her handmaiden // a lexa x you short story

two

"Alright," he agreed quietly. "Only because I don't want that to happen to you again."

Shoulders relaxing with relief, I smiled. "Thank you, Aden. You don't know how much I appreciate you doing this."

"We'll start tomorrow," he promised. "So, please be careful when going home tonight."

"I will," I assured him. "Again, thank you so much, Aden."

He returned my smile, nodding, and I had hopes that things might actually go well and I wouldn't have to be on edge all the time anymore.

———————————————

Aden and I trained whenever he could spare the time and whenever I was certain the Commander wasn't around to catch us. He taught me the basics, how to use my dagger and keep assailants at bay long enough for me to escape, and how to get out of a tight grip if I was surprised. It was difficult, since I wasn't a fighter and so hadn't built up the strength he had all of his life. I struggled, even after a few weeks of practicing, but even having something to fall back on if I needed to gave me the confidence to walk home every night.

The group of thugs that loitered on my route home still bothered me, sometimes making their presence known and other times being completely absent (to my relief). They kept their distance, for now, but I did worry for the time when they felt the need to approach me once more.

I was sure that Aden and I were getting away with our private training when it became evident that that wasn't the case at all and I had just been too hopeful. It was barely those few weeks of learning to defend myself when I was found out by the Commander herself.

It was yet another evening of walking home and making it quick when the harassment continued. The usual – name calling, heckling, stalking – took place, but I kept to myself and hoped they would give up like they usually did. Unfortunately, the strap of my bag was yanked backwards, forcing me to stop walking. Immediately, I spun around and pulled out my dagger, holding it up in defence.

"Woah!" they chorused with a mixture of amusement and surprise, raising their hands in the air.

"Back away and leave me alone," I warned through a clenched jaw.

One of the men snorted. "You think a tiny knife is going to stop us?"

My grip on the dagger's handle tightened as I met his gaze. I tried to appear unthreatened, knowing that Aden's training would be enough to get me out of this situation. But still... right now, with five guys staring me down? The odds weren't looking great.

"You aren't going to do a–"

Before he could reach forward to touch me, I slashed my dagger in the space before me, across his arm. He instantly cursed me and grabbed my wrist, squeezing it tightly. I attempted to change the knife into my other hand, wanting to strike him once more before running, but another of his friends grabbed my other hand. The dagger dropped to the dirt with a thump, to which they kicked away, and they had me pinned in place, making me wince.

"I don't have anything for you to take," I told them, ashamed at how quickly this had happened to me yet again. "Please, let me go."

The man gripping my wrist leaned closer, forcing me to turn my head away. "You don't tell us what to do."

I swallowed hard, figuring silence was the better option at a moment like this, when suddenly a voice spoke out of nowhere.

"I do, though."

Everybody paused, turning around but still gripping me in place, and I instantly widened my eyes when I saw none other than the Commander standing there, hand resting on her sheathed sword. What was she doing here?