"Klark." Lexa addressed the other girl, popping the 'k' on the end. The party had been going on for hours, with the two of them gravitating around each other for most of the night. Clarke had made an effort to get to know many of the ambassadors and heads of houses. Lexa seemed pleased with her attempts at integrating with the people of Polis. The Commander of the twelve tribes also seemed more at ease than Clarke had ever seen her in such a large group of people.
"Laik yu ogud gon bag?" Like Clarke, Lexa had been drinking. Her breath was hot against the side of Clarke's cheek as she spoke in rapid Trigedasleng, her hand finding it's way to Clarke's hip. The only word that Clarke recognized was 'bed'.
"Huh?" She turned to address Lexa, blinking as though in a daze. The crowded room felt hot and stuffy with so many people crammed inside of it; and Lexa hovering so close at her side wasn't helping with Clarke's newfound claustrophobia.
"Apologies." Lexa muttered sheepishly. Her cheeks were tinged with a healthy red glow. Whether it was from her embarrassment at forgetting to speak in English, or the alcohol, was hard to tell. "I asked if you were ready to retire? It has been a long day and night, and you are still not at your best-"
"My best?" It was the wrong choice of words, and Lexa instantly knew that from the look Clarke shot her way. "Bite me, Heda!" The blond snapped, turning her back on Lexa to carry on the conversation she'd been having with an elderly couple that owned a wealth of farm land just north of the city.
"Ow!" Clarke barked out as she suddenly felt a sharp sting against her bare shoulder. "What the hell?" She spun around on her heels, shoving Lexa. The guards closest to the pair made to move against Clarke, but stopped as Lexa held up her hand to keep them at bay. They shifted uneasily on their feet, but held their ground as their Commander took her Pellex by the hand and urged her over to a quieter section of the room. They disappeared out of sight behind a large pillar.
"You bit me!" Clarke managed to sounded both bewildered and infuriated as she clasped a hand to her shoulder.
"You asked me to…" Lexa frowned. She didn't understand what she had done wrong. she had only been trying to please Clarke after all.
"It's a figure of speech!" Clarke spluttered. "Why the hell would I ask you to actually bite me?" Lexa shrugged. She wasn't aware of the Sky People's customs, and she told Clarke as much.
"Unbelievable…" Clarke shook her head, still rubbing absently at her shoulder. It hadn't really hurt. Lexa had barely bitten down. It had just been more of a shock than anything else. "Remind me never to tell you to go fuck yourself." She grumbled, still giving Lexa a dirty look.
"I am sorry." Lexa apologized again. Which was probably twice more than she had ever apologized to anyone, ever. It was hard for Clarke to stay mad at the older girl with her lower lip jutting out the way it was.
Lexa, the Commander of the twelve clans, fierce leader of the grounder army, was actually pouting. "Forget about it… You're right. It's been a long day. I should head back to my room."
"I shall walk you." Lexa instantly perked up once she had Clarke's forgiveness. She offered out her arm for Clarke to take. Which she did. She was, after all, supposed to be playing the role of the doting Pellex.
From the quiet corner they had been stood in they managed to slip out of the room without much fanfare. Only Lexa's guards seemed to notice their departure. Clarke waited until they were standing outside of her door, out of view of prying eyes, to make her move. Stepping in close, she pressed a single kiss to the side of Lexa's cheek. The unexpected move stunned the Commander, which was just what Clarke wanted. Before Lexa knew what was happening, Clarke's mouth had dropped to her throat.
"Jok!" Cursed Lexa, as Clarke's teeth sank in to the taught flesh above her clavicle. Unlike Lexa's bite - which had been little more than a playful nip - Clarke bit down hard enough to bruise. Lexa was scowling as the blond finally pulled back, wearing an amused smirk. There was an angry red mark on the side of her neck, just visible above the hemline of her dress.
"Jus drein jus daun." Clarke laughed softly at the confusion in the other girl's piercing eyes.
"I do not remember drawing blood." Lexa huffed. She ran her fingers over the mark on her neck, checking to see if Clarke had in fact made her bleed.
"My bad." The blond shrugged, clearly feeling no remorse. She stepped in again, ignoring the way Lexa tensed, and pressed another kiss to her cheek. "Reshop, Heda."
"Goodnight…" Lexa mumbled back. She somehow managed to keep herself from reaching up and touching her cheek; at least until Clarke's door was shut behind her.
"Disha ste ain." Varda - the young grounder that served as a maid in Lexa's house - held up a cup in front of Clarke, and then pointed at the one in front of her. "Bilaik ste yun."
"This is mine." Clarke picked up her own cup. "That is yours."
"Mine." Varda repeated after her. Clarke had been in Polis for a little over a month, and she was slowly picking up the grounder language.
She had spent most of her time through the day with Dren; since Lexa had twelve clans to preside over and a city to run. Dren was in charge of running Lexa's household for her. As such she and Clarke spent a lot of time in the kitchen, and Clarke had made a friend out of Varda. The grounder girl had been teaching her Trigedasleng, and Clarke was teaching her English in return.
"You're learning fast. Both of you." Dren smiled at the two young women as she hefted a pig's head up on to the counter in front of her. Clarke pulled a face at it, her stomach rolling. If that was on the menu for dinner then she would be giving it a miss tonight.
"Clarke is a quick study." Varda jumped as Lexa sounded from right behind her. Clarke, who was used to the quiet way the Commander moved, was barely fazed by her sudden appearance. Varda scurried off to get back to work, leaving her wooden stool free for Lexa to take.
"I have good teachers." Clarke smirked, knocking her shoulder in to Lexa's. There was some quiet murmuring from the kitchen staff. Most of them had generally gotten used to Clarke and her unusual ways. Few grounders, besides maybe Dren, would have dared to even invade the Commander's space.
"Hmm, I just wish they would teach you something other than cursing." Lexa joked. It had only been the night before when Clarke had called her a 'nomon joka' for beating her at a game of chess.
There was a high pierced scream from behind them as the knife Varda was using slipped, slicing in to her hand. The cut was a deep one, and blood was gushing out from the wound as Clarke jumped up to help. She grabbed a cloth from the counter and pressed it firmly against the cut. "Raise your arm up!" She ordered, remembering some of the basic first aid skills she had picked up from watching her mother.
Varda - who was panicking - still didn't know quite enough English to understand. Lexa snapped something in Trigedasleng, and the young woman finally complied. She lifted her arm up, while Clarke guided her down to the floor. "Tell her to keep it in the air, it will slow the bleeding." Lexa nodded, wearing a stern expression.
Clarke was physically shaking at the sight of the blood. Her eyes kept darting to the red stain seeping through the cloth she was holding, and her tongue was darting out against her dry lips. "Clarke..." She placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, ushering her to the side as she took over holding the blood soaked towel against the terrified girl's palm. Her voice softened as she spoke slowly and quietly, reassuring Varda that she would be fine.
Someone had already gone off for the healer, so there was little else for Clarke to do but fall back against the kitchen counter and wait. Her hands were soaked in blood. "Not for the first time, huh Clarke?" Maya stood to Clarke's left, flanked by Wells.
"Clarke's got plenty of blood on her hands." He agreed, his handsome features twisted by hatred. "People always get hurt because of her. People die because of her."
"She should just do the world a favor and end it-"
"It wasn't my fault…" Clarke muttered, staring at the empty space where Wells was standing. "I didn't do anything-"
"Not this time." Maya shrugged.
"But how long until you get somebody else killed? How long until Lexa falls under the Clarke Griffin curse? How long till you get her killed-"
"Shut up!" Clarke screamed at the top of her lungs. She balled her hands up in to fists and used them to cover her ears while she squeezed her eyes shut. It didn't stop the voices. It had been weeks since Clarke had last heard of seen the apparitions that had haunted her, and the brief respite seemed to have made them even louder; as well as angrier. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut-"
"Clarke!" Strong hands wrapped around her wrists, pulling her hands down from her head and forcing her to open her eyes. Lexa was kneeling in front of her, her expression full of concern. "Clarke, it's okay. You are safe." Lexa soothed, aware of the way Clarke kept looking past her. She moved her calloused hands to gently clasp the other girl's cheeks.
"Heda?" Lustig had arrived with the kitchen-hand that had gone to fetch him. He moved straight to Lexa and Clarke, oblivious to the bleeding girl on the floor across from them.
"Sis em au!" Lexa turned and snapped at him, pointing at Varda. "Ai don em." The Commander moved to wrap an arm around Clarke's waist, helping her up to her feet and ushering her away from the scene in the kitchen. They went upstairs, with Lexa guiding the other girl in to her room.
"I'm okay." Clarke muttered, pushing Lexa away from her. She was embarrassed about her breakdown in front of Lexa and the others. She had been doing so well. Lexa looked like a kicked puppy as she shrank away from the blond. She stood in the middle of Clarke's room, clasping her hands together behind her back. Realizing she'd been harsh, Clarke muttered and apology. "Sorry… I'm going to go wash up." She tried not to stare at the blood staining her hands.
Stepping in to the bathroom, she stood over the water barrel and stared down at her reflection on the surface. Her cheeks didn't look as gaunt as they had when Lexa had first found her out in the woods. They had filled out again and got some of their old color back, mostly thanks to Dren's cooking; and Lexa's patience with her. Letting out the breath she'd been holding in, Clarke dipped her hands in to the icy water. Instantly the blood began to pollute it, seeping in to the water and spreading out in oily patches. "It doesn't always come off so easily. Does it?" Maya stood behind her, whispering callously in to her ear. Clarke closed her eyes again, swallowing her pride as she called out for Lexa.
The older girl was beside her in an instant. Taking in Clarke's hunched shoulders, her tightly closed eyes, and the way she was shaking, Lexa knew at once what was the matter. "The dead are gone, Clarke." She stepped up behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist and pulling her back against her chest. Not for the first time, the voices stopped in Lexa's presence.
Clarke turned, burying her face in the crook of Lexa's neck. There was still a faint bruise there from her bite. She reached up and traced the outline of it with the tip of her finger. This time it was Lexa's turn to shudder. "You should rest. I'll go-"
"Stay." Clarke pleaded, her grip on Lexa's jacket tightening. "Please. Just for a little while."
"Of course." Lexa nodded stoutly. Taking one of Clarke's hands in her own, she led her over to her bed.
Clarke lay down first, scooting over to the far side to give Lexa some room. The Commander shrugged off her jacket, letting it fall to the floor. She sat down on the edge of the bed and began unlacing her heavy boots. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt, giving Clarke an impressive view of the taut muscles in her back and shoulders. Once her boots were finally undone she kicked them off and crawled on to the bed. Clarke shuffled closer to her once she was settled, resting her head on her chest.
"You did well." Lexa muttered some time later. Clarke had been slowly drifting off while Lexa stroked her hair. "With the girl. You did well. You should think about working with Lustig. You could teach him many things, and him you."
"Maybe." Clarke answered. "I'll think about it."
"You should. You need something to keep you busy."
"Why? Because I'm so desperately bored without you around?" Clarke teased; though it was partially true. Lexa was always off at meetings, or seeing to the needs of her people. Working as Lustig's apprentice would give her something to do during the days. "Who says I even like having you around?" |
"In that case…" Lexa went to sit up, but Clarke pulled her back down by her braid. The Commander of the twelve clans let out a less than dignified yelp as she lay back down. Clarke seized her chance to settle back down beside her.
"Fine. I like having you around. Sometimes." Clarke huffed. "So keep your ass right where it is."
"My 'ass'?" Lexa arched a single brow up. "And what about the rest of me?"
"That can stay too." Clarke laughed softly, moving Lexa's arm so that it was wrapped around her waist again. "…I'll talk to Lustig tomorrow."