they join the coalition. In the entire time that they were waiting on Nia's decision, not once has Lexa smiled again, nor did she even mention our discussion on the hill above Azgeda's capital. Her silence on the subject is not settling well within my stomach, I am worried that we will never make up at this rate. If only that dumbass general didn't interrupt us, then perhaps I could have made some real leeway.

I was at my usual spot on Lexa's side when Queen Nia and Prince Roan entered the tent. The way they walked in made it seem like they were the most important people there, their attitude pissed me off.

"Heda." Nia said in greeting, but the way she said Heda was almost like a curse, like it physically hurt her to greet Lexa using such a title.

Lexa didn't respond with words, she only gave them a swift nod in greeting.

Queen Nia put on an obviously fake smile before talking to Lexa. "So, I have come to surrender and join the coalition. Now what are the terms?" She asked with faux cheer.

The Heda stared them down for a little while in a show of superiority before answering. "My terms are simply, you will join the coalition, or you will be destroyed. However, my only requirement is this... Prince Roan, must be banished from Azgeda."

It was near silent in the tent following Lexa's demand. Prince Roan had a look of shock on his face but Queen Nia had dropped all facades and stared at Lexa with absolute hatred. Lexa wasn't fazed though and continued to stare Nia down. I just smirked under my mask, Nia had taken Costia away from Lexa, now Lexa had taken her son in return.

Finally the silence was broken by Nia's voice. "I accept."

Looking towards Prince Roan, I could see that he knew his mother would agree and he had a look of grim acceptance of her decision. Nia only wanted power, but she couldn't have that power if she was killed today. Therefore, she agreed.

hashing out a few more terms, Queen Nia returned to her manor. Prince Roan however, was banished from Azgeda with nothing but the clothes on his back and the sword at his hip. The armies camp was packed fairly quickly and the ride back to Polis was spent in celebration. No one was killed and a clan wasn't wiped out, but more importantly, peace between all twelve clans was finally achieved. I knew that Azgeda would still be a problem in the future though, they have always been the problem child of the clans, and they were the most outspoken against the idea of a coalition of all the clans... But time would only tell us for sure what the future held in store for us.