The saviours from Arkadia were tired and some of them injured, making the journey more difficult. The track alone was hard and tiring but with the wounded their pace was excruciatingly slow and they had to stop every hour to give them some rest before they could move on. After travelling for a good few hours, along the edge of the forest of Polis they finally decided to set up camp. Lexa noticed that during the journey Clarke had kept herself on the opposite side of the group, away from her friends. The blonde was trying to ignore them by talking to her mother and helping with the wounded. Of course Lexa knew exactly why she was doing it, Clarke was worried about the revelation she made at the camp. If the reaction of the others was anything to go by non of them had any idea that she was half elf. Clarke knew Lexa had noticed it. Lexa always seemed to notice what was going on around her.
The camp was nearly completely set up. Lexa was helping Kane put up the last tent. Abby was busy tending to Bellamy's wounds, so Clarke could help her tend to the other wounded that was sitting outside his tent. She hadn't seen her friends since they started setting up camp, which she was shamefully relieved about.
"Ok. Enough with you ignoring us" Clarke suddenly heard from behind her. She recognised the voice immediately. Raven. However if the 'us' was anything to go by Octavia was there too.
"I am not ignoring you", she lied, not taking her eyes of the wounded man she was attending to.
"Like hell you aren't" came Octavia's voice
"Guys I really don't have time for this." she got up and started heading towards the back of the tent.
"Then make time. What the fuck Clarke. You can't just drop a bomb like that and then ignore us!" Octavia shouted after her.
Clarke sighed, stopping for just a moment before continuing around the tent. She hoped her dismissal would be clear but she knew her friends. They wouldn't let this go. She knew in her heart they had a right to know the truth but it didn't make it any easier to talk about it.
"Fine" Raven sneered, "Come find us when you stop being a coward!"
With that the pair left to return to their tents leaving Clarke alone. She tried to ignore the pain that Octavia and Raven's words had caused her and crouched down in front of the box of medical supplies. Suddenly she felt a hand gently lay on top of hers. She looked up into green eyes.
"Klark," Lexa said her voice laced with concern and understanding, "Go speak with them. I will continue here."
Clarke was about to protest but Lexa cut her off. "I know you are scared to talk to them Klark . But they are your friends. They will understand."
"I lied to them Lexa. I lied to them for over 4 moons. How can they forgive me for that?"
"I know Klark . But not talking to them may cause the end of your friendship. They came to you. They want to talk. Does that not tell you enough?"
"I guess it does." Clarke sighed, "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm still scared."
A soft smile spread across Lexa's face. "I know, Klark ." she placed a hand gently onto the blonde's cheek. "But if they are truly your friends it will be okay. Now go."
A deep sigh passed Clarke's lips as she gathered her courage and stood up. She sent Lexa a weak smile before she turned around and walked by the tent, her heart beating like crazy.
Clarke found her two friends sitting together by a small camp fire. She let out a nervous breath before she went to sit by them.
"So the princess has honored us with her presence. I hope this time we are good enough to talk to" Raven bitched as soon as the blonde sat down.
"Raven." Clarke pleaded but it fell on deaf ears, the girl continued her rant.
"You better woman up and give us an explanation because I am seriously pissed off at you! First you lie to us and then after finally dropping that bomb you just ignore us. How is that fair?"
"I'm sorry ok. It's just…" another sigh left her lips before she continued, "It's just that everywhere I go humans judge elves. Whenever they talked about them there was so much distrust and hatred. I was…am afraid people would treat me the same. That the only thing you guys were going to see were my ears."
"Is that why you hid them from us? From everyone?" Octavia asked
Clarke only noded in response as she focused her attention on her hands.
"It's hard, you know. I feel I don't have a place where I belong. I'm not totally human but I'm also not totally an elf. Hiding it from people was just easier otherwise I am just always the half race."
"And you really thought we were going to be the same" Raven asked one eyebrow raised.
"I didn't know what to think Raven. How should I know how you guys would react? I've seen how the people around Arkadia are. How your dad and Bellamy see elves."
Clarke took a deep breath. "My dad thought he could trust his boss with his secret. And let me tell you it really didn't end well for him. He told him how he and his human lover were having a baby. Someone he thought ĺhe could trust and they killed him in return."
The girls sat quietly for a while, lost in their own thoughts. Raven starting to understand why Clarke had kept it a secret, Octavia feeling bad for the blonde, and Clarke worried they would never have the same friendship again.
"So that's why you have been off seeing Lexa this past moon?" Octavia asked hoping to break the tension.
"Yes. She has been telling me all about elves. Some of the history, culture and traditions. She's also been training me in archery and teaching me Trigedasleng. " Clarke smiled at her friend.
"Trige-what?"
Clarke laughed at Raven's confusion. "Trigedasleng, It's the elf language. Oh and she is also planning on teaching me other skills like hand to hand combat and weaponary skills."
"So basicly she has been turning you badass" Raven quiped.
"She has been teaching me the way of our people" Clarke repeated.
"By turning you badass." Raven grinned. Clarke could only shake her head laughing.
"Hey, you think she would teach me too?" Octavia asked suddenly.
"How did it go with Raven and Okteivia? " Lexa asked Clarke as the blonde sat down beside her. She was sitting in front of a small fire she had made at the side of her tent.
"Good. Though Octavia now wants you to teach her archery." She huffed a small laugh out her nose while smiling. "Thank you for getting me to talk to them."
Lexa bowed her head at the blonde with a shy smile on her lips.
"So you started your training pretty young, huh?" Clarke asked wanting to make conversation so she could stay in the elf's company for longer.
"Yes. During my 8th winter."
"Do all elves begin training at such a young age?"
"No. Onya had taken me as her second so she could become my guardian."
"What about your parents?"
"My mom died due to my birth."
"I'm so sorry Lexa." Clarke laid her hand on Lexa's knee and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"My father was the Keeper of Trikru. Our clan was bigger back then, we were camped in the forest of Dean. Titus was his second. All I know is that Titus came to my father about a desire demon whose blood mage no longer had control of it. It was disguising itself as a young woman. My father went to stop her but it killed him. The clan moved very shortly after Titus became Keeper."
"Did anyone manage to stop the demon though?"
"I do not know."
"What about the blood mage?"
Lexa shook her head. Clarke didn't know what else to ask, worried she had upset the elf asking questions about her father, so a silence fell upon them.
"How did you know about Nia?" Lexa asked breaking the silence after a while. She had wondered this since Clarke brought the old Keeper's name up in front of Titus. "I have never mentioned her before"
"There was a book in the mage tower about elf clan Keepers. It had a paragraph about Nia, how 107 winters ago she had become a blood mage."
"Yes. Our people say she desired the power she could gain from using blood magic. For ten winters she tormented all the races."
"How was she stopped?"
"I do not know. You believe it was she who attacked your village?"
"Well I read she used to summon an army of demons and undead. Also isn't it true she could transform herself into a dragon?"
"Some say she could. Some said it was just a story. Very few mages can achieve transformation spells, Klark."
"How come you know so much about mages?"
"Like yourself, I enjoy to read." The pair shared a shy smile as a comfortable silence once again settled around them.
Clarke had her hand on Lexa's thigh while leaning her head on the brunette's shoulder. They had been sitting in silence, enjoying the company of each other.
"I'm glad you came with us." Clarke lifted her head off Lexa's shoulder so that she could look at her.
"As am I." they shared another shy smile.
"I-" Clarke cleared her throat and her cheeks tinted red as she looked down at her knees. "I would have missed you"
Lexa slipped her fingers under the blonde's chin and lifted Clarke's face to look at her. "I would have missed you also." She slipped her hand from Clarke's chin to hold her cheek. They looked into each others eyes while Clarke leant her cheek against Lexa's palm. Green eyes looked down to the blonde's lips then back up again to her blue eyes. Clarke licked her lips. They slowly started bring their lips closer. Both had been hoping for this to happen again since their first kiss and this time for it not to feel so rushed.
"Hey Clarke? You sharing the tent with me and Octavia tonight or are you bunking in your mum's?"
The pair jumped apart, their lips had just touched when the heard Raven coming around the tent. Clarke really hope her friend hadn't seen anything. "Em...I'll stay with you guys tonight" she jumped up from the ground then looked down at Lexa, blushing. "Reshop Leksa."
"Goodnight Klark." Lexa then looked to Clarke's friend. "Goodnight Raven."
"Night." Raven shouted over her shoulder as the blonde started to drag her away.
"Did I interrupt something back there?" Raven asked smirking once they were away from Lexa's tent. 'Shit! She did see.' Clarke thought while her cheeks when bright red again.
"Shut up Raven or I'll go bunk with my mum."
