Author's Note: I'm so sorry about the delay in posting and how short the chapter is, I've got Uni exams coming up and have been struggling to find free time! Thank you for being so patient. Hope you all enjoy :)
Clarke slowly opened her eyes, blinking to clear them. She could see Lexa standing in the doorway, her back to her with the sun illuminating her form. She stared for a moment, a smile lifting her lips. She knew she could get used to this, waking up to Lexa, living away from her choices, her faults. She sat up, not thinking twice that the pain in her hip and shoulder was gone. Her body felt light, like her worries were gone. She swung her legs off the bed and stood up, her eyes still focused on Lexa's form. She could faintly see the tattoos that covered her back in the silhouette, her heart racing.
"Lexa." She said quietly, her feet not feeling the coldness of the stone floor as she walked over. Lexa didn't respond and continued staring out the doorway. Clarke glanced down at herself, painfully aware of her lack of clothing. She spotted a light looking coat on a table and pulled it on, wrapping it tightly around herself.
"It's peaceful." Lexa finally responded. A warm breeze rustled the thin dress that Clarke was now aware that Lexa was wearing. She walked up behind her using all her self-control not to simply wrap her arms around her waist and rest her chin on the grounders shoulder. Instead she walked up beside the commander, eyes seeing but not noticing the scars on Lexa's back that appeared to be missing. She glanced at Lexa, taking in the gentle expression she wore on her face. The one Clarke had only ever seen directed at herself. There was an almost at peace look in her green eyes and Clarke followed their gaze out to where the fire had been that night. It was then she realised that the morning air was filled with drums, flutes and horns.
"Music!" She said excitedly and Lexa finally turned to look at her, a smile teasing her lips. Clarke met her gaze with a smile. She felt peace at the sound of the music. She could hear children laughing and spotted Elora running from a young boy squealing in delight. Grounders mingled around, some eating berries and others talking amongst themselves. Clarke spotted Namari with a young grounder that had grazed his knee, a gentle smile on his face as he patted a cloth on it.
"We could have this Clarke." Lexa said softly. "Polis is very much like this, but bigger." Clarke glanced over at Lexa, her vision blurring slightly. For a moment she was certain she had seen Lexa's face covered in warpaint and blood. She clenched her eyes shut and held a hand up to her head as it pounded slightly. "Let us get some breakfast." Lexa said and Clarke opened her eyes to see that the grounder was already at the firepit. The other grounders surrounded her in what seemed to be a writhing mass. Clarke rubbed her eyes again and realised that Lexa was sitting alone at the log they had been at the previous night. She attentively walked over to her, making sure she didn't step on any sticks or rocks with her bare feet and sat down. Lexa passed her a plate of berries and nuts and pointed to where what Clarke could call a band was planning on primitive made instruments. A few grounders were leaping and moving around in what she assumed was dancing.
"I thought you didn't know what music and dancing was Lexa." Clarke said suspiciously, but couldn't help the slight joking tone of her voice. Lexa didn't answer and Clarke looked over at her. The grounder was staring at her with a fierce expression, her eyes locked onto Clarkes lips. "Lexa?" She asked, her voice somewhat breathy. Lexa leant forward and kissed Clarke roughly, her hands grabbing her hips. Lexa pulled the sky girl onto her lap, kissing her deeply. Clarke reciprocated, aware that her cloak was gone and Lexa's dress had somehow found its way on the ground. She panted slightly as Lexa kissed down her neck, onto her collarbones as her hands pulled her closer, causing Clarke to grind against her. She could hear Lexa moaning and felt her stomach tighten. Her moans continued, sounding as though she was in pain, until Clarke pushed back and landed heavily on her ass. What she thought were moans from Lexa were coming from all around her, moans of anguish and pain. She glanced around taking in the sight of the well-dressed grounders falling to the ground, radiation burns covering their faces and hands. She watched as Elora screamed, gripping her mother's hand tightly as the burns melted her face. Bile rose up in her throat and she jumped as a hand grabbed her shoulder. She turned around, hitting the hand away and stumbling back. Lexa stood in front of her, her eyes dark and empty. Blood splattered her face with the dark war paint covering her eyes. Clarke could feel tears welling up in her eyes, the sound of grounder war chanting mixing with the moans and cries of pain.
"I chose with my head and not my heart Clarke." Lexa repeated, her voice shaking. Clarke shook her head, covering her ears with her hands. "Victory is built on the back of sacrifice." She said and Clarke gasped as felt a searing pain explode from her shoulder and hip. Two swords were thrust through her body, both at the hands of Lexa. "It is time to wake up Clarke." Lexa whispered in her ear and pulled the swords out of Clarke's body. The blonde vision blackened as she fell backwards, the sight of the dancing grounders in the corner of her eye. Screams of anguish in her ears. Lexa's warmth on her lips still. Her words rattled in Clarkes mind as her head hit the ground. Time to wake up.
Echo lowered herself on her horse, her three guards following close behind. She urged the horse faster in her rough English. She could hear Trikru warriors yelling from behind her and grit her teeth. She knew she needed to get closer to their camp as soon as possible and set up the next stage of her plan. But she needed to inconspicuous. She grabbed out her radio.
"Report." She barked and heard the crackle from the radio.
"Two deaths my queen. Attempted hero's trying to escape the group and retrieve guns." Her warrior replied, his voice crackling from the radio distance. "We will pin them up to warm the other Skaikru to not attempt any similar acts." Echo grinned maliciously.
"And what of Bellamy?" She asked. Silence for a moment on the radio and she clenched her teeth. "What of Bellamy?" She asked again, her voice harsh. A crackle.
"Sorry my queen you cut out. Bellamy is still tied up with the other leaders. We have continuous watch of them, arrows loaded." He confirmed and Echo switched the radio off. She urged her horse faster, digging her heels in. Time was of the essence.
"Wake up Clarke!" Lexa shouted again, her blade clashing loudly with the Azgedan warrior that she was fighting against. He had her back up against the bed and was using his weight to push her down. Clarke was gasping and moaning in her sleep fitfully. Lexa grunted loudly and managed to push the warrior off her and ducked underneath his swing. She yelled as she swung her sword up, slicing up his back through the thick fur coat. Blood splattered against the roof and walls and the warrior choked out, dropping his sword with a clang. Clarke let out a loud moan and Lexa kicked the warrior's knees out, causing his to fall forward and thrust her sword through his stomach and pulled it back out. He landed on Clarke who awoke with a yelp as his dead weight hit her. She panicked; glancing down at the blood soaked body and tried to push him off. "Clarke!" Lexa yelled sheathing her sword and pulled the body off of the girl. She leant forward on the bed and cupped her hands around Clarkes face to steady her. Her blue eyes were glancing around frantically, glassy and bloodshot. "Clarke you are okay." She said quickly, trying to get the sky princess to calm down, forgetting the blood that covered her face. Clarke grabbed her injured arm and dug her nails in and Lexa let out a screech in pain and leapt back, grabbing her arm. Clarke pushed her back against the wall and buried her face in her hands.
"I saw them all die again." She whispered, rocking back and forth quietly. "I can still hear them screaming." Lexa clenched her jaw, breathing heavily through her noise.
"Clarke. We need to go, now." She hissed. Clarke looked up at her with bleary eyes.
"Why are you covered in blood?" She asked, her voice sounding airy, her eyes not able to focus on the grounder. Lexa pulled gently at her hand to get her to try and stand.
"We are under attack Clarke. We need to leave." Lexa hissed and was grateful when clarity finally crossed Clarke face and she got off the bed, stumbling slightly in pain. She glanced at the body on the floor and at Lexa's blood splattered clothes. Lexa turned away and grabbed a spare pair of clothing she had grabbed for Clarke earlier and tossed them at her. "Get dressed." She stated and began checking the dead warriors body as Clarke obeyed. She picked her gun up off the bedside stand and checked the ammo before moving to put it in her belt. Lexa glanced up. "Keep it out and ready." She said, shaking her head slightly before standing up, holding a blood covered piece of scribbled cloth. "There will be more." She said trying to ascertain what the writing said. Clarke sniffed, realising that she could smell fire and hear screams and looked in horror at Lexa, realisation hitting her.
"The villagers!" She shouted and moved to run to the door but Lexa grabbed her arm, stopping her. Her face was grim.
"I saved as many as I could, Clarke." She muttered and Clarke felt dread unfurl in her stomach, her dream flashing in her eyes. She had a feeling it was about to become somewhat a reality. Lexa glanced at the pale girl, and bent down to grab their bags. She handed one to Clarke and pulled hers over her shoulder. It was filled with the Ice Nation furs and rations and she had made sure that Namari had refilled her medical kit with bandages and the tiny amount of antidote he had left. She nodded once at Clarke before heading toward the door, her sword gripped tightly in her hand. She could still hear the crying and screaming but felt as though time had slowed down. As Lexa pushed the door open Clarke held her breath, feeling bile rise up at the sight in front of her. Bodies were strewn across the ground, some fighting to live and others burning and bleeding. Faces that were familiar and kind. Fire had burnt down at least two of the huts and another was burning. Clarke could see at least three Azgedan warriors, all with sword wounds and she glanced at Lexa, her blood splattered clothes. "There were more than I could handle." She said, her voice shaking with emotion. "The rest ran." Clarke walked around, conscious of stepping around the bodies of dead grounders. She could see children under their parents' bodies and felt her stomach rise.
"Elora?" She rasped out, spinning to look at Lexa, her eyes burning with unshed tears. Lexa stared at her and slowly shook her head slightly and Clarke looked down to see the hand that held her sword was shaking. Lexa swallowed thickly and lifted her chin.
"We should go Clarke. We need to get away before we are attacked again." She said, her voice betraying the strength she was trying to portray. Clarke shut her eyes tightly, clenching her shaking hands into fists and breathing deeply to calm herself. These people had died because of her. She had thought her days of taking lives were behind her, but death was surrounding her yet again. Lexa stepped toward her and very gently laid a hand on the sky girls shaking shoulder. "Do not let their deaths stop you from living, Clarke." Clarke glanced at Lexa, her lip shaking slightly. "This was not your fault." She stated, glaring down at the bodies of the Ice Nation warriors she had cut down. "This was an attack against my people, against me. They have chosen war over continued peace among the clans. This will not go unpunished." She hissed, and Clarke felt a sense of relief flow through her. Lexa didn't blame her, and her words as usual cut straight through Clarke's turmoil. She took a deep breath and wiped her face of her tears.
"Let's go then." She muttered, gripping her gun tightly. They carefully stepped around the bodies of the slaughtered villagers, both girls clenching their jaws tight with emotion. They found three Azgedan horses tied up outside the village and loaded their bags on and climbed up. The horse's saddles were donned with warm furs and had covers on their eyes. Clarke assumed it was to help keep snow from irritating them. Lexa dug her heels in and set off north and Clarke followed, ignoring her throbbing wounds.
"We do not have far to go Clarke." Lexa shouted behind as her horse picked up speed, easily traversing the rock covered ground. It was clearly used to this terrain. Clarke didn't respond, just kept her head forward, trying to breathe through the pain as the jolts from the horse spread through her body. Lexa began to blur in her vision and she looked down at her hands. She was still gripping her gun tightly, the metal handle helping her to feel calm. Her other hand held the reigns so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. Lexa glanced behind her and noticed that Clarke's horse had slowed to a trot and the girl was staring down at her hands with a confused expression. She slowed her horse and trotted back to Clarke. "Are you okay?" She asked bluntly. Clarke shook her head and looked up at Lexa.
"No I'm not. Teach me how to become numb. Teach me how to view love as weakness." Lexa recoiled slightly at how harsh and raspy Clarke's voice was. "I tried. I tried so hard to be strong like you. But I ran away, from my people that I did so much to save." She stared desperately at Lexa. The horses maintained their trot and Lexa stared back with an expressionless mask.
"Think with your head Clarke." Lexa replied simply. "You left your people for a reason. Maybe that reason is not what you think it is." Clarke frowned slightly before looking away and chewing her lip. "Come on, we need to speed up if we are going to reach the Ice Nation in time." She said. Clarke nodded, and then pulled her horse to a stop.
"Can I ride with you?" She asked, climbing off and pocketing her gun. Lexa stopped her horse and watched her curiously. "I keep getting dizzy and I don't trust myself to ride." She admitted. Lexa nodded once and grabbed Clarkes backpack as she handed it up and helped the girl onto the horse, letting her get settled in front of her. Lexa flicked the reigns, her arms reaching around to keep hold of them and keep Clarke steady. The horse snorted and picked up its speed. The sun was already high in the sky, and Lexa assumed it was around midday. She glanced down at Clarke's shoulder which was bare as her shirt was slipping off. The thick purple veins ran over it and Lexa felt guilt sear through her. She took a deep breath and bent forward slightly, placing a gentle kiss on the girls shoulder. "I will not let you die Clarke." She whispered. The blonde stayed silent for a moment and Lexa sat up straight again.
"I know you won't." She finally replied and Lexa felt small smile tug her lips up.
Echo could see the tents and torches of Lexa's grounder camp from her hiding spot in the dying light. She watched as various important warriors to Lexa wandered around, barking orders and training the troops. There was a sense of unease in the air and she grinned wickedly. Their commander had been gone for more than five days, and they were getting restless and concerned. Echo turned to her one of her three guards that hid behind her.
"Contact Beltharo and get them organised. Concentrate on the leaders." She ordered with a hiss. "I want our men spread throughout the camp, but do not raise suspicion." She turned back to watch the camp, a sadistic grin on her face. "Lexa and Clarke will be joining us very soon. We will meet them and I will need you to watch for the signal." She explained. The guard nodded and began shuffling away in a crouch. Echo motioned for her guards to follow her as they crept back to their horses.
"Are we certain Lexa will take the deal? This is a risk my queen." One of her guards said, the worry plain in her voice. Echo glanced at her with disdain.
"I'm certain. I know Lexa, and how ruthless she is. I have no concerns." She snarled and climbed on her horse, facing it north. "Let's go." She commanded and the urged her horse to go, her guards glancing at each other in concern before following.
"Lexa? Can you see that?" Clarke said, her voice slightly groggy. It was very late afternoon and the two leaders were nearing the Ice Nation territory. Lexa could feel cold wind pulling at their clothes and clenched her jaw to stop from shivering. Heat radiated off of Clarke from her fever and Lexa inched forward slightly to use that to her advantage. She looked forward to see where Clarke was pointing, squinting in the low light. There were torches in the distance and she slowed the horse slightly.
"That must be a village." She explained. Clarke's head hit her shoulder and she glanced down at the girl. Her face was white and her eyelids were fluttering. Lexa felt her stomach drop in fear. "Clarke?" She said, stopping the horse. The wind was getting harsher and their clothes whipped around. "Clarke wake up." She yelled shaking Clarke slightly. She slid off the horse, leaning the unconscious girl forward and grabbed her backpack. She rifled through it until she found the tiny vial of remaining antidote. She pulled it out with shaking hands and glanced up when she heard a low moan from Clarke. Another gust of wind blew past and Lexa shuddered with the cold, her fingers struggling to open the corked vial. She looked up again when she saw movement and reached up as Clarke suddenly fell to the side and off of the horse. She managed to catch her, dropping to the ground with the girls deadweight in her arms. "Clarke?" She hissed again, touching the girls face. It was cold and Lexa could barely hear the girl breathing. "No, no. Not now Clarke." She whispered furiously and could feel panic rising in her chest. Realising that the tiny vial in her hand was gone Lexa glanced around, despair replacing the panic. The bottle had smashed against a rock and the small amount of liquid was spreading over the rock. She heard a sob come out of her mouth before looking at Clarke again. She struggled to her feet, shivering in the cold wind and grunted, trying to lift Clarke onto the horse. "Come on!" She sobbed, shaking with the struggle of lifting the dead weight. "It is right there Clarke. Be strong." She said before dropping back to her knees with the sky girl in her arms, unmoving. She took a deep breath and gently laid the girl on the ground before getting up to grab the Ice Nation furs out of the back. She pulled them on herself and gently wrapped Clarke up in them. "I will go and get your cure." She whispered, dragging Clarke to a large overhanging rock, bundling her up in the furs. "Wait for me, please." She said and took another shuddering breath to calm herself. She knew that giving into her emotions now would guarantee Clarke's death. She turned and began walking back to the horse. She heard before she felt the crack of the mace to her head and fell heavily to the ground, her vision blacking in and out. She fought the blackness to watch an Azgedan pick up Clarke. She felt a tug on her arm and her vision left as she fell unconscious.