CLARKE
Clarke knows she is being unreasonable. She knows she needs to get out of the leather pants she wears when she is practicing her fighting techniques, and get into a long flowy ballroom gown that she absolutely detests but which makes her mom burst out in a cry of "Oh, honey, you look every bit the princess that you are!" She is aware that it is way past time for her to sit in the ridiculously uncomfortable chair in front of the mirror and let the ladies-in-waiting spend hours scrubbing all the dirt from her face and ooh and aah somewhere along the lines of what beautiful hair you have, Princess and why in the world do you want to keep it tied up all the time. She definitely knows that there is no way of getting out of this torture they have decided to call 'A gathering of the clans'.
But, she thinks, as she wheels her horse through a sharp turn, kicking up a cloud of dust in her wake, they really should know that she doesn't care.
This is what she hates about being a Chancellor's daughter. The endless parties, gatherings and functions, and her mother's demands that she attend them all and be social and outgoing. Sure, it has its perks. The best of delicacies delivered to her table, the most comfortable house ever, and plumbing, but there are times she just wants to run away with a handful of clothes, her horse Jaha and live in the woods, hunting and feeding from day to day. Construct a cottage somewhere secluded, and run off there, far from the mass of people who look up to her as their leader already, treat with the kind of respect that makes her uncomfortable and are ready to lay down their lives for her at a single gesture.
(And call her Princess, which she absolutely hates. Could there possibly be a word softer, and more reminiscent of a girl prancing around in a dress and going really girly stuff like painting her nails, and sewing and talking to birds, than Princess? She would have been fine with Savior. Or The Legendary Clarke. Or The Lost Hero of Our Generation, which she totally didn't try to make the helpers call her a year ago.)
It may be crowded in Arkadia but out here in the woods, there is nothing to disturb her. Just a whole lot of peace and quiet. There is just the comforting gurgle of water from the river flowing nearby, the constant chirping of birds and the tap-tapping sound from beneath Jaha's hooves as he trots through the worn path. The sun is shining rather brightly for just ten in the morning but under the canopy of unending trees which shades her, everything seems hazy and the heat feels too far away to bother her. She lets Jaha lead her on the way, and just keeps her hands on the reins, planning on doing nothing but riding lazily.
The sound of leaves rustling from somewhere breaks her out of her reverie, and she tightens her hold briefly to make Jaha stop. She dismounts, and takes a tentative step forward.
"Hello," she calls out "Anyone there?"
She looks around and stands there, on her guard, just in case. After a while of complete silence, when she finally decides that it must have been a small animal which made the sound, someone bursts out from the bushes and startles her so hard she almost falls over.
It is a young girl, not much older than her. Clarke is distracted by the sword gleaming in her hand, not quite raised but ready for defense, and her Grounder garb. Then she takes a good look at her, and promptly loses her train of thought.
The girl is stunning. There are not enough words in the world to express how perfectly her features have been shaped, how well her straight nose complements the cut of her jaw and her clearly defined cheekbones. Her hair is pulled up in an intricate bundle of Grounder braids, to keep them out of her eyes most probably, and that is the reason Clarke cannot help but gape at her, because that leaves her eyes unobstructed from view, and holy crap, they are mind-blankingly wonderful. The girl's eyes are a gorgeous shade of green, clear and pure, and then she notices that they are kind of narrowed and squinting, and they are probably squinting at her, but why would they be…
Then she realizes that when the girl came out of hiding so suddenly, she alarmed Clarke into reverting back to the most basic form of self-defense that could be done without a gun or her bow and arrow – Kung Fu style. That while she had been staring at the girl, the girl had in fact been staring, in turn at her half-heartedly raised fists, and her almost done but not quite properly stance. That all this time she had been holding this stupid pose.
Clarke takes in the scene, this Grounder girl contemplating her as though she were some kind of crazy woman, Jaha sorrowfully looking at her as though he cannot personally believe that his owner could be this ridiculous, and slowly drops her hands, all the while keeping her eyes on what is probably the best-looking girl to wander this earth.
Then the girl opens her mouth, and ruins everything.
"Were you really planning to defend yourself like that?" she asks, arching a brow, and Clarke finds out that no, the girl's voice was nothing like what she had imagined in her head, it was way better "Because I cannot imagine that such an absurd defensive stance could have helped."
Clarke scowls at her, compelled to explain "That was Bruce Lee, for your information. Those moves would totally have worked against you."
"Against me, maybe, but not against my sword. Or are you saying that your nails extend to longer and sharper proportions when faced with an enemy?"
The girl is definitely making fun of her, Clarke decides, but it doesn't show in her face which is completely devoid of good-humor.
"Do you generally make a habit of ridiculing people you nothing about? I could be the ruler of a far-off land with the resources to defeat the Coalition."
"And I could be the Commander of said Coalition," the girl retorts, waving a hand, and along with it, Clarke's imaginary far-off land with huge resources, away.
"Ha," she laughs "You couldn't be Lexa. She was a little whiny kid, who cried when she fell down. Couldn't take a joke to save her life. You know, it astounds me how she ever became Commander. I mean, they should have chosen someone more bad-ass…."
The girl glares at her, and Clarke faintly feels like she has seen that expression, in another time, maybe in another life, but she chooses to ignore it.
"You don't know our Heda ," the girl says, offended.
"Like hell I don't," Clarke replies "I played with her when we were kids. Till she had to leave for training."
"Training which changed her! Training that hardened her, a life so tough she had no time to cry, to rest, to live. And you stand here saying…."
"You sound like you're a friend," Clarke says, interested.
"I know her. I was…..an initiate who trained alongside her."
"Who are you?"
"Alexandria," she replies.
LEXA
Hunting is an integral part of life. She knows that, but it doesn't stop her from mourning the loss of every animal, whether they are small or big, that dies at her hand. She has been doing this for about ten years now, ever since she killed a fearsome tiger when she was eight, and every time she kills a living being, she kneels down and begs for forgiveness from whoever created them. Titus insists on her doing it regularly, though. Says it would create an image of a courageous and strong Heda in her people's minds. Lists all the ways in which small things she may or may not do could affect the state of the Coalition. Lexa knows better than to dispute his opinions, knows that one back answer from her could provoke a two-hour lecture on bravery, integrity, and all that makes one a capable Heda. Which is how she finds herself going off to the woods in search of prey, on the morning of the gathering of the clans, having promised Titus she'd bring back something.
And severely annoyed, when a sudden sound of horse hooves startles the deer into running off (A part of her rejoices, now she isn't responsible for the failure to bring back prey, there is someone else she can blame). So she decides to investigate, and slowly approaches the path.
It's her. She supposes she should have known. Clarke always had a way of derailing all of her plans, even when they were small children, playing with Bellamy and Anya under Indra's watchful eye. Always knew how to mess up everything, as though she knew she could get away with it if she just flashed her beautiful sky-blue eyes, and that perfect smile, which even when they were kids, could reduce her to a mass of speechless adoration. Could fluster her so hard, all she could do was watch on as she charmed every adult in the vicinity.
She is beautiful. All grown up now, with golden hair just barely kept out of her eyes, and her perfect nose, lips and cheekbones adorning her even more perfect face (if there even could be such a thing), as though the Creator took their time sculpting her, maybe even forever, because surely even eternity could not be enough to construct such a beautiful specimen of the human race. Forever was too small a time to mix enough colors to achieve the absolutely accurate color of the sky, and paint it in her eyes. Too miniscule a while to ignite the fierce flame she can see burning in the way she carries herself.
Time hadn't changed a lot. Not the color of her eyes, not the way Lexa always felt around her, like she was treading on a poorly tied tightrope that might, at any time, break off, and leave her careening into the unknown. And apparently, not the unfortunate habit Lexa had always had of saying stupid things where Clarke was concerned. So she sees everything as though from somewhere else, watches as she says all the wrong things, and angers Clarke. To make it worse, the other girl doesn't even remember her, and when the time comes to introduce herself, she gives her real name that she is sure Clarke wouldn't recognize for what it really is, the longer version of the name she grew up calling her.
"So, Alexandria," Clarke asks her, one hand on her horse, other resting in her pocket "What's your commander like?"
"What do you mean, what's she like?" Lexa feels flustered, not used to deception of such magnitudes "She's brave, worthy…."
"Nah, not like that," Clarke cuts her off "Give me the real story on her. Does she still consume more water than food at lunchtime? Still has that weird ritual of doing the rain dance during the first shower of the season? Is her favorite color still blue? Can she….."
There is a warm feeling in Lexa's heart, brought on by her knowledge of the fact that Clarke remembers all that about her.
"You remember her," she states, casually.
"Of course I do," Clarke says it like it should be obvious "Kind of an adorable idiot, your Heda was. Don't forget those too often. So, is she still the same?"
"Maybe you should ask her yourself. At the gathering," she clarifies, and then, suddenly remembering that she had to be there early or Titus would give a huge speech on punctuality, starts walking away.
"Will you be there?" Clarke asks, from behind her.
"Yes," she replies, and hastens her pace.
All through the getting ready part of the afternoon, she thinks of the girl she met after so many years. She thinks of her hair, as the women are preparing hers in elaborate braids. Wonders if Clarke's skin is as soft as it looks, as she applies black war paint on her own face. Weighs the possibility of Clarke being a fighter as she puts on her battle armour. The memories of this morning keep replaying through her mind, as she meets the ambassadors and delegates.
In fact, it may be safe to say that she thinks little of anything else till the man in her guard announces the entry of the Skaikru council into her tent. She sees Marcus Kane, Thelonious Jaha, along with Abigail Griffin, who smiles at her, and is obviously remembering the little girl she used to be, years ago, before her eyes go to the figure trailing disinterestedly behind them. Clarke obviously hates the dress she is in, if the way she tugs at the material is indication enough, and it takes her back to their shared childhood, when Abigail would dress Clarke in something, and the girl would inevitably tear it or muddy it so much, it would be indistinguishable from the color of the ground they played on. She smiles in fond recollection, and that is the exact moment Clarke looks up, and their eyes meet.
"Clarke Griffin of the Sky people," she says, savoring the name on her tongue "I welcome you to the festivities of the Coalition."
Clarke's jaw falls open. It appears that, for the first time in their lives, Lexa has managed to render Clarke incapable of speech instead of the other way round.
RAVEN
She loves Clarke, she really does.
Like, so, so, much
Normally, Raven wouldn't be part of the delegation travelling to the gathering, because a mechanic isn't as important as, say, a medic and a chancellor. But Clarke pulled some strings, talked to the Council members about letting certain members of the general public attend royal functions and how it could benefit their public image and shit like that, and boom, she was part of the team travelling in the carriage to the royalest, coolest party ever.
There were so many things to see in Polis. The city was, of course, aesthetically pleasing, and beautifully constructed and all the other big words that Dr. Griffin pointed out to them as they took a brief tour, but it wasn't just the old as hell buildings that were cool, it was what she could find in them. Old parts of machines, screw drivers, hammers, steel and aluminum sheets she could scrounge up and twist into wires….the possibilities were endlessly endless. There were so many wonderful things here.
Starting with the girl looking at the necklaces on display in the market.
Raven has seen a lot of good-looking people in her life. There are a lot of stunning girls she's discovered herself around, and a lot of cute guys she's dated in her life. Her love life (or fun life, more like) has no shortage of all-around hotness. So it surprises her when she sees this girl, and realizes she's having trouble looking away.
She tries to analyze her appeal. Sure, she looks nice (and that might possibly be the most understatementy understatement of the year, because nice isn't nearly a good enough term to describe this girl with her hair ties in numerous braids, her tanned skin and her sharp features which still contain a kind of innocent softness), but that isn't what draws Raven in. It is the wondrous, awestruck expression on her face, the almost childish excitement that she can feel emanating from her even from a distance. She looks like she is taking in the world around her in for the first time, and it is so refreshing that Raven kind of just wants to keep watching. So she keeps out of sight, and, feeling increasingly like a crazy stalker, follows the girl from shop to shop. She sees her eyes light up at the sight of the brightly dyed clothes, try on the earrings, and observe the people with a child's wonder. Her happiness is so infectious that she leaves everyone in the vicinity smiling, long after she's gone. Raven smiles, glad to just have the opportunity to see this.
Or, she would have, if Clarke hadn't burst out of nowhere and dragged her to the nearest corner, babbling about something woods, and Lexa and commander. She turns her head, looks everywhere, but by that time, the girl is gone.
She hates Clarke, she really does.
Like, so, so, much.
"You made me lose her!" she accuses, as though Clarke had just made her lose sight of a suspect in the most high-profile murder case in an Agatha Christie novel.
"Lose who?"
"Um….someone."
"Whatever, that doesn't matter. Remember the Grounder girl I told you about? The one I met this morning and whined about Lexa to?"
"The really gorgeous one who was annoying as hell?" Raven tries to keep track of the conversation, all the while wondering where the girl could have wandered off to "Yeah, so?"
"That was Lexa!"
This makes her pay attention "What? Seriously"
"Yeah," Clarke rubs the back of her neck sheepishly.
"Wow," Raven says "You have really horrible game, don't you, Griffin?"
"Shut up! I wasn't trying to put the moves on anyone. Besides, it's Lexa. That would be weird."
"Why?"
Clarke hesitates "Just because. Also, because she's really rude. And kind of an asshole."
She sighs, and slaps her friend on the back "Whatever, Clarke. Now that your incredibly urgent tale of mortification is over, may I please go back to stalking this girl I saw earlier? By the way, that wasn't a question."
"But I need…"
"Not a question, Griffin."
Clarke's shoulders slump in defeat "Okay, bye."
She leaves Clarke behind, and wanders slowly around the marketplace, looking for the girl who seems to have disappeared into thin air. She does a slow 360 degrees, keeping her eyes peeled for her, and all of a sudden she sees a flash of movement going towards the river. So she follows slowly, dragging her bad leg along.
Raven finds her sitting on a rock next to the flowing water, engaged in a staring match with a squirrel. The girl has her hand extended, but is otherwise very still, waiting for the timid creature to make a move. All Raven has to do is stay very still, till the squirrel either decides to run away or approach the girl, and then come out of hiding and introduce herself. It's all very simple.
So of course she messes it up.
Stumbling over the smallest pebble ever, her bad leg hooks on a low-lying branch and she crashes through the trees, finally coming to a stop a few meters away from where the girl is perched. The squirrel scampers away, and Raven does a mental face-palm at her extreme lack of finesse. She drags herself up groaning at a stab of pain through her leg, dusts her jeans off, looks at the girl, and then almost falls over again.
Yes, her eyes are exactly that beautiful. Stumbling, crashing and falling-over worthy.
"You couldn't have followed me a little more quietly," she says, a hint of irritation coloring her tone.
"I….sorry?" Raven fumbles with her apology.
"You should be".
"Hey, it's just a squirrel. I can catch one for you if you want."
"No, don't!" bursts out of her abruptly, and Raven startles a bit at her obvious distress "Don't….trap it."
"Okay, okay, no trapping anyone here."
The girl relaxes a little, and Raven gives her a wide smile, then speaks again "So, I'd like you to know that I deeply regret my impulsive actions that caused your squirrel to run away, and that I'd very much like to formally apologize to you" the girl keeps staring at her, and that causes her to falter a bit "Which is kind of why, I need your name. To, you know, apologize."
"I…" she starts, then looking around, realizes how close to sunset it is "I'm late."
Before she can shut herself up a "Hi, Late, I'm Raven" comes out of her mouth and she turns red at the horrible joke. The girl smiles, though and the sight is so beautiful Raven gets lost for a while, and doesn't realize that she has been moving away till she is at the edge of the clearing.
"I really have to go," she says "My brother will be looking for me."
"At least tell me your name," Raven calls out, staring at her retreating back now.
The girl stops for a second and turns around "Octavia" she says, before she is off once more, and out of sight.
Octavia, Raven says aloud, slowly, and smiles.