Brana Natblida

[Aden]

Inside Polis tower a small boy sat all alone in a room on a bed, there were several empty beds in the room but they all had owners, the boy had yet to meet the other people whom he'd be sharing a room with and if he was honest he wasn't sure if he wanted to meet them. Aden's feet didn't quite reach the floor from the position that he was sitting on the bed, instead they swung aimlessly above the floor, his blue eyes watched his feet as he experimentally waggled his toes, just to have something to do. He let out a sniffle and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. He'd been taken away from his parents just because he bled black blood, he wanted to scream about the unfairness of it all. He wanted to be returned to his village, he wished that his blood was red like 'normal' people, so that he could lead a normal life and not have people staring at him with so many expectations. He wasn't a warrior, he wasn't somebody worthy of becoming the commander, he was just Aden... He was smaller than most of the other children in his village, he didn't even know how to wield a weapon, if somebody handed him a sword he was afraid that he'd somehow manage to cut off his own fingers.

Aden had already met with the Heda, she seemed nice enough, she hadn't laughed at him or ordered his immediate execution so he figured that, that was something. He'd heard that the commander was a ruthless leader who wasn't afraid to kill you if you showed the slightest hint of disrespect for her, of course he'd never before met her. Aden preferred her to the Flamekeeper, Titus hadn't shown him the slightest hint of kindness since his arrival in Polis, he had even snapped at him when Aden could no longer hold back the tears and they'd escaped his eyes and began to drip down his cheeks. He didn't care if he looked weak for crying, maybe he was weak but he was a child who'd just been taken from his parents and his parents had let them take him. They hadn't even fought to keep him, they just stood back and watched them take him away. He was terrified of meeting the other... What had they been called 'Natblida's'?. They were warriors, he'd met other warriors before of course, his own parents were warriors, but this was somehow different. He'd have to live with these kids, share a room with them and he didn't exactly have a good history with other children, he'd never really had any friends back in his village and he dreaded to think what it would be like if none of the other nightbloods liked him.

He didn't know how long it had been since Titus had left him in the bedroom, he apparently wanted him to get settled in before introducing him to his new 'siblings'. He'd never had a sibling before, he'd been an only child and he guessed that the thought of having someone other than his parents to talk to should excite him, if the circumstances had been different, he probably would have been excited, but there was too much on his mind right now, he didn't have room to feel excitement. Fear and concern took priority in his mind. He stiffened suddenly as he heard the creak of a door opening and glanced up to see the large door to the room swinging open, his time alone seemed to be at an end and he swallowed nervously and balled his fists up in the blankets on the bed as he tried to prepare himself to meet his new 'family'.

iah

[Deleted]

Being the oldest of all the Nightbloods currently being raised in Polis, Ontari was used to being both a leader and a big sister to all the others in the group in training for the next Conclave. She had watched each of the other children come in to Polis, all in a mix of emotions as they were introduced into the group. Some came young like Ontari had, babies and toddlers that were lovingly raised by appointed people in Polis until they were able to do enough to join the others in living and training. Whereas some Natblidas were only found when they were older, coming into Polis as children who were lost and emotional over being taken from their parents. Ontari watched how each of those children were when they came into Polis and, being the big sister, always tried to make them as comfortable as she could. She had been lucky, raised from such a young age in Polis that she held little memories of her parents and thus, she felt like Polis was her only home. From everything she had seen in her many years, she knew just how different the experience was for those who were found later. Hearing of a Natblida as old as six coming to Polis wasn't a common thing by that stage. A lot of talk had come about that they were becoming better at tracking down Natblida at an earlier age. Because of that, Ontari was especially excited to meet Aden. The group had been told his name by then and told that they would get the chance to meet him soon enough. There was a lot of chatter happening, most people sounding as excited as Ontari felt but others sounding as if they already saw him as a threat. As much as the Nightbloods came together as a group, as siblings, there was still the matter of the Conclave before them and that led some of them, particularly those of the older children, to become competitive towards the others in hopes of showing that they would be the best. That they would win. Ontari tried to avoid this sort of behaviour, not because she herself didn't want to become Heda but because she cared so much about her siblings and wanted to care for them rather than pit herself against them. A rare feeling indeed, Ontari felt relieved when Titus walked into the room where the Nightbloods were waiting. She had been listening to some of the talk, hearing some arguments begin and it was not something that she was in the mood to deal with. She wanted to meet her new siblings, not play mediator between two of her other siblings. They were led down to the bedrooms, Ontari taking the lead and walking just behind Titus. One of the youngest siblings, a girl not but even three years old walked beside her with a hand raised for Tari to take. With a smile down to the girl, Ontari took her hand. As they came up to the rooms where they all slept, Titus stopped in front of one of the doors and stood to the side, instructing Ontari to open the door with a firm reminder for all of them to behave before he walked off again. That was how it usually went, the children left alone to get to know the newest of them. With her free hand, Ontari opened the door to the room and walk inside, her arm pulled backwards as the younger girl moved in behind her. Setting first sight on the brana natblida, Ontari felt herself wanting to stop the others from coming inside. She quickly turned and put her hand on the shoulder of the boy who was trying to walk in after Ontari. "Can I talk to him for a minute? Then you can come in," she whispered. The other boy nodded and walked back out of the room. Most of the siblings never dared to argue with Ontari, as much as she was their sister, she had also been raised as a warrior like the rest of them and she carried an air of authority with her. Ontari closed the door behind the boy. The younger sister was still with her but she didn't tell her to leave also, knowing that she was less likely to be harsh to Aden than some of the others. Still, she let go of the younger girl's hand and asked her to wait near the door. In the room with Aden, the first thing Ontari did was smile. The next, Ontari walked up to the bed where Aden was sitting. His hands grabbing at the blankets beside him and his cheeks stained with tears. "Hi, Aden?" She pushed the end of his name up into a question, allowing him to confirm his name. "I'm Ontari." A simple introduction, a way to help Aden feel safe and calm before the others came in with their varied attitudes. Aden || Tari will try and protect him but I can't say the same for the other kids

[Aden]

Aden watched as the two girls entered the room, one of them looked to be quite a few years older than himself whilst the other looked as though she was really young. He didn't move as the older of the two girls approached him and he made no attempt to move from his spot on the bed despite the ever growing feeling of fear that was building up inside of him. She smiled at him and it confused the boy for a few moments, he hadn't expected to be greeted by kindness by the other nightbloods but the older girls friendliness seemed genuine but Aden still couldn't help but be cautious of her. He brought a hand up to rub at the moisture on his cheeks, she asked his name and all he could do was nod to confirm that she'd gotten it correct. He assumed that all of the nightbloods had been told about him as now knew his name.

He didn't speak at first, choosing instead to divert his attention back down to look at his knees and sit in silence, after a few moments he looked up again and found that the girl hadn't magically disappeared from the room and he let out a small sigh. "Ontari?" he asked, questioning the name as if afraid that he'd gotten it wrong, despite having only heard it a couple of minutes ago. Ontari didn't seem like she was interested in hurting him, even though Aden knew that she'd be more than capable of doing so, she was much larger and no doubt stronger than he was and had probably spent years training to be a warrior. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, he hadn't expected to be greeted by a couple of kids that didn't really look all that scary. "Weren't there supposed to be more of you?" he couldn't help but peer around her at the now closed door and the small girl that waited beside it. He didn't mind waiting a while longer to meet the other nightbloods, he doubted that all of them would show him the same kindness that Ontari was and he was in no hurry to return to the bottom of the pecking order. 

He managed to keep from lowering his gaze again, but his eyes did wander, reluctant to stare at the older child for too long. "This room is bigger than my whole house..." he muttered the words absent-mindedly, the rooms in the tower seemed to be huge in comparison to some of the houses in his village, but bigger wasn't always better. "I want to go home..." his voice trailed off into a whimper as he returned his gaze to Ontari, the hopeful look on his face suggesting that maybe he thought that she'd give him permission to return to his parents, although he was fairly certain that it wasn't even her decision. She'd probably been taken from her parents as well, they had to stay in the capitol even if they didn't want to because it seemed as though that was just how things worked when you were born with black blood.

iah

[Deleted]

It was not difficult to see just how scared Aden was. Ontari wanted to be able to comfort the boy, to place a hand on his arm, to hug him, to let him cry on her shoulder but she stayed standing where she was. He didn't know her and Ontari was wary of forcing her affections on people she didn't know well, having seen how some didn't react well to it in the past. So, as Aden stayed silent and took his time to reply to Ontari, she waited patiently. Her hands found there way together as she waited, absentmindedly pulling at her fingers and stretching the muscles. Her hands were so used to moving, always having something to do. Whether it be wielding a weapon, holding the hand of a younger sibling or even doing things like braiding hair. The younger girls' often couldn't get there own hair styled and so Ontari was often the one to braid hair and pull it back, making sure it wouldn't get in the way or be cut off when training with weapons. Particularly for some of the girls who came from Trikru, hair was an important thing to them. For Ontari, the constant need for her hands to be doing something now left her sometimes unable to keep them still. It was a habit that she knew would make her look nervous and one she knew she would not be able to keep if she were to become Heda. But then, she held a lot of habits that she would not be able to keep if she won the Conclave.  As Aden repeated her name, Ontari nodded with an encouraging smile. It was the first thing Ontari had heard the boy say and she was happy to hear that he was able to speak. Even if the next thing he said was something she had hoped he wouldn't bring up so quickly. It was quite obvious that herself and the other younger girl weren't going to be the only Natblidas there in Polis but Ontari didn't want Aden to be thinking of the others yet. She wanted to be sure that he was comfortable and that he had his emotions under a little more control before the others met him. What she wanted to be sure of was that he had the best chance at a good first impression. The Natblidas were a family, siblings that spent all their time together and Ontari knew that it would be best for Aden if he could make the best first impression to fit smoothly into their family. "There are more of us but for now, don't worry about that." There wasn't any chance to escape the fact he would have to meet them and Ontari knew that eventually they would get impatient and come in, no matter what orders Ontari gave them. Ontari laughed at Aden's comment on the size of the room. It was true, the room was enormous and Ontari could imagine that wherever Aden had come from, his home wouldn't have likely been that big. "Yeah, there are a lot of big rooms here." It was Aden's next comment that had Ontari's smile fade from her face. As much as she was a good big sister and as much as she always tried her best when it came to her siblings, things like this were where it started to feel too heavy for her to deal with. She was only a kid herself. The emotion in Aden's voice and in his eyes had her feeling unsure of what to do. While she didn't manage to smile, she did crouch down in from of the young boy, letting herself be at the same height as him. She still felt unsure about whether to touch him or not so she didn't, just using her words to comfort him. It was times like this that she wished for Lilliana, the woman whom had raised Ontari when she was too young to stay in the Nightblood areas. The woman had always known what to do, like a parent or big sibling should. Ontari was always trying but there were times when she still found herself lost as to how to deal with some situations. "You'll like it here," Ontari ended up saying. "We're a family and I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you." She held out her hand to Aden, a hopeful smile on her face. She couldn't do anything to help with the fact Aden missed home but she could promise to help him now that he was here. It was the best she could do. Aden || She's like 11 here and shit she has a lot of responsibility on her shoulders.

[Aden]

Aden was grateful that he wouldn't have to meet all of his nightblood siblings together at the same time, he imagined that he might find it overwhelming. He'd come from a small village, a quiet village where he was an only child and only had to share his home with his parents and now in this new home of his, he had to share his home with several other children that he knew nothing about other than the fact that they all obviously shared the same black blood. "Who's she?" he asked, gesturing curiously towards the little girl that Ontari had left standing beside the door, he wasn't nervous of her, she was a child younger than he was and so he saw no reason to be afraid. He allowed his eyes to wander, taking in his surroundings and memorising the room that he was going to be sleeping in for possibly the rest of his life. "Are you... The oldest? Or are some of them older than you?" he liked Ontari and the fact that she was nice and maybe the idea that she could protect him from the other nightbloods that might not be as welcoming.

When Ontari commented saying that there were a lot of big rooms in the tower, Aden was torn, part of him wanted to explore his new home but the other part of him, the bigger part of him wanted nothing more than to crawl under the blankets the covered his bed and curl up beneath them, that's what he did back home... When he felt scared he'd crawl beneath the blankets and it just felt as if nothing in the world could harm him. The blankets always made him feel safe. However, he knew that he couldn't do that, he couldn't act like he did back with his parents, here it was different, here he had to act strong, like the warrior he knew that he wasn't, so that the other nightbloods accepted him and didn't bully him like all the kids before had.

When Ontari crouched in front of him, the smile having disappeared from her face, Aden rubbed at his eyes to clear away the moisture, he noticed her reluctance to touch him and mostly he was thankful for that but then he also yearned to be held. He was a child, he wanted to feel the comforting embrace of his mother, he wanted to feel her arms around him, holding him close and reassuring him that everything was going to be okay. But she wasn't there and he couldn't see how anything could ever be fine again. "You'll like it here" he heard Ontari tell him and he looked at her doubtfully, a fresh wave of tears welling up in his eyes and threatening to spill over but he hurriedly blinked them away. "But what if I don't?" he asked her timidly, concerned that he wouldn't like his new home, that the other nightbloods wouldn't like him and he'd end up at the bottom of the pecking order like he usually did.

When she described them as being a family, Aden had some hope that maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he had thought. If her words were true and they really were like a family then there would be a whole lot of love being exchanged between the nightbloods and it was true that Aden had always wanted a sibling, this way he got what he wanted. "You promise?" she'd said the words 'I promise' but he was cautious about trusting them, broken promises weren't uncommon but he trusted her, he thought that he could trust her, at least for now. Reaching out tentatively, he slipped his hand into hers, she was smiling again, it was a smile that gave him the courage to take the next step and trust her enough to hold her hand, it was a comforting gesture. It felt familiar and made him feel secure. He wanted to thank Ontari for showing him such kindness but he didn't think that it was the right time, maybe he'd get another opportunity in future.

iah

[Deleted]

At the mention of the younger girl standing near the door to the room, Ontari's head lifted and turned to glance over at her. The younger girl - Neamh - hadn't done much since entering the room. Apart from watching Ontari and Aden with obvious curiosity, she couldn't have done anything that would leave Aden worried about her. Although, Ontari guessed there was no reason for her to worry over the boy being curious about who she was. "That's Neamh," Ontari told Aden, a light smile on her face. She looked back down to Aden as she spoke. "She's one of the youngest here," she added. Ontari knew that there were younger, at the very least a boy who was hardly old enough to walk properly. But in terms of the Natblida who would be in contact with Aden, Neamh would be the youngest. It was a little bit funny, she guessed, that the first two of the siblings Aden was meeting happened to be the oldest and the youngest. He could see either end of the spectrum and prepare himself for all the craziness of those in between. And really, she wasn't kidding about craziness. There were times that Ontari wondered if the black blood that ran through their veins caused them all to be more energetic and violent than other people. She wasn't always that way but she also had her moments. Some of the others seemed like it all the time. The way that Aden rubbed his eyes, as if he didn't want to let any tears escape from his eyes, made Ontari feel hopeful for him. As much as she hated the fact, Aden would need to be strong to survive. He was a child and Ontari wanted to make him feel as comfortable as possible but the other thing that would help him in meeting the other siblings and fitting into their family was being strong. She hoped that he would grow better at knowing when tears would be a weakness not worth showing and that he would become as good as her at keeping control of her emotions. It was a skill needed by those who wished to become Heda and all the Natblidas in Polis wished for that. Even if Aden didn't at that stage, Ontari knew he soon would. That was their purpose in life and it was why they were so specially trained there in Polis. It was when fresh tears began to build up in Aden's eyes that Ontari's hope dropped. "You will like it here," she confirmed, confidence in her voice. You have no choice but to, she added in her head. He would grow to love their home and to love his life in Polis. He had no other choice but to do so. How he approached it all was the thing that would make a difference in how quickly he came to feel comfortable and how easy his life would be.  Ontari found that her expression faltered for the smallest moment. It was Aden's question, wanting a confirmation of her promise. It was the fact that when Ontari had said the words she had been talking about helping him get through his transition into the new place but as she thought more into it, she knew it was a promise that she wouldn't be able to keep forever. The Conclave was something that always loomed over their shoulders. It was the reason they were there. The reason they trained everyday, with Lexa, with Titus and with the best warriors in the city. But that was so far away and something that Aden would soon learn about on his own. It meant nothing to break her promise because she wasn't referring to a time so far away and so uncertain about when it will come about. She was talking about the now and the young Nightbloods who were standing on the other side of the door. "I promise," she told him, putting confidence in her voice with hope of settling the last of his fears. It was a surprise to her indeed when her outstretched hand was accepted. She felt Aden's small hand slip into hers and she reacted by lightly wrapping her own hand around it. The others would like him, she was sure. There was a strength that she could see in him in that moment, a glint in his eye that told her Aden wasn't a lost cause. He would learn to fit in well. "Do you have any questions?" It was a question that she always asking, encouraging the new children to ask questions and helping them to become more comfortable. Aden || Poor little hun! *clings to Aden*

[Aden]

Aden watched the young girl without really looking at Ontari as she explained who she was, he was surprised by how young the girl was. He didn’t know what he had expected, the people who had taken him from his parents hadn’t looked like they cared much about forcing a child to leave their parents, age apparently made no difference. He hoped that he would fit in with the other children, they’d obviously been trained as warriors and he was no warrior, even his parents had seen that he didn’t have what it took to be a warrior, let alone train to be the next commander. “What are the others like?” Aden asked his new sister, obvious curiosity gleaming in his eyes and he reached up to brush a tear that had escaped his eye, from his cheek. “I’ve never had any brothers or sisters before” his parents hadn’t had any more children after he’d been born and Aden couldn’t help but wonder if his parents would try to have more children now that they no longer had him. He knew that he shouldn’t think about his parents anymore, Titus had told him that they no longer mattered, but it wasn’t that easy to forget the place that he’d come from or the people that had raised him, his whole life.

The young nightblood was aware that he couldn’t ever go back to his parents and he also knew that he had to move past it. He would have to get used to his new home and his new family and maybe Ontari was right, maybe he would like it in Polis. After he got used to it, it would just take a while to warm to his new home. Titus and the Heda had explained briefly what was expected of him, of the lessons he’d have to attend and where he was allowed to go and what was strictly against the rules. He nodded slightly as Ontari reinforced her claims that he’d like it there, disliking it obviously wasn’t an option, he had no choice but to stay in Polis with the rest of the natblida’s. “Will you help me?” he asked the girl cautiously, looking down at his lap as if afraid that she’d refuse his request “there are a lot more rules here than there were back in my village” he was afraid that he’d forget one or that he’d accidentally offend somebody who was of a higher rank than he was. He was particularly afraid of the flamekeeper, already he looked like a strict teacher who wouldn’t stand for any sort of disobedience and he was already dreading his lessons.

When Ontari confirmed her promise, it reassured Aden that everything would be alright for the time being and it made him feel a lot safer. As soon as her hand took hold of his, a smile appeared on his face and with his free hand, he attempted to wipe at his face to erase any signs that he’d been crying. He couldn’t have been the only nightblood to have spent their first day in tears once they’d been taken from their parents and delivered to Polis, but he wanted to make a good first impression to the other children. He seemed to be growing in confidence as time passed and at her question, he started to think of any questions that he could possibly ask her, there was a lot on his mind. Then suddenly as he hopped lightly off of the bed to stand on the floor he found his voice “Why is black blood special? What do you do around here for fun? Are any of the natblida’s here my age?” he paused to catch his breath for a couple of seconds before asking one of the more serious questions on his mind “will I have to kill anyone?” that’s what warriors did, they killed people, his parents seemed to be proud of every life that they’d taken in battle, but the idea of killing another person was terrifying to the small boy.

iah

[Deleted]

It was definitely an encouragement to Ontari to see that Aden was actually asking her questions because it told her that he was becoming more confident. That was really what Aden needed to do, to become more confident and that was why she had insisted on coming into the room with him almost alone at first, to give him that chance before all the other siblings saw him. She knew that they could never expect a brana natblida to be completely confident when they first arrived. They were taken from their family by strangers and given no choice but to let themselves be taken to Polis where they were told that they would start training to become not just a warrior but also possibly the next commander. Ontari couldn't imagine how much of a shock to the system that would actually be because she had come in so young that she didn't even really have any memories of her biological family. All she knew was Polis and in her mind she was nothing but a natblida, a warrior and a sibling to all the younger natblida around her. The question that had encourgaed Ontari was also a difficult question to answer. Aden had asked what the others were like and Ontari knew that she had to be very careful about the way she answered such a question. Ontari pursed her lips together in thought and looked past Aden rather than at him while she tried to think of the best way to put it. If Ontari made the others out to be too cruel it would destroy any confidence that Aden now had but if she wasn't truthful then he wouldn't know what to expect when the door opened and all the others came pilling in. They weren't going to be nice and careful like Ontari was being, she knew that and that was one of the main reasons why she had done what she had done. When she worked out how she was going to answer his question not much time had passed and she smiled as she looked back at Aden. "They're children, just like you," she told him, deciding that the best way to start describing them was in that way. All in all, they were children. Not just them, really. "Just like me as well," she added. That was more for herself than for Aden she had to admit. With the way that she didn't just act like a big sister to the others but also a mother in some ways, sometimes Ontari found herself having to remind herself that she was still a child too. At least, she was on the tipping edge of what could be called a child. "They can be nice, they can be mean and they have a lot of energy. Actually, if you like running around then you'll probably get along with them well." She grinned down at Aden in a bit of a playful way. When Aden asked his next question, Ontari found herself feeling slightly hurt and slightly disappointed. It wasn't the question that he asked, Ontari was actually happy about the question but it was the way he asked it with his head down. She wasn't a mind reader and Ontari couldn't be sure of the reason for his body language but she could break it down to only two possibilities. Those were that either Aden was ashamed of having to ask the question or that he was scared that Ontari would reject his request for help. Either way, Ontari thought that he shouldn't have been feeling that way. She had come into the room mostly alone and spent this time with him to build up his trust towards her. She put the work in and she had to admit that it did hurt to see that he still didn't completely trust her. As much as Ontari didn't like to touch the kids much until they got used to her, Ontari found herself feeling like she had no choice but to. Reaching out a hand, Ontari lightly took hold of Aden's chin and lifted it so he had no choice but to look at her. "I will help you, Aden," she said, keeping hold of his chin so he couldn't look away from her. "You need to trust me, okay?"  When Ontari felt happy that she had made her point, she let go of Aden's chin and took a small step back to give him some space. His reaction to her asking if he had any questions was the most positive reaction she could have expected. Aden hopped off the bed, standing on his own two feet and looked the most confident she had seen him so far. When he began to list off all the questions he had, Ontari laughed lightly, finding it amusing just how many things he seemed to want to ask about. Obviously he hadn't learnt a lot from the talks she knew he would have had with both Titus and Lexa. That put Ontari in a slightly annoying position but she didn't mind it too much, answering questions wasn't the worst thing she could be doing. If it helped to calm him and settle him, it would be worth it. "Black blood is special because it means we can become Heda," Ontari explained. That was it, only those who were natblida could become the commander. "And there are definitely others around your age. I'm the oldest, Neamh is the youngest. There are a bunch in between." Then Aden asked a question that Ontari wasn't prepared for. In all honesty, no other person had asked that question on their first day, not directly in the way that Aden did. Ontari had no idea how to answer such a question and she found herself searching for the right words to say, the right way to explain it or to avoid the question. It probably would be obvious to Aden that he had managed to put her off with the question but she couldn't spare enough brain power to care about that fact then. Ontari felt, quite frankly, scared. Scared because she didn't want to have to be the one to deal with this question. There were so many things that Ontari had to deal with and this wasn't one of those things, this was something for Titus. Eventually, she decided on something to say and decided it was all she could say. "You won't have to kill anyone today, don't worry," she told him, forcing a smile onto her face and a playful tone into her voice. "And no one will kill you today either," she added. She looked back over at Neamh, knowing she was so young and knowing that she didn't quite understand who she was and what she would have to do yet. One day she would have the conclave explained to her and Ontari hoped she was still too young to read into what Aden had asked and how Ontari had answered. "Anything else?" Aden || This is a monster. I apologise.

[Aden]

Aden was curious and he was eager to learn more about his new home and the people that also lived there because despite the fear that he still felt at being taken against his will to this unfamiliar place, he was still a child and he had the typical curious nature that most children had. The way that Ontari described things, made them sound less scary than they had originally seemed, the natblida’s sounded similar to the children back in his village, only Aden hoped that he’d have a better relationship with these children. He would have to try to look at this situation positively if he wanted to survive in Polis and making friends would make that a much easier task. “I can run!” he told the older natblida enthusiastically “I’m sure I could keep up with them!” maybe that was something that he could look forward to, maybe he wouldn’t be forced to grow up just yet, because he liked the relative freedom being a child brought him.

Aden almost flinched away from Ontari’s touch when she reached out and forced him to look at her by holding his chin in her hand. He wasn’t expecting the contact, nor did he fully understand why she felt the need to touch him but he managed to stay calm enough to stay still. From what she’d said to him before, she had no intention of harming him, so he had no reason to fear her or flinch away from her hand. When she said that she’d help him, Aden smiled a little at her knowing that he’d find it a lot easier if he had someone there to help him transition into this new life and to just be there for him. “Okay…” he muttered when she told him that he needed to trust her, it was hard to trust someone when he’d just been taken from his parents. His parents were the ones who’d always told him if people were dangerous or safe enough to interact with and now he had to judge this on his own and trust himself to make the right decisions.

He listened as Ontari began to answer his questions, but he still wasn’t completely satisfied with the answers that she gave “But why does it mean that we can become Heda?” he asked, looking up at her curiously. “Why does it make us different, why can’t somebody who actually wants to be Heda be Heda even if their blood is red?” he thought it was dumb, he would’ve been content to stay in his village with his parents and let somebody who actually wanted to be the commander be taken away to Polis so that they could be trained for the position. The boy was happy to learn that there were natblida’s there that were more his age, maybe he’d have a better chance at befriending those that were around his own age, maybe they’d have the same interests and want to play the same games. He figured that if he was forced to stay in Polis without anyone his own age that things might get to be boring, everybody needed a friend.

Aden noticed how the smile faded from Ontari’s face at his final question and how long it took for her to think of an answer for him. She’d obviously been thrown off by the question and Aden wished that he could take it back, he hadn’t meant to upset anyone, that hadn’t been his intention. He was just worried, he wasn’t a warrior like his parents or the children that had grown up with Polis as their home and the girls answer didn’t do much to reassure him. ‘You won’t have to kill anyone today, don’t worry’ but Aden was worried, he wouldn’t have to kill anyone that day but that was only one day… It meant that maybe one day, that would change and he would have to kill somebody. That was why natblida’s were trained to become warriors, he was foolish to think that he’d get away without spilling blood at some point in his life. As for Ontari saying that nobody would kill him that day either, he was relieved that he wouldn’t have to fight for his life on his first day in the capitol against children who were quite obviously more skilled in combat than he was and whose training was more advanced. “No… That’s it, maybe I’ll think of more later” he muttered after she asked if he had anymore questions for her, he was a little downhearted by her answer and once again he found himself wishing that he hadn’t asked because the mood had been much better before the question had been put out there.

iah

[Deleted]

Seeing Aden's enthusiasm as he told Ontari that he could run was something that made her glad and had her letting out a small breath of relief, knowing she had managed to describe the other children in the best way she could. It was also good, generally, to hear that Aden could run because she hadn't been joking when she had said the other kids had a lot of energy. Especially the boys. Ontari held no hope of keeping up with some of the younger ones, preferring to place her own energy into training rather than games. She definitely wasn't known as being the funnest of the Natblida siblings. "I'm sure you will be able to keep up with them," Ontari said, using a similar amount of enthusiasm as Aden had used in his answer. Hopefully she would soon see him running around and playing games with the other siblings, getting much more comfortable in Polis. Having fun before everything serious got dropped onto his shoulders. It wasn't always 100% serious in Polis, as much as a lot of the time it got dead serious. They were still children and a lot of them loved to run and play games. It was a good way to balance things out, and a really fun way to annoy Titus. But him trusting her would help him as well, for when he found out about the serious things. Ontari knew that having people she trusted helped so much when she was given the grave news of the conclave and why she had to train and do all the lessons. The idea of becoming commander was an exciting one and Ontari couldn't wait to be in the position but the conclave was the part that none of the Natblida felt particularly positive about. It was just something that had to be done, no matter how you felt about it. You all went in once the old commander died and only one of you came out to take the old commander's place. Mention of the conclave always brought a mix of emotions into the room, different kids feeling different depending on how old they were. But there was one thing that seemed to be certain: the older they got, the more negative they felt. Ontari had experienced it herself and watched the faces of other Natblida change as they grew older. There was no shortage of talk about what they would have to do. It saddened Ontari to think that Aden's face would drop with the knowledge as well. Aden obviously wasn't happy now, though, not with the answers that Ontari was giving to his questions. He replied with nothing other than more questions, at least about why the black blood meant they could become Heda. Ontari was young herself, she was still a child when it came down to it and she hardly knew the answer to the question. She had always just trusted what she had been told by Heda and by Titus, everything that she had been taught had to be right because why would she be taught lies? "It just does," Ontari said, keeping a smile on her face but being firm in her voice and words. "People with red blood can't become heda, no matter how much they want to. We're special and we're lucky, we can become commander and we're blessed because of that." It had always been given to her as a positive thing. Who wouldn't want to become heda? Who wouldn't want that power and blessing? They had to train hard so that the spirit of the commander would choose them during the conclave. "The spirit of the commander can choose you," she told him after a pause, hoping he wouldn't ask her more questions about that. It was a topic not for her to teach about. It wasn't difficult to see that Ontari's answer hadn't been a good enough one. Aden looked down and the whole atmosphere of the room had shifted. Ontari wished that she could take things back a bit, go back to the happy and confident boy Aden had been only moments before but that wasn't possible it seemed. Aden didn't have anymore questions but Ontari didn't want the conversation to fizzle down now, leaving Aden looking down when the other Natblida came into the room. Her mind spun a bit as she tried to work out what to do, not good yet at making plans on the spot. It wasn't easy. But she managed to think of something to say eventually and smile down at Aden as she spoke. "You don't want to ask about the food?" she said, giving him a suggestion for other questions to ask. She could think of lots of other questions other kids had asked her before. "Or if the beds are actually comfortable? I could tell you who snores. And who eats with their mouth open--you don't want to look at them during meals times." Her smile, firstly struggling, grew brighter the more she talked and she hoped it would help lighten the mood and leave Aden smiling as well. Aden || This isn't as long as my last monster XD