Chapter 7
Now in the throne room, sitting with the twelve other ambassadors, Clarke had shifted gears; she'd gone from broken-hearted and sobbing teenager to a fearless, take-no-shit leader in a matter of minutes.
"Ambassadors," Lexa started, her voice echoing throughout the room, commanding attention and respect. "I have called you here tonight to discuss the official recognition of Skaikru as the newest clan." The room grew noisy within seconds, the ambassadors growing restless and upset. Arguing amongst themselves, the representatives grew louder and louder. Lexa looked at Clarke, who was sitting impatiently. Clarke looked pissed, but didn't allow herself to be shaken by the opinions of the other leaders. She seemed annoyed, and wore a bitchy resting face, which was surprising, even to Lexa. The ambassadors continued to argue with each other, and things began to turn violent. Two clan leaders to Lexa's right began to push and shove one another, shouting loudly. Lexa had to stop this before complete chaos broke out. "Enough!" she yelled. The room grew silent, every leader turning to the commander. "This is my capital, this is my coalition! Anyone who has a problem with that may declare a challenge against their commander!" Each ambassador took their seat, ashamed and silenced. "As for the matter at hand, we will not take it lightly. Skaikru has been more than helpful in the destruction of the mountain." She glanced over to Clarke, who suddenly looked nervous. "From this moment onward, Skaikru will be considered the thirteenth clan, and as part of this coalition, they have been branded with the seal." Clarke's mind flashed to the memory of the red-hot brand that had been sealed onto Kane's forearm - the seal that marked their correspondence and cooperation as the newest addition to the coalition. She pushed the memory out of her mind, and continued to listen to Lexa. "Any clan that objects to this will deal with me personally, no clan exempt." Lexa wasn't a woman of many words, and ended her speech early. She had to tend to Clarke, and with that on her mind she couldn't focus anyway. "You are all dismissed." As the representatives filed out of the throne room rather nervously, Lexa addressed Titus. "Titus?" she started.
"Yes, Heda?"
"You may leave." Titus nodded and quickly shuffled out, leaving just the two girls to talk.
"They won't respect your acceptance of us into the coalition, Lexa. You know that." As soon as they were alone, Clarke shifted gears once more. She placed her elbow on her thigh, and smashed her cheek into the palm of her hand, causing her to mumble. "One of them is bound to challenge you, yet you are seeing this through. Why?" With her other hand, she nervously toyed with a string on the ripped part of her jeans. She wrapped it around her finger, unraveled it, and wrapped it up again. Lexa noticed her anxious behaviors and tried to calm her nerves. She couldn't tell if Clarke was nervous, pissed off, or both.
"It will be okay, Clarke." Ignoring Clarke's question, she turned to face the city, walking out onto the balcony and resting her folded hands on the edge. She knew Clarke would follow, and sure enough, Clarke rose from her chair and walked outside, lingering behind Lexa; to no surprise, Clarke kept her distance at first - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Lexa turned around, her back to the city, her front to Clarke. She tried to get Clarke's mind off of everything relating to the past few days. "Let's go for a walk, Clarke."
"Down there?" Clarke motioned towards the city. "No fucking way! We'll be killed two steps outside of this tower!"
"I have guards; we have hoods. There are places I know we will be safe." It might have been risky, but she needed to distract Clarke - she looked miserable. As she moved towards the door, she saw Clarke's expression change again; Lexa knew she was about to give in. "Come, Clarke. It will be fine." Clarke huffed a small laugh, shaking her head at Lexa. She had no idea where Heda was going with this, but she intended to play along.
"Whatever you say, commander," she mumbled, shuffling through the throne room behind Lexa. Lexa spoke in Trigedasleng to two of her guards, and they followed the girls out of the room, down the length of the building, and out the doors. Both girls lifted their hoods, covering their faces almost completely. Lexa must've seen the worried expression that Clarke wore, however, because as soon as they were more than ten feet away from the tower, she began reassuring her that everything would be fine. Her attempts at calming Clarke's nerves were useless, and once Lexa saw that she wasn't getting through to her, she quieted. Clarke was tense, and looked around constantly, mentally protecting Lexa. Eventually though, she let her guard down, and let Lexa's protectors do their job. At least with Clarke somewhat focused on their safety, she had forgotten about the day's previous events. Lexa took this as an opportunity to distract her further.
"What did your people eat before you came here, Clarke?" It was a dumb question, but she had to make small talk and keep Clarke's mind wandering. Clarke caught on right away, and with no intent to be fooled, she addressed Lexa's attempt at making her feel better.
"Lexa, cut the crap. I'm fine, okay? Trust me, I'm A-okay." She scoffed and shook her head, looking away from Lexa as they walked. Lexa looked at the people and markets to her left, trying to find something to talk to Clarke about that wasn't "work" related. Or love related. Or anything-to-do-with-that-day related. She couldn't find anything. Mentally switching subjects to her newfound surrounding, she observed the world around her, her head swiveling around almost frantically; left, right, left. She recognized where they were, holding up a hand. At this, the guards ceased, intently watching the commander, swords drawn. "Nou get yu daun." she said. In response, the guards held back, sheathing their swords, eyes still cautious. She looked at Clarke, who seemed confused. She had only learned a small amount of Trigedasleng from Niylah, and was still very shaky with the language, "I told them to stop worrying. We will be fine." She paused, watching Clarke's expressions change. "You too, Clarke. Stop fretting. Nothing here acts as a threat to us." There was something in Lexa's voice that allowed Clarke to trust her for a short minute. She nodded at Lexa, looking around at where they were. The group had stopped at the edge of a small patch of forest that interrupted the city. For the most part, it looked uninhabited. Lexa led them to a small patch of trees, and in Trigedasleng, told her guards to wait there. She took Clarke by the hand and led her through a group of woody bushes, and after pushing aside wood, forestry, and branches for what seemed like forever, they made it to a small clearing. Clarke looked around, her eyes darting left and right, seeking out danger. Lexa again had to reassure her that they were safe. "Clarke, this is an area only known to previous commanders, and now also to you. Nothing poses a threat to us here. It is okay to let your guard down. Trust me on this."
"I just want you to be safe, Lexa." Clarke left it at that, and continued to inspect her surroundings. They stood in the middle of a grass field, no larger than a thirty by thirty foot square, and it seemed to be surrounded on all sides by forestry. On the far side sat a partially broken bench, decorated with what looked like ceramic tiles. She had to admit, it was beautiful.
"I come here when I need to be away from the city. Away from my duties. As you know, that opportunity doesn't arrive often enough." Lexa carefully watched Clarke admire her surroundings. Her eyes grew wider as the sun began to set, her pupils becoming large, dark circles surrounded by an ocean-blue ring. Lexa looked down at Clarke's hand, realizing that she had not let go of it the entire time. Smiling slightly, she gently pulled Clarke toward the bench, and sat them down. She used her free hand to brush a blonde-colored curl away from Clarke's face. "Do you like it?" she asked softly.
"Like it?" Clarke inquired. "I love it, Lexa. Thank you. For sharing it with me, I mean." It may have been only for a moment, but when the girls' eyes met, it felt like an eternity - a serene, calm, and entirely beautiful eternity. Clarke leaned in, towards Lexa, towards the girl she loved. They hadn't been in a particularly comfortable kissing position, so Clarke shifted gently until they were, and pressed her lips against Lexa's. She toyed with Lexa's lips at first, teasing them slightly, until she couldn't resist any longer, Clarke dipped her tongue into her mouth, seeking out Lexa's. The two leaned in closer, until their chests were pressed together, and their arms were around each other's necks, each girl's hands entangling the other's hair. It was one of the few moments they'd had together in which all fear, anxiety, and thought left them. The only thing they had was each other, and it felt so right. When Clarke finally pulled away from Lexa to catch her breath, she spoke softly and sweetly into her ear. "I think I love you," she whispered, nibbling at Lexa's earlobe. Lexa moaned with pleasure, kissing at Clarke's pulse point.
"I think I love you too, Clarke," she said softly. The two pulled their mouths away from each other's skin, just long enough to share a tight hug, and resumed kissing until the sun had fully set. They walked from the field hand-in-hand, hair mussed, short of breath. The pair walked to where Lexa had left the guards, completely in love. Their hour of bliss came to an abrupt halt however, when the girls found one guard dead, and the other missing. A streak of blood wound off into the woods, leaving a trail where the guard's body had been dragged away.
