"Again!" Anya yelled as she parried another blow from Lexa. Lexa had proven to be a quick study and Anya a more than capable teacher. Lexa fought with a grace and speed that Anya herself envied. She came at Anya again and again. "Stop." Anya said. "You must fight with your head and not your heart. You are all aggression and no strategy. You must anticipate my next move and the move after that. You must plan your strike and your counter strike two and three moves away. You are better than this. Again." Lexa was tired and bruised from Anya's lesson today, but she picked up her wooden sword and charged again, this time taking her mentor's words to heart. "Yes!" Anya cried as Lexa knocked the sword from her hand. "Very good. That's it for today. Tomorrow we fight with real swords." Finally, Lexa thought with a smile. Anya was tough. Lexa admired her, loved her even, but she knew better than to say that aloud. Anya had given Lexa a home and she was almost beginning to feel safe again. Her rage was always simmering below the surface though. Anya warned her again and again to control her emotions, and Lexa was trying, she really was. That night, Anya joined Lexa as she was sitting by the campfire. Anya followed Lexa's gaze. Costia. Again. The blonde hair, blue eyed girl who had won Lexa's attention.

"What have I told you, Lexa? Love is weakness," she said coldly. "But why?" Lexa replied, indignant. "You know why. I will not explain this again. That," she said, pointing at Costia, "will only lead to pain and heartbreak. You need to abandon the childish notion of love. It is not the warrior's way." "I am more than capable of separating feelings from duty, " Lexa replied, every word measured, careful not to let her voice betray any semblance of emotion. Lexa stood up. "Goodnight, Anya." Anya watched Lexa stand up and walk away to her tent. She was still sitting there, watching, when Costia entered Lexa's tent ten minutes later. Oh Lexa, life will be a cruel teacher, Anya thought sadly. The next morning, Lexa was waiting for Anya when she emerged from her tent. She tossed Anya a sword. "Let's go." Lexa was more than ready for their lesson. She was frustrated it had taken Anya this long to let her train with real weapons. She couldn't understand her teacher's reluctance. As they began to parry blows, Lexa felt a thrill shoot through her body. This was what it felt like to be a warrior! She had never felt so alive. The feel of the heavy sword in her hand gave her purpose, gave her strength. The sword became an extension of her body and she found herself anticipating her sparing partner's next move and responding accordingly. She begin to think about how it would feel when she finally avenged her family. As her thoughts drifted to future victories, she lost her focus on the present battle. Anya jabbed her sword at Lexa and she was too slow this time to dodge the hit. Anya's sword sliced Lexa's upper left arm. She had never been cut before. It burned. She felt her blood run hot down her arm, but she knew better than to look. She needed to keep fighting. She raised her sword to strike back at Anya. But Anya had lowered her weapon. She looked stricken. Lexa couldn't understand what she was seeing on her teacher's face. She followed Anya's gaze to her own arm. As soon as she saw it, she understood. Her blood ran black down her arm. "You're a Natblida," Anya whispered in disbelief. A Nightbood. "Did you know?" But the look of horror on Lexa's face gave Anya her answer. "No," Lexa softly replied. She felt her knees give way and she collapsed to the ground, her sword falling from her hand. Her parents must have kept this from her; they had to have known. Anya knelt in the ground next to her and held her. It was the only time she had ever comforted her. "We'll leave for Polis at first light," Anya whispered in her ear. Lexa only nodded in understanding.