Clarke had been looking for Octavia ever since she'd walked out of the Commander's chambers. Maybe it was just a distraction. Something to take her mind off the truth she'd yet to have the courage to share. They had six months to find a solution. Six months to find a way to save the world. Again. Forced to make a decision that affected so many with so little time to make it. Again.
She knew she had to find a way to tell everyone soon. Time was, as always, short. Clarke justified waiting for one simple reason; she was afraid what the truth would do to all the people still trying to come to terms with the horrible things they'd done under the influence of the chip. She couldn't add this to their plates. Not yet.
Clarke pulled her horse to a stop and looked around; she knew finding Octavia wouldn't be easy. The brunette had spent as much time in the woods as she had; she wouldn't be found unless she wanted to be. But Clarke had to find her. For once, she had good news; no, it likely wouldn't bring her home, but hopefully the joint Chancellor's decision to pardon all crimes committed under the chip's influence meant Octavia, at least, didn't have to fear her own people. True, Octavia hadn't been chipped, but Clarke had argued, despite the cost, Pike's death had ended the war between the Sky People and the Grounders. Blood must have blood, after all.
The sound of running water drew her attention; she hadn't felt clean in weeks. Thinking she might as well enjoy clean water while she still could, she aimed her horse, Argo, in the direction she thought the noise was coming from. The thought of cool clear water already had her smiling when she found something else to lift her spirits; Octavia's horse.
She dismounted and made her way towards the sound of splashing along with the running water. As she came to the water's edge she found herself stunned; Octavia stood under the waterfall, completely naked. Aside from that pleasant sight, Clarke couldn't help but notice the many scars covering her body.
"Octavia!" she called.
The dark haired beauty stepped from beneath the water, dove into the water and popped up a few feet in front of her. "Why are you here, Clarke?"
"I came to freshen up," she supplied as she started to undress, "I got lucky when I found you here." She bent over to take off her pants and looked up to find her friend looking at her in a way she hadn't expected. "Everyone's looking for you," she said to cover her blush; was Octavia checking her out?
"Well you found me," Octavia said as she swam backward to let Clarke step into the water. "What do you want?"
"The Grounders want to celebrate you," she smiled as she swam towards her. "And Kane, Jaha and my mother have pardoned you," she smiled again at the look of shock on Octavia's face. "They're Co-Chancellors, for now anyway."
"Even Jaha?" she scoffed.
"At least they're working together for a change," Clarke joked and shook her head. "Everyone's so messed up right now, I guess they all need a little familiarity." Clarke swam closer to her. "How are you holding up, O?"
"I miss him," she admitted quietly. "So many times, in this fucked up world, he was the only thing that held me together." Clarke nodded; she felt the same about Lexa. "I'm sorry, Clarke, about Lexa. I know how much you cared for her."
"I saw her," Clarke confided, "in the City of Light. I know it wasn't real, it wasn't her. But I got to say goodbye, tell her I loved her and then watched as she ran off to defend me."
"Clarke, you don't seem like a girl who just saved the world," Octavia observed.
"What is it with you Blakes? Your brother said the same thing," Clarke joked. "We're so beyond screwed."
"I thought everyone was too busy putting their lives back together to fight?"
"They are," Clarke sighed. "O, I haven't told anyone yet, but the Earth is dying."
"What are you talking about?"
"Alie was, in her own messed up way, trying to save us," Clarke explained. "Nuclear power plants, some already burning and others about to. We have, maybe, six months to figure something out."
"And then?"
"We start to die," Clarke supplied.
"And you haven't told anyone?"
"I told you."
"Why?" Octavia questioned.
"I trust you."
"No, why haven't you told anyone else?"
"Because they deserve a little normal before I ruin it," Clarke replied. "But that isn't why I was looking for you." She swam a little closer to her. "I wanted to make sure you're okay."
"I don't know that I've ever been 'okay'," she joked. "No," she rushed, the pity, Clarke was sure, was all over her face; "don't feel bad for me. Have I had the easiest life? No. But have any of us?" She reached up and wiped a tear from her face. "I might not always like you Clarke, or the decisions you make, but I do admire you. You never wanted any of this. You became our leader even if you didn't want to. You've saved so many lives."
"I've taken more," Clarke countered quietly.
"To save people," Octavia reiterated.
"And what did I save them for this time, O?" Clarke lamented. "Oh hey, here's your 'free will' back but we're all going to die."
"That isn't your fault," Octavia pulled her close. "You, maybe more than any of us, have sacrificed so much." She pulled away and studied her a moment. "When do you get to be happy?"
"I was," Clarke sniffed. "For about an hour."
"You will be again," Octavia assured her.
"Not really high on the priority list," Clarke joked. "Let's save the world first and then I'll think about it."
"And if we don't?" the brunette queried as she ran a thumb along her cheek. "If we don't save the world?"
Clarke hissed as Octavia leaned in and kissed her neck; "What are you doing?"
"Seeking comfort in the arms of a friend?" Octavia offered. "Don't overthink this, Clarke."
Clarke nodded and captured her lips in a kiss, tentatively at first and then with more enthusiasm as the brunette growled low in her throat. Octavia steered them towards the opposite shore where her things lay, finally breaking the kiss to climb out of the water.
"Wanheda!" a deep male voice called just as Clarke made to join Octavia. She slipped back into the water and turned to find the King of the Ice Nation, Roan, standing by her clothes. She glanced at Octavia to find her getting dressed and then swam over to where Roan waited.
"I'm happy to see you're alive," she commented.
"I shouldn't have abandoned you, Clarke," he admitted grimly and fell to his knees. "The Ice Nation, all twelve clans, owe you a debt," he added and looked down. "A debt, I hope, that I can repay for my people today."
"There is no debt, Roan," Clarke sighed. "I only did what I thought was right."
"Be that as it may," he stood and smiled in Octavia's direction as she joined him, sword in hand; "I have something to show you."
"Well you'll understand if I don't want to show you anything," Clarke quipped but it was lost on Roan.
"Wanheda is a little shy," Octavia provided.
"Oh," he looked down at Clarke and reddened. "Oh, oh, of course. Beg your pardon," he nodded and blushed further. "I'll, uh, wait by the horses."
The two girls waited until he was out of earshot and then burst out laughing.
"Did we just make the King of the Ice Nation blush?" Clarke laughed as she stepped out of the water and then noticed that Octavia was now the one blushing.
Despite her blush, the brunette sauntered over and pulled the blonde into a long kiss. "We're definitely finishing this later, okay?" Clarke nodded. "Now get dressed, Princess, let's go see what he has to show us." She kissed her again. "So we can finish what we started."
Clarke tried to hide her nerves as she fumbled back into her clothes. She'd never looked at Octavia in that way, but there was no denying she was hot. Once she was dressed she gathered her things and followed Octavia back to the horses.
"Where's your horse, Roan?" Clarke asked as they reached him.
"Don't have one," he replied dryly.
"Take mine," Clarke offered, "I can ride with O."
"Can you now?" Octavia joked as she mounted her horse. "Well, c'mon Princess," she added as she offered her a hand up.
"Hey," she whispered into her ear as she wrapped her arms around her, "the sooner we get to where we're going the sooner we can get back to what we were doing."
"Point taken," Octavia chuckled.
The followed Roan at a comfortable pace for quite some time; not a full out gallop, but faster than a casual trot. Clarke let her mind wander, her trust in her friend's abilities enough that she was able to relax for the first time since Lexa's death. She was well into a daydream about what she planned to do to Octavia later when they finally started to slow.
"We're almost there!" Roan called.
"Almost where, exactly?" Octavia said in an undertone.
"He's never given me a reason not to trust him," Clarke offered. "Besides, you're with me, I'm not worried."
They entered trees so thick they had to dismount and walk the rest of the way. They continued on in silence, the two girls occasionally sharing a smile.
"What the…" Clarke started as they entered a clearing, a large glass dome in the middle of it.
"Welcome to the home of Bekka Pramheda's decedents," Roan provided as he led them towards it.
"But she passed the flame…"
"It was not the only one," Roan supplied. "She came to the ground as her station was blown out of the sky. She found survivors and helped them. She found this place," he waved towards it, "another Mount Weather only they found a way to survive without help from the outside." He smiled as a door opened and someone, a female someone, approached. "She spent decades gathering as much of Earth's knowledge as she could find and stored it here."
"Lexa?" Clarke muttered, her knees giving out as she recognized her.
"When Ontari sent me to burn her body I found she was still breathing," Roan provided as Lexa fell to her knees in front of her and pulled her into her arms. "I found this place when I was banished, they saved my life." He smiled as both girls looked up at him. "I hoped they could do the same for Heda."
"I'm not Heda anymore," Lexa said quietly as she looked back to Clarke. "I've missed you."
"You were dead," Clarke said, her voice strained. "You died in my arms…"
"The Flame, Clarke, it protected me," she smiled. "It slowed my heart so I wouldn't bleed out. I only woke a few days ago."
Clarke looked up to Roan; "It's I who am in your debt," she went to stand, Roan offering her a hand up. She pulled him into a hug, the stoic warrior not responding at first. "Thank you."
"You made me see that I could be a better man," he replied earnestly as she pushed her away and then held her at arm's length. "That I could be a better leader than my Mother."
"Hey Roan," Octavia interjected; "Why don't you give me the tour?" he nodded.
"Octavia, wait," Clarke said, stopping her with a hand on her arm.
"Don't sweat it, Princess," Octavia assured her as she pulled her into a hug. "I'd have dropped you in a hot second if Lincoln had walked out that door."
"Thanks, O," Clarke replied gratefully as she gave her one last squeeze.
"Besides," Octavia said, her voice almost a growl, "I was only looking for comfort," she very obviously eyed Roan from head to toe. "He looks pretty comforting."
"You're terrible," Clarke laughed as she playfully shoved her.
"You say terrible," she winked and linked her arm with Roan's. "I say, honest."
They watched them walk away and then turned to each other.
"You're really here?" Clarke asked in awe as she reached up to stroke her cheek. Lexa nodded. "I missed you, so…"
Lexa interrupted her with a kiss, the two holding onto each other like they never wanted to let go ever again.
"I promise I will never be away for you long enough to miss me ever again," Lexa promised.
"Sounds good to me," Clarke replied with a smile. "Can we go somewhere? Be alone?" Lexa nodded and led her towards the dome. "Lexa?" She pulled her to a stop just before they entered. "I love you."
"I have loved you from the moment you stood up to me, Clarke of the Sky People," Lexa said fondly as she searched her eyes. "After Costia I never thought I would love again." She smiled. "And then I met you."
Clarke was still scared, the future was an uncertain one she wasn't sure she could do anything to stop, but at least she had Lexa. Together they could face anything. Of that, she was sure. It was the only thing she was sure of.