Author's Notes: Some of you who read this might recognize it, and that's because I posted this story before under a different name and slightly different events. I changed it up, mostly because I lost a lot of motivation for it and it wasn't turning into what I wanted it to be. Let me know what you think!
Warmth pressed flush against her back. She had been up for a while now, enjoying the feeling and closeness. The sun just peeked its way through the windows and spilled itself across the room. She frowned slightly. The coming of Dawn signaled the start of the day, and today was the day she had to leave.
Soft lips press against her bare back and the arm around her pulled her closer, eliciting a soft hum from her. Clarke was the first to break the silence as she held Lexa impossibly closer, "How long have you been awake?"
Lexa's hand idly stroked the arm around her, "Some time now," she paused, bringing Clarke's hand up to her lips to lay a gentle kiss, "I'm trying to memorize this feeling before you leave."
Clarke smiled at the softness of the person in her arms. She nuzzled her chin into Lexa's neck, kissing her hairline and neck before settling with her mouth next to Lexa's ear. "Did you want to try to memorize another feeling before I leave too?" Lexa couldn't help but smile, she could even hear Clarke smirking behind her.
"I think we did that well enough last night," She sighed, "Besides, we don't have much time left, can we just lay here, for a little while longer?" No other words were spoken, Clarke placed one last kiss on Lexa's back before laying back down behind her.
They laid there awake for what felt like hours. It wasn't often Clarke had to leave to go back to Arkadia, but when she did there was no telling how long she would be gone. Two days turned into two weeks, two weeks turned into two months. Lexa never once questioned Clarke's reasons for leaving. She had come to love being in the sky girl's presence and her absence left a hole whenever she left.
Lexa never thought herself worthy of receiving this from anyone, never mind Clarke. Worthy of someone that makes her feel like in moments like these, she wasn't the Commander, she was just Lexa. Someone who was worthy of being loved and loving back.
She convinced herself that maybe if they stay laying there, barely moving, barely breathing, time itself will stop for them. That's what Lexa hoped.
But time was never kind to the Commander.
Her eyes faded to the darkness.
The smell of her own blood was nauseating by itself. It was thick in the air and permeated through her nose. She could feel the thickness of it with every breath; every rise of her lungs felt heavier than the last and she was growing tired of breathing. She could taste it without ever opening her mouth; every swallow feels like she's choking and suffocating on it even though all that's going down her throat is her own saliva. Her lips are dry, cracked, and swollen. Her stomach is heavy, sick and sinking as if itself is filled with blood and all she can do is taste it. Her head is swimming and she's light headed; she knows that this much overload of her senses and this much blood means that she's getting close. Her eyes are heavy lidded, impossibly heavy as her neck refuses to lift her head anymore and she's slumped in a naked heap of her own body. Even through her closed eyes she can see the sun is bright, too bright. It stings through her eyelids and seems to slam itself through her eyes and into her brain. Everything hurts.
Her left hand is tied to a stake in the ground, not that it mattered because even without it she was completely immobilized from the pain. Her right hand gripped a tattered piece of shirt, which was all that was left after what she had been through, and she held it to a wound on her lower left quadrant of her torso. It was bleeding miserably, and she no longer had the strength to hold the cloth on with enough pressure to slow it. Aside from the stab wound she was covered in gashes and bruises. Her left shoulder was dislocated, as was her left knee, she won't try and get away again. A couple of her ribs were fractured, as well as her right cheek bone. She was a mess of a human, and barely a recognizable one at that. She was dying.
"Where is she? I grow tired of these games. There is no point in keeping her alive any further, the Ambassadors have since backed Azgeda in the three months the Commander has been gone." A few murmurs are passed from what sounds like several people, but the only voice she can hear clearly is that one piercing female. "It's time to take the flame. Bring me Ontari."
She only manages a small groan before she is picked up by her hair. She doesn't even fight it, she can't possible fight it anymore. One last time she manages to open her eyes.
Her right eye is blurry but makes out the person in front of her like she has seen her a million times. Her left eye is open but is covered by midnight black streams of blood, the gash over her eye forgotten until now. Piercing cold eyes bore into her soul, as the woman in front of her smirked, the scars on her face becoming more prominent as the muscles in her face tensed.
"N…Nia…" She manages to groan out, but it sounded nothing like she wanted to. She wanted to spit in her face and intimidate the woman, but instead it came out like the squeak of a dying rat.
"Remember, your weakness is what lead you here, Lexa. We only wanted Wanheda, which you so foolishly denied us." The Queen scoffed and brought a knife up to her throat. "Did I ever tell you this is exactly what we did to that girl who was stupid enough to think you would save her?" Her eyes grew wild at the mention of Costia but her body betrayed her. Her mind began to flash, Costia suffered through all of this? Because of me? "I've heard Wanheda has tried to gather forces against me. Now, she will learn what happens to those who oppose Azgeda."
Clarke. She tried to save her from all of this. From the pain she would soon feel. I'm sorry, Clarke. "I'm going to give you one last chance, Lexa." Ontari stepped up to the Queen's side, a fire raging in her eyes. "Tell me how to take the flame and I will make this quick, and perhaps I will consider mercy on your precious Wanheda."
Lexa closed her eyes, feeling a fit of coughing coming on. She groaned as her lungs violently seized, causing her to cough up drops of night and shake against the knife being held to her throat, slicing lightly into skin. She flashed her eyes back open once the fit was over, "I laik fleim."I am the Flame. Lexa's voice laced itself with venom, the remaining strength she had mustering itself into what she believed to be her last words. She took a deep breath, seemingly finding it harder to breath as time passes, "The flame will never belong to you, Nia. It will never choose her as Commander. And Polis will never accept her as the Commander. You think you have beaten me, but Wanheda-" Ontari's fist met Lexa's stomach, silencing her mid-sentence. The Queen let go of her hair and Lexa dropped to the ground.
"Enough of this. Pick her up and hold her. I will cut it out myself then." Ontari and another man picked up Lexa from either side, her head falling in front of her, her neck unable to hold it up any longer. Fight. Her mind screamed. The Commanders screamed. But her body would not move. The Queen approached from behind, holding a sharp blade in her hand and handing Ontari Lexa's knife. "If she tries anything, slice her throat."
Lexa closed her eyes as she felt the cool blade touch her throat, a familiar feeling she had come accustomed to in the three months she has been in Azgeda. But this time it was her own knife given to her by Anya. Her heart pounded in her chest, so hard she could feel it pulsing in her ears. It was deafeningly loud and she strained to breathe faster to keep up with her throbbing heart, but her lungs refused to let more air in as they also struggled against the pressure of her fractured ribs. The Queen began to slice through the layers of skin on the back of her neck, and she could distinctly feel each layer of skin separating. A scream attempted to escape from her mouth, but all that came out was a scratchy muffle as her mouth was instantly stuffed with the shirt she was holding on to, as well as a slow drag of the knife almost an inch across her neck. The Queen stopped cutting, and instead gazed upon what she was looking at.
Queen Nia came back around in front of Lexa, grabbing the other knife from Ontari. "Either you tell me how to get it out or I will rip it out of you."
Lexa hung there, panting, tears spilling from her eyes mixed with the nightblood dripping down her face. "I'll never tell you," She coughed once more, "And if you pull it out you will destroy it."
The Queen didn't hesitate, didn't falter in front of Lexa. It was never her plan to take it out of Lexa alive. She knew Lexa would never help her. This was all a game for her. How far could she push Lexa, was what she wanted to see. And now, she was done playing the game. "Then you're of no use to us, now are you?"
She grabbed Lexa by the hair and yanked her head back up. She placed Lexa's own dagger where Ontari had made a cut earlier. Painstakingly slow, the Queen continued to drag the blade in an arc along Lexa's neck, until suddenly the Queen stopped and Lexa was dropped from Ontari's and the other guard's grasp. The Queen collapsed in front of her.
Lexa's right cheek slammed into the ground and her lungs seized from the onslaught and she groaned. She rolled onto her back, her eyes fluttering back open as she watched what looked like fireflies in the sky. No, she thought, it's… too early in the day. She blinked her eyes a couple more times, her right eye becoming clearer but her left eye seemingly still drowning in black crimson. Those weren't fireworks. It's getting hotter… She blinked a few more times. They're arrows.
She struggled to sit herself up. To turn her head and look around at what could possibly be happening. But she couldn't move. She thinks she hears screaming but as each second passes her hearing gets more muffled. Instead she tries to focus on what is near her. She's able just to drop her head to the left so that she's laying on her cheek. As she does she sees a blue cape fluttering in front of the Queen, and a glint of a sword as it is drawn out from its sheath. A cracked voice says out, "Jomp em op en yu jomp ai op." As the sword is thrust down into the Queen. But dark circles are enveloping her vision and her blood is drowning her and death is welcoming her. The last thing she sees is the blue cape blowing in the wind and she tries to reach for it. The last thing she feels is her weight suddenly shift and leave the ground. The last thing she hears is enough to shatter her heart to pieces.
"I'm here, Lexa…"
Ai laik fleim: I am the Flame
Jomp em op en yu jomp ai op: Attack her and you attack me