Chapter Text
This story is currently being rewritten and is being kept up for the readers who love the original.
At times, the Omegas are not treated all that well within Grounder society. It is deliberately shown as problematic. Moral lines do get blurred.
Years ago, Trikru had a village that lay on its outskirts. It wasn’t marked on any maps as the village was the smallest of any others, with a population consistently between 100 and 120. Its size was often joked about among the residents, with some saying they should call it a camp.
This ‘camp’ lay dangerously near the clan’s neighbor, Azgeda . Many had seen a problem with this as Trikru had a rough relationship with the other clan but they knew they couldn’t convince 100+ plus people to get up and move their entire life. So, it was here that a couple settled down and started a family, birthing Alexandria kom Trikru in the early months of the year.
Because the village was so small, they never got around to building a proper healing tent. This led to Omegas giving birth in their huts and being visited by the healer some hours later. It was an option that many were ok and was the option that Alexandria’s parents had excitedly gone with, no matter the threat it came with.
Her mom had found it cute that their firstborn would know her home from the second she was born. That she wouldn’t be blinded by bright lights and smell herbal teas.
Alexandria’s hut was nothing interesting and held nothing a newborn’s eyes would find captivating. It was a standard size but had one less room than the other huts because her father had removed a wall. Instead of the customary three rooms, they had two, together with a small space for cooking and another small space for dining and lounging.
But, the fact that their hut was small and they had few possessions beyond family gifts and portraits didn’t matter to Alexandria. She knew that the only thing she would need for years was her parents’ love, which they had given to her in abundance. They adored her and hugged her, pouring all their love into their only pup. Her mother so lovingly called her, “miracle pup”, making Lexa out to be some hero.
Alexandria was aware of the nickname’s origins and the two miscarriages that hide behind it.
And as easily as that, Alexandria became one of the 100 people in her small village. As one of the people, she began to grow up in the community with close friends and her family. She held no care in the world and held no idea of the dangers that awaited her.
As the seasons moved on, Alexandria grew and changed with them. She would start crawling in late winter, walk in early spring, and utter her first word in mid-fall. When her birth season would roll around, Alexandria would be walking the dirt paths, sniffing the recently bloomed flowers. She’d watch as the birds flew over her head, coming back to experience the warming birds. And listen to the gentle hum of the bees.
It was during this time that she would start a garden with the other school girls. They’d dictate who was watering what days and every year, without doubt, Alexandria was given Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday. She never minded though as she liked being outside, feeling a deep connection to the blossoming beauty the season brought.
The warmth would continue to grow as the days rolled on. The nearby lake was thawed and swimming groups were gathered, often by Alexandria. Every other day, they would walk down to the lake and swim until the sun was going down and the creatures began to come out.
When she wasn’t swimming, she was often found in a cold tub of water as she ate the local pop fruit. This fruit was bright red in color, a color often compared to the setting sun, and it had black dots speckled over it. The dots weren’t visible unless under a light, where they’d shimmer.
If the fruit was put into the person’s mouth and they didn’t chew it, the juices would begin to flow into the person’s mouth and leave behind a sweet taste in every part it touched. But everyone bit into the fruit and the action that followed gave the small fruit its name. If someone were to bite into the fruit, it would burst with a pop. Many children enjoyed this and would aim it at their friends, cheering when they were hit. It was for that reason that the fruit quickly became Alexandria’s favorite.
At the end of September and near the last day of December, the season of falling leave, Futam , would happen. Alexandria would spend the Fall season running through the forest. She’d run past trees and animals, and jump over logs and branches with nothing more than socks on her small feet. Sometimes she wouldn’t have socks at all.
She would wind through the forest and move as gracefully as the deer that ran by her. While doing this, she would often listen to the crunch of the leaves under her feet and laugh as she ran home. She never made it into the hut without jumping into the pile of her father’s recently raked leaves first.
From the moment Futam ended to the last day of March, Winter would lay a blanket of white on the ground. It would cover the green grass, the entire forest floor, and the bare branches of the trees. During this time, Alexandria would climb the barren trees as she still found joy in the forest in other ways than running barefoot through it. She would spend time alone as most of the kids were in the warmth of their tents or huts. To combat this loneliness, Alexandria made up games to pass the chilly days faster or she simply watched the forest inhabitants. As she did these things, she’d sometimes stop to watch her breath in the cold air. Towards night, she would huddle near an outside fire and smile as she sat in her mother’s warm embrace.
Her parents worked long hours during the winter, so when they came home, Alexandria was always waiting. Every time she’d be covered in snow, that would soak her clothing as it melted.
“Oh, Berry," her father would chuckle as he used her nickname, “what have you done?” He would smile and wipe the melting snow off his daughter’s face before placing a warm kiss on her forehead.
Alexandria would only smile wider, and her teeth would show. “I jumped in the snow, it is too much fun!” She’d exclaim, only to giggle as her father swept her up in a hug.
As it is for everyone at some point, Alexandria’s childhood had to come to a sudden end. It had to end for her to ‘properly’ grow up into someone who could live in the post-apocalyptic world. Her parents often told her as she got older, “You can’t have one foot in one world and the other in another world. Then expect to be loyal to just one."
Why not ? She had always wanted to ask but never did.
The carefree acts Alexandria had once known seemed to disappear on a warm night. She had turned eight the previous day and was now treated as a young lady, not a kid. She was due to start training in a month and sparring a year later. This was all in preparation for growing her into a warrior that would protect the village or go on to protect Heda .
It was the best job she could hope for, as all the other available jobs never got people anywhere. It was how her parents got trapped in a small village that rarely got its yearly boxes of helpful rations from the capitol.
Because of her new age, Alexandria was more than excited to sit down and let her parents talk to her. She assumed she was going to get the so-called “big girl” talk that her friends had told her about. She wanted to be given the new responsibility that all the other big kids in the village had. But their chat was nothing cheerful, and there was no pride in her parents' voices.
It took Alexandria one look into her father’s eyes to know this was no time for joking.
Her father looked into her eyes. His eyes were cold at the time, and he lacked the usual warm smile. He didn’t start with her nickname and dove right into talking about an event called The Seeking.
“It’s important," he began. “Really important. It makes up the foundation of the 12 clans.”
Her mother nodded at his words but went into further details. She told her daughter words that Alexandria had never forgotten. “Omegas, like me, crawl on the concrete floor-”
“Is it cold?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s cold," she said and appeared confused about why this mattered. "This takes place in the throne room. The throne room, as you know, isn’t used for much other than official meetings with Heda and certain events. Seeking is one of them.”
Her mother went on about the event. Alexandria learned of the groups of Omegas that crawled along the floor with no clothing on, bare for any guests to see. She failed to understand the necessity of such a thing and even found herself feeling ill toward Heda for allowing it. Then her mother explained that it was all about scents and clothing blocked natural scents.
“I understand," she said, nodding to make the words more believable.
Then her little mind went on to think about the famous city Polis. She got lost in the awe of the city and imagined herself walking its streets one day. She would love to see the dungeons that held her people’s history and even walk into Heda ’s room, which sat on the top floor of the tower.
But she also knew it was unlikely that she’d get that far. Everyone her age had the same goal, which was to get to Polis. To see Polis. To live in Polis alongside Heda . Because of this, she never voiced her wishes, especially after her father’s words when she told him about Polis.
“Dreaming big or small doesn’t matter. What matters is what you choose to dream, if that dream is of an appropriate size, if it is true and honest, and, most importantly, if you dream what others won’t. If you do so, your chances of achieving and living this dream are higher.”
Her thoughts then focused back on her mother's words. She learned of Omegas using their noses to seek out a scent they found most appealing among the crowd. They were blindfolded, so they relied heavily on their senses. And when they found that person, the meeting was said to be magical. A true representation that an Omega in heat can find anything, even their true mate.
After learning of the ritual, Lexa's life had little to no changes. She went on to start her training and was treated like a warrior in training. Her parents were more strict, and she no longer had the time to enjoy the seasons.
Her days were filled with classes and sparring. She learned to hunt, fight, and behave like a proper Alpha. When she wasn't learning how to be a warrior, she was learning about Omegas from her father. He said that the talks were meant to prepare her for the day an Omega would choose her.
She didn't really care about being chosen, which earned her a smack to the head when she was around 11. "You will care." He scolded, and ever since, he had made it his mission to turn Lexa into an Alpha worthy of an Omega.
She soon adapted to the new changes and forgot the ritual and the weirdness that came along with it. A part of her had found the ritual to be somewhat interesting and, for her, someone who isn’t an Omega, fun. After all, she had very little fun, so she’d take whatever she could get.
As time continued to pass, she grew, and her attachment to the ritual faded away until it was no longer present. She hadn't been interested when she went to Polis for the event but, due to her age, was left to wander the city while it happened.
I will be chosen , she thought and she held onto her mother's reassurance about it. She imagined she would be chosen around the age of 19 by someone of the same age. She thought this woman would be stunning, matching her preferences. Made for me .
But at the age of 12, The Seeking was far from her mind when, under the shelter of the night sky, Azgeda attacked her village. There were screams and pleas of desperation. Lexa heard her father offer what little they had as she hid under her bed. She watched the shadows that shone into her room and whimpered in fear. The man kicked her father down but left things at that, accepting the bag of coins her mother had offered shakily.
Outside her tent, the chaos continued until the sun rose. By then, the village was destroyed, with only a few huts remaining. Bodies were scattered about, and Lexa counted ten from where she stood by her hut. She knew the damage was worse when they packed their stuff and the village gathered together. Her father gave orders and led the group of 60 toward Polis, where he was sure they’d be welcomed.
And they were welcomed with open arms by Heda . They had shelters built in record time and checked in on Alexandria’s people regularly. Heda made sure they didn’t go without food and moved her people to the front of the food line.
It was through Heda that Alexandria’s love for Polis grew. She began to see the beauty in the world again, thinking it might not be that bad. She knew Azgeda still loomed on the horizon, watching and waiting, and she used that as her motivation. Her training became more serious, and she willingly spent more time than the other kids. Her friends were no longer those she grew up with but other kids who trained with her, and she even grew close to the occasional grown-up. She’d sit and listen to their stories and take whatever lesson there was to be learned from them.
In the year she turned 13, Alexandria witnessed a girl arguing with someone she assumed to be her father. They were hidden by some boxes, but their voices gave away their position. The father and daughter argued about family, and the girl shouted that he could barely be considered her family. With that, the girl walked away and passed Alexandria, who could only stare up at her.
“You should learn to mind your business”, the girl growled and shoved Alexandria with her shoulder.
She remembered falling back and cutting her hand on a rock. Alexandria hissed in pain and looked at her bleeding palm. As she stared at it, she didn’t notice the man who watched the black blood leak from her palm.
The following day, she watched as her village was kicked out of Polis by the same person who had welcomed them. She screamed and clawed at her captors as her family was removed from the city without her.
Her following days were full of fighting, which she used to release her anger toward the world. She fought under the watchful eye of the girl, who never had anything positive to say. The only time she was slightly warm toward Alexandria was when Heda was around. The person would compliment her blossoming skills, but she had nothing to say to the person who turned her world upside down. The person she blamed for each new broken bone, scar, and wound.
It was their face that she imagined when her spear sank through the hearts of her friends. Fight after fight, Alexandria didn’t imagine she was fighting not familiar faces but puppets that were once controlled by Heda . Her rage was strong and motivated her until she stood among the dead bodies and raised her fist, roaring with the rage she felt even after winning the conclave.
But the victory was far from a good thing, as the last of her humanity broke and her teenage years were snatched from her at the age of 15.
That brought her to now, where she sat on her wooden throne and watched Omegas crawl on the ground. She had witnessed The Seeking six times since she became Heda . At first, it was interesting, exciting even, but now she thought it was boring. An event that she wished she didn’t have to watch, until now.
She watches as an Omega crawls, her golden hair falling over one shoulder, her blue eyes hidden by the blindfold. Her body was in perfect shape, albeit a little skinny, and her breasts were supple. A perfect size for future pups to suckle from. Not only that, but the blonde beauty was the daughter of the Skaikru leader. A fine person who, if belonging to Heda , would prove to be handy. A bargaining chip, sickeningly so.
This time , she thinks, crossing one leg over the other. This one is mine .