Raven woke to a worried Anya sitting beside her the following morning, "Hey babe, what's wrong?"
Anya turned, cupping the mechanic's jaw and kissing her firmly before speaking, "You passed out last night. We could not wake you."
"We?"
Anya nodded, "I brought Nyko to examine you. Not even his strongest smelling salts could rouse you. Reivon, your leg has swelled, it is discolored, and your veins are dark. I have sent for Clarke, she will be here soon."
Raven leaned back against the pillows and stretched out, her whole body ached, she was far too hot and felt like death. "It'll be good to see Clarke again. We should throw a barbecue for her!"
Anya laughed and shook her head, "Do you ever not think about food?"
"Hey! If you grew up on space rations, trust me, you'd see earth food in a whole new light."
Anya laughed again and kissed Raven, "There's something else I have to tell you."
"Oh?"
"Your ark has landed."
Raven took a deep breath; she was worried. The Arkers didn't have the same protection and treaty as the 100 did. Raven began to sit up but was gently pushed back down by a calming hand.
"Relax, Reivon. The commander is on her way here; search parties have been sent out and have already reported back with their location. A meeting will be set between the commander and the Arkkru to strike the same guidelines as long as your people do not provoke an attack. And do not worry, Skykru will be treated separately from the newcomers regardless of their actions. They are safe with full protection."
Raven relaxed a little easier, the blonde's loving palm stroking her sweat slicked forehead was comforting and greatly welcomed. She was in such discomfort; she didn't know how she could survive without Anya's touch anymore.
Raven fell asleep beneath her lover's soothing caresses and didn't wake again until she heard voices arguing later that day.
"She is weak, Anya. I am disappointed in your choice of mate. I expected better of you." The voice wasn't one Raven recognized. It was feminine and demanding, confident but delicate.
"She is not weak; she is injured. I will not change my mind, Lexa. I lay claim to her."
"Then you will take responsibility for her as well? Do not ask me for a favor if your people turn on you later for your weak choices."
"Do not worry; I won't."
Raven peeked through hooded lids to see the two women standing the opposite end of the tent. Anya had her arms crossed and was staring who Raven assumed was the commander down. But Commander Lexa held the glare with ease. The mechanic remembered Anya had been Lexa's mentor; this had no doubt been practiced several times before.
With a nod, the beautiful brunette commander turned and left the tent. Anya dropped her arms and returned to Raven's side who lifted a weak arm to stroke the warrior's back, "Hey."
Anya smiled and placed a kiss to the mechanic's temple before handing Raven a cup of water and helping her to sit up. "I am glad you are awake. I have missed seeing life in you."
Raven chuckled at the odd wording. She loved how the grounder spoke sometimes. "Has Clarke arrived?"
Anya nodded.
"Why didn't you wake me?"
"We tried, Reivon. You were unconscious. Clarke examined you while you slept. She said you might have a blood clot. She could not determine other issues without medical equipment." Anya sighed irritatedly and turned away; she was holding something back.
"Hey, what is it? What's wrong?"
"Clarke says her mother is a surgeon. One of the Arkkru. She tells me you need to go to them, that this Abby can help you and they will have the equipment to fix you."
Raven stiffened, she remembered Abby very well. She was the reason Raven repaired that shuttled and headed to the surface. They were suppose to have made the trip together. Shrugging the memories of Abby for the moment, the mechanic rubbed the warrior's back, "Why are you so upset? I know the treaty isn't in place yet, but that's no reason to not go get me fixed, right?"
Anya hung her head and sighed again, "I can't go with you. The commander has ordered for a meeting of the twelve clans and their generals… in Polis. It's a seven-day trip to reach the city. Lexa has requested your Clarke and Octavia accompany her as Skykru representatives. I've arranged for Tris and Lincoln to escort you to the Arkkru."
"Oh," Raven stopped her slow circle ministrations. It was silly, but she had barely been apart from Anya since they met. The most being a day and they had missed each other fiercely.
The warrior took up her hand just then, "We will be together again soon."
Startling them both, Anya and Raven looked up to the sound of someone clearing their throat from the doorway. It was Clarke. Raven smiled a brilliant smile at her friend and waved her over, "Hey! Get over here, blondie."
Anya smiled before kissing Raven's forehead and rising from the bed, "I have to meet with the commander. I will be back later." Anya disappeared from the tent shortly after.
Clarke took Anya's seat and pulled out a bag with a jar of some sort of paste.
"Oh, what is that? It smells awful." Raven said making a face after Clarke took off the lid. The blonde laughed as she dipped three fingers into the thick substance.
"I made it; it's for your leg. It's the best I can do for you until you can see my mom."
Raven threw off the fur covering her legs to reveal the sickly swollen blue-black limb with ropey veins wrapped around it. The veins traveled from just above the knee all the way up to just below the crease of where her underwear ended.
Gently, Clarke rubbed and slathered the paste across her thigh in a heavenly massage causing Raven to groan rather loudly. Clarke laughed, "Raven, would you mind not doing that? I don't want your grounder girlfriend to get the wrong idea and come in here and freak out. I rather like my life, thank you very much."
As if on cue, Anya appeared in the doorway, fury burning through her hazels as she took in the scene with Raven's leg draped over Clarke's lap and soft hands massaging rather high up her thigh.
Raven was in a mixed state of panic and hilarity as Anya drew closer. She did her best to hold her hands up in surrender to assure everything was okay but it was no use. Anya was angry and grasped Clarke harshly by the shoulder, ripping her from the bed and jolting Raven's leg in the process causing the brunette to cry out.
Raven's cry seemed to break the warrior's concentration, Anya rushed to the mechanic's side and held the injured leg close just as Clarke had.
"Reivon?" Anya said worriedly.
"It's okay. Clarke was just rubbing medicine on the injury. That's all. There's no need to be jealous I promise."
Anya nodded but sent Clarke a death glare who failed to suppress a smirk and an eye roll.
"Here," Clarke said crossing the room and handing the jar to Anya. Why don't you spread the salve? It's getting late; I should get back to Octavia."
"Octavia's here already too? How long have I been asleep?"
"Most of the day," Clarke answered. "And you snore like a—, " but Clarke didn't finish the sentence as Anya looked ready to kill. Instead, Clarke held her hands up in surrender and backed away slowly, waving to Raven before leaving with a chuckle.
"I am not sure I like Clarke," Anya said as she rubbed Raven's leg even better than Clarke did.
"Well, I suggest you make nice with her because she's my best friend."
"I thought I was your best friend now."
Raven laughed, "You are. But Clarke's the best friend I have who I'm not sleeping with."
Anya smirked and continued to massage Raven a while before speaking again, "I believe the commander has taken a liking to Clarke and Octavia."
Raven perked up, "Clarke *and* Octavia? That's interesting."
Anya snickered, "I think that is why she asked them to accompany her to Polis."
Raven laughed again and relaxed against the pillows as Anya worked away her talented fingers. Raven remembered Octavia being interested in a possible threesome one day. She recalled a similar conversation with Clarke; it had all been theoretical at the time, but maybe it would be a dream come true for her friends.
Even Raven was interested, but Anya was so possessive, she wasn't sure it would ever be an option. And at the moment, she didn't much care. She liked being in her own bubble with Anya, it was like it was only just the two of them in the world.
OoOoO
Raven sighed as she watched Anya ready her horse and pack everything she would need for the trip to Polis. They were both leaving, but would be parting in opposite directions. They didn't know how long it would be until they saw one another again. Anya assured she would return as soon as possible, and Raven promised not to settle down with any other lady warrior's while the blonde was away. Anya did not find the mechanic's joke funny.
Raven wrapped her arms around the blonde and held her in the longest, passionate, most heartfelt kiss of their relationship before releasing the warrior.
She was pretty sure she caught the commander rolling her eyes and smirking as well as a giggling Clarke and Octavia who were on a horse of their own, Clarke hugging Octavia tightly from behind.
Raven didn't let go of Anya's hand until the last possible second. Unshed tears burned and threatened to escape as she watched Anya's retreating form. It wasn't until Lincoln placed a warm hand on her shoulder that she remembered how to move again.
As she turned toward her own horse, she had an idea. "Uhh, wait I forgot something. If I wanted to get a message to Anya how would I do that?"
Tris, standing to Raven's left, waved over a thin boy with a leather bag slung over his shoulder. "Reivon can write and wants to send a message to Heda Anya." The boy nodded and handed the mechanic a piece of crusty parchment and some writing chalk.
Raven quickly scribbled down her message and handed it back to the messenger. "Can you tell him it's urgent?"
Tris nodded, "It is urgent. Be sure you deliver this into her hands at once!"
Again, the boy nodded obediently and dashed toward his already saddled horse and took off in the direction Anya had left earlier.
"Okay, guess I'm ready. Let's do this shall we?"
Tris and Lincoln mounted their horses, another warrior accustomed to Raven's need by now was already lifting the mechanic behind Lincoln without having to be asked.
Raven awkwardly wrapped her arms around the giant muscle of man-meat to hold on. She had never ridden with anyone other than Anya. It was an odd sensation to hold onto another, even if it wasn't in an intimate way.
With a click of his tongue and jerk of his foot, Lincoln kicked the horse into high gear.
A few hours later. Raven couldn't help but rest her forehead against Lincoln's strong back as the dizziness began to threaten to take over again.
"Are you alright, Reivon? Do not fall off," Tris said, concern evident in her voice.
"We are not far now. We should keep going," Lincoln insisted.
Raven nodded and made a feeble attempt to crack a joke with her friends, beginning with, "Why did the horse walk into a bar?"
It took several complicated explanations to explain to the other two the concepts of a joke, rule breaking, and that a bar was a place to drink alcohol, not an actual bar. In the end, Raven shook her head and gave up as her companions just could not understand why a horse would walk into a pole intentionally.
As the afternoon sun beat down on them, Raven began to fade in and out of consciousness. It wasn't until she heard gunshots and was knocked from the horse that she summoned every ounce of energy she had to get away.
She crashed hard with the ground; her vision spun, but she grit her teeth and forced herself to her knees, trying desperately to crawl away. Out of nowhere came a thick gray cloud of smoke, gagging Raven and causing her to suffocate.
"Mountain Men!" Tris shouted, followed by Lincoln's war cry.
The mechanic covered her mouth and stayed close to the ground remembering smoke rises, but it was no use. She was certain this was a type of knockout gas. She didn't have long. She was startled when Lincoln's heavy body dropped on the ground beside her, unmoving. Tris followed shortly after.
Raven laid motionless and closed her eyes, feigning death and holding her breath while she gripped the dagger at her side. As soon as she heard a footstep, she sprung to her knees and stabbed the leg of a suited figure. The silhouette screeched in agony and fell to the ground before Raven's world faded to black, and she joined her friend's in the unconscious realm.
