Lexa stood slightly behind Clarke, peering at her intently, not listening to a word she was saying. Clarke had been rambling on about using the reapers to subdue the Queen's army for the past half an hour. For a myriad of reasons this idea was nonsensical. Lexa didn't have the heart to tell her to shut up, so she tried a different approach. She turned Clarke around and kissed her on the forehead. Clarke blinked up in confusion.

"Lexa?"

"Do you really want to spend your birthday discussing war tactics?"

Clarke frowned. "Is that today?"

She nodded.

"Oh," Clarke muttered, still not seeming pleased by the idea.

Lexa understood that she was upset at not being able to spend the day with her family, her father especially. He had been busy running the Ark for the past month and Clarke hadn't seen him in all that time. Lexa knew all too well the burdens of leadership, the sacrifices that must be made for the betterment of their people. She planned on taking Clarke's mind off of Jake's absence by finally fulfilling her promise of taking Clarke horseback riding, among other things.

"Come, Clarke, Athena is waiting," Lexa said with an encouraging smile.

That seemed to perk Clarke right up. "You mean-"

"Yes, Clarke. Let us go for a ride."

Clarke grinned, "This is going to be so much fun!" and linked their arms together. Like always, Lexa masked her elbow sticking out by holding onto the hilt of her sword. She exited her tent and made her way to the makeshift stables.

While there was a stable hand, she preferred to saddle up herself. Clarke occupied herself by showering praise onto Athena's neck, excitedly whispering sentimental drivel, as Anya would say.

As she tightened the last of the straps, Indra came over to her, looking even graver than usual, which was quite the feat. According to Clarke, Indra needed to get laid. Lexa had made no comment, except to secretly smirk.

Now what? she silently sighed, frustrated. All she wanted was a few hours alone with Clarke on her birthday. Was that so much to ask?

"Commander, where are you going?"

"Away."

Indra sized her up for a bit before saying, "The scouts have reported movement in the East, not three miles from here."

Clarke looked at her from the other side of Athena, crestfallen. The disappointment hit Lexa in waves.

"Then I will go to the West," she said stubbornly.

"I would advise against-"

Darkly, "You dare to question my judgement?"

Her top General could be extremely annoying but at least she knew how to pick and choose her battles. That is, most of the time.

"If you must go, allow me to accompany you."

Lexa did not much care to be supervised on this excursion, it would make interacting with Clarke nearly impossible. Lexa had been looking forward to not having to disguise her every action, and speak in barely a whisper lest someone other than Anya start to notice. She was sure that her peak of pleasure with Clarke had not gone unheard. No one had said anything about it, but a few of the warriors had looked at her strangely as they rode out.

"We don't have to go," Clarke said glumly. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

The again didn't need to be said and thickened the already suffocating air. She hated being trapped within her own camp like a common slave. She hated not being able to give Clarke a birthday worth remembering.

"No, I will ride alone," she said foolishly.

"Commander-"

"Enough!"

And with that Indra stormed off and Lexa attached the supply bag to the back of Athena.

Clarke came over to her and cautiously said, "Lexa-"

She cut her off with such a ferocious glare that Clarke actually looked frightened. Lexa felt the twinge of fear and it made her even more irritable than before.

"You can come with me, or you can stay in your cell," she barked, leading Athena out of the stables.

Lexa had made it all the way to the edge of the camp, Clarke nowhere to be found. She sighed and ascended her horse, resigned to make this journey on her own. Turning back now was not an option. But as she took the reins, Clarke appeared, sitting in front of her, practically molded.

Lexa kissed her (recently washed) bundle of hair and nudged Athena into a slow trot. Clarke had not allowed Lexa to come near her while she was 'gross and smelly' and so Lexa was exceedingly glad for that torment to be at an end. If she could have killed that guard without getting Clarke imprisoned forever, she would have.

"Where are we going?" Clarke asked after several minutes of strained silence.

"You will find out soon enough," she replied with a smirk.

She kicked Athena into a gallop and Clarke yelped at the sudden jarring acceleration. Athena was one of the fastest horses in the land. Few could outmatch her sprinting capabilities. And none were as skilled a rider as she. Or so it was said...when you were the Heda, it was difficult to get the absolute truth from your own people.

Once Clarke got over the shock, she laughed merrily for awhile. Lexa's own mood steadily improved as a result.

They charged along the twisting dirt path West for about eight miles before coming to an abrupt halt. Athena was barely winded.

"What a ride!" Clarke exclaimed, patting her somewhat wild - in her face - hair down. One of the reasons braids were often employed among her people.

The last time Clarke had uttered this, there had been decidedly less clothing. Lexa's anticipation began to mount as she gracefully descended.

She raised a hand to help Clarke down, but Clarke was already beside her, slipping her hand into her own.

Clarke glanced around the tree lined area and said, "Now where to?"

"Up," she said simply, tugging both Clarke and Athena into the forest.

Though she appeared indifferent enough, she was actually on full alert for any signs of natural and unnatural movement alike, anything at all that could potentially indicate a threat. The sun was still high enough in the sky to produce adequate lighting. It would not stay this way for much longer. She quickened her pace.

"How the hell are you walking so easily in this?" Clarke said in an aggravated manner, eyes trained on the ground as she narrowly avoided tripping on roots once again.

"Many years of practice," she answered. "It is a necessity, a way of life. The hunter will quickly become the hunted if they cannot move without looking down."

Besides some birds and other small rodents, there were no disturbances here, except for Clarke's horrific stomping around. Even Athena was much quieter than her invisible companion. Thankfully no one but Lexa could hear Clarke.

They arrived at the Great Tree Lexa intended to climb. The climb was arduous but well worth the effort. It was the tallest tree for miles around and provided a breathtaking view of the valley below and a portion of The Trigedakru lands that she ruled over.

Clarke looked up, bending backwards almost, and gaped. She looked to Lexa wide eyed. "You're not thinking of climbing that thing, are you?"

"The Trikru are skilled in the ways of tree climbing, Clarke."

Clarke bit her lip and Lexa resisted the urge to do the same. "I know, but...isn't this...isn't this dangerous?"

"No more so than hunting a pauna."

It was a joke but Clarke didn't understand and Lexa decided not to elaborate. Instead she removed her sword and sheathe both, attaching it to the side of Athena's saddle. She also dispensed of her calf length jacket and draped it across the saddle as well. This exposed her sleeveless tunic and arm tattoo. Clarke's eyes snapped to it as she strapped on the supply bag. She grinned at Clarke, ran at the tree, jumped, kicked off it at the apex, and grabbed on to the first thick branch, pulling herself up with relative ease.

She looked down at Clarke who was goggling up at her. "I will see you at the top."

Before Clarke could object further, she turned to the next branch and jumped higher.


Twenty minutes later she had reached the top of the two hundred foot behemoth without major incident, panting heavily, a fine sheen of sweat coating her forehead, coating her entire body. She wiped the sting out of her eyes with the back of her gloves. It had been harder than she remembered. She had last climbed this particular tree shortly before she became the commander, when she was almost sixteen. That was four years ago. It felt like another lifetime, so much had changed since then, so many impossible decisions had been asked of her. One of the many reasons why she enjoyed Clarke's company so much was because the younger girl helped her to remember what it was like to be her own person, not exactly care free, but whole, and soaring on occasion, the burdens of her station lessening as a result.

Clarke made herself known by saying, "Whoa, what is this place?"

Lexa steadied her breathing. "An old scouting post." She took in a gulp of air. "It has not been in use for some time."

"Why?" Clarke asked as she walked past a warning horn, to peer through the opening of the tied together sticks that formed the posts enclosed structure. The elements could be unforgiving this high up with no canopy coverage. The woven, yet implacable roof had been a necessity for long scouting shifts.

She joined a silently awed Clarke, who was soaking everything in for the first time. To be this high was to be one with the birds, to lord over the forest, to rule. The sense of wonderment coming off of her almost made Lexa feel the same. She smiled.

"Since I gained control of these lands, of the neighbouring clans, there was no need to oversee them from here."

She said this a little louder than was her wont. The wind blew more fiercely from this dizzying height. The entire structure groaned and creaked along with Mother Nature, as if it were as alive as the tree beneath them. Most newcomers found these noises disconcerting, afraid the floor might give way at any moment. So far Clarke was too enraptured by the view to care.

Clarke darted an eye sideways at her before glancing back at the sea of green below them. "Isn't that a little arrogant of you?"

Lexa focused her gaze on the hint of blue peeking through a patch of trees, where a pristine lake resided. Maybe one day they would go for a swim...

"There are other posts along the way to Tondc, Clarke," she said with a faint twitch of lips. "We do not rely solely on this one. Which is for the best. There have been a number of...mishaps. Some say this tree is cursed."

Clarke glared at her, presumably for belittling her fears earlier. Then she stuck her head out of the opening and peered down. Her breath quickened at the sheer drop. She moved back shaking her head.

"Why didn't you guys just build a rope ladder or something?"

"There was one once, but it was used by the enemy to slit the watchers throats."

Clarke frowned and then made her way to the opposite side of the post. She squinted into the distance, into the setting sun and pointed. "What is that?"

Lexa grasped the sticks in front of her. "The Mountain."

Clarke contemplated that. "You still have no idea how to get in there?"

Lexa shook her head, nails digging into the damp wood. "No one has ever made it out of there alive."

"I'm sorry, Lexa," Clarke said, stroking her arm before placing a hand over top hers.

Lexa dipped her head solemnly and they stayed that way for several minutes, simply watching as the last rays of orange were extinguished by the edge of the forest. Then she brought Clarke's hand up to her lips and said, "That climb has awakened my appetite. Would you care to join me for a small repast?"

Clarke smiled. "That sounds nice."

Lexa moved a few paces, hunched over and picked up a large black bear pelt. She smacked it a dozen or so times, doing her best to remove years worth of dust and dirt. Lexa stifled a sneeze that Clarke released and she grinned at the blonde, who rolled her eyes. The pelt still didn't smell all that clean, but it would have to do. She brought it to the centre of the platform, dropped it, and then proceeded to remove the pack from her back. They settled down together on the fur, facing one another, legs crossed. Lexa pulled out various pouches full of nuts and berries and dried meats. She also retrieved a wine skin, something that Clarke was clearly happy about.

"I wanted to prepare a feast in your honour, but unfortunately I could not." Her eyes were laughing. "I thought that might look a tad strange to my people."

Clarke rolled her eyes again, Lexa smiled slightly and then reached for some berries. She popped a few into her mouth and chewed. Clarke closed her eyes, savouring the taste. Then she licked her lips.

"These are different from what I've had before, right?"

"Yes," she said with a nod. "Juju's. Quite fragrant and juicy. They're a rare berry that grow high up in Gregor trees. I handpicked them myself."

"Well, I definitely appreciate the effort," Clarke said with another smile. "They're so good! Now feed me more of them!" she demanded, shaking Lexa's legs playfully.


Once they had supped, Lexa was feeling pretty full and a bit tipsy. They were lying on the fur, fingers and legs entwined, just staring at one another. Finally Clarke broke the silence.

"Thank you for this birthday surprise, Lexa. It was wonderful."

"You're wonderful," she replied, sincerely meaning it. "Happy Birthday, Clarke."

Clarke shuffled in a little closer and began to lazily kiss down her forehead where the faint scar gleamed in the rising moon, moving diagonally at the bridge of her nose and then kissing either side of her mouth. She smirked and then kissed her on the lips, slow and sensually, a far cry from their last excursion in the shower.

As the heat began to build between them, Lexa tugged at her shirt, but Clarke swatted her hand away.

"Not so fast, missy. I think it's your turn to strip. Take it off, commander!" she said, with a snort of laughter.

Lexa stood up to do so, swaying slightly. She had purposely worn her least cumbersome attire for this express purpose (well that and for climbing). She started to pull her tunic out of her pants but Clarke stopped her again with a loud, grating noise.

"You're doing it wrong."

Lexa was unaware there was a wrong way to remove clothing.

"Do it sexily," Clarke added, laughing again.

She let her shirt go altogether and arched an eyebrow. "Sexily, Clarke?"

"It's called a striptease. Just you know, take it off slowly...and uh, dance around a little."

Perhaps the wine had affected Clarke more than herself? Was that even possible?

"I'm sorry, Clarke, I'm not sure I understand."

Clarke giggled, reached up for Lexa's hand and dragged her down. "Let me show you." She looked into Clarke's eyes to see herself moving in ways she had never moved before. Lexa blushed and gulped, unsure she could give Clarke what she wanted.

To distract for as long as possible she asked, "Why does my stomach look like that?"

"You're telling me you don't have a six pack under there?" she grinned, placing a hand to her abdomen and moving it around in a large circle. "Feels like it to me."

In a bid to avoid attempting the unusual, and frankly, unsettling movements, Lexa seized the opportunity to further distract Clarke by pulling up her own shirt and giving her her first look. Clarke stared at her firm - but hardly the picture of perfection - stomach like she was mesmerized. It was both amusing and annoying. She took Clarke's hand and placed it against her flesh, shivering when Clarke began to run her fingers up and down and all around.

"You like that do you?" Clarke said, after eyeing her response. "How about this?" she said, kissing downwards towards Lexa's navel. Lexa's breath hitched when Clarke flicked her tongue out, swirling around the inside of it. Clarke's hand slipped into her pants. "And what about-"

A faint whinny made its way all the way up there, the air much calmer than when they first arrived. They froze in place, each wondering if their ears (but really just Lexa's) had played tricks on them. Another whinny told Lexa that no, she had not been imagining things.

As much as it frustrated her to leave Clarke at such a moment, she would have to go investigate. Athena did not spook easily and was trained to run back to camp if she felt threatened. She only made noises when she was unable to get away.

Lexa kissed Clarke once and then pushed to her feet, the displeasure and rage steadily climbing.

Whatever was out there was in for a nasty surprise.


Uh Oh.

Clarke and Lexa sitting in a tree...:p

I was this close to having Clarke blow a raspberry on her stomach. This close. | |

Oh yeah and #LoveWins. Congrats you guys. ;D