"You managed to get it soaked very deeply in such a short time," Lexa said as she combed through the wet strands with her fingers, focusing on the stubborn pink streaks in Clarke's hair didn't seem to want to leave. "It was a clever idea."
"It wasn't my idea," Clarke said simply, her eyes closed as she lost herself in Lexa's reassuring touch.
Steam rose around them from the hot water. Lexa had her back against the porcelain of the tub and Clarke was laying between her legs, resting against her front. Clarke had so few experiences with being submerged in water like this...it was near heavenly and now she had a naked and wet Lexa pressed against her back. The way her body slid against hers, the slippery friction, the heat from the water – her senses were heightened and every inch of Clarke was acutely aroused. This bath was possibly one of the best things that had ever happened to her. Lexa suggesting it was probably the second best thing that had ever happened.
"I met this girl at one of the trading posts and she recognized me, helped me dye it. Would have worked too, but I messed up. I should have told the Azgeda hunter that I was Sankru or from the Rock Line people...anything but the Boat People. I just said the first thing I could think of and that was Lincoln's friend... He was too stupid to be suspicious, but the others figured me out. They caught me within hours."
"Do not blame yourself. My scouts say that Nia had over a hundred warriors spread out in every direction, lying in wait for you."
"Then I was stupid to leave."
Lexa was silent and Clarke glared at her over her shoulder.
"Uh, this is the part where you say, "No, you're not stupid, Clarke,".
Lexa simply looked at her and Clarke's mouth fell open indignantly before she looked away with a huff.
"Anyway, you never did tell me if you liked me as a redhead or not."
"I was more concerned with other matters at the time, Clarke. The color of your hair was not a priority."
"My hair should always be a priority, Lexa."
Lexa made a choking noise that Clarke interpreted as some kind of stifled amusement. Mission accomplished.
Clarke lowered herself into the water further, sliding down Lexa's front as she did. She traced her fingers up Lexa's smooth naked calves and then higher over her knees and thighs. Lexa inhaled audibly, but she didn't move.
"Now, that you've had time to process it, me as a redhead – yea or nay?"
"Clarke..." she started, but then she trailed off.
The way she said it was more serious than what they were actually talking about, so Clarke sat up again and turned around to face her. The basin was huge, but water still sloshed over the edges at her movement.
"What is it?"
Lexa had her gaze fixated on the edge of the tub, unwilling or unable to look Clarke in the eye. Clarke slid forward and put her knees on either side of Lexa, wrapping her arms around her shoulders to be able to pull herself close again. Lexa's breasts slipped against hers in the most delicious way imaginable. Clarke was having a hard time focusing on Lexa being worried when all she could think about was how good she felt...
"When I found you...with Nia's sword to your throat..." she said quietly, "it was unbearable."
Clarke's vision clashed with memory. She saw the steel glinting in the sunlight, heard the cruel taunting, heard the hoof beats in the distance. Lexa had barely made it in time. Clarke wrist ached at the thought of it. How close she'd come...
"You'd been beaten, bleeding, so darkened with dirt, it was hardly you at all. You were trembling and terrified when you finally gave way in my arms." Lexa finally met her eyes with startling ferocity. She clenched her jaw. "I will not stand for that ever again. So, no, Clarke, I did not like the red hair."
Clarke didn't expect the lighthearted topic of conversation to turn this way. They had made an agreement before getting into the bath that neither of them were allowed to talk about war, politics, death, or anything ugly. This was supposed to be a small moratorium. In the morning, they would reconvene with the war council and once again go over every aspect imaginable of Princess Mara and the Azgeda retaliation. They promised not to discuss any of that tonight, just to focus on each other...for a short while.
"I can't promise that you'll never see me like that again, Lexa. With the way my life on Earth seems to be going...getting beaten up is pretty much standard fare." She cupped her cheek gently, tracing her wet thumb over Lexa's lower lip. "But I can promise that it will never be because I ran from you again."
Lexa watched her for a moment, seeming to weigh something, before she reached out and slid her hands around Clarke's naked waist, pulling her forward with some force. Water sloshed everywhere, but neither one cared. Lexa brought Clarke flush against her warm, slick body, and captured her lips. Clarke deepened it at once, melting into Lexa's embrace, Lexa's lips, Lexa. She panted against her mouth, breaking only for a moment to breathe, before she delved back in. Lexa moaned against her and it sent a hot flame of arousal through her body, streaking downward. Lexa's kisses were intoxicating, heady, and utterly overwhelming. Clarke felt the rest of it fall away as Lexa became her whole world. Just in those moments, when her hands moved over her body, when her lips pressed against hers, when her tongue met hers with continuous mixing of gentleness, passion, ferocity, and back to gentleness.
The water had cooled enough to be uncomfortable, but Clarke didn't have to say a word. Lexa broke away long enough to leap out of the basin and she grabbed Clarke by the thighs, picking her up out of the water. Clarke instinctively wrapped her legs around Lexa's waist. Their lips locked together in such frenzied need, Clarke was vaguely aware of the chilled air hitting her dripping wet body, but it didn't matter enough. Lexa carried her through the room, to her own bedroom, and when Clarke's back hit the warm furs, she didn't let Lexa pull away for a single moment, dragging her down with her.
The war council had been in session for an hour and Clarke wanted to scream. All they did was bicker and chase their tails. She wished Lexa would just stand up and tell them go float themselves, but that wasn't an option. Lexa was in her diplomatic mode. So Clarke had to sit there and let them fight amongst themselves with no real action taken. It was a waste of time. They didn't need to be in there to discuss the maybe's and what if's. Not until there was a real threat, but this is what Lexa had to sit through, and Clarke would sit through it as well.
"It has been a week since the Queen's execution and still there is no sign of the Azgeda readying for war. Perhaps we-"
"That does not mean war isn't coming," Lexa replied evenly. "It is and it will. It is not a matter of if, only when."
"How do we anticipate the Princess' move if we don't even know where she is?" The Sankru delegate threw her hands up.
"Nia kept her in seclusion for a reason," another replied.
"She wanted this to happen. She knew that when Mara took the throne, she would have the element of surprise. No one knows her ways, how she thinks, her strategies..."
"Or she hid her because Mara is a simpleton and incapable of leading?"
"That is from the insipid whispers of rumors and idle gossip. We have heard such things for years and I wouldn't put it above Nia to have started the rumors herself!"
"I agree," Lexa said. "Nia would never allow the future of the Azgeda royal bloodline to be left to incapable offspring."
Clarke tilted her head. "Maybe she didn't have choice. You said she only had one child - maybe she couldn't have more and Mara was all she had."
"The Princess herself is not the problem," one delegate said, frustrated. "It is that she has been hidden for so long that we have no way to know what she will do. Whether or not she's intelligent enough, she will be surrounded by Azgeda elders, appointed by Nia personally. We have no way of knowing what they will do. They have never been in power before."
"If we cannot anticipate how Mara will retaliate, there is nothing we can do to prepare for her beyond what has already been done. Our clans have been warned, our armies are gathering in every major village. Polis is the least likely candidate for the initial reprisal. We are too well guarded here. She must strike elsewhere, but if we move our armies to one location, we weaken the others, and they will be ripe for the taking."
"So all we are to do is wait? Allow her to attack us? Let her blind us? No! We should be invading Ice Nation territory."
"He's right, if we go on the offensive, she will have no choice but to focus her efforts on pushing us back."
"Ice Nation spans a thousand miles into snow and ice. Our army is not prepared for such battle conditions," Lexa said. "We would be weakened irrevocably and then struck down. Invasion is out of the question. Not against the full power of the Azgeda army."
"Waiting is not an option."
"No, it is not," Lexa agreed.
They continued like that for a while longer before breaking for the day and the room emptied, leaving them alone in the throne room, Clarke turned to a weary Lexa and folded her arms across her chest.
"You've already done something, haven't you?"
Lexa eyed her carefully.
"I know you, Lexa. You would never wait like this, allowing all this uncertainty. What is it that you haven't told them? That you haven't told me?"
Lexa rose from her throne and walked to the balcony with her hands clasped behind her back. Clarke followed and stood next to her as the sun set over Polis.
"The moment the clan leaders agreed to lawfully remove Nia from the throne, I ordered two of my best warriors to ride for the last known location of the Princess."
"Assassins," Clarke clarified with an understanding nod.
"Yes. If they are able to find her and succeed, the chaos will buy us more time before another rises with enough power to unite Azgeda. By then, we will be able to invade and tear them apart from the inside."
"You said invasion was not an option."
"Against a fully prepared Azgeda army, it is not. But against one that has been splintered and its pieces scattered with no real leader to wield them? We will be able to move swiftly enough so that our army does not need to suffer the harsh climate for long. Just long enough to cut them down and whoever remains will surrender to my rule."
"If they kill Princess Mara, what about her child?"
Lexa's jawline tightened and her whole body grew rigid, defending itself against an unseen attack. The realization washed over her in a sickly feeling.
"Oh..." Clarke said, looking away. "Their orders are to kill her and her baby."
"It is the only way to ensure the bloodline is ended once and for all. If I allowed the child to live, he would be raised among Azgeda with the sole purpose of achieving revenge for his mother and the Queen's deaths. The cycle would never end."
"You don't know that for certain, Lexa. He's an infant! What if he grows up to be different than his grandmother? Than what we think his mother is? How is it right to condemn a child to death for something they might do one day?"
"No one said it was right, Clarke. It simply is. I cannot take that chance."
"And that's okay with you? You're totally fine with killing a child?"
"Do not act like this is easy for me, Clarke. You know exactly how much I struggle with this because our feelings are more alike than they are different. However, I do what must be done. You are still wringing your hands."
"That wasn't a problem when I killed five hundred people inside the Mountain," she said darkly.
"That was as a last resort," Lexa stressed. "You have yet to discover what it means to take action first and prevent such outcomes from ever happening."
Clarke fell silent for a moment, letting it sink in. Lexa was wound so tightly it looked like she might crack open at any second.
"It's harder, isn't it?"
Lexa swallowed thickly. "Yes," she said quietly. "It is."
Clarke sighed. "You got that approval almost two weeks ago. Have you heard anything?"
"No. Their orders are not to return or make contact until they have achieved their mission. If they have died in the process, we would have heard by now."
"So you think they're still looking for her? Or waiting for the right moment?"
"I had hoped it would give them the element of surprise, even if only by a day or two, but if they failed to locate her quickly enough...it will take longer for the right opportunity to present itself."
"Why haven't you told the war council?" Clarke held her hands out in confusion. "We've been circling this for days with no end in sight!"
"I cannot risk this information getting out."
"You think someone on the council would betray you to the Ice Nation?"
"It is always possible. Trust no one, Clarke. That is the only way secrets are truly kept."
"Trust no one..." she echoed knowingly. "Except each other?"
Lexa watched her for a long time before lowering her eyes and she nodded slowly.
'Not everyone. Not you.'
Lexa started mentioning the Arkers a little more every day to Clarke. She worked it casually into their conversations, over their meals. Her scouts were coming back with reports of expansion, that the Sky People were fortifying their base and their numbers were growing stronger.
Indra came back after a week with news that the Chancellor would not agree to the coalition without meeting with Lexa herself. They were rampant rumors that Lexa was the one who captured Clarke and was now holding her prisoner in Polis , but Indra put those fires out. Abby wanted to see Clarke, to know for sure the rumors were unfounded, and hear Lexa's proposal in person before any decision was made. Lexa sent a message back with an invitation for the Sky People to bring a delegation to Polis for a summit. As far as the other clans knew, it was to negotiate terms of a treaty, not an initiation. Lexa couldn't risk the Sky People refusing such an offer and have it be publicly known.
It hurt Clarke to hear about her people more and more, but she knew exactly why Lexa was doing it and she didn't try to stop her. She needed to hear it. She needed to start figuring out a way to let them back into her life again. She was here fighting for them, making decisions in their name, yet she still couldn't face them. She couldn't think of her people without thinking of all the people who died to save them. The people that Clarke murdered to save them.
There were also rumblings that the Sky People were colonizing the Mountain, but Lexa held them at bay. Nyko arrived in Polis and requested an audience, which Lexa, of course, granted. When Lexa heard he was going to talk to her about the Sky People, she had Clarke brought to the room to hear it.
Nyko told them about how he'd been attacked by Azgeda . That the Sky People went to great lengths to save him and brought him to the Mountain to use their equipment. He spoke of Abby Griffin, the Chancellor, who saved his life and even while knowing the Grounders would fear it, she knew the good that the Mountain could be. Abby ordered the Mountain to be opened: accessible to Sky People and Grounders alike. She wanted to help save people and use the technology there to help, rather than destroy. She wanted to change its meaning. There were murmurs of discontent and angry whispers all through the room, and Lexa's face remained impassive, but Clarke had a few tears escape before she quickly wiped them away. Pride filled her chest, bursting from her heart so powerfully that it hurt. Her mother. Changing the world for the better.
"Clarke," Lexa's voice startled her out her thoughts. "You were inside the Mountain. You know what they are capable of. Will the Sky People take up their mantle?"
"The Sky People have no desire to hurt the Grounders," she said confidently. "We want peace more than anything. We have knowledge and technology that is beyond anything you've known. Our resources were limited when our home was destroyed, but with the technology inside Mount Weather, we can help people. Mount Weather was never meant to be a grave. It was meant to save lives. The Chancellor wants to use it for that purpose and that purpose alone."
"But the acid fog, the Sky People could use it again!" one of the ambassadors pointed out angrily.
"And the missiles!" another cried out.
"They would never use it," Clarke answered firmly, "but you don't have to trust them or even me. You can send whoever your want to see it for yourselves. When we took Mount Weather, my people destroyed the acid fog generators beyond repair at great risk to their own lives. As for the missiles, I understand your concern, but I know that the Commander and the Sky People will be able to come to an agreement about disabling it for good."
Lexa nodded, considering it. "Or we could take control of the missiles for ourselves and use it if necessary in the coming days against the Azgeda."
That went over much better with the audience in the chamber, but Nyko and Clarke were horrified.
"We can't—" Clarke started, but Lexa cut her off.
"Either way," she said sternly. "The Sky People are not colonizing the Mountain. They are opening it. It's a new dawn. War will come, but with the clans united and the Sky People allied with us...peace will soon follow."
"You're not taking the missiles," Clarke said while they ate dinner together.
"We are not discussing this."
"Like hell we're not! Lexa, the damage it-"
"I meant, there is no need to discuss it. Not unless it becomes a necessity, which I am doing everything in my power to prevent. Your mother made a foolhardy decision by claiming the Mountain. She has angered many and it is only the oncoming threat of war that keeps the people's attention turned away for now. She will have to answer for it eventually. No matter how well meaning, she has staked a claim in a powerful enemy's domain that has taken thousands of my people's lives. It is not just a hospital, it is a weapon."
"We're not going to use it against you, Lexa."
"I don't believe you will, but that does not change the power that exists inside the Mountain. The people need to feel reassured, Clarke. If they believe I am in control of such a weapon, it will be easier for us all. Whether or not it is true..."
"So you don't want to use the missiles?"
"Not if we don't have to."
"But you're keeping it as an option?"
"That is the intelligent choice. You disagree?"
Clarke hated having to admit it, but no, she did not disagree.
Only as a last resort.
Then she remembered the last time she had been left with the last resort. Five hundred dead.
She remembered slipping away from TonDC and the heat from the blast as it threw her back. Two hundred and fifty dead.
They could never allow things to get that far.
Lexa looked up and answered her silent musings.
"It will not get that far, Clarke."
The Sky People delegation were set to arrive in Polis the next day for the summit. Clarke was going to have to face her mother and Kane to convince them that this was their best option. There was still no word from Lexa's assassins or any sign of movement from the Azgeda. The stalemate was driving Clarke utterly out of her mind, but most of it probably had to do with the fact that she was going to face her mother again after more than half a year of being gone.
Face her mother and convince her to join a coalition ruled by a girl who had abandoned them.
Yeah, that probably had a lot to do with why Clarke was finishing off an entire jug of wine and pacing furiously in Lexa's room. Lexa was trying to read while Clarke worked herself up into near hysterics. It turns out her current book of choice was not Sun Tzu – as Clarke had thought the first night she came into Lexa's bedroom to sleep – but rather it was "The Aeneid" in its original form and Clarke discovered that she was incredibly turned on by the fact that Lexa knew Latin...
However, Clarke's anxiety was reaching peak points, so Lexa finally gave up on trying to read. She took the second jug of wine away from Clarke, despite vehement protestations.
"That will not help."
"Wanna bet?" Clarke shot back and reached for the wine again, but Lexa held her off.
"You need a clear mind for tomorrow, Clarke. You can face this without needing to numb yourself. You are more than that."
She groaned loudly. "Give me the wine and go back to your war poetry, Lexa," she said mockingly.
Lexa looked at her for a long moment before rolling her eyes and she picked Clarke up over her shoulder.
"What the fu-!"
Lexa tossed her, quite ungracefully, onto her bed and climbed on top of her.
"If you are in need of a distraction, Clarke. I am more than happy to oblige. All you had to do was ask."
"Fuck you, Lexa," she shot back. "You can't just throw me around like a piece of your property!"
"I can and I did," she replied easily and slipped her fingers underneath the waistband of Clarke's pants, pulling down.
"Well, I don't want you to!" Clarke spat.
Lexa froze.
Her face burned with embarrassment and what had been a near bravado now crumbled before Clarke into a series of stammers and pure hurt . "I-I am sorry, I did not mean-"
She started to lift herself off her, but Clarke reached up and grabbed her by the shirt, pulling back Lexa down into a deep kiss.
"I changed my mind," she said, breathing hard against Lexa's lips. "Distract me."
Lexa growled in annoyance and pushed Clarke down forcefully. She attacked her mouth with vigor and tore at her clothes.
Clarke was impossible.
Lexa let her know it.
It was late and Lexa had fallen into a drowsy sleep, but Clarke was still awake. They laid on their sides beneath the blankets and Clarke had her arm thrown lazily over Lexa's side, nestling into her warmth from behind. She slipped her leg between Lexa's before pulling back enough to see the black markings that lined Lexa's spine. She traced each one with her fingertips, making a mental note to ask Lexa what each one meant. She'd wondered from the first time she saw Lexa naked, but never really had the opportunity to ask. Lexa's skin was smooth and warm beneath her touch. Her back rose and fell slightly with each breath. Her hair was obscuring the top part, so Clarke had to push it down with some effort. Some of Lexa's braids had fallen loose and the natural curls were starting to take over. Clarke smiled, Lexa had unruly hair. How ironic for a girl who prided herself on control at every turn. She wondered how much time and effort Lexa put into taming it, braiding it, making sure every strand stayed where it was supposed to instead of letting it go where it wanted to.
At least she was letting it go with Clarke.
Clarke was the one who got to see her like this. Clarke was the one who got to see the messy braids, unruly hair, see her mouth part and her eyes dilate. She got to hear her moans, whimpers, and whispers of adoration. She got to see Lexa naked, vulnerable, open to her and to her alone. She wanted it. She wanted everything Lexa had. She wanted to consume her and Lexa would let her.
Clarke moved closer again, slipping her hand over Lexa's hip, taking a moment to trace the length of the freshly healed scar on her side. It seemed so small now compared to the damage it had caused and everything Clarke did to repair it. She skimmed past it, past the bloody memory, and across Lexa's taught stomach, moving upward until reached the small hollow of Lexa's throat and then trailed her fingers down, between her breasts, over her stomach, and ghosting over the softness between her legs. Lexa's breathing never changed, but Clarke knew she was awake.
She hadn't meant to be so harsh earlier. It was the pressure of having to see her mom again tomorrow, Kane, and whoever else decided to come. Pressure and an ample amount of wine had her channeling that uneasy frustration towards Lexa. But when she had denied her so viciously...the look on Lexa's face just tore at Clarke's heart. She never meant to make Lexa feel that way.
A few weeks ago, she would have taken pride in it, satisfaction in hurting her, but now... They'd both already been hurt so much. Clarke didn't want to hurt her anymore. She wanted to make Lexa feel the way she did, that being together made her stronger, that just one look made her knees weak, that kissing her was the sweetest joy, and making love to her was explosive beyond compare. Did Lexa feel that way? She prayed she did.
Tomorrow they would expect an explanation for where she's been and what she'd done. An explanation she would not give. They'd want her to come back and Clarke wasn't ready. She wanted to be here. She wanted be in this bed next to Lexa and not some cot in camp with all her people looking to her at every turn. Here, she could do some good, help them, but she wouldn't have to see them. See them and know...
Tonight, Lexa was the only thing she needed to know. She raised her hand back to Lexa's throat and traveled the same path again, only this time she raked her nails lightly over her soft skin, smiling at the gooseflesh her action caused. When she cupped her again, it was with more pressure than the last time, and Lexa hips moved slightly against in response.
Not willing to wait any longer, Clarke did away with any pretense of allowing Lexa to sleep, and pressed hot, slow, open mouth kisses along Lexa's exposed neck. A small, contented noise rose from the back of Lexa's throat. She tried to flip over onto her back, wanting more, but Clarke held her there.
"Don't move."
She leaned over and found Lexa's mouth, giving her what she'd been looking for. Lexa reached up and threaded her fingers in Clarke's hair, keeping her there. She tried to move again so that she could deepen the kiss, but Clarke denied her, breaking away.
"I said, don't move."
Lexa looked at her over her shoulder with slight confusion, lips parted and swollen, still sleep-dazed, but her eyes were dark with lust and need.
Clarke kissed, nipped, licked, and sucked her way down Lexa's body until she reached her thighs and then she lifted one, settling herself comfortably between them. Lexa gasped and reached for the edge of her bed. She didn't try to shift onto her back anymore, she was obeying Clarke by staying on her side, and grasped the edge tightly as Clarke's mouth parted her.
Clarke held her thighs in place as Lexa's breathing grew quicker and her hips moved feverishly against her. The small noises she made, her soft moans, spurred Clarke on more. Lexa's body was coiling, getting ready to spring, but it was too soon for Clarke's liking. She stopped, despite Lexa's small protesting cry, and crawled up to kiss her fiercely.
"Not yet," she said firmly.
"Clarke," she bemoaned, "don't-!"
"I'm not done with you yet."
Kissing her again, Clarke slid her hand between Lexa's thighs and thrust into the slick heat waiting for her. Lexa groaned against her mouth as Clarke began a frenetic and unyielding pace. She stayed there, breathing hotly against Lexa, kissing her over and over until Lexa was too far gone to focus on kissing her back. Clarke moved back down her body and used her mouth in rhythm with her fingers now.
Lexa's moans were louder than ever and Clarke she was close. She watched, enraptured and fascinated as Lexa's back arched, her lips parted in a silent scream and she buried her face half into the pillow, still clutching the edge of the bed. She came undone, her body tightened and froze for a moment that seemed to last much longer than it did, then she melted back into the soft bedding. Clarke brought her down slowly and gently before stopping. Lexa was panting and the most vulnerable little sounds emitted from her throat, the kind that made Clarke want to cry and jump her bones at the same time. She made her way back up and pushed Lexa onto her back before kissing her thoroughly. Clarke rested most of her weight on top of her, letting herself feel every inch of Lexa's overheated, soft, solidity underneath her.
"For someone who is so used to giving orders, you're pretty good at following them," she said teasingly, meeting her lips in slow, lazy kisses.
Lexa's eyes were heavy lidded and unfocused. "It is not...the same, Clarke," she struggled between breaths to get out.
"You're right. It's way better," Clarke said smugly.
"Is that what you desire of your lovers?"
"No. Just you."
Lexa's eyes flew open and met Clarke's with startling clarity. She rolled them over and leisurely stretched herself out on top of Clarke, then leaned down with a wolfish grin and kissed her deeply. Clarke gasped with pleasure when Lexa lightly bit down on her bottom lip. Her body was mad with arousal, already on the knife's edge of pleasure, she just needed a little more... She wrapped her legs around Lexa and ground her hips against her a little desperately. Searching for something to ease the throbbing that tormented her.
"The Sky-Girl wishes to be my master? To have me at her command?"
"The Sky-Girl," Clarke shot back tauntingly, raking her nails gently down Lexa's back, "already has you at her command."
Clarke raised her eyebrows, daring Lexa to deny it. They were both smiling, but something changed in that moment. The teasing disappeared as Lexa peered down at her thoughtfully. Her eyes were still dark with desire, her lips kiss-swollen, and she was still breathing a little unsteadily. Clarke was quiet as she watched the tiny changes flicker through Lexa's expression. After a long moment, the furrow in Lexa's brow became smooth and she gave a slow nod. There was no smile now, just naked truth. What had started out as some lighthearted banter had become so much more poignant.
This was simple acknowledgment.
Yes.
Lexa belonged to Clarke.
The very thought had her heart racing out of control and only part of it was because Lexa was naked on top of her.
Words seeming to fail her, Clarke reached up and pulled Lexa down for a bruising kiss that left them both breathless.
Lexa shifted on top of her and her arms stretched above Clarke, under the pillows. Her body went rigid.
It all happened so quickly, it took Clarke a few moments to realize all that had happened.
Lexa yanked away from Clarke, there was the loud bang of a gunshot, distant yelling from outside the room, and a yelp of pain.
"Move and I will cut deep, natrona," Lexa hissed lowly.
Lexa was unabashedly naked, kneeling half off the bed, with a blade to a hooded stranger's throat. She had the person's wrist seized in her grip. Their arm stuck out awkwardly in a way that told Clarke that it was plainly broken. There had been a gun in that hand, but it was on the floor now.
Clarke could only blink in astonishment. She was utterly shell shocked.
Lexa had sensed the presence of the intruder, slipped her hand under the pillows where she kept a dagger, and disarmed the would-be assassin in one swift movement.
There was a reason why she lasted so long in her trial.
Lexa's guards came bursting in, shouting for their Heda. Lexa barked orders in Trigedasleng. Clarke was vaguely aware of the fact that they were both quite naked and exposed to the several sentries that had rushed in. Was the assassin here for her or for Lexa? Or both of them?
They seized the attempted murderer and dragged them over to the middle of the room, forcing them down onto their knees. A large hooded cloak covered their face from view. Lexa looked back to Clarke, raking her eyes over her to check for any sign of injury. Still too shocked to speak, Clarke only nodded to confirm that she was okay.
Okay? Was she really okay? Physically unhurt, sure. Okay? Not so much.
She had been relaxed, unguarded, completely safe, and all of it had been cruelly ripped away in single moment.
They would never be safe. She should know that by now. Lexa clearly did.
If Lexa hadn't been on guard, staying aware of their surroundings, at least one, if not both, of them would be dead by now. Clarke just didn't understand how this intruder had made their way into the palace and slipped past every single sentry...
Lexa seemed to be having the same thought as she slipped on her gown, not seeming embarrassed in the least to be caught nude, and was roughly grabbing a few of the guards, speaking harsh and low in their faces. She was demanding answers from them first while the assassin was bound and kneeling on the floor, groaning from the pain of a broken arm and probably some other solid blows that had been delivered in order to subdue them.
Clarke was not as comfortable with being totally on display for a bunch of large, battle hardened warriors filling Lexa's room so she pulled the sheet around her modestly as she searched the floor for her clothes, pulling on a pair of pants that were actually Lexa's, but she managed to find her own shirt. In her search, she also came across the gun that the intruder had dropped. The one with a bullet meant for them.
It had been a long time since Clarke touched a gun. She hadn't had one since she buried hers before joining the Tree People Nomads. She didn't want to touch one even now, but...a gun...
Not a knife. Not an arrow. Not a sword. Not poison.
Clarke held the hot metal in both hands, feeling the uncomfortably heavy weight of it again. The acrid stench of gunpowder from the freshly fired weapon made her stomach turn.
It was a gun.
Only people from the Ark and Mount Weather carried guns. Since every man, woman, and child from Mount Weather was dead...dead at Clarke's hand...that left the Ark. Her people. It was one of their guns.
Clarke turned back to watch the scene before her in abject terror of what she might find.
Disgusted by the failure of her sentries, Lexa had turned away from them, and was focusing on the intruder now. In one swift, hard motion, she shoved the hood back and grasped the person's hair on the top of their head, yanking them back painfully to expose their face to the glowing firelight from the torches the guards carried.
He gasped at the suddenness of it, but did nothing else. Panting heavily, grim lipped, eyes set in fierce determination.
Clarke's heart sank in despair.
"Bellamy."