Clarke had to walk quickly to keep up with Lexa, always just a few steps behind her. She could tell by the tight grip of her hands clasped behind her and the rigid set of her shoulders that the Commander was trying to hold in her anger, and figured others sensed it too as she watched person after person move as far out of their Heda's way as possible as she all but stormed down the streets. Wide and worried eyes fell on Clarke, the queen's face calm under their scrutiny, and she just made sure to hold her head up high as their feet slapped against packed dirt. Ryder followed Lexa and Jojesh followed Clarke, but the blonde didn't think anyone would be foolish enough to try to attack either of them at the moment. The Commander was out for blood, and anyone who so much as laid eyes on her could see she would take it from anyone who tried to get in her way.
They walked without speaking, Clarke because she knew she better save her breath for when she really needed it and Lexa because she knew the moment she opened her mouth the thoughts tumbling around her head would come spilling out, and she had no desire for any but the blonde to hear them. Anyone who would usually call out to her thought better of it this time, quickly dropping their eyes and turning away from the angered Commander. They didn't know what was going on or who had done what, but everyone knew when the Commander's eyes flashed in that way, it was best to just keep their distance.
Clarke wasn't surprised when they turned around a corner and she saw some of her own people, their camp just up ahead, and followed Lexa towards it. Niylah and Luca were still trading goods with passersby, but the moment those hanging around noticed the Commander and the set of her expression, they quickly fled, suddenly wishing to be anywhere else but there. She found Raven and Taigon still there, now sitting on a large log by a fire pit, talking with Octavia and Lincoln and listening to Reese and Thom probably still talking about their morning. Octavia noticed them first, an eyebrow lifting as she quickly picked up on the intensity between the two, and her shift in focus seemed to pull each of the others. Thom grinned when he saw them, clearly not picking up on Lexa's body language, and was about to run towards them when Taigon reached forward, carefully grabbing his shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye Clarke thought she saw the healer shake his head, a silent warning. At the edge of the camp she saw Roan and Ontari, the larger warrior calmly watching them cross the camp while Ontari's eyes narrowed. Lexa ignored all of them, leading the way straight to the building without stopping, and Clarke followed after her, their guards still with them.
"Jojesh, you should probably stay out here," they heard Taigon call almost quietly, a slight warning to his tone. Without turning around, Lexa nearly snapped, "Yes Jojesh, it would be best for you to stay out here." Glancing at her warrior over her shoulder, Clarke nodded, silently telling him the same, and he stopped, eyes still on her as Lexa stopped beside the doorway. Green eyes flashing at her in an expression that only a blind man would think was as calm as it was clearly meant to be, she gestured to the door, saying stiffly, "After you, Kwin Klark." Without blinking Clarke led the way inside, hearing Lexa continue behind her, "Ryder, you can wait out here as well." Footsteps then began following her, and now it was Clarke's turn to take the lead and Lexa's turn to follow just behind her.
She led the way up a single flight of stairs and then into the first room on the second floor. A table and a few chairs were set up in the middle, a smaller table with what she assumed was a pitcher of water set in the corner, and a few furs folded neatly just to one side of the door. The room felt a little cramped in its size, but left enough open space for easy movement. Clarke moved over to the larger table but didn't sit in any of the chairs and simply turned around, crossing her arms over her chest. Lexa followed her inside, pulling the door behind her with enough force that it slammed shut.
"Explain to me how it is you have spoken with the Desert King already," she demanded as soon as the door had closed, jaw clenching as she forced out the words. Now that they were alone they could finally talk, but she fought with herself to keep her anger bottled up. With the way she felt it swirling in her gut, she didn't know how long she would manage.
Clarke shrugged one of her shoulders, not helping with the control of her anger.
"Like I said, we ran into each other," the queen simply repeated, not going into much detail. "I convinced him he'd made the wrong choice, sending his son to try to kill me, and we reached an understanding."
"What does that mean, Clarke?" Lexa bit, taking a step towards the blonde. "He actually dared to come here?"
"No, of course not," Clarke scoffed, giving a quick shake of her head. She nodded towards one of the walls, clearly indicating the outside, and continued, "We met in the streets. He looked like he was just exploring and I was coming back from visiting my mom and saw him and decided to take my opportunity." Lexa's lips parted in a brief flash, the blonde seeing the glimpse of white of her clenched teeth, and then she began pacing in the small room, hands curled into tight fists down at her side. Her eyes shot over to Clarke, her anger abundant in her glare.
"You should not have done that," she growled, still pacing. "I told you not to go exploring the city without me! And how is it you reached an understanding? What kind of understanding?"
"No, you advised me not to go exploring without you, and I didn't," the queen replied slowly, trying to hold onto her patience. She understood that Lexa's anger came from fear, fear for her safety, but even so she could feel her patience slowly beginning to slip away. "I went to visit my mother, something I promised her I would do. Did I look around a bit on my way back? Sure, but I didn't go exploring. That's when I happened to see Hektar, and figured it was as good a time as any to deal with him."
"How, Clarke?" Lexa demanded again, stopping in her tracks to stare at the blonde head on. "You told me you had a plan, but never said what that plan was. If you are not killing Hektar or his son for what happened, then how did you come to this understanding?"
"I told him I know that he sent Enit to kill me, and that if I wanted I could demand the coalition attack him and his clan," she answered, leaning back against the table. Lexa's eyes skimmed across her face, studying her, as she continued. "I told him that if I wanted, it was my right to demand his death and his son's at the very least, but that for now I won't as long as he acts as though he accepts me with the other clans. As long as he pretends to be on my side and accept my rule, then he and his son will both live, but if he doesn't, then they both die."
Lexa's eyes widened by a fraction, her head tilting slightly to the side. "And he just accepted that? After trying to kill you, he decided not to put up anymore fight and simply accept you?" She didn't believe it; even the most peaceful of the clan leaders wouldn't simply agree with that threat, and Hektar was far from the most peaceful of leaders.
"The knife I held at his neck didn't give him much of a choice," Clarke informed her, and Lexa's heart stopped momentarily before beginning to beat at an alarming rate.
"What?" she demanded, fists shaking and fingernails biting into her palm. She began pacing again, mind whirling as images of the Desert King and Clarke flashed through her mind's eye. "What were you thinking? Did he attack you again? Where was Jojesh? He is supposed to protect you!"
"I told Jojesh to stay away," the queen replied, and she watched as the fire burning in green eyes seemed to double in ferocity. Her own anger continued to pool into her gut, starting to leak out and warm her limbs, and she felt her grip on her arms get tighter, still trying to tamper it down. "I needed Hektar to let his guard down, something that wasn't going to happen with him there. I asked him to take a walk with me, and he did and he let his guard down, and when I had the opportunity I attacked, knocking him off balance and disarming him. I had him against a wall and with my knife at his throat before he even knew what was happening, and then I told him what was going to happen."
"You could have been killed Clarke!" Lexa exclaimed, stopping her pacing to take a step forward, but this time Clarke mirrored it, pushing herself off the table towards the seething brunette. Her could feel her own control breaking, as though it were a rubber band pulled too taut, and the heat of her anger raced up her spine. "I did what you taught me to do!" she argued, throwing her hands up in the air and then pointing at the Commander. "You're the one who taught me to use my opponent's arrogance against them! Hektar assumed he didn't have anything to worry about, and I showed him he was wrong!"
"Yes, but now he may be even more of a threat," Lexa insisted. She felt her feet root in place, a part of her wanting to go back to pacing and the other part needing to remain still and balanced. She met blue eyes that burned, the queen's anger finally catching and flaring up to match her own, and deep inside she marveled at it. On the surface her own anger continued to burn, every argument Clarke had adding fuel to it. "Threatening him and his son is not something he will take lightly, and now he knows how well you move, how much of a threat you actually are! If you had killed him it would be different, but letting him live gives him the opportunity to attack again, something he is almost certain to do. You disarmed him and pinned him against a wall; his pride will not just allow him to sit back and do nothing!"
"I'm not just killing him Lexa!" the queen shouted, finally losing the last grip she'd managed to hold on her patience. She all but stormed forward, the fire in her eyes snapping, and the Commander felt her breath get caught in her chest. The enraged blonde marched forward, closing what space had been between them, and Lexa found herself unconsciously stepping back away from the storm approaching her. "You keep saying it's what I should do, but I'm not going to! If he hurts me or any of my people, then okay, I'll be the first one to pick up my sword, but right now it isn't going to happen! I get that we all have to live by blood must have blood, but I'm not ready to right now! I need the chance to prove to everyone that I am the Ice Queen without drawing any blood, and this is how I'm going to do it!"
"Why?" Lexa wanted to know, back suddenly hitting the door. Clarke had stalked her from the table, and now she had nowhere else to go as the blonde's fury reigned down on her. Her own anger still flickered beneath her skin, but it had begun to wind down as the queen spoke, and now she felt curiosity mix with the burning in her stomach. Her eyes scanned the other girl's face, taking in the furrowed brow, clenched jaw, and meeting burning blue eyes. "Why do you refuse to make the choice to kill your enemy?"
"Because I would rather make a choice that could make my enemy my ally," Clarke immediately answered. She softened a little, some of her anger leaking away, and met green eyes clearly studying her own. "Like you." Lexa's eyes widened and then she frowned, clearly not understanding, and Clarke felt her lips begin to twitch. The heat of her anger still warmed her, but the sudden intensity seemed to be quickly dissipating, like a sudden rainstorm that lasted only long enough to soak the ground and everything on it. "Isn't that what you did with the coalition?" she asked. "You took twelve people who were all enemies and made them allies instead." Recognition sparked in green eyes, and the Commander nodded hesitantly. "It would have been easier to just keep being enemies, but you chose to do the harder thing and not fight. You had no idea if it would really work or not, but the idea of peace was better than the certainty of blood. That's what I'm trying to do here, Lexa! I would rather try for peace like you than demand the death of anyone who might be my enemy." Lexa watched as a shadow passed across her face, and her fingertips itched to wipe it away, but at the moment she couldn't make herself move, lost in this spell Clarke's words seemed to be weaving around her. A pale jaw clenched once again, the shadow still hovering behind blue, and the queen continued quietly, "That's what Nia did: she killed anyone she thought could be a threat or stand in her way. I don't want to be anything like her."
"You could never be like her," Lexa whispered. She didn't know if the spell around her had lifted or simply deepened, but she felt her hand finally move, fingers brushing gently along the blonde's jaw. Her eyes scanned the queen's face again, seeing everything there she had fallen in love with longer ago than even she cared to admit, and knew no one could ever even begin to compare her with her predecessor. Clarke turned into the touch, the slightest of nudges pushing against the brunette's hand, and she followed the motion, gently cupping the other girl's cheek.
"I hope not," she agreed, nodding against Lexa's touch. Her expression hardened again, not quite to the same degree it had as her anger had whipped through her, but enough that she knew Lexa must see it. "You get it though, right?" she asked, meeting the other girl's eyes. "You understand why I have to do this my way and not the Grounder way?"
"I do," Lexa replied, nodding, and Clarke's expression immediately softened again. The Commander's grip on her cheek tightened ever so slightly, just enough to notice, and she watched as guilt flashed momentarily across the taller girl's face. "I am sorry, Clarke," she said, that same guilt coating her words. "I shouldn't have gotten upset. I know you well enough to know that you are a wise leader who always has a good reason for the choices you make. I should have trusted that."
"It's okay, Lexa," Clarke promised, flashing her a little smile. She reached forward, hands settling on the Commander's waist, and gave a little squeeze. "I know you were just scared about my safety." She took a tiny step forward, closing the little bit of space that had still been between them and looked up, meeting Lexa's eyes even as she lifted an eyebrow at her. "But you have to let me make my choices. Just because you love me doesn't mean you get to decide what I do and don't do. When it comes to this kind of thing, you have the same power over me as you do the other clan leaders, no more, no less. That means you don't get to decide how I deal with the other leaders or how they deal with me. It's my job to prove to them that I deserve my title, not yours, and I'm the one who has to choose what to do if any of them try anything. Okay?"
"I..." Lexa began, and then nodded hesitantly. "Yes. I cannot promise you I will not worry, but I will stop trying to tell you what you should do." She leaned forward, her other hand slipping behind the blonde's back and pulling her closer, and noticed as Clarke's smile grew by a fraction. "I know you are a great leader, Clarke," she added, voice quiet. "I did not mean to imply you were anything else. But when I think of anyone trying to hurt you..."
"I know," the queen replied, gripping her waist lightly. "I get it. I feel the same whenever I think about anyone trying to hurt you." Lexa's lips pulled up into a small smile, a movement that only made Clarke's own smile grow, and then she was pressing forward, catching the Commander's mouth in a long kiss. She felt Lexa's breath catch before the hand against her cheek slipped to the back of her head, fingers making their way into blonde hair in order to gently hold the queen in place, and for a long moment the two stood there, letting the kiss end the argument in the best way possible.
Eventually pulling away, Clarke flashed another smile up at the brunette, stepping back and letting her hand slip to Lexa's. "Come on," she just said, head tilting towards the door the other girl was still pressed against. "Let's get out of here before Taigon comes up to see if we've resorted to trying to kill each other or Octavia or Raven come up to see if we've started ripping each other's clothes off. I really wouldn't put it past either of them." The corner of Lexa's lips turned up but then she stepped away from the door, gesturing to it with her free hand, and allowed Clarke to pull it open and begin leading them back out of the building. The blonde guided them down the stairs, but before she could open the door to lead them back outside Lexa stopped her, turning her around and stealing another quick kiss. This time Clarke felt her own breath get stuck in her lungs, the movement fast and unexpected, and when the Commander pulled away again, expression calm, she raised an eyebrow.
"What was that for?" she wanted to know, and Lexa simply looked at her evenly, a soft twinkle dancing in her eyes that only Clarke ever got to see. "It is doubtful I will have the opportunity to kiss you again until tonight, so I thought it would be wise to get another while I could," she answered easily, and then mirrored the look as the blonde's lips curled up. "You're always thinking ahead, aren't you?" Clarke asked, amusement in her words, and Lexa merely nodded. The queen squeezed her hand a final time, a little reluctant to let go, and then allowed it to drop, pulling away to put just a little more space between them. Almost immediately Lexa's hands folded together in front of her, as though they needed to be together to prevent her from giving into the temptation to reach back out, and Clarke pushed the door open, sunlight suddenly filtering inside the building.
Clarke stepped outside first, the other girl following immediately behind her, and glanced over to see the small party around the fire pit had not moved. Niylah and Luca seemed to be going through their wares, possibly taking stock of what they'd managed to trade and what they still had, and Roan stood across the street, checking out a few of the nearest vendors. She didn't see Ontari until she turned to the other side and nearly jumped, finding the other girl leaning against the building, hiding in the shade. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her eyes were on Lexa, cold and almost calculating. When she looked back, Clarke found the Commander's eyes already locked on the other girl, nothing but her smooth mask in place.
"Ontari," she spoke, the girl's name almost like a greeting but not quite as polite as one. "Lexa," the warrior replied, the use of her name and not her title noticed by all three of them. "It's been a long time."
"It has," Lexa agreed, switching over to Trigedasleng just as smoothly as the younger girl. "I would have expected to see you in Kiri last spring."
"I wish you had," Ontari replied smoothly, still leaning against the wall. "If so, things would have gone differently."
"They would have," the Commander said with a nod. She looked down at the younger warrior, back perfectly straight and posture showing no hint of intimidation. "We would have had one more traitor's body to burn. You could have burned right between Meilok and Naia." Ontari's eyes flashed, her lips pulling back in a snarl, and then all at once they curled up into a smirk. Pushing herself off of the building, she took a couple of steps closer to the two leaders, still refusing to take her eyes from the Commander. "I hope you enjoyed seeing your beautiful Kostia again," she sneered, her words working like barbs into Lexa's carefully composed posture. Seeing the flash across green eyes and the way the Commander just barely clenched her jaw, her smirk grew, adding, "She told my queen and I so much about you."
"Ontori, daun ste pleni," Clarke ordered, her words whipping out and cutting between them. Stepping forward, she caught the younger girl's focus, blue eyes piercing into hard brown, and watched as her smirk dropped away into a grimace. She met the blonde's stare and studied it for a second, as though deciding on her best course of action, and then nodded stiffly, head barely moving.
"Ubroukai," she stated, the word spoken more like a curse than a title, and then lifted her head and turned to walk away, not sparing either of them another glance as she began making her way down the street. Clarke watched her for no more than a few seconds and then turned a worried look over to Lexa, finding the other girl still watching her walk away with clenched teeth.
"Lexa?" she murmured, speaking quietly so as not to draw any extra attention to them, and at her name the Commander's tension seemed to deflate. Her shoulders sank slightly and jaw loosened, glancing down at the blonde and giving her a small nod.
"I am okay, Clarke," she replied, and then when the blonde just raised an eyebrow at her, clearly not believing her, she relaxed further, the corners of her mouth rising some. "I am," she assured her again. "I will not let Ontari get to me."
"Good," the queen said. "She's just trying to bait you." The Commander let out a little noise of confirmation, eyes flickering once again to where Ontari had just disappeared around the corner, and then added quietly, "I do admit though, it all would be easier if she had been one of the traitor's who died in Keerie. I know I just promised not to tell you who you should kill, but I would not be upset if you decided she was more trouble than she is worth." Clarke couldn't entirely contain her grin, shaking her head but feeling the tension drain out of her as Lexa flashed her a small smile.
"Come on," Clarke told her, nodding towards where her friends still sat, not at all subtle in their glances over to the two of them. Lexa looked at the group and then looked up, trying to determine roughly what time it was, and then shook her head. Turning back to the queen, she informed her, "Unfortunately, I should go. There are some others I need to talk with today, and I should check with some of the clans to make sure they have been able to settle into the city. But I would still like it if you and your mother and Marcus would join me for dinner tonight. There is much we should talk about before the first council meeting tomorrow."
"Sure Lexa," Clarke agreed, a little disappointed she had to leave but understanding why. The Commander gave her another little smile and then shifted, glancing over the camp before looking back at the blonde. "Why don't you and Abby and Marcus meet me at Polis Tower an hour before sunset? I will make sure to have dinner ready, and we can all talk."
"Sounds good," the queen said, returning her smile, and once again she saw that slight glow in green eyes she knew no one else ever got to see. "I will see you soon then, Clarke," Lexa told her, wanting to reach out but holding back. The blonde nodded to her, also making sure her hands stayed down at her sides no matter how much they itched to reach up. "See you soon, Lexa." The Commander returned her nod and then turned, walking away before her heart could convince her to stay, and Clarke watched her go, almost letting out a laugh as Ryder seemed to appear out of nowhere and slip into step behind her. Letting out a silent sigh as the crowd swallowed them up, the queen finally turned and began making her way over to her friends. Before she even got to them she could see Raven's smirk and Taigon's knowing look, his eyes dancing in a way similar to Lexa's own.
"Glad to see you're still standing," Raven called to her when she was only halfway to them. Her smirk grew, eyes glancing back to where Lexa had disappeared in the streets. "The Commander looked like she was about ready to string you to a tree when you two came back. I take it she found out about your little talk with the Desert King?"
"She did," Clarke answered, reaching them and then sitting in the small open spot on the log next to the friend she barely ever saw now. Across from her, she watched as Taigon's brow rose in amusement.
"You survived, then?" he asked. "It appeared as though she might do more than simply glare at you." She grinned, shrugging slightly as she admitted, "She might have done a little more than just glare, but in the end I think she understood why I did what I did."
Reese, looking back and forth between Clarke and Taigon, frowned. "What happened?" she asked, clearly unimpressed that she didn't know what was going on. "Why was Heda mad at Clarke?" The queen looked at her Second, flashing her a smile, and just told her, "It's nothing Reese, don't worry. The Commander and I just had a little argument, but we've figured everything out."
"Good," Thom declared with a nod, getting up from where he sat beside Taigon and moving over to the blonde. "Cause I don't want you and Heda to fight. It's no fun." Clarke grinned at him, reaching out and pulling him up on her lap, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I agree," she said, "No fun at all."
"And what about Ontari?" Octavia asked, lifted an eyebrow at her, lips pressed together. Clearly she and the others had seen that little interaction between the three of them, and Octavia at least wasn't ready to let it go. Clarke just let out a long sigh, leaning forward and gently resting her chin on Thom's shoulder, staring at the unlit fire pit in front of them.
"Ontari is a problem," she answered, voice almost quiet as her mind began to whirl. "A problem I have to figure out."
"Well you better figure it out soon," Octavia advised, meeting her look as she glanced up. She looked as though she were about to say something, noticed Thom and Reese still there and thought better of it, and then instead said, "You know she has problems of her own she's trying to figure out, and it'll be better for all of us if you figure it out before she does."
"I know, Octavia," Clarke informed her, feeling Thom shift slightly on her lap. Arms tightening around him, she stared back into the fire pit, once again trying to go over every problem Ontari presented and looking for a solution. She knew Octavia was right and that she needed to come up with something soon, or she'd have more than just the rest of the clans trying to figure out a way to kill her. In many ways Ontari was her biggest threat, and one she needed to deal with sooner rather than later. "I know."
/
With nearly an hour to sunset, Clarke, Jojesh, Octavia and Raven made their way through the streets, the Skaikru camp just ahead. Adjusting the strap of the bag she carried over her shoulder, Clarke couldn't help but grin as they drew closer, a number of the faces milling around the camp familiar to her and ones she'd missed over the past three months. One particular group stood out from the rest, and it was this group they headed towards, nearly reaching them before someone looked up and noticed them.
"Clarke!" Monty exclaimed, smile immediately growing as soon as he saw her. Eyes flickering over to Octavia, he added, "Octavia!" He jumped up from where he'd been sitting and dashed over to them, arms flinging around the blonde. Clarke laughed, just as happy to see him, and quickly returned his hold. "Monty!"
"Hey hey," Miller drawled, getting up slower than Monty had and crossing his arms over his chest. One corner of his mouth tilted up into a smirk, eyes going from Clarke to Octavia. "If it isn't the Grounder Queen and her badass warrior. How you two been?" He reached out as he spoke, linking arms with Octavia and patting her shoulder roughly.
"Good," Octavia replied as Monty stepped back, making room for Harper and Monroe to both move in and link arms with Clarke one at a time, the three all shooting smiles at each other. "We've been good." Monty moved over to give her a quick hug as well, one she returned even as her eyes swept over the group, moving to the two who had held back a little. She felt a slight tug in her chest at seeing her big brother, never aware of how much she missed him until she saw him again, but let her focus glide over him for the moment. Eyes on Jasper, trying to study him without being too obvious about it, she asked, "What about you guys?" For a second Jasper met her eyes and her chest ached, seeing the hardness that had grown in his eyes ever since Maya died and missing the easy-going guy he had once been, but then that hardness melted away just a little. He stepped up, taking Monty's place as the other boy moved, and wrapped his arms lightly around her.
"We've been good too," he answered, feeling her quickly return his hug. Pulling away a little, he gave her a crooked smile. "Nobody's died recently, so I guess you could say we're doing great." The joke fell a little flat, Monty shifting awkwardly beside him while Octavia's grip on his arms tightened for a second before she let go, but he ignored it. He looked over at the other friend he hadn't seen in a while, briefly glancing at the large warrior only a few steps behind her, and then met a set of wary blue eyes. Things still felt strained between him and Clarke even after that rescue mission to save her, and he knew she felt it too. Nevertheless he gave her a grin and partial nod. "Hey Clarke."
"Hey Jasper," she replied, returning his nod. She couldn't decide how she felt about him being there. She missed him, that much she knew, but the Jasper she really missed was the friend she'd had before Mount Weather, and she knew the boy in front of her hadn't been him for a long time. He was no longer the same miserable person he'd been while she'd been living at Arkadia, she could see that much, but there was still enough of the Jasper who had tried to kill Lexa left for her to worry. She assumed her mother and Kane knew what they were doing, allowing him to come to Polis, but even so she couldn't help but notice the little tug of uncertainty in her gut.
Before she could spend more than a long second studying him, Bellamy stepped up beside him and her focus shifted, easily reading his expression as he met her eyes. "Clarke, can I talk to you?" he wanted to know, gesturing away from the group, and she frowned even as she nodded. The others didn't put up any kind of argument as he stepped away and she followed, clearly still used to this kind of thing, and when they moved the gaps they left were immediately filled in, their friends shifting closer as Harper and Monty began hounding Octavia with questions. The only person who followed them was Jojesh, sticking close to his queen as always, but when Clarke looked back at him and gave him a small smile, he stopped and she could practically see the sigh he let out at the silent request.
"What's up, Bellamy?" she asked him once they were alone, looking back at the last person she had believed would be her friend after crashing to the ground. One hand ran roughly through his thick hair, tugging it back before releasing it, and he looked down at her.
"This thirteenth clan thing," he began, and her eyes widened slightly, quickly looking around to make sure no one was close enough to overhear. The corners of his lips curled up into a brief smirk, clearly entertained by the thought he would be dumb enough to mention it when someone could hear, and then almost immediately that smirk wiped away and he frowned. "Are we really sure it's a good idea? You know just as well as I do that it's just gonna piss a bunch of people off, and everything's going fine right now. Do we really need to do this?"
"Yes Bellamy, we really do," Clarke replied, keeping her voice quiet. Even with no one near them, she couldn't shake the worry of someone hearing more than they needed to. "I don't know exactly what my mom and Kane told you, but Lexa's right, this is the only way to try to prevent another war." She noticed his jaw clench and his expression harden, and Clarke just rolled her eyes. "Oh come on Bellamy..."
As though only just noticing his reaction to the mention of the Grounder leader, he held up his hands, eyes widening slightly. "Hey, I'm not trying to start anything here Clarke, really. You guys all say she just wants to help and figure out a way to prevent this next war, and okay, maybe she does, but is this really the way to do it? Forget the fact that we're gonna have to try to convince these other clans to go along with it even though it's obvious they hate us, we're also gonna have to convince our own people. Sure, things have been okay with us and the Trikru since you and O became part of the Azgeda, but being on friendly terms and becoming another clan are two totally different things. It's going to be nearly impossible to get our people to go for it."
Clarke reached forward, fingers curling in a firm grip around his bicep as she raised her eyebrows at him. "Being a good leader isn't about doing what's easy, or what's going to make those who follow us happy," she informed him. "It's about doing what we have to to keep them safe. This plan? This is the way we keep everyone safe." Gripping his arm once more before letting her hand fall away, she gave him a look. "And you're right, people aren't going to be happy when they find out, so you better be ready to support it, whether you like it or not." She nodded back to their group of friends, the group still huddled together, Raven telling some story that Harper seemed to keep interrupting. "They all look up to you, Bellamy," she informed him, and then gestured around the camp. "All of them, everyone in Arkadia looks up to you. If they see you're not on board, it's going to be that much harder to make this work. And this needs to work."
He studied her for a long moment, eyes scanning her face, and then nodded. "I don't know if I agree with this whole thing," he stated, folding his arms across his chest. He gave a little shrug, expression softening a little, and admitted, "But I guess I understand the idea behind it. I'll do what I can to help." Brow furrowing a little again, he added, "But if it looks like this is just a way for the Grounders to take control of us, I won't just stand back and let it happen." Clarke nodded, internally hoping it never looked like that so they'd be able to circumvent any added issues that would cause, and then they both turned when they heard her name called, finding Abby and Kane both heading over to them.
"Hey Mom," she called, her mother immediately wrapping her up in a hug as soon as she was close enough. Looking over her mother's shoulder as she returned the hug she nodded to Kane. "Kane."
"Hello Clarke," he replied, giving her a smile. Stepping up to Bellamy he grasped the young man's shoulder, turning his smile on him as well. "And Bellamy."
"Sir," Bellamy said, nodding to him, and then glanced back over at their group of friends. "I'll see you later, Clarke," he told her, flashing her a grin. "Thanks for talking with me. Chancellor." He nodded to Abby as she pulled away from her daughter and then repeated the gesture to the other two before breaking away and moving back over to their friends. As though he'd just been waiting for his departure, Jojesh returned to Clarke's side as soon as he passed.
"Alright then," Kane let out, his hands rubbing together in front of him as he looked from the daughter to her mother, a large smile on his face. "Let's go see the Commander."
"She said she'll be waiting for us at Polis Tower," Clarke informed them, her thumb slipping beneath the strap of the bag still resting on her shoulder and adjusting it, the slight weight of its contents beginning to cause a dull ache in the muscle. Abby nodded while Kane's smile only grew, holding out his hand towards the street. "Wonderful," he declared. "Lead the way!"
Once again Clarke found herself making her way through the streets of Polis, somehow managing to remember where she needed to go. She and her mother talked a little as they walked, Kane adding to the conversation every now and then and Jojesh following along silently. Somehow they made it to the tower without running into any trouble, and the queen felt her smile grow a little when she saw Lexa already waiting for them in front of the entrance. She seemed to have zeroed in on them the moment they appeared down the road, watching them as they approached and nodding as the distanced closed between them.
"Chancellor," she stated as they stopped, looking at the older woman before glancing at the man beside her. "Marcus." The blonde noticed the minute shift in her expression as she turned to her, eyes softening in a way only she would notice. "Clarke. Thank you all for agreeing to join me again this evening."
"It's our pleasure, Commander," Kane replied, giving her a big smile. "Thank you for inviting us." She nodded again and then shifted slightly, turning towards the entrance to the tower. "Come," she said. "I have had a meal prepared for us inside. I was hoping we could use this time to talk." She didn't say what it was she wanted to talk about, but they all knew, and the Chancellor tilted her head in agreement.
Lexa led the way inside, the others all following along after her, and soon they found themselves back in the elevator, the tiny room lifting them ever higher. She couldn't say for sure, but Clarke felt certain they rose even higher than they had the previous night, high enough that she was more than happy to get off when the elevator finally stopped. She and Lexa stepped out first and then her mother and Kane followed them, Jojesh bringing up the rear, and at seeing him Clarke's eyebrows rose, realizing who they were missing.
"Where's Ryder?" she asked quietly, shooting Lexa a look out of the corner of her eyes. The Commander's lips twitched up briefly, before she answered, "I dismissed him about an hour ago. I told him I did not foresee myself leaving this tower for the rest of the night, and there are enough guards in here I do not need another to follow me around." As though to prove the point, two warriors stood in front of the pair of closed doors at the end of the hall, both standing up a little straighter when they saw who was approaching. One stepped forward and opened one of the doors for them, and they both bowed their head respectfully at Lexa as she passed. Clarke stopped by them, letting her mother and Kane pass her, and then looked at Jojesh.
"Jojesh, you can go back to the camp now," she told him, trying to give him a reassuring smile when he just looked down at her. His eyes flickered to the two warriors standing by the doors and she fought to hold in the sigh she felt building in her chest. Instead of letting out the sigh she just waited, both of them knowing without her needing to say anything that she had no plans of leaving the tower again that night either, and finally he just nodded.
"Sha Ubroukai," he replied, nodding, and then he turned and began making his way back down the hall. She smiled, glad he hadn't tried to put up a fight, and turned back into the room, one of the two warriors closing the door behind her.
With her focus on her bodyguard, Clarke hadn't really noticed anything about this new room when she first stepped inside, but now as she turned her eyes widened.
The room was long, easily the longest single room Clarke had ever stepped into before. A long faded carpet created a path from the door to a raised dais at the other end, the same throne Lexa had been sitting in when they'd first met set regally at its center. Candles littered the walls, even more balancing on sconces hanging down from the high ceiling, only about half of them lit. A table that seemed to almost be dwarfed by the size of the room looked as though it had been quickly set up at the center point of the carpet, four places set at it and what looked to Clarke like a feast laid out along its surface. At the far end of the room a balcony jutted out into the air, the walls giving way to this great opening covered only at its sides by the sheerest of curtains. Light only now beginning to turn orange from the setting sun filtered into the room through it, easily lighting everything inside and making the many candles hardly necessary.
"Please sit," Lexa invited them, gesturing to the table. "There is no reason we cannot talk while we eat." The three guests quickly agreed, each moving to the table, and soon they were all sitting, staring at the food for a moment before they began to help themselves. Part of what Clarke thought must have been a boar laid on a large dish, the meat still steaming and giving off a scent that had her stomach rumbling. Along with it she found a number of roasted vegetables, a loaf of bread beaded throughout with nuts and dried fruit, and fresh berries that looked like they might have just been picked that morning. A pitcher of water sat by the spot at the head of the table they had left for Lexa, and the Commander began to pour them all water as they began to fill their plates.
"Commander, this all looks wonderful," Kane let out in a breath of amazement. Lexa gave him a small smile, clearly proud of their reaction to what she knew was a simple spread compared to some of the other meals they would see over the course of the next few weeks. "Thank you," she replied, finally pouring water into her own cup before setting the pitcher down. "There are some great cooks in Polis, and I am lucky that they always seem happy to prepare food for me and my guests."
They all began to dig in, conversation light and sparse as they ate, none of them wanting to really focus on anything but their food. Clarke tried some of everything, mouth nearly watering every time she took a bite of boar. Lexa had brought her one or two of the vegetables over the winter while she had been living alone in her cave, but nothing she'd ever done with them had been as good as this. She picked around the nuts and fruit in the bread and helped herself to more of the fresh berries, her stomach more than satisfied with everything she put in it.
It wasn't until they were drawing close to the end of the meal, each of them slowing down, that Abby finally turned the conversation towards why they were really there.
"So tomorrow," she stated, leaning back in her chair and looking at the Commander. Lifting an eyebrow, she asked, "What's going to happen?"
Lexa placed the forkful of roasted vegetables back on her plate, meeting the Chancellor's eyes as she looked over to the older woman.
"The clan leaders will all meet in here for the first council meeting mid-morning," she answered easily, just as ready to switch to this necessary conversation as Clarke's mother was. "It is there that I will announce the addition of Skaikru to the coalition, so you will need to be there as well, Chancellor." Turning to Kane, she told him, "Each leader is allowed to bring no more than two guards with them, so you can be there as well, Marcus, but you will not be able to speak." Returning her attention to the entire table, she gestured to either side of the carpet as she explained the next part. "There will be chairs set up for each of the clan leaders and their people will stand to the side of the room, there only as a precaution. No one is allowed to bring any kind of weapon into the meetings, but trying to convince some of the leaders that their guards are unnecessary is an argument I have given up on." She caught a brief glimpse of Clarke's grin before the blonde could fight it back down, and only just managed to keep herself from smiling in return. She was sure the queen was imagining what those arguments must have looked like for her to actually back down from them. Whatever she was picturing, Lexa wanted to tell her the reality had been worse: for a group who were supposed to be the strong leaders of their people, some of the clan leaders acted like real yongon when told they couldn't have their guard with them. In the end, she had only truly backed down when a good portion of the leaders were bringing their partners as one of their guards, knowing that these other people had a right to know what was being decided even if they didn't get an actual say in any of it.
"We will have council meetings every morning," she continued, leaning back a little in her chair as she looked between the three of them. "We will use these meetings to discuss trade routes, clan disputes, farm land, whatever any leader needs to talk about. I doubt anything more will be discussed tomorrow other than the Skaikru becoming the thirteenth clan." Meeting Abby's gaze, she warned her, "Be ready: I do not believe many of the leaders will be happy about it. Some will want to know why we should welcome you into the coalition and others will simply refuse it. I will be telling them all that it was my idea, but only you will be able to speak on behalf of your people." Looking over, she met blue eyes that were watching her intently, and told the queen, "You may want to speak up for your mother and the Skaikru, but you will want to be careful, Clarke. There will already be enough unrest among the leaders about a Sky Person becoming the Ice Queen; if you seem to still be focused on them, the leaders will question your loyalty more than they already do. You will have to be careful of how much support you show for those who were your people."
"I know," Clarke said, giving her a nod. Her fingers fiddled with her fork, tapping it lightly against the table simply for something to do while she stared in front of her, mind whirling. She was about to step out onto a tightrope where she would have to be careful to maintain her balance of her old life with the Skaikru and her new life with Azgeda. If she ever leaned too much towards the people she'd chosen to leave the rest of the clan leaders would cut down her tightrope and hang her with it. As difficult as it would be, she would have to sit back and let her mother convince the rest of the leaders of the Sky People's worth on her own.
From the moment the Commander had started speaking, Abby's brow had furrowed, the lines around her mouth deepening as she went. "So in the morning we have the council meeting and tell the rest of the clans that we're joining the coalition," she repeated, focus going from Lexa to her daughter and then back again. "What's next?"
"Tomorrow night is the first true celebration," Lexa continued, back straightening slightly. She met the Chancellor's gaze, her expression perfectly even, and internally braced herself. She hadn't mentioned this next part the previous evening, and had no idea how the older woman would react to it. "The first night is when any new clan leaders bow before me and swear their allegiance to the coalition. They are marked then to prove they have sworn their clan to the coalition." She gestured to both Abby and Clarke, noticing the way the Chancellor's frown deepened and queen's brow furrowed. "You both will have to take part, as you are the new Queen of the Ice Nation, Clarke, and you are the leader of the newest clan, Chancellor. Other than you, there will be one other who must take part in the ceremony. The previous leader of the Shallow Valley Clan died over the winter, and now his son must bow as their new leader."
"We have to... bow," Abby repeated, the idea clearly not one she had considered or wanted to consider. "And get marked? What kind of mark?"
"It is a brand," the Commander answered, not wavering beneath her look. "Every leader must bare it. To refuse it would be refusing to accept the laws of the coalition." Abby still didn't look pleased, so Clarke decided to speak up. "Marks are important to them, Mom," she informed her, pulling the Chancellor's attention to her. She gestured vaguely to the balcony, referring to the many people outside. "It's like the tattoos or scars so many people have: they tell stories and status. It sounds like accepting this brand would be like any of us swearing an oath." She frowned for a second, briefly looking away, and then corrected herself. "Any of you swearing an oath."
The older woman still didn't seem particularly happy about it, but in the end she just let out a sigh, expression relaxing a little. "Okay," she finally said, giving in with a little shrug. She looked back at the Commander, just managing to see the spark of pride that flashed across her eyes as she glanced at her daughter before hiding it away. As she asked her next question, the young leader looked back at her, face once again devoid of anything but a calm interest in the conversation. "We bow and we receive your mark; what happens after we're officially the thirteenth clan?"
Lexa gave a slight shrug, her shoulders barely lifting. "Tomorrow we celebrate the entire coalition: after that we will be celebrating each individual clan. Each will have one day where the leaders will all take part in that clan's most sacred ceremony. Every clan is different: some tell stories of the clan's history, others perform certain rituals that were only known by their own people before the coalition. Some celebrate through food, others through dance." She nodded towards Abby, telling her, "The Skaikru will have their day, so you will have a chance to share some of your people's customs with us and teach us your history, if you would like." Glancing at Clarke worriedly, she continued, "You will be expected to lead the Ice Nation ceremony, Clarke. Do you know...?" Before she even finished speaking, the blonde began to nod.
"Jojesh didn't know a ton about these celebrations, but he knew that much," she informed her, putting some of Lexa's worries to rest. "He and some of the others have been teaching me their histories and major ceremonies, so I shouldn't have any problem."
"Good," Lexa stated with a nod, lips twitching to give her a tiny smile. "Then that is something we won't worry about. Do you have any ideas what you will choose to do, Chancellor?" She caught Abby and Marcus watching each other, almost as though they were having a silent conversation, and in the end it was him that nodded. "I don't think we'll have a problem coming up with something," he answered, flashing her a smile. The Chancellor nodded in agreement, and Lexa felt another small worry leave her. "Good," she replied, and then leaned forward a little, pushing her plate further up the table. "Now that we have taken care of that, let me tell you more about each of the clans."
As the sun set behind them, Lexa told them more and more about each of these new clans and the people who led them, giving them so much information that soon Abby found herself wishing she could write at least some of it down. The three all listened, taking in as much of it as they could, and by the time the Commander stopped speaking they could all feel this new knowledge swirling in their minds, headaches beginning to form along their temples. It was a lot to absorb but they tried to take in all of it, knowing they needed to be armed with as many details as possible for the morning. Darkness had crowded into the room as she spoke and now the light around them came from the many candles, their flickering flames casting endless shadows against the stone around them.
"Thank you, Commander," Abby said as she stood up, trying to ignore the way her back cracked as she moved. Lexa had spoken and they had asked their questions, and now it was time for her and Kane to go over everything they learned and create a plan for the next few weeks. "This was all very helpful."
"You are welcome, Chancellor." Lexa followed her up, her hands folding neatly behind her back as she nodded to the older woman. Clarke and Kane both rose as well, Kane popping one last berry into his mouth and smiling. Even with all the uncertainty that waited for them tomorrow, he didn't seem worried, only excited. Clarke was once again staring off, mind clearly buzzing with ideas and information as she tried to plan for what would come.
"Thank you again for the meal, Commander," Marcus said, moving over and reaching out to her. Lexa returned the gesture, clasping his arm, and didn't try to stop the smile that played along her lips. "I am glad you enjoyed it, Markus kom Skaikru," she replied honestly.
Abby stepped around the table, going over to her daughter. She knew Clarke was lost in her planning, but that didn't stop her from pulling her into a hug, surprising her. "Goodnight Clarke," she murmured, her cheek pressing against the blonde's. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Night Mom," she replied, returning her mother's hug. Abby began to step away and bumped lightly against the bag still over her shoulder, and suddenly she remembered why she'd brought it. "Oh Mom, hold on, I have something for you," she told her, seeing her mother's eyebrows lift as she stopped, glancing down at the bag. Clarke reached in, pulling out a board and smaller sack carefully, and held them out to her mother, watching as her eyes widened.
"Clarke, I..." Abby trailed off, momentarily speechless. Her fingers ran lightly over the surface of the board, barely brushing against the small squares painted onto it. Hand trembling slightly, she reached into the small sack Clarke handed to her, pulling out three little figurines and brushing against others. Each had been carved out of wood, two of the figures so light they were nearly white while the third was a dark ebony. While her husband and daughter had played the game more often than she ever did, she could easily recognize the rook, knight and pawn in her hand, and the chess board held out in front of her. "How did you...?"
"I had it made for you," her daughter answered. "One of my craftsmen carved all the pieces and prepared the board for me, and I painted it." Lips curling up into a smile, the queen looked down at the board and sack of playing pieces, knowing just how beautiful they all were without having to look at them. After seeing some of the other items Luca had carved, she'd had the idea and sketched out the pieces for him, the craftsman immediately intrigued by these new designs. He'd made this and a few other sets, playing around with the designs of each piece with each new set he created. She decided to save the original for her mother, knowing how much she would appreciate the familiar game and memories that came with it. Seeing the way her eyes began to water, she knew she'd been right.
Carefully Abby placed the board on the table, and then swept her daughter into her arms for another hug. Pressing her face against Clarke's, she felt her throat begin to burn as she held her daughter tight. "Thank you," she whispered, unable to get out anything else. She felt the pressure as her daughter squeezed her back, and then heard her quiet reply. "You're welcome, Mom."
Pulling away, Abby left a soft kiss to her daughter's forehead and then carefully gathered up the board and chess pieces. Flashing a final smile to her daughter and then nodding over to the Commander, she began making her way out of the room, Kane quickly falling into step beside her. As the door opened and then closed behind them, her grip on the gift tightened, a beautiful pressure squeezing around her heart.
Lexa watched the interaction between mother and daughter, unsure of the significance behind the board and little carvings, but easily picking up on their importance. She hung back, not wanting to interrupt, until the two Sky People left the room. As soon as the door shut behind them, she made her way over to Clarke, head tilting to the side.
"That made your mother very happy," she noted, lips curling up as Clarke looked back at her. With the freedom their isolation brought, she reached out, heart seeming to settle back in place as her palm rested gently along the blonde's back. She caught the queen's smile, the motion only causing her own to grow, and watched her as she replied, "It was a chess board. Do you remember me ever talking about that game?" Lexa nodded, nearly telling Clarke she remembered everything she ever said to her, but holding it back instead.
"You and your friend Wells used to play it," she answered, thinking of one of the stories Clarke had told her on one of the nights they had shared her cave. "You said your father taught you, correct?"
"Yeah," Clarke replied, returning the nod. "When I was really little I'd watch my mom and dad play it, and then when I was old enough he taught me how to play. I could never beat Wells, and only beat my dad a few times, but mom and I were pretty even, I think." She shrugged then, glancing back at the door. "I just thought it was something she'd like."
"She loves it, Clarke," Lexa murmured, taking another step closer to the blonde and giving her a soft smile. "You made her very happy." The queen flashed her a thankful grin, and then that grin grew, reaching back into the bag. "Actually, I had one made for you too," she said, making Lexa's brow shoot up. "I thought I could teach you."
"Clarke, thank you, but I'm not sure now is the best time for a game," the brunette replied carefully, trying not to let her mind wander to everything they had going on around them. Pulling out a second little bag, the queen shook her head, lightly pushing it into Lexa's free hand.
"It's a game that is entirely about strategy, Lexa," she informed her. "In order to be any good at it you have to be able to think multiple moves ahead, all while trying to keep your opponent's possible moves in mind as well. That sounds exactly like the kind of game we need right now." She nudged Lexa's shoulder, raising her eyebrows. "Besides, with the letters we sent back and forth during the spring, my guess is you have a pretty good grip on reading now, so we probably don't need anymore reading lessons, and I like being able to teach you something. It's fun, and gives me an excuse to spend time with you."
"You never need an excuse to spend time with me, Clarke," Lexa replied, small smile growing as she watched Clarke's do the same. Any resolve she might have had crumbled as she met bright blue eyes, and she felt herself let out an internal sigh. "Alright, how does one play this game?" she asked, giving in and glancing down to the little bag in her hand. She could feel a number of small items inside it, and debated for a moment whether or not to reach inside, not really wanting to remove her hand from the blonde's back. Clarke removed the decision from her when she stepped away, and Lexa frowned before controlling her expression.
"First let's find somewhere else to set it up," the blonde told her, glancing around the large room. "We don't need this much space for it. We can take it to my room."
"If you would prefer, we can go to my room instead," Lexa offered, meeting blue eyes as they shifted back to her. "It is on this floor, so we would not have to go very far." Clarke nodded, more interested than she wanted to admit about being able to see what the other girl's room looked like.
They left the council room, Lexa telling Clarke as she glanced back at the table and what was left of their dinner, "Do not worry, it will get taken care of," and made their way down the hall, bypassing the elevator. They walked as far as they could before they reached another door, another warrior standing outside this one who also was quick to bow her head to the Commander. Lexa returned the gesture with a simple nod and then led the way into her room, stepping back as soon as she entered so that Clarke could look around.
Nothing could have prepared Clarke. She walked inside and instantly stopped, jaw dropping just a fraction.
A small desk with a mirror attached to its top stood off to one side of the room, a crack running through the very top of the glass. In the center of the room a small couch and chair were set up around a table, a number of candles covering its surface and already let. Dozens more candles littered the room, some on other tables and many hanging in metal globes from the ceiling, all lit and flames flickering. More thin curtains covered what had to be windows, the dark of the night hidden behind the worn fabric. In front of one of the windows an easel had been setup, something Clarke imagined wasn't always there and had only been added recently. Tucked into the same wall the desk sat against stood a small fireplace, the fire currently unlit with a black kettle hanging over it. Off of the room Clarke saw a small alcove, what she assumed must lead to some kind of bathing area, and along the same wall as the entrance was another door, hanging open just enough for the blonde to get a peek of Lexa's Commander gear hanging inside. A bearskin rug laid out in front of them, a few other carpets littering the floor where she imagined Lexa spent most of her time so that she wouldn't have to always be walking on the cold stone floor. One such carpet laid at the foot of her bed, and the bed is what finally stole Clarke's breath away. The great mattress laid on a frame of vines, the wood carved into such intricate patterns of vines that twined and twirled together that they almost looked like the could be moving. Rather than a headboard, the designer of the frame had created a great labyrinth of vines that rose many feet into the air, enough space in it that even more candles were set inside, their flames far enough away from the wood not to catch it on fire. Beside the bed stood a little nightstand comprised of a single little drawer and cabinet. The sheer simplistic beauty of the room stole the queen's breath away as she tried to take it all in.
"What do you think?" Lexa asked, suddenly a little nervous. She seldom had others come into her room other than to light her candles or help her get ready for some kind of ceremony. She watched Clarke as she slowly looked around the room, feeling as though she herself were on display, and only relaxed when the blonde looked back at her, something akin to awe glowing in her eyes.
"Lexa, it's beautiful," she murmured, unable to think of any other way to describe it. Looking at that bed again, she shook her head, lips curling up into a little smirk. "Honestly I can't believe you didn't bring me straight to this bed last night. I love the room you prepared for me, but that is the greatest thing I have ever seen." The brunette smiled, an exhalation of air that could have been a laugh escaping before she could stop it.
"I apologize for neglecting to show you the bed sooner," she teased, eyes dancing with amusement. "You are welcome to stay here tonight though. You are welcome in it whenever you wish." Clarke grinned, lifting an eyebrow at her, and Lexa dipped her head, lips tugging up in a smile. "I did not mean that in the way it sounded, although you are welcome in it whenever you wish." Clarke laughed, shaking her head, and Lexa allowed herself to get lost in the sound.
"I almost forgot what a smooth talker you are," the blonde joked, stepping further into the room and once again looking around. Lexa followed after her, not taking her eyes off of the queen.
"So what do we need for this game?" she asked, and Clarke replied over her shoulder, "Just some space to set up the board." Lexa nodded and then moved to the table, carefully removing many of the candles there and setting them on her desk. As she shifted them around, making sure not to blow out any of the flames, Clarke sat on the couch, pulling the game out of her bag. With the candles now out of the way, Lexa sat in the chair, watching as the blonde began setting up the little pieces in two lines on either side of the board.
"There are six different types of pieces," Clarke began, glancing up at the Commander as she continued to set the board up. She pointed to each as she identified them, Lexa following along with her. "There are the pawns here in the first row, and then the rook, knight, bishop, king and finally the queen. Each piece moves across the board differently, trying to capture the opponent's pieces as they go." She lifted up the piece she had labeled as the king, holding it between them. "The game ends when one of the kings is in checkmate, which just means there's no way to keep it from being captured. The king is the most important piece on the board because of that, but it's also the weakest." She handed the king over, Lexa reaching between them to wrap her fingers around it. The smooth wood felt cool beneath her skin, her thumb brushing over it.
"What makes it weak?" she asked, glancing at the blonde. Grabbing the other king, Clarke moved it to the center of the board, moving it as she explained. "It's weak because it can only move one space in any direction. That makes it easier to trap and capture. You have to use your other pieces to help protect it, while trying to capture the other one." Moving the king back to its original square, this time she picked up the one beside it, what appeared to be a crown with twin daggers crossed inside it carved carefully at its top. "Because she can go as far as she wants in any straight direction, the queen is the most powerful piece." Again she demonstrated, sliding the queen across the board in various directions, and Lexa felt her lips curl up into a smile. "Of course she is," she agreed, her tone making Clarke roll her eyes even as she returned the grin. Lexa picked up the second queen, studying the piece closer and ran the tip of her finger over the crossed daggers.
"Luca decided to add those," the queen informed her, noticing what she studied. "Daggers aren't usually part of any of the pieces, but when I described them to him, he decided the queen should have her weapons."
"As she should," the Commander stated, carefully placing both king and queen in their spots along the board. Clarke shot her a smile and then grabbed another piece, demonstrating its movement and then moving to the next until she'd given a brief description of each. She continued to explain the rules and Lexa listened intently, her forehead creasing slightly as she attempted to take it all in.
Soon Clarke had them playing, explaining even more as they each moved their pieces, correcting the brunette whenever she moved a piece incorrectly or explaining why a movie was either good or bad. As the pieces along the board slid from one square to another, Lexa couldn't help but glance up every now and then, seeing the way the blonde's mood shifted. Soon she slipped her feet from her boots, legs crossing on the couch as she leaned forward, focus narrowing into the game, and the Commander could only partly pay attention to what was happening. The game, while interesting, was no where near as intriguing as the other girl as she played, and all Lexa wanted to do was watch her. For a little while she managed to hide her distraction, but when she didn't notice it was her turn to move, too busy studying the way Clarke's hair brushed against her jaw as she leaned even closer to the board, the blonde glanced up, grinning as she met a green stare.
"Lexa," Clarke said, waiting as those green eyes flickered over to her own, soft and clearly distracted. Internally she debated with herself for a second, letting her eyes fall back to the board. They hadn't gotten very far in the game, but decided they'd have plenty of time in the next few weeks to get back to it. Besides, as much as she loved this game, that bed had been calling to her ever since they entered the room. Standing up, she nodded back to it while meeting the other girl's eyes again. "Come on," she just said, "Let's go to bed."
"But the game," Lexa began, looking quickly back to the board, and the blonde shrugged. "We'll keep playing another night." She didn't give the Commander a chance to say anything else, turning and making her way to the great piece of furniture. Rather than wait for Lexa to join her, she fell against the mattress, letting out a long sigh as she felt the soft fur brush against her cheek. The minute her body hit it she sunk into the fur, exhaustion suddenly pulling at her bones as she realized what a long day it had been.
The Commander watched the other girl cross the room and fall against the bed, lips quirked up in a small smile. Glancing back down at the board, she slowly shifted it to the center of the table, careful not to knock over any of the pieces still on it before she too stood up. Rather than go straight to the bed as Clarke had, she turned in the opposite direction, moving towards her desk and then began blowing out the candles. As smoked curled slowly into the air she moved over to the next cluster, repeating the process with them.
Clarke watched Lexa make her way from candle to candle, blowing out each little flame, and suddenly she felt the fear begin crawling up her spine, climbing up a single vertebrae at a time. The good mood she'd been in disappeared as easily as the fire Lexa extinguished, her heart beginning to beat faster in her chest. Subconsciously her fingers curled into the fur beneath her, gripping tightly against it. The darkness on the opposite side of the room grew, creeping towards her, and the panic began burning in the back of her throat.
"Lexa," she called, interrupting the brunette even as she blew out another candle, this one closer to the bed than the table or desk. The Commander must have heard the fear she tried to hide, must have felt the sudden shift in the room, and looked over curiously at the blonde, frowning.
"What is it Clarke?" she asked quickly, scanning the queen's face. In an instant she took in the tight grip the other girl held on the fur, the slight clench of her jaw and the fear poorly hidden in her eyes. Moving over to the bed she reached out, wanting to pull her close, but let her hand hang limply for a moment, unsure what had caused this change.
"The candles," Clarke got out, glancing from Lexa to the candles that still burned around her and then to the dark side of the room. "Can we... Do you mind if they stay lit?" Lexa's frown grew even as she nodded, still studying the blonde, and Clarke clenched her eyes shut.
She hated this. Absolutely hated it. For three months now she hadn't been able to sleep without candles around her, panic always settling in her gut whenever darkness surrounded her. It made her feel like a child again, this fear of the dark, and had tried to hide it from everyone else, but knew she couldn't hide it from Lexa.
"The dark," she tried to explain, forcing her eyes open and briefly meeting the Commander's again before she looked away, embarrassed. "I can't sleep in the dark anymore." The fingers of her left hand ran nervously over those of her right, feeling two smooth fingernails and three rough ones, nails that would never quite return to what they had been before she met Nia. "The building she kept me in didn't have any windows," she continued quietly, and she heard Lexa shift, clearly knowing immediately who she was talking about. The mattress dipped and then a hand entered her vision, gently clutching her knee. The blonde slipped her fingers through Lexa's, looking up again, and found the other girl watching her, expression all at once both understanding and hard. "There were torches lining the inside. Somebody always changed them out before they died, but sometimes when she was done questioning me, she'd have them removed. Light couldn't even really get through the cracks around the door, so when that happened it was pitch black. I couldn't see anything, nothing, and never knew how long she planned to leave me in the dark. I got myself through it, obviously, but now I just..." She shrugged. "Now I can't do it. I start to panic if it gets too dark, so I leave the candles in my room burning all night. I tried a couple of nights to sleep without them, but couldn't. One night my hands were shaking so bad by the time I tried to re-light the candles that I dropped my flint before I could get any of them lit and had to crawl around to find it. Now I just leave them lit."
Clarke looked away again, clearly embarrassed by the admission, and Lexa tightened her grip on the other girl's hand before dropping it. Without a word she stood back up, moving straight to the little stand beside the bed and kneeling down, opening the cabinet and pulling a small bag out of it. Cradling it against her stomach, she sat back down on the mattress, moving closer to the blonde, and waited until the other girl was looking at her again before holding the bag out.
"After Nia handed me what... what I thought was Costia's head, I had nightmares," she began softly, her tone low as she told her own story of terror. Clarke watched her as she spoke, reading the emotions that flashed across a face that for once didn't fight to hold them back, and just listened. "One nightmare, every night for a month. The moment I fell asleep I would dream of that moment, of Nia swearing herself to my coalition and then handing me the bag. I felt it all, over and over again. I only ever woke up after the head was in my hands, Costia's eyes staring at me without any life in them. Every time I tried to sleep..." She trailed off, eyes shutting as her head shook slightly. When they opened again they immediately met Clarke's, the blonde seeing the horror that still haunted her in them. "I would not have survived it, if not for Taigon. He found these herbs that allowed me to sleep without dreaming." Her grip on the little bag tightened, a finger brushing against it. "Every night for a year I drank a cup of tea made with these herbs." Her brow furrowed, staring off to the side of the room for a moment. "I do not know what it is like to fear the dark," she murmured, and then looked back, eyes all but boring into the queen's. "But I do know what it is like to fear what is inside your own mind. I understand that panic of not being able to fight back against something you are powerless against." One hand reached out, easily falling to Clarke's. She gripped the other girl's fingers, expression raw, open, eyes scanning the face of the girl she loved. "You do not need to be embarrassed by your fear, Clarke. Not with me. We all are haunted by something." Pulling the pale hand up, her lips brushed faintly against its back, the skin warm against her mouth. "I am just glad you are still alive to fear the dark. I don't believe even my tea would have gotten me through it, if I had lost you too."
"You didn't," Clarke breathed, grip tightening on the Commander's hand and pulling her closer. Gently she reached out with her other hand, plucking the bag of herbs from the brunette and setting it on the side table, before wrapping it around the brunette's back. They tumbled back against the mattress together, holding each other as close as possible, eyes refusing to look anywhere but at each other. "We both survived, Lexa," the queen murmured, face so close to Lexa's that she felt her breath against her skin. "And we'll continue to survive. Together." The Commander's lips twitched, eyes nearly glowing as she pushed even closer to the blonde.
"We will do more than that," she insisted, voice strong as she stared at the woman she loved. "Together we will do so much more than just survive, Clarke. I know it."
If anyone has any ideas of ceremonies you'd really like to see for one or more of the clans, feel free to let me know. I want them each to have their own individual rituals/beliefs/etc. to show, and have a good number already planned out, but am always happy to get thoughts from others. I can't promise I will use anything/everything that is suggested, but I can promise to consider it all. If you do have a suggestion, feel free to leave it here or send it to me via my Tumblr, clarkethewanheda.
Thanks everyone, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! More to come soon!
Trigedasleng Translations:
"Ontori, daun ste pleni" - "Ontari, that's enough!"
"Yongon" - "Children"
