Well I hope these next few chapters answer any questions you guys have about the characters and what's happenign surrounding Lexa becomign the commander
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Clarke and Octavia were carrying most of Lexa's weight by the time they returned to the Ark (or as now everyone called it, camp Jaha) and Abby urgently rushed her into the medical bay. Clarke stared at the grounders uneasily not quite knowing what would happen now after the test.
The group of grounders waited outside the gate but Anya accompanied them inside for nothing more than to explain to Clarke what would happen next.
"There is still one last part to all this"
She spun on her heel and glared at Anya. Something about seeing the grounder again had sparked a fury in Clarke that she hadn't felt since being separated from Lexa all those weeks ago and having her around now certainly wasn't helping.
"I thought she was done" She growled, "You said if she passed then she would live"
Anya seemed unfazed by Clarke's anger, "And she will but you have to understand how important what happens next is. Lexa's the new commander, there's no changing that now, and I don't know if that's sunk in for either of you yet but it's crucial that the next phase is handled carefully"
"I don't understand"
"What just happened is physical proof that the commander's spirit has chosen Lexa but now my people need spiritual proof" Anya shrugged, "The commander's spirit needs to be awakened in its new host"
"Commander's spirit" Clarke laughed bitterly, "What does that entail?"
"Just a herbal remedy. She'll fall unconscious, as if she were asleep, however her mind will still be active. What she goes through during that sleep I cannot predict and I doubt she will tell me but if she chooses to tell you then that's fine. It's personal to the person drinking the remedy. We use it on our people when they feel as though they have lost their way or need some guidance… But it is something that every commander must do before they are allowed to take their reign"
She nodded slowly, "Okay and once Lexa's woken up? What happens then?"
"She will not be allowed to rise to commander until I grant her leave as she is still technically my second so Lexa will need to finish her training with me first but then after that we will travel to Polis where she will greet each clan leader. The commander's ceremony is the final stage to all of this"
"What's Polis?"
Anya's face contorted into something Clarke assumed to be a smile, "Our capitol. Now, go be with her and I shall bring the master round at first light for the herbal drink"
Without waiting for a reply Anya turned and left leaving Clarke's mind whirling with all this new information knowing she would have to be the one explaining this all to Lexa. She let out a long sigh and turned back to follow the others to the Ark.
Inside the med bay Lexa was already lying on her front in one of the beds with her shirt torn apart and her face scrunched up in pain as Abby tended to her burn wounds. Octavia was watching from the side but she shot Clarke a wary smile upon her entrance as the blonde walked over and placed herself down next to Lexa. She took the brunette's fist in her own and squeezed it gently forcing her to look up at her.
"Hey" Lexa croaked out.
Clarke ran a soothing hand across her brow and gave her a gentle smile, "Hey… Thank you for not dying"
"My pleasure"
She laughed lightly trying not to jolt her back earning another smile from Clarke. The blonde continued to run her hand across Lexa's face in a soothing motion as Abby finished tending to her back.
Abby placed a reassuring hand on Clarke's shoulder, "What happens now?"
Clarke glanced down at Lexa who was watching her with attentive eyes and explained to them what Anya had told her. Octavia listened with wide eyes whilst Abby nodded in understanding but when Clarke looked down to Lexa the brunette just seemed exhausted.
"They won't be here until the morning so you can rest until then" She kissed her temple as Lexa nodded.
It didn't take long for Lexa to fall asleep and Clarke wanted to stay with her but after an hour or so Abby reasoned that she needed to eat and rest herself. Making sure her mum would stay with Lexa whilst she was gone Clarke then accompanied Octavia outside where the others were waiting with plates of food.
They looked up expectantly at their approach and Clarke wondered what they already knew but by the looks of their faces only that Lexa was alive. Octavia, realising how tired Clarke was, went ahead and explained what happened with the grounders and what would happen once they returned in the morning.
All of them wore faces of shock but it was Raven that recovered first, "So Lexa's in charge of the grounders now?"
Clarke shook her head, "Not yet. Anya said she would have to finish her training first as a second before she could become commander"
"This is good though" Finn reasoned, "We can take the mountain now… Lexa won't let them turn away from us"
"Right" Bellamy nodded.
Octavia was watching Clarke who was still staring blankly down at her plate. The blonde didn't seem to be listening to their discussion and Octavia felt more concerned about how Clarke was handling all of this rather than their war plans.
"Clarke" The blonde looked up, "How are you doing with all of this?"
She shook her head, "I don't know. I'm just happy Lexa's still alive but for what that now means… It scares me more"
Finn frowned at her, "How? Lexa's going to be the commander, the grounders can't attack us and we can rescue our people from the mountain"
Clarke glared at him as her voice rose, "And what happens after that? It's not as though she can just turn away from it after we rescue them! What does being the commander mean? War? Constant fighting? Killing? How do I know this isn't just a death sentence?"
They all fell silent just watching her nervously as she ran a frustrated hand through her hair and let out a sound of desperation that was clear in her voice when she spoke again, "Everything's going to change now and, okay, I didn't lose her today but how do I know I won't lose her tomorrow?"
Octavia placed a hand on Clarke's shoulder as Raven leant forward to speak, "Clarke everything changed the moment we arrived down here. You can't guarantee and of that stuff but I don't think it would be any different if she wasn't the commander either… This is just how our lives are down on Earth. We have to accept that"
Clarke nodded and looked down at the food in front of her knowing she should eat something but her appetite still hadn't returned. She sighed as the others went back to their food and attempted to eat something before returning to the med bay.
XoXoXoX
"Clarke"
Her eyes flickered open as the ache in her neck became apparent and she realised she had fallen asleep against Lexa's arm. The brunette was still asleep but Abby was there gazing down at her sympathetically.
"The grounders will be here soon but I need to check Lexa's burns"
Clarke nodded and moved away so her mum could reach the wound. She didn't remember falling asleep last night but it must have happened at some point during the night after sitting there with Lexa for a while. Lexa's face was more relaxed than Clarke had seen it since they arrived on Earth and she took a moment to appreciate the beautiful features in front of her. She was still running her finger tips lightly over Lexa's features when the girl came to and her face scrunched in pain.
Abby stepped away from her back and nodded to Clarke, "I'll bring them here when they arrive"
Clarke gave her mum a thankful look and watched her leave before turning back to Lexa. The brunette was attempting to smile up at Clarke and she lifted her hand to run across the blonde's jaw gently.
"Did you stay last night?"
"Yes" She rubbed the back of her neck where it was still sore, "Must have fallen asleep"
Lexa nodded but said nothing as her hand continued to move across Clarke's jaw. The blonde hummed in appreciation but gazed down at her with a soft expression.
"How are you feeling about today?"
"Like I just want to get it over with" Lexa sighed.
Clarke leant down so their faces were level and kissed the tip of Lexa's nose, "You need to rest for w while after it's done before you start training again with Anya"
"I know" Lexa winced as the pain returned to her back, "But she's going to be brutal no matter when I return…"
"All the more reason to wait"
"Agreed"
Clarke gave her a sympathetic look as pain flashed across her face, "I can give you something for the pain if that would help?"
"No" She shook her head, "It doesn't matter. Besides I'll be unconscious soon anyway"
"I suppose…"
Lexa frowned at her and began caressing the side of her face, "What is it?"
Clarke glanced down at the sheets where her fingers were playing nervously. She hadn't even noticed she was doing it. "Everything's just catching up with me I think… Anya, the torture, you coming back… Everything that's happened since"
Lexa nodded slowly and Clarke continued, "I don't understand how you can trust her? She tortured us, both of us, and yet that doesn't seem to bother you"
She watched as the brunette let out a long sigh as though she had been expecting this question but wanted to avoid it anyway, "It does bother me… What happened in there still plays on repeat in my mind and all that time not knowing if you were alive? They were the worst moments of my life. I love you Clarke and I can never forgive Anya for what she did to us, to you, in there. I hated her and all I did was make life difficult for her and give her all the hell she deserved but I realised, after Lincoln told me you were alive, that she kept her promise to me. I'm not saying I trusted her straight away after that" She added at the sight of Clarke's affronted look, "But I realised there was another side to her. They're not any different from us Clarke and that's where we went wrong when we arrived, yes they attacked, tortured and kidnapped us, but we fought back, we made it worse. I don't think there's good guys or bad guys in this. They're just what we make them and we've made them is the enemy just like they have to us"
"You have a strange relationship" Clarke mumbled.
"I know. I don't like her but I suppose I'd say it's more of a mutual respect than anything else"
Clarke nodded, "Okay well they'll be here soon do you want anything to eat?"
Lexa shook her head and Clarke settled back down next to her. The two stayed like that until the sound of the grounders arrival reached them and a few moments later the door of the medical bay opened to reveal Anya followed closely by Indra, Gustus and a man Clarke didn't recognise. Abby stood warily to the side with Marcus as the grounders came to a stop at the end of Lexa's bed.
"The Master is the only one permitted to be present during the sleep however Lexa may choose one other person to join her"
Anya didn't look surprised when Lexa indicated to Clarke and turned to the others to order them to leave as the grounder Clarke didn't recognise stepped forward to prepare the drink. She watched him as he mixed different herbs together that Clarke had never recognised. Indra and Gustus would stand outside whilst it was happening and Abby wished Lexa luck before leaving with Marcus. Anya stood watching the Master mix the remedy carefully and Clarke was hit by the sudden realisation that she was making sure he mixed it correctly.
He turned around with the drink in his hand. He looked to Anya for confirmation before walking slowly towards Lexa and handing it to her.
"You drink all of it" His voice was rough but not completely emotionless. He was old, Clarke could see that, and she wondered how many times he had gone through this very process, "I will watch over your sleep"
Lexa nodded and took it from his hand. Anya and Clarke watched her drink it all. Her eyes started to droop and he took the cup from her as she laid her head back down. Anya nodded to him, looked to Clarke briefly, and then walked from the room without another word. Clarke lifted her hand onto Lexa's as she fell into a deep sleep and she eyed the Master as he perched himself on a chair at the end of Lexa's bed. She found it quite unnerving watching him sit there unmoving as he watched Lexa's sleeping form with unblinking eyes.
Here we go!