A/N: Thanks for your reviews! There will be one more chapter after this one. Hope you enjoy!

Instead of moving further into Northern territory, they turned around. Lexa didn't want to rely on the off-chance that they found a healer in any Azgeda villages they might happen to pass, and she knew her own lands better than any.

Clarke was still well enough to ride her own horse and said she didn't feel much different apart from the ache in her leg. Her heart rate was a bit faster and yes, she was sweating a lot, but these things could be just as well from the adrenaline and panic that still trembled under her skin.

Lexa nodded and didn't say anything more. She had seen the fang marks and the discoloration of the veins around it. Even if Clarke seemed fine for now, they needed to hurry. Lexa knew the type of snake that had bitten Clarke and she knew how its venom worked. Symptoms could take hours or even a full day to present with the victim hardly noticing anything up until that point, but eventually, without the antidote, it would be fatal.

And Lexa suspected that Clarke, being a medic's doctor, was aware of that possibility as well.

Snake antidotes were disturbingly scarce in supply. Many healers never got their hands on it and Lexa wrecked her mind for where they might find it. In truth, she would call upon all thirteen clans if it meant that someone, somewhere would have it.

She discussed their options with Ryder, who only mumbled that he knew of a healer in Polis.

"Roan-"

"I'm a king, Commander, not a healer."

His guards were of no use either and Lexa couldn't exactly blame them. It still angered her though that none of them had been able to prevent or at least prepare for this turn of events. And for the first time this journey, Lexa couldn't help but curse herself for bringing Clarke.

"The trading post," Clarke offered, just as Lexa was starting to consider how long it would take for her to gallop with Clarke back to Polis. "There's one in the area we passed earlier. When I was there before… I saw the antidotes. On the shelves. Maybe it's one of them."

Far away from the capitol, they didn't really have any other options. Lexa nodded her agreement and tried to keep the concern off her face.

Roan nor his guards objected when they set out for the new destination, not even a mumbled complaint. Their arrival to Azgeda could wait.

Although they were still close to the border, dusk was settling in. Time was of the essence and so they rode on until it was dark and they could no longer see the path ahead of them.

When they ultimately had to make camp, Lexa insisted it was a rushed one. They forwent the tents and instead tied a sheet to the trees which served as half a roof and offered enough shelter for a few hours.

Ryder offered Clarke a tea he made from a mixture of herbs which would at least help against the pain for a while. Clarke accepted without much hesitation.

The air was tense and two guards took up patrol while the others tried to get some rest. A fire had been started again to ward off the night's chill. Clarke decided not to mention that her vision was getting blurry, the flames mingling in front of her eyes. Instead, she ignored Lexa's worried gaze and crawled under the furs.

Once again, Clarke woke in the middle of the night. Not because of a nightmare this time but with a groggy feeling in her brain and cold sweat down her spine. Stubborn as ever, she ignored it and opened her eyes.

Next to her, Lexa sat wide awake with her sword in her lap, much like the night before. Clarke had been right – the girl was starving herself of sleep.

"This is ridiculous," Clarke mumbled, a little annoyed by Lexa's determination to stay awake.

Before a confused Lexa had the chance to reply, Clarke was frowning and huffing as she shuffled around in her bedroll to make room and held the cover open as an invitation. "Come on."

With some hesitation Lexa approached her, quiet to not wake the others.

"Clarke-"

"Shh." Clarke's eyes were already closing again when Lexa relented and awkwardly shuffled in next to her.

Lexa's curly hair smelled of campfire and her cheeks still felt a little cold from the night's breeze. Clarke pulled her close and wrapped an arm around Lexa's middle, her brain too foggy to really care about anything except that it felt like the right thing to do.

"'S gonna be okay," Clarke mumbled, her body heavy.

She felt Lexa's arm curl around her in response.

Lexa woke at dawn. The world was still quiet and the air felt fresh, but the figure against her kept them warm under covers. She took a moment to simply breathe, keeping her eyes closed and trying not to be bothered by the irregular snoring from one of the guards, but all too quickly she remembered the situation they were in. Her heart rate quickened with haste, telling her to move.

Lexa wondered how she had even managed to sleep through such a large portion of the night when time was of such importance. It was her job to make sure they left as early in the morning as possible.

Without thinking about it she turned to Clarke, intending to wake her, which made Lexa realize that the girl was still cuddled into her. Clarke was pressed against her side, curves melting together, warm and soft and close enough to feel her steady breathing, and Lexa felt herself blush.

At the same time it made her wonder if this was an effect of the poison starting to muddle Clarke's mind.

(She wished she could just hold Clarke in her arms, here, for as long as needed, until the sickness went away on its own.)

(She knew it wouldn't.)

Careful as ever, Lexa quickly scanned the area but the guards on patrol weren't in sight.

"Clarke." She nudged the girl's shoulder, again when she only got a grumble in response. "You have to wake up."

With a lot of blinking Clarke opened her eyes. She stretched a little, sliding the hand that been resting underneath Lexa's shirt across the skin of her stomach.

It made Lexa freeze, which was enough to make Clarke aware of their position.

"Sorry-"

"-it's fine."

There was a moment of quiet in which neither of them moved and Lexa's stomach was still tense underneath Clarke's palm. Their silence blended right into the early morning but now that they were both awake, it felt like they were waiting for the other to speak or make a move that would put some distance between them again.

(Lexa wasn't sure if she really wanted to.)

After Clarke's eyes had traced almost every inch of Lexa's face, her soft breathing still hitting the skin of Lexa's neck, Clarke slowly retracted. She moved to lie on her back, allowing both of them to breathe again.

Clarke closed her eyes and rubbed the spot between her eyebrows. Lexa recognized it as a headache and tore herself out of the moment that had soft feelings floating in her chest, clenching her jaw to swallow down any weakness which could only hinder them right now.

It was her job to make sure they got to the trading post in time. Her job to keep Clarke safe in the first place, but since she had already failed at that Lexa only scolded herself more for the way worry bubbled into her throat. This was no time to let her heart rule, Clarke needed her to think with her head.

She hurried out of the bedroll to wake the others.

"It's not nice to poison us like that, Lexa."

Lexa jerked her head to her side, where Clarke still managed to stay on her horse. They had saddled up again not too long ago and it was still early in the morning, but in the past few hours Clarke's condition had gone downhill fast. By the faraway look in her eyes and the dreamy sound of her voice, Lexa realized she was starting to hallucinate.

She wanted to deny Clarke's words, to say that she would never do anything to hurt her, but the slurred words stung in a way that made Lexa unsure if they were a complete lie and so she stayed quiet instead.

Clarke scoffed with what energy she could find and rambled on. "Murphy. So many people hated him, I'm surprised your plan even worked at all. Should'a lettem die in the woods, Clarke. He gonna get us all killed."

Lexa tensed her jaw. She remembered how when the Sky people had just arrived, her people had infected one of them with a contagious disease and sent him back. It had spread through the camp, weakening them so the intruders couldn't put up much of a fight and would be easier to wipe out.

(It had been Quint's idea really, but with the threat of a war Lexa had agreed to it.)

It seemed that Clarke's mind had spiraled back to that time and was reliving the experience.

"You're going to be fine, Clarke." Although she really couldn't speak for their current situation, Clarke had survived the moment she was hallucinating about so Lexa could at least reassure her on that.

Clarke looked at her with tired but skeptical eyes. "Promise you won't hurt my people?"

Lexa swallowed. "I promise. I swore to keep them safe, remember?"

Clarke's fingers played with the reins of her horse. She laughed. "Yeah. You dropped to your knees and everything. I could look straight into your cleavage, you know. Are we married now, Lex?"

Lexa felt her ears turn red. She cleared her throat. "That's enough, Clarke."

Behind them, Ryder couldn't help a smile.

They arrived at the trading post around noon – faster than expected, but slower than Lexa would've liked. The last few hours had been grievous to Clarke's health as the poison started to consume her. If it turned out they were too late after all, Lexa was convinced she'd be the one to blame.

After all, if she hadn't made them travel so far the day before, there would've been less distance to cover to the trading post.

And if she hadn't called out to make camp at that particular spot, Clarke never would've encountered the snake.

And if she hadn't convinced Clarke to come with her on this journey, she never would've been at risk like this.

Then there was still the possibility that there would be no antidote here, which caused a sweat to break out over Lexa's neck.

"Heda," Ryder interrupted Lexa's storming thoughts, guiding a nearly unconscious Clarke off her horse. With her arm around the guard's shoulder, she could barely stand.

Lexa's stomach twisted.

"Stay here," she ordered them.

Her steps were firm as she made her way into the small building. There were no other customers, only a young woman who stood rearranging some supplies on the shelves. Candles were spread across the room to offer enough lighting and the sweet smell of wax mingled with the dust of antiques.

The employee looked up at the new customer, her expression turning surprised when she found the commander.

"Heda," the blonde-haired woman greeted her somewhat apprehensive.

Once Lexa figured this was the trading post owner, she wasted no time. "Show me your antidotes."

The young trader nodded and Lexa followed her to a shelve near the wall where a few rusty bottles and herb pouches were laid out: basic medicine and vitamin boosts.

Lexa clenched her jaw, refusing to believe this was all there was. "Where is the rest?"

"Heda, I don't-"

"Antidotes," Lexa growled, "I need the snake venom antidote."

The trader's eyes roamed over her face, and Lexa realized the woman was searching her for symptoms of poisoning.

The trader frowned in worry. "Are you…"

Rage was building under Lexa's skin. They were wasting valuable time.

Before she had the chance to properly threaten the woman, there was a commotion at the door and Clarke stumbled in, supported by Ryder.

Both women halted their conversation. With much effort Clarke lifted her head to look at them. Though she was still conscious, her eyes were hazy.

Lexa felt her chest tighten. After all the dangers on the ground, after all they had survived, Clarke could not die by a snakebite. It just felt… wrong.

"Clarke?"

As things were, Lexa had no time to wonder why Clarke's name fell so easily from the trader's lips.

"She needs to lie down," Lexa told the woman, whose eyes darted back and forth as she seemed to process the situation.

"Sha," she eventually agreed, and pushed through a cloth entrance to the back of the store. "This way."

Ryder gave a firm nod to assure Lexa he was still supporting Clarke, and they followed after the trader through a small hallway and into a bedroom.

The first thing Lexa noticed were the medicine and remedies stacked on the shelves in the bedroom where the shopkeeper was rummaging through them, a small frown on her otherwise calm face.

"You're a healer," Lexa concluded.

The woman clenched her jaw and gave Lexa a short, apologetic glance. Apparently having found what she was looking for she opened a small, metal box, revealing a vial with clear liquid: anti-venom.

A rush of relief washed through Lexa. She was torn between gratitude and ripping the vial out of the woman's hands to do it herself as quickly as possible, and maybe put her on a tree for wasting their time earlier.

Before Lexa could decide, the trader approached Clarke who had been laid down on the bed.

"Clarke." The woman placed her wrist on the girl's forehead to check her temperature with a gentleness that made Lexa uncomfortable. Receiving no reply, she glanced back up at the others. "When did it happen?"

"Yesterday," Ryder answered, his arms restless at his side as he stood in the room. "Before dusk."

The healer took a deep breath in response. Even if she gave Clarke the antidote, which was rare enough to kill for, it could already be too late.

Still, the woman unscrewed the cap of the bottle and readied an injection. "I cannot promise this will work."

Lexa's knuckles were white from the grip on her sword's hilt. "I know."

"If it does, we'll know within a few hours." The room was silent as the healer administered the antidote, all of their attention on Clarke's shallow breathing.

The trader nodded to herself once it was done. "Now we wait."

Niylah carefully reached for a small knife on the shelf next to her. In the middle of her shop, casually browsing through her wares, stood someone she had seen before.

"Can I help you?" she asked the man who looked much cleaner now than last time, showing off the noticeable Azgeda scars on his face.

"It's not me that needs helping," he replied, glancing at the hall where she had left Clarke to rest.

"If I remember correctly," Niylah continued, not releasing the grip on the knife behind her back yet, "you came here before, looking for Wanheda."

Roan huffed a laugh. "Yes, well. As you can see, I've found her."

His posture was anything but hostile and Niylah eased her grip on the knife. One of the commander's guards passed the both of them without batting an eye, almost confirming there was no threat here.

It was all still a bit confusing to Niylah – the last time she had seen Clarke, the girl held a noticeable grudge against the commander and this bounty hunter was after her. Now they were both with her. Part of Niylah wondered if Clarke was in any danger with them, though saving her life seemed to be on the forefront of everyone's mind.

Niylah dwindled over to the counter, busying herself with organizing some supplies. "So what is an Azgeda warrior doing so far from his homeland?"

Roan put the dagger holster he had been inspecting back on one of the shelves. He narrowed his eyes. "I was actually on my way back home… not that it is any of your business."

"But then Clarke got bitten," Niylah filled in.

Roan hummed. "The sooner you fix her up, the faster we can leave again."

Niylah sighed and glanced towards the hallway. "You might be here a while."

Lexa sat in a chair by Clarke's side, her fingers playing with strands of blonde hair and a frown on her young face. She had sent Ryder away a few minutes ago, told him to make camp next to the trading post since they would have to stay overnight. In truth, she just needed some time alone.

A soft whimper from Clarke's lips made adrenaline jolt through Lexa's body. She took hold of Clarke's limp hand, squeezing softly, but got no response. The girl was still unconscious.

Lexa's mind wandered back to the day before, when they had gone to the lake. She couldn't help but remember how Clarke's eyes had sparkled in the warm sunlight, how butterflies had exploded in Lexa's belly like she was a youngster in love every time Clarke looked at her, how free she had felt when it was just the two of them.

It seemed like a faraway dream now, in this dimly lit bedroom. Lexa's eyes were starting to burn with blurriness but she blinked it away. This was no time to be weak.

"She's strong." Niylah stood in the door opening, her shoulder against the frame.

Lexa was unsure how long the woman had been there, or if she would have noticed her if the trader hadn't spoken up.

The woman took another breath, as if getting ready to say more. Lexa imagined it to be something like she will get through this but the words never came and Lexa was glad for it. A commander doesn't need consolation and especially not false hope.

The trader moved further into the room and picked up the medical kit she had used earlier, tidying its contents.

"You know her," Lexa broke the silence. She had figured out that much.

The shopkeeper halted in her movement before closing the box and putting it back on the shelf it came from.

"I do," she replied. "Last time I saw Clarke she was being hunted."

Lexa remembered that time all too well, including the sleepless nights it had caused her. It made her stomach curl to think about. "Then what is she to you?"

Niylah observed the two of them for a moment, leaning against a small desk near the wall. "A close friend."

Though she seemed honest enough, there was something about her that put Lexa on guard. It was the way she looked at Clarke, the way she had taken care of her with too much familiarity. The way it made Lexa remember not yet and wonder if this woman had jumped right past that.

But that was hard to explain, and so Lexa chose a different approach instead. She stood up and walked closer to the trader, her fingers flexing around their familiar position on the hilt of the sword.

"Next time your commander asks you for an antidote, you give it," she growled, fixing the other woman with a harsh look. "No questions asked."

Lexa knew why the trader had been reluctant to share the antidote. Still, the woman had reached for it without hesitation when it came to Clarke's life – which, again, was something that Lexa felt both relieved and uneasy about.

"Sha, Heda."

A soft groan escaped Clarke's through lips and all of Lexa's attention was drawn back to the girl on the bed. For now, she decided, she couldn't care less about anyone else in the room.

"Leave us."

"I told you this trip was a bad idea."

Clarke's groggy voice broke Lexa out of her daze, her eyes burning from staring into nothingness and her fist unclenching from the painful grip on her sword's hilt. For a moment Lexa wasn't sure Clarke had spoken at all, but then she found the girl looking right at her with a small but playful smirk on her lips.

"Clarke." Lexa's own voice was just as hoarse. She studied cloudy blue eyes, relieved beyond words to see them again. "How do you feel?"

"Like someone has shot me in the leg," Clarke murmured as she sat up a little. "And like the rest of my body is having a panic attack about it."

Lexa handed her a cup of water from a nearby table and fought the urge to take hold of her hand again. "You'll feel better soon."

Clarke took a moment to take in her surroundings, sighing in relief. "So I guess Niylah had the antidote then?"

Niylah.

"Yes."

Niylah, whose bedroom Clarke recognizes.

"She did."

Lexa's face didn't betray the way her heart stormed inside her chest. Instead, she allowed Clarke to link their fingers together where they rested on the covers.

"Good." Clarke smiled a little at her. "I wasn't ready to die yet."