Hapotei, Klark.
Chapter 1: Sweat
The crunching of crisp, auburn leaves fills Clarke's cold ears as she keeps her steady jog apace. Her nose and hands are bitterly numb in the 5am air. Her heart is the only warm thing amongst the shivers of the morning. Her once warm breath creates clouds of vapour as she makes her way down the trail. Memories of her life in space flood her already assiduous mind. She noticed she had been smiling as her mind was wondering through the distant past. She had never experienced cold like this; not even in the aphotic void of space. The irony of the thought allowed for a light chuckle to escape from her mouth. Clarke never ceased to be in awe of how unstained and fresh the air on the ground was in comparison to the worn and inferior scrubbed-air on the Ark.
The blonde suddenly snapped back into reality as she swiftly ducked her head, in a slight panic, to avoid her face and a low hanging branch from exchanging greetings, in mid-air.
"Wake up, Clarke," she growled under her breath with a hint of frustration.
The flashbacks still haunted her; even after a whole year had passed since the war of Mount Weather.
"Wanheda," she reminded herself with a heavy heart. "The Commander of Death." She was relieved that the Grounders had taken the hint and agreed to refrain from using that name on her. They saw her as a hero, yet Clarke Griffin saw herself as nothing but a merciless killer. She would never forgive herself for what she had done, nor would she forget the many innocent faces of those who were sacrificed in order to rescue both her people and the Grounders from the horrors The Mountain had to offer. The agonising screams of her mother being inhumanely drilled into, rang in her ears. She suddenly felt less burdened by her previous decisions she had made at Mount Weather.
A glimmering bead of sweat dripped down her forehead and fell to the dirt. Lexa was truly keeping her on her feet with all these painfully-early morning training sessions through the forest. Clarke finally neared her destination and in the heat of exhaustion, started to slow down. With a huff, she bent down and rested for a brief, long-overdue moment as her palms met her sweaty knees. About an hour had flown by and the golden rays of sunlight began rising from the horizon, frightening away the cold. Clarke returned to her former, upright position and took a calm, deep breath. The air was much warmer now and her lungs gladly accepted the offering. Clarke began moving again, this time in a relaxed gait. She casually retrieved a lush, green apple, that she fondly remembers a little Grounder girl handing to her at market yesterday, out of her hiking sack. She instinctively raised the gorgeous snack to her mouth and took a bite as she made her way down a slope.
"I wish I had been sent to the ground sooner, apples never tasted this good on the Ark," she reminded herself in thought.
Clarke reached the muddy bottom of the decline. Suddenly, she lifted her head and glanced towards the small lake just a few feet ahead of where her legs were firmly planted. What she identified within her view instantly caused her to choke on her half-eaten apple.
"Oh, welcome, Clarke! I see you have completed your training for today," Lexa commented with a slight smirk across her face.
Without delay, Clarke's cheeks succumbed and fell victim to an embarrassed blush.
"Heda! I'm sorry. I had no idea you bathed this early and - ," Clarke gingerly stated as she hastily turned away to give the other girl some privacy.
"Clarke, there is no need for an apology," the charming brunette chuckled.
Clarke shyly rotated on her heels to face the familiar girl.
"We're alone. You do not have to refer to me by my rank," Lexa assured, as she continued her previous activity of relieving her tanned, toned body of dirt and mud. Clarke casually walked to a nearby willow and dropped her hiking sack to the grass, letting a sigh of alleviation exit her lips.
"Where are your guards, Lexa?" Clarke asked with a hint of concern that lingered in her voice.
"I dismissed them of their duty. Ai laik Heda, remember?" Lexa teased but remained slightly formal.
"You won't let me forget!" Clarke released a pleasant titter as she lowered herself onto the ground, sheltered by the wise and ancient willow.
Lexa glanced towards Clarke and allowed for a sweet smile to tug at her pink lips. Lexa decided that she was clean enough and started wading through the sun-warmed water. Once she reached the reedy bank of the lake, she retrieved her cotton towel and swiftly wrapped her saturated body in its cosiness. Clarke was thankful for the brunette's last action as she felt jaded by the heat that had been residing in her cheeks. Lexa was Clarke's stark weakness, and Lexa knew this well. The feeling was mutual.
Lexa was now adorned in her long, black Grounder coat, black boots, damp hair draped over her right collar bone and her red cape majestically hung over her left shoulder, secured by her honourable pauldron. The only thing absent was her dark warpaint which always made her seem more stoic and powerful than she already was. Clarke had decided to have a brief rinse-off in the time it had taken Lexa to become decent again. She had admired the way Leksa kom Trikru, the Commander of The Twelve Clans and the founder of the coalition, had relaxed under the same willow and patiently waited for her. After all, the Heda is a very busy woman.
Chapter 2: A Heda's Love
The sun shone over the peaceful Grounder village of Tondc. Clarke lifted her forearm to glance at her father's watch. It was noon. Clarke and Lexa had just set foot into Lexa's birthplace and to no surprise, a stampede of Grounder youth ran and latched onto their commander, tugging and hugging her tightly.
"Heda! Heda!" The tiny kids shouted in absolute thrill.
Lexa bent downwards to collect the dainty, most petite girl from the little crowd surrounding her. She grabbed her under her delicate arms and lifted her into the air and gifted her with a sweet kiss on the nose. The little girl now contently rested on Lexa's right hip.
"They adore you," Clarke stated in amazement. It was heart-warming to witness the sheer amount of kids who had dropped everything just to come welcome their Heda home.
Lexa gently chuckled, "As do I, them," she claimed, as she smiled and glanced over to Clarke, who was still appearing quite astonished. Lexa detached the little one from her hip and softly placed her feet on the ground. The little girl shyly smiled and ran off in a blur.
Lexa turned and faced her second. "Clarke?" Clarke searched for where her name was being spoken. She met the Heda's earthy, emerald-green eyes.
"Sha, Heda?" Clarke's Trigedasleng was still in dire need of assistance.
"Do you mind accompanying me on a small task?" Lexa asked, hoping and praying her idol of a second would agree to the secretly planned mission.
"Sure, I've finished my training for today. I'm basically free, Heda," Clarke joyfully answered.
Lexa, without thought, let out a somewhat silent sigh of relief. She suddenly realised that Clarke might have heard her. This caused Lexa to curse at herself in voiceless thought while she clenched her fists at her side. Lexa's plan had to remain abstruse to Clarke. For now...
"Heda, would you like me to fetch the supplies for our task?" Clarke eagerly offered.
"Uhh...", Lexa was unknowing of the blonde's sudden presence and quickly attempted to conceal her startled response. She slowly turned to mirror her second, "That will not be necessary, Clarke."
"I was just about to collect the equipment myself," she quickly added in the hopes that Clarke would not be her usual helpful, selfless self for just this instant.
"Oh, I see. Alright then. I'll meet up with you later!" Clarke merrily spun around and jaunted off. Lexa, once again, allowed herself to become subject to relief. She was sincerely happy to see Clarke so effortlessly content for once. After all that the poor girl had suffered, Lexa did not think it possible. This ideal made Lexa's resistant heart want to bow down and surrender. The feeling produced fiery warmth in her chest; more than any alcohol could.
Chapter 3: The Cat and The Commander
Roughly an hour and a half had elapsed and Clarke and Lexa were already, without trouble, half way to their desired destination. Clarke was overcome by déjà vu as she noticed the noise of crunching leaves greeting her ears for the second time today. She caught Lexa in the corner of her eye and noted the way the brunette strode along beside her with one hand tightly wrapped around the old, worn hilt or her dagger. Clarke admired this posture of Lexa's; she was always prepared to protect what she considered hers.
As Lexa's second, Clarke was indeed worth the effort of protection. The realisation caused an unmaskable grin to form across Clarke's face. Lexa witnessed this and immediately gifted the blonde with an unknowing and innocent smile. Clarke enjoyed these clandestine moments with Lexa. They were scarce yet always full-heartedly appreciated and well spent. She loved being able to call the commander by her name and not by her impersonal rank.
"How's the Trigedasleng coming along, Clarke?" Lexa curiously enquired.
"Uhh, it's going pretty well actually. I've learnt a new phrase; Ai nou fir raun." I am fearless, Clarke silently translated in her head as the proud words fell from her mouth.
"Os! Chon yu bilaik?" Lexa asked as she was curious to whether Clarke had already learnt to say her name in Lexa's home tongue.
"Ai laik Klark kom Trikru," Clarke proudly declared with her chin raised higher than any tree in the Tondc Forest; higher than any airplane that humans, before the nuclear apocalypse, used to fly though the blue sky. Clarke softly sighed as she reminded herself that the magnificent airplanes that she saw in movies were a thing forgotten and left in the past now. Part of her was disappointed that she would never see one of these metal birds fly; at least not in her lifetime.
"Os, Klark!" Lexa was indeed impressed. This was rare as it took a lot to sway the almighty Heda.
An unmissable feeling of disturbance suddenly made the pair uneasy. Clarke and Lexa had stopped and were frozen where they stood. Hungry, yellow eyes flashed at them and continued to crawl closer. A panther.
"Oh, great," Clarke sarcastically thought.
"Clarke, do not move," Lexa courageously yet firmly ordered.
Clarke was as brave as she had learnt to be. Moving drastically was not a privilege they had right now, however, that did not stop the blonde from shaking in her boots as she eyed the wild cat, a few feet in front of her.
The creature, without any form of warning, pounced towards Clarke. Lexa had foreseen this dangerously spontaneous advance within the cat's twitching muscles and dived across Clarke's unprepared body. Both Lexa and the beast collided and lay motionless on the forest floor.
"Omg! Lexa?" Clarke felt a pungent sickness fester in her gut as she yelled out to Lexa.
Clarke ran and dropped to her shaken knees to where the cat and the commander lay.
"I'm alright, Clarke," Lexa reassured her distressed second as she forcefully removed the bloody dagger from the black cat's muscular rib cage. Clarke hastily assisted Lexa in rolling the lifeless corpse off her trapped torso. Lexa was covered in blood; thankfully not her own this time. Clarke was in shock at how brave and stoic Lexa composed herself considering their current predicament. She stood up and reached out her still trembling hand to Lexa, who gladly accepted. Clarke was suddenly horrified.
"Lexa, your arm!" Clarke pointed out in a upset panic.
"Oh, yes, that's nothing," Lexa casually replied with not a hint of concern or weakness to be found.
"You're hurt. And you're bleeding," Clarke heartachingly pointed out as she, in true healer fashion, examined Lexa's deep scratch which crept across her well-muscled forearm.
Lexa extended her arm out in front of herself and wiped the dead animal's maroon blood from her dagger against her warcoat sleeve. She did this in just a few movements; wipe, flip, wipe. She then swiftly sheathed the weapon back to where it rightfully belonged.
"If it will make you feel better, you can mend my arm once we have set up camp," Lexa offered in a calm, comforting manner.
Lexa could suddenly sense Clarke's ocean-blue eyes against her face as she looked towards her to prove her acknowledgement of the injured commander's previous, comforting suggestion. Clarke sadly smiled and produced a single, low nod.
Chapter 4: The Stars Could Never Compare
The eternal stars were shining and the fatigued and bushed teens had finished setting up camp. They were surrounded by brilliant, blue, glowing flowers that the new Earth had to offer; and upside to the radiation. They were rested upon Clarke's bedroll, comfortably warming up near the flickering, dancing flames. Clarke unsheathed Lexa's dagger and let the end of the blade dance with flames until it glowed coral in shade.
"So, Clarke. Tell me. When did you become so skilled in the art of healing?" Lexa asked as she inched closer for Clarke to easily attend to her painful forearm.
"Are you messing with me, Lex? Or did that panther cause some damage to your head too?" Clarke couldn't contain her laughter.
"Shof op, Klark. How could I forget that your mother is a doctor?" Lexa chuckled and proceeded to reveal and uncover her wound.
Clarke retrieved the illuminated, orange blade from the campfire. She was ready, but she wasn't sure if Lexa shared the same readiness, so she looked to her for an answer.
"Just do it," Lexa clenched her fist and drew a deep breath.
Clarke slowly and gently pressed the glowing blade to Lexa's skin to seal and cauterise the wound. Lexa let out a painful growl and clenched her teeth to alleviate the burning discomfort.
"Thank you." Lexa truly appreciated Clarke's help today.
"Don't mention it," Clarke flashed her a smile full of promises and better things. With that look, Lexa could swear her wishes would come true.
In perfect unison, they found themselves with their backs against the soft bedroll and their eyes invested in the twinkling of the stars. Embers rose upwards , like autumn leaves floating in the wind, and became one with the universe. The crackling of the wood calmed their occupied minds.
"The stars look so different from the ground." Clarke wasn't sure if she actually spoken these words or simply thought them.
"Do you ever miss being so close to them?" Lexa casually pondered as her eyes searched through the dreamy constellations.
Lexa frowned as she had received no answer, so she rolled her tired body over at an attempt to capture the blonde's attention. Clarke adjusted to mirror Lexa. Their eyes finally greeted one another, similar to the way the embers had become one with the stars.
"I don't miss them," Clarke confessed. "I've found something way more beautiful down here - ," And with that, Clarke's lips found Lexa's. The moon and stars collided and an infinite explosion of starlight flooded the galaxies…
Lexa withdrew for air and softly chuckled, "Hapotei, Klark."