Clarke couldn't quite figure out what was wrong but she knew something had been off about herself the past few days. She felt weaker, her bones and muscles tiring much more quickly than usual and her appetite had all but disappeared. She had been working and sleeping in the grounders camp for almost two weeks now, learning their customs under the watchful eye of every grounder in camp, of course.
She had the feeling that Lexa's threat of death to anyone who gave Clarke trouble loomed over her like a shadow, casting a thin veil of protection from too much provocation. While Clarke was generally irritated at this, at the moment, it was a welcome comfort to be able to cross camp without running into trouble.
She knew life as a grounder was not easy, but the long days and even longer nights were starting to take their toll on her. After a week of restless nights and days that started before the sun had risen, and only ended after it passed through the sky and disappeared again, she was feeling every bit a sky person as they made her out to be.
She reached the flaps of the Commanders quarters and, without hesitation, entered the privaacy of the tent. Although it was Lexas private quarters, Clarke didn't see much of the Commander outside of leader meetings these days. She was after all the Leader of 12 tribes. Clarke didn't want to admit it but she found herself missing Lexa, mostly because she was the only one who didn't scowl at her when Clarke approached.
Shrugging out of her jacket and pants Clarke all but fell into the comfort of her make shift bed. She didn't even have time to worry about the fact that she missed dinner, some unknown red meat AGAIN, before she was asleep.
Unfortunately for Clarke it wasn't a restful sleep, Not long after falling into bed she had developed a fever making the usually drafty tent hotter than she could stand. Kicking off the blankets, Clarkes skin was exposed to the cold air of the night causing her body to erupt in bumps and her teeth to chatter.
In the morning she had woken to find her body covered in rashes that burned and itched with every move she made. She felt weak and more tired than she had ever felt in her life. She attempted to get out of bed, knowing that if the grounders knew she had missed the morning training over a few red spots she would never be accepted or treated as an equal.
The attempt however was unsuccessful, sweat clung to her body and nausea coupled with dizziness over-powered her, causing her body to collapse back into the bed without her consent. She heard a grunt, and looking toward the entrance, she saw the back of one of Lexa's warriors disappearing through the flaps.
"Great" she grumbled letting sleep overtake her once more.
Clarkes eyes fluttered open, the light seeping through the tent canvass informing her that it was well into midday and she had missed the pathetic excuse for a breakfast and half of the days training already. She struggled to sit up, every muscle in her body aching in protest.
"You should lay down, Clarke"
Clarke nearly fell out of bed in surprise as Lexa's low voice rolled over her, calm and powerful as ever. Looking in the direction she knew Lexa to be, Clarke spotted the Commander sitting in her high chair playing absentmindedly with her knife and staring at Clarke on the bed.
How long had she been there? Clarke wondered. She opened her mouth to ask but instead accused
"Don't you have a war counsel to be proceeding over, Commander?" Clarke added at the end to show Lexa she wasn't ready to forgive her for startling her just yet; Even if she had come to Clarkes bedside to see her.
Lexa did not stop rotating the knife in her hand, her expression of remote disinterest unchanging.
"I was informed that my sky girl was ill and had missed her morning duties" Lexa responded, not moving her eyes from the knife in her hands.
Of course they would run to tell the Commander Clarke thought to herself bitterly.
"I'm fine" Clarke gritted through her teeth.
Lexa raised an eyebrow and smirked
"Obviously"
Clarke glared at her in anger.
"Ok, fine. I'm not fine" she conceded.
"But you didn't need to come down here to see me. I'll live"
"Oh, and you're so sure about that Clarke? Do you know the signs of shrumeroot poisoning? Do you know the kinds of plants that can cause rashes to over take your body and shut down your muscles? Have you learned all of the types of insects that crawl into your skin and infect your blood?"
Clarke didn't have a response. This seemed to amuse the Commander, further irritating Clarke.
"Ok, so is that why you're here? Some radio-active bug bit me and now I'm dying?" she asked savagely, barely keeping the sarcasm out of her voice.
"You really need to check that temper Sky Girl. It's the trait of a strong leader to not act out in anger, no matter the provocation"
Clarke was fuming, here she lay in bed dying of some unknown bug and the Commander was playing with her knife and giving her lessons on leader etiquette.
"However, the answer is no, you're not dying" Lexa went on, this time lifting her gaze to take in Clarkes pitiful position.
"Then what is all of this?" Clarke asked annoyed, gesturing to her body and reaching to pick at a particularly irritated spot on her arm.
"It is The Pawks, and is a rather common ailment in our tribes" Lexa stopped twirling the knife in her hand to lay it on the table and instead take up a bowl of some unknown paste. She crossed the distance between them in a few strides and settled herself by Clarkes side. Clarke followed her movements with her eyes waiting for Lexa to continue her explanation. Lexa sat there basking in the moment of Clarke full attention..
"The Pox?" Clarke prompted, the name sparking some vague memory perhaps from her earlier medical training. It was common so that must mean that it was treatable, she hoped.
Lexa never got tired of staring into Clarkes eyes, though she never allowed hers to linger longer than a second. Finally when she couldn't hold it in anymore she lost all grasp of her Commanders pretense and collapsed into giggles, having to turn her face from Clarkes so as not to be laughing outright in it.
"Yes, its common and quite dangerous" Lexa gasped
"In infants and the elderly!" She finished, barely managing to stifle a louder laugh and move her shoulder before Clarke reached out to punch it.
a memory came rushing back to her and Clarke gasped in exasperation.
"You mean I have the chicken pox?" Clarke blurted out in anguish. She glared again at Lexa as he felt a rush of relief and anger wash over her. Clarkes face, had it not already been red and burning from the illness, would be flushed in embarrassment at being bedridden by an affliction that only affected grounder infants and the elderly.
She groaned and fell back onto the covers crossing her arms over her eyes in a pathetic attempt to escape this situation.
Lexa smirked as she watched Clarke, imagining the sky girls embarrassment. She was sure Clarke would recover in no time, she understood that the girls blood was never bred for overcoming a lot of illnesses that plagued her people. Remembering the paste in her hands, she hesitated to address Clarke again. Her eyes quickly scanned Clarke, taking advantage of her inattentiveness to anything but her misery. Even with the spots covering her body Clarke was beautiful, soft as ever, but fierce in her own ways.
"Stop pouting and take off your clothes, you need medical attention"
Clarke could have died of embarrassment right then and there. She threw her arms out, her eyes wide in shock.
"No! I"m perfectly capable of applying my own-what is that anyways?" Clarke asked eyeing the bowl in Lexas' hands wearily.
"If i told you, you wouldn't put it on your body" Lexa replied dryly, already taking a generous amount in her hand and nodding in Clarkes direction patiently waiting for the sky girl to acquiesce her request.
Clarke groaned and grudgingly turned around on the bed, removing her shirt and presenting her bare back to Lexa. With more softness than Clarke would ever think possible Lexa began to gently apply the past to her burning skin. It was all Clarke could do to keep from sighing in relief. The cool past soothed her skin and quelled the itchiness.
They sat in silence as Clarke allowed the Commander to apply paste to parts of her body she never imagined Lexa touching, let alone had she dreamt of how… sensitive those parts of her body would be. Every inch of her skin burning with a different heat after Lexas fingers caressed it.
It seemed like forever before Lexa was satisfied with the amount of skin covered in paste. Clarke was drained from sitting so stiff trying to not betray a flicker or pain, or pleasure at Lexas care.
Getting off the bed and placing the bowl once again upon the table she turned to Clarke, a subtle smile on her face.
"You're on a diet of stew and fresh water from the mountain springs. You're to stay in bed until I deem you ready to start training again" Lexa wiped her hands on her pants and continued, cutting off Clarke before she could protest
"Commanders, orders" She said, placing emphasis on the word Commander.
And so it went, every day for 6 blissfully excruciating days. Clarke would wake to find Lexa sitting in her chair, sometimes looking over important papers, sometimes playing absentmindedly with her knife. Every day Clarke would have to endure her own personal hell sitting still and making sure every muscle in her body stayed stiff as Lexa tenderly applied the paste to her skin. And every day Lexa would fetch Clarke stew and fresh water remaining in the tent to make sure Clarke ate everything, as it was no secret Clarke had no love for their cooking.
Clarke argued, albeit weakly, every morning that surely as Commander Lexa had more important duties to perform than to tend to Clarke all day. Clarkes stomach fluttered when Lexa assured her,
She didn't.