Dawn of A New Era

Spoilers: All Episodes

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

The Trikru camp was in total celebration mode, apparently during long term peace unions were celebrated with huge parties. Clarke stood watching as the women of Echo's family ran through the camp with strips of furs in their hands trying to hit Bellamy. It was tradition to see if the man was worthy or not to be a husband, if he managed to make it through the camp without being hit it was a good sign of a strong husband.

"Run Bellamy!" Octavia yelled as she stood watching, laughing as she watched her brother running away from five women and an elderly woman who was yelling in Trigedasleng as she ran after them.

"I'm running!" Bellamy yelled as he ran past her and between tents. "Damn Grounder traditions!"

Clarke leaned towards Octavia, "how come they didn't make Lincoln do this?"

"It's Lincoln," Octavia looked at her with a 'seriously' glare. "There's no question about him protecting me."

"This is true."

Clarke turned and moved back into the tent to see Lexa walking circles around Echo, the woman stood silent as another stood off to the side holding the newest Blake to enter the world two months before.

"Your husband is not a warrior in Trikru ways but he is a warrior. As such you must be prepared for the secrets of being a warrior's wife." Lexa stopped in front of Echo. "Are you prepared to know such secrets and keep them without them passing your lips?"

Echo nodded softly, "sha Heda."

"First, as a warrior of equality you must see that he knows you are equal to him. To command you would do you dishonor, if he attempts to command you then you must strike with your blade but do not harm him for that would be a mercy."

Clarke stood watching, placing a hand on Costia's head when the toddler walked over and clutched her mother's dress. The so-called secrets were never divulged to her but she knew they really didn't apply considering Echo was the warrior not Bellamy. If anything, Bellamy was the equivalent of Lexa at Camp Jaha so Echo was about to become consort to the camp's leader.

"Second, when your husband comes to you and seeks you in his bed, go to him. It does no matter what he is covered in whether it be blood or mud or clean water. Satisfy his pleasure and you will have his ear, anything you want can be yours."

"It is I who seeks Bellamy to my bed." Echo stated with a slight smirk. "He leads till he sleeps, if I wish a union I must demand it and he then gives."

The look on Lexa's face made Clarke have to hold in laughter, apparently the idea that Echo had to drag Bellamy between the furs was not something the Trikru leader was expecting.

"I think I should impart some Skaikru marriage secrets." Clarke stated as she neared the two, Lexa turned to look at her with a nod. "You're always right, no matter the situation. He'll learn that quickly. Second, if he does something anger you then throw something at him and walk out of the room. Third, always tell him you love him before you go to sleep because the next day a battle might rage and you might lose one another. Last," Clarke took Echo's hand and held it as she smiled. "Love him as if there is no tomorrow."

The warrior nodded before smiling slightly, "I believe I understand."

"Then you are ready." Lexa stated and noticed the elderly woman walk through with strips of fur in her hands. She held them out and nodded, a grin on her face. "It would seem Bellamy evaded your family and is worthy of your hand."

Clarke found herself wanting to throw her hand over her eyes and shake her head because of the ridiculous comments escaping her wife's mouth over a period of two days. Two days Lexa had seen both Trikru and Skaikru traditions were maintained but at the expense of making comments that had Clarke on the edge of laughter and screaming.

"Mommy up!" Costia demanded and Clarke looked down to see Costia with her arms in the air. "Up! Up!"

Picking the toddler up she held her close and watched Lexa's eyes soften slightly. She then turned to Echo and nodded. "When the sun sleeps we shall unite you with Bellamy and you shall return to their camp with him tomorrow to live permanently beside him. You shall be a warrior assigned to their camp as Lincoln and Octavia have come to be."

"Sha Heda."

As the sun set Clarke held Costia as the elder of the village, who happened to also be Echo's grandmother, performed the union. With her free hand she felt for Lexa's hand and wrapped her pinky around that of her wife's. Lexa gave her a slight smile before it disappeared, turning back to watch the ceremony. Beside them Octavia stood holding her nephew, the two month old was sound asleep as if the ceremony between his parents didn't matter to him.

As Bellamy pulled Echo into a kiss, fulfilling the Skaikru tradition, cheers rang out and Clarke smiled at them before averting her eyes as Bellamy pulled away from Echo and whispered to her. It was clearly a private moment between them both.

"There is no longer a division between our people." Clarke spoke softly to her wife and Lexa nodded at the understanding.

"This is true, rarely have the clans married between each other as they did in the beginning. Now the clans are separated with rare interaction occurring yet our people have become one."

Octavia groaned and both looked over to see her starring down at the little boy in her arms. She smacked her husband's chest with the back of her arm. "We're having like ten of these, after the one I'm carrying comes out we're having another!"

"Ten? Is that wise Octavia?" Lincoln, always the voice of reason around his wife, inquired.

"Ten!" She glared at him, "we can divide them equally between the camps when they're older. Five can be healers and the other five can be warriors."

Lexa met Clarke's eyes and the blond smirked slightly. "Enjoy the celebration, we'll be in our tent." Clarke squeezed Octavia's arm and walked away as the couple argued over the practicality of ten children.

They passed Kane and Abby sitting by the fire, everyone had dispersed to give the happy couple a few minutes alone. Raven and Wick were already arguing over something as they drew with sticks in the dirt, no doubt another invention of theirs.

While celebrations went on into the night, Clarke let herself lay beside her wife in silence as Lexa alternated between kissing her shoulders and running her hand over Clarke's back and side. Silence was often welcomed between them, a comfort but Lexa turned her till green eyes met blue in the light of the candles.

"Your shoulders are heavy again. Share your burdens with me."

Clarke shook her head and looked up at the ceiling. "Alanna and her silence bothers me, it's been over eight moons since the talks and she hasn't done anything. I'm just afraid of getting too comfortable, of trying to have that child or finding a son when she could strike at any moment."

"It is life," Lexa leaned over Clarke and brushed back blond strands of hair. "Our people have been at war since before my birth and that of my parents. If we do not live and allow our enemies to stop us from having lives we are giving them control. To live in fear is to allow her power she should not have." Reaching a hand down to Clarke's belly she paused. "With war possible in the future now is not the time for our child to rest beneath your heart but time has passed to find a brother for Costia. Our son waits for us…"

Clarke smiled and pulled Lexa down to kiss her. Once they parted she smirked, "we'll need to move beyond the tent or make a bigger one."

"For now our place is among our people, we will find room and when war is over we will settle near the village where I was born. There is a home specifically for Trikru Heda but I have not been there but once. It will be our home where we may live and find peace. Large enough for us, our children, guards and any who wish to live there with us."

"Okay." Clarke smiled and pulled slightly on brunette hair. "So I'm guessing within the next half-moon you want to search for a son."

A smile formed on the leader's face and she bent down to kiss her wife. "Yes, we shall find a son we wish to call our own."

Halfway through the night Costia's cries woke Clarke but she opened her eyes to Lexa holding Costia close attempting to calm the toddler. She swayed side to side and only pulled back to reach for a nearby cloth. Clarke sat up as she watched her wife place the cloth in a bowl of water and then place it against the girl's head.

"She burns with fever." Lexa spoke softly as she walked over and handed the toddler over to Clarke. "What does she require, I will have the items located at once."

Clarke watched Costia pull on her ear and sighed, "her ear is infected, it happens to children all the time so it'll just take time to heal. I'll have to make the two day journey to our camp to get medicine for her."

"Ear pains are indeed common in children, we have herb oil to heal such pains." Lexa knelt beside the bed and touched Costia's face as the little girl looked miserable. "Nomon will acquire the oil for your ear so you will not feel pain."

"Go, I'll start trying to get her fever down." Clarke squeezed Lexa's arm as she laid back down, bringing Costia with her. The girl curled into her mother and whimpered. "I know honey, Nomon will get you something to make it all better." She dabbed the cold cloth against Costia's forehead and spoke softly to her.

It was half an hour later that Lexa returned with a vial of oil and clean cloth from the camp's seamstress. She bent beside the bed and dabbed the cloth against the top of the vial, just soaking it enough to get a small amount of liquid. Tearing the cloth she carefully pressed the liquidated cloth against Costia's ear and used the separate piece to wrap it in place around the baby's head.

"It must drain into her ear so she must lay still." Lexa looked at the dozing toddler, resting against her mother. Clarke gently turned Costia's head to the side and met her wife's eyes in the soft candle light. "Rest, both of you require rest."

Clarke pulled on the brunette's arm, "when you join us we'll rest."

As soon as the vial of oil was placed aside, Lexa climbed into bed and wrapped her arm around Clarke, looking down at both. Kissing the blond's neck she rested her forehead against the soft skin of her back. "I never wish to see her in pain again."

"It's bound to happen, she's already independent and trying to escape the tent every day." Clarke chuckled softly and reached behind her to rest her hand on Lexa's lower back. "She's like you in attitude, strong and wild."

Lexa kissed Clarke's shoulder and closed her eyes. "Indra stopped me when I left Nyko's tent. Scouts have found evidence that someone has crossed our borders, most likely the Ice Nation. Soon we will be at war again despite these eight moons of peace."

"Tomorrow we can plan war, for now we are taking care of our daughter." Clarke moved her hand from Lexa's back to find her hand, entwining their fingers together. "Tonight you are Lexa, tomorrow you can be Heda." Lexa's nod against her back was all she got as silence once again permeated the tent.

As expected the next morning was filled with plans of war against the Ice Nation. Riders had been dispatched to deliver the news to Luna and to Ivan so if they wished to join the fight they could. Bellamy, Echo, Kane and Abby had departed at first light to head back to Camp Jaha and Lexa didn't inform them of the issue because the fight was hers, not that of the Skaikru. Clarke was staring at the map that Indra and Lexa were examining in hopes of figuring out the likely plan of attack.

"It will take four days before they reach our camp." Indra reported and Lexa stared the map, noting the distance between the border, where the scouts had found tracks and their camp.

Clarke pointed to a soft tree range two days from their current position. "We could bury grenades there so if they attempt to center our territory further we can prevent it."

"Ice warriors are not those of the Plains." Indra spoke and met Clarke's eyes. "They care not if their fellow warriors fall. Alanna's command of them is ruthless in many ways that Heda Ella was not."

"That would slow them down, allow us time to gather the force we need." She motioned to another part of the map. "We can have Luna come through this passage and Ivan from this one." Her finger traded another southwest of the camp. "Our allies would arrive by the time they break through our grenade barrier."

Lexa nodded, "our warriors are strong but we cannot afford the losses that accompany a battle with Ice Warriors. Timing is key to this battle, not strength or warriors." She nodded to Clarke as she looked back down. "Your friends who made weapons decided to depart tomorrow, have them prepare what they need and if they require materials we will provide them."

"I'm sure knowing Raven she stored some grenades and bombs in the weapons tent with instructions not to touch." Clarke moved from the tent and went in search of Raven.

Indra looked at Lexa, "Skai Heda and Prisa would be safer with the Skaikru."

"I am aware, when the time comes they will be sent but not before." Lexa looked at her general with a nod. "Your care for my wife and child astounds me, you have shown great concern for their safety in recent moons."

"If they are lost then you are also lost Heda. Their protection means your continued strength to fight." She looked back down at the map. "Besides, Prisa endears everyone to her, it is her charm."

Lexa gave a soft smile but it quickly disappeared. "She is like her mother in many ways, the ability to sway even the hardest of hearts."

Clarke returned soon after the discussion finished and Lexa met her eyes. "We have sixteen grenades but Wick says he can create a chain between each so fire ignites the chain but to the forest, allowing a barrier between the men and our territory."

"Then let it be so. We are at war and Alanna misjudges me this time." Lexa looked between both women. "She will not take what is mine this time."

A/N: I know it's a little shorter than the others but it took a while to consider all suggestions and so the next few chapters are going to bring war plus some surprises (not baby surprises, we already have Costia, Baby Boy Blake and a pregnant Octavia).

Next...War plus surprises!

Please read and review...