In desperation, Y/N accepts a job as Commander Lexa's handmaiden with hopes of earning enough money to buy her father some well-needed medication. But the Commander makes it very clear how much she doesn't want nor need a handmaiden, only making Y/N...
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Getting jumped and having my father's medicine stolen from me was enough to scare me into taking action. I refused to let it happen again, if not for myself then for my dad. So, I knew I had to take precautions, including hiding a dagger under my coat and actually learning how to use it.
The latter was a little more difficult to do, as I only knew one person who would even consider helping me.
"Aden," I said with a smile once I found him drinking water on the training grounds.
The young boy spotted me and immediately returned my smile, waving as I approached him. He was one of the many Nightbloods that the Commander trained – Nightbloods that would eventually fight in Conclave after the Commander's death. It was easy to befriend him as the Commander took a special interest in him, going the extra mile to train him for she believed (but would never admit) that he would be the one to succeed her after her death. With all the extra time she put in with him, I was around too and found him easy to be around and converse with, even if he was technically a child.
"Y/N, hi," he greeted warmly. "Is there something you need? That the Commander needs?"
"The Commander is in a meeting," I told him, waving my hand dismissively. She had to be, otherwise I couldn't be here. "I was actually hoping you could help me with something."
Without meaning to, my expression fell and he must have noticed as he watched me with mild concern.
"Of course," he nodded, "is everything okay?"
I told him about my 'run-in' with the street thugs a week ago, about how I needed to be able to defend myself both with and without the dagger I was now carrying at all times. My hopes were that he would teach me to use it, teach me to defend myself in case something like that ever happened again.
It was insane to ask his help, but he was the only person I knew who could fight and who would ever consider helping me. The Commander couldn't know and Aden didn't know my father so there was no way of him finding out. He was my only hope.
"Y/N, this...," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "this is crazy. What would the Commander say if she found out? And when would we even train?"
"She won't know," I said simply, having thought it all through. "I know her schedule, when she's in meetings, on hunts, day trips... we could work around that and around your Nightblood training. If you don't mind, that is. I just– you're the only person I could think to ask. And you don't have to say yes. It's not your problem, I know that."
He frowned, glancing at me, probably thinking about all the different ways the Commander could find out and all of the different punishments she would give us if she did. I worried he wouldn't agree, since I knew he cared greatly for her opinion, but then he released a deep breath and nodded.
