her handmaiden // a lexa x you short story

seven

"Something...?"

"Something important," I said quietly, before rubbing the fatigue from my eyes.

He hummed, unconvinced. "Right... guess I'll see you there then. Take care of yourself, yeah?"

I nodded, glad when he left because it meant I could finish off what I was doing. I'd fallen asleep when waiting for the shapes metal to cool off, so now I needed to polish everything and start lacing it up with some leather and buckles. It was simple, something I'd done many times before, but it was only me doing it and I was still half asleep, so it took a little longer than I thought. I'd just about finished it when I heard the horns in the distance, signalling the first warning for everyone to arrive to view the fight.

Worried I'd miss it, I grabbed the chest plate and ran as fast I could to the fighting grounds. It was actually a wrestling grounds regularly used for hobbyists, but converted into a fighting grounds whenever need be, such as now. The crowds were huge when I arrived, all of the seating having been taken up and many more citizens hanging around, hoping to find a good view from the sidelines. I struggled to push my way through, the panic rising when I believed I'd missed my chance at seeing Lexa beforehand. The second warning horn went off and I pushed further into the crowd, finally spotting Lexa at her corner of the fighting grounds.

With only her in my sight, I made my way over, struggling to reach her. My eyes caught sight of Roan in the other corner of the grounds, getting ready with the weapons I'd made. He was swinging his sword and holding his shield as if practicing, and it left a sour taste in my mouth. Why couldn't I have just declined?

"Y/N!"

Snapping back into reality, I turned when I heard Lexa calling my name. She'd spotted me, waving me over in an instant. Forgetting about Roan momentarily, I approached Lexa with an apologetic frown.

"Sorry I'm late," I said quickly.

She relaxed as she looked between my eyes, the war paint she wore only serving to make her own eyes look brighter. "It's okay. I didn't think you'd want to be here... I'm glad you are."

"Why wouldn't I?" I asked as if it was an insane thought, hand resting atop hers on the gate dividing us. But as quickly as it grazed hers, I let go, moving it beside hers instead. This wasn't the place nor time to be intimate, not when a thousand eyes were surrounding us. But oh, so badly I wanted to hug or kiss her.

Instead, I lifted the chest plate and held it towards her. "I made this for you. To keep you safe. The measurements should be right."

"You didn't need to," she said softly.

"I did."

She held my gaze, but I couldn't let her see how worried I was, so I broke our stare and began unbuckling the straps.

"Let's put it on you," I mumbled.

I lifted it over her head, relieved when it fit her frame perfectly, and she let me buckle up the straps to secure it in place. I hated that my hands were trembling as I did it, and that her eyes were watching my every move.

"Y/N," she said, stopping me momentarily and looking to me with determination. "I promise you, everything will be okay."

I hummed halfheartedly, but she squeezed my hands and earned my attention.