her handmaiden // a lexa x you short story

six

"Goodnight," she said sweetly, before letting go.

I waved goodbye to her after she mounted her horse and rode away, before going back inside. My dad was lingering in the hallway, awaiting my return with a smile on his face.

"So?" I asked slowly, raising a brow. "What did you think of her?"

He quirked a brow of his own in mild disbelief. "There's no way the girl who was here tonight was the Commander."

I tilted my head, confused. "What?"

He laughed, pushing his weight off the wall to stand up straight. "She must really care for you, Y/N. She was a nervous wreck tonight, especially compared to the last time she was here. Never in a million years did I think I'd have the Commander stuttering over herself."

Realising what he meant, I tried not to laugh myself. I considered his words, thinking just how different Lexa was tonight compared to the last time she was here.

"She's sweet," he decided. "Perfect for you. And she clearly has strong feelings for you." Stepping forward, he added, "Not that it matters, but I approve."

A calmness enveloped me when he said that, and I found myself smiling. "Of course it matters," I told him, pulling him in for a grateful hug.

"I'm happy for you," he muttered, squeezing me tight.

When I let go, I patted him on the arm gratefully. "Thank you for staying calm by the way."

"It wasn't very hard," he said with a shrug. "You had her serving us at one point. The girl was a bundle of nerves. Are you sure you were her handmaiden?"

I chuckled, though pitied Lexa. "No, don't be mean. Quit the teasing. She just wanted to make a good impression."

He snorted, shaking his head. "I hope she leads better than she meets the parents."

I rolled my eyes as he walked back into the kitchen, but a smile was permanently fixed on my face. Tonight couldn't have gone better.

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"It looks like it hurts," I said to Milo with a scrunched up face. "Why did you touch the hot metal without your gloves again?"

"Because he's an idiot, that's why," Zed answered for him with an eye roll.

"I took them off to scratch my nose and forgot to put it back on," Milo answered my question, ignoring Zed. He groaned quietly. "Man, this hurts."

"Don't itch your nose next time," Zed teased, but he was kind enough to pour some cold water into the half-full bucket that Milo's burnt hand was submerged in.

"Thanks," Milo mumbled.

"Do you want me to get a healer?" I asked, already standing up.

"He'll be fine, I've got it," Zed assured, moving to grab an emergency medical kit. "Unsurprisingly, he's done this before."

I tried not to smile when I saw the two fall into a routine of easing Milo's burn and treating it.

"Y/N."

I spun around when I heard my name being called, spotting Alana by the door.

"You've got a message outside. Commander's new handmaiden, I think," she said with a nod before leaving.

Ivy was Lexa's new handmaiden – a lovely girl just a few years younger than me and with the utmost respect for her Commander. I'd met her a few times when visiting Lexa and sometimes she'd deliver me messages from her with discretion. She didn't know of our relationship, but if it was obvious enough, she never commented on it.