Another Chapter in the books! I hope you like it and I hope it makes sense… I have been a little distracted today with the craziness from the media all day but wanted to update anyway! Thank you all so much for the nice comments, they really do keep me going. Thanks for following me through this story, I will continue to update as frequently as I can!
"Clarke wake up." Lexa whispered softly into Clarke's ear and kissed her down from her ear to her neck. Clarke groaned and lifted her eye lids lazily. The blazing fire was now just a pile of burning coals and embers that glowed in the darkness, still radiating heat into the warm home. The baby was cradled against Lexa's chest cooing softly as if telling her mother it's time to get up. Clarke smiled and kissed Lexa comfortably, pressing her lips against the all too familiar soft lips that pressed back gently. She then tussled Indie's messy blonde hair that stuck out in odd and kissed her soft cheek gently.
" What is the plan now Commander?" Clarke yawned and sat up slowly, stretching her sore limbs. She flexed her feet and wiggled her legs and noted that her groin area was definitely the most sore but her whole body ache with pain. Lexa must have noticed her discomfort because when Clarke looked back up at her, her face was the perfect image of concern.
"What?" Clarke said trying to play it cool, busying herself with folding the blankets that were on the couch. Lexa exhaled deeply and examined her wife wondering if she was up for the days tasks. Even if she wasn't, they had to do it anyway. For their family.
"We have to go to TonDC right now. There isn't much time to explain but I need them on our side." Lexa said quickly as she handed the fussing baby to Clarke. "And when the time comes..." Lexa bit her lip and hesitated and Clarke watched her carefully as she fed Indie.
"I need you to get Arcadia to follow us to Azgeda tonight." Lexa said carefully and Clarke's eyes widened. For a moment neither of them said anything but Clarke nodded reluctantly with a sigh.
"Is it going to be a battle? Are we taking Indie?" Clarke said in a panic.
"I am hoping that if we get enough people on our side, it won't come to that." Lexa said evenly as she packed up the last of their things.
"And how do you expect them to listen to you instead of kill you?" Clarke said sharply. She never liked it when Lexa put herself in danger but in reality it had always been the ones who faced her that were in real danger.
"I am going to reason with them. And then kill Nia." Lexa looked at Clarke seriously. The blonde raised her eyebrows and tightened her lips to reign in her laughter.
"You're going to talk to them... And then kill their Queen." Clarke tried to keep her voice even but a hitch of laughter burst through her teeth. Lexa raised her eyebrows up and down, nodded and smirked at her wife cockily. Clarke chuckled and shook her head at the gorgeous creature in front of her.
"Well... You better have one hell of a speech prepared commander." Clarke laughed and smacked Lexa on the butt, making her jump. Clarke laughed lightly as she set the sleeping baby down in her bassinet. Lexa turned and stared at her wife, keeping her expression serious. Clarke bit her lip and looked up at Lexa seductively trailing her hands down her stomach and tracing the lining of her pants with her fingertips. Lexa watched her for a moment and couldn't suppress her happiness any longer as wide smile spread across her face.
"Don't look at me like that!" Lexa laughed and pulled away from her wife.
"Like what?" Clarke said softly as she eyed Lexa's slender figure up and down.
"Like that! I can't handle you. You just gave birth yesterday, Clarke." Lexa chuckled and held her hands up as Clarke tried to pull her in.
"Oh my god, I am not even doing anything. I just want to hold you." Clarke laughed and gave Lexa her best pouty face.
"I know exactly what your doing, Clarke. That's the same look that got us where we are right now. With a newborn daughter." Lexa raised her eyebrows and smiled knowingly as Clarke sighed and smiled back at her.
"And by the way, I do have something to say to my people that I think will persuade them to join us. Do you?" Lexa questioned and Clarke's face instantly turned serious.
"It won't be easy. The people of Arcadia see me as one of you now. How am I supposed to get them to listen?" Clarke muttered more to herself than to Lexa.
"You are the great Wanheda. You saved your people from the mountain. That has to mean something to them." Lexa offered and Clarke scoffed.
" You realize that I am not really the Commander of Death. That's not a real thing." Clarke chuckled and watched a small smile spread to Lexa's lips.
" I wouldn't disregard the title so easily Clarke. It has suited you so far." Lexa grinned and nudged her side. Clarke laughed and kissed Lexa quickly and stared into the green eyed forest that was now home to her heart. Lexa leaned her head against Clarke's and they both breathed each other in. The Commander of Blood and the commander of death sure had their work cut out for them today.
/
Raven stared out across the smoky city covered in debris and broken bodies. The smell of burning flesh, smoke and despair filled the air in the once beautiful city of Polis. The sun was just rising over the mountain peak, giving off a reddish tint from the smoke filled sky. A red day. The perfect way to describe a day like this. She watched as Mara and Mikko as well as many others carried bodies of the Azgeda Warriors to an open field nearby, while the loved ones of the fallen Warriors of Polis carried their bodies home to mourn them in their own time and way.
Talia watched Raven through the smoke and fire, distorting her beautiful features, making the dirt and soot smudged across her face looked harsh and intense. Talia couldn't help herself as her feet carried her forward towards the beautiful brown eyed beauty. She walked up the steps and stood beside Raven and watched the clean up of the city as the first ray of sunlight broke over the mountain. The light gleamed and lit up the streets, revealing more gore and filth than before and Raven gasped. She reached down and laced her fingers with Talia's tightly. Talia looked down at their interlocked hands and then back out at the mess before them.
"Oso gonplei nou ste odon." Talia spoke quietly as she held Raven's hand. Raven looked at the beautiful warrior. A long cut slashed across her right cheek. She kept most of her weight on her right leg, the other wrapped in a dirty, bloody bandage from her upper thigh to her knee. The rest of her body was bruised and caked in blood and dirt but that was not what captured Raven's attention. Talia's deep ocean blue eyes remained vibrant and alive, remaining the same as they were yesterday, today and forever more. Raven saw the gentle, kind and genuine person that she was through those eyes. The person she could see herself falling in love with.
"What does that mean?" Raven asked as Talia turned to look at her.
"It means, our fight is not over." Talia said seriously. She looked back out into the streets filled with the dead and the living and Raven followed her gaze.
"In the Trikru culture, one's fight, is a representation their entire life. We all fight, daily, with simple struggles and sometimes... Difficult struggles." Talia's eyes touched the widespread destruction before her. "Sometimes we must end another's fight to give more people the opportunity to live. To fight for the good in this world. But it is all for nothing if we don't continue fighting for ourselves and our loved ones everyday. There is little time to mourn the dead, Raven. We must move on." Talia said softly, facing Raven and looking into her eyes seriously. She raised her hand to her cheek and caressed it softly. Raven closed her eyes and leaned into Talia's soft touch. She felt weightless and happy for the first time today as she felt Talia pull her face into her own and kiss lips slow and soft. Raven breathe in the older woman's scent, a mixture of honey and lilac, and it made her dizzy with excitement that vibrated through her whole being. For a moment, the world around them melted away and it was only the two of them, kissing on the steps.
"Hey Tal. We could all use a little help here." Mara said loudly and the two women pulled apart quickly. Raven rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly and Talia glared at her sister who smirked back at her sarcastically.
"Keep on fighting, Raven Kom Skaikru." Talia gave Raven's hand a parting squeeze and a smile before she limped down the stairs a walked into the now busy streets of Polis.
Raven exhaled deeply as she watched Talia go. She noticed Mikko was staring at her with a pained look on his face and she sighed. She took one last look at Talia and headed back toward the tower and shook her head. The things we do for love.
/
The town was silent as Lexa, Clarke and baby Indie entered TonDC. It was a rare sight for the people of Trikru to see their commander wandering through the village without any guards or protection. They also hadn't seen her or the Great Wanheda since the news of their miracle child was speculating around the clans. And as they took in the powerful couple, they still wondered if such a child existed.
Lexa held her head high, dressed in all black battle attire with black war paint dripping down her face. Clarke was dressed similarly in all black with black war paint flaring outward from her eyes. The couple truly looked terrifyingly gorgeous, almost unearthly as they trotted through the village on the back of the huge black stallion, Skaifaya. Baby Indie was swaddled comfortably in a black baby sling that wrapped around Lexa's neck and was concealed by her long black trench coat. The morning air was cold but the snow did not stick from the blizzard they experienced the day before. As they made their way through the crowded village, the people parted a way from them to travel as the Red Sea did for Moses.
Clarke's eyes swept left and right and she held onto Lexa's coat tightly but her face showed no fear even though she was terrified inside. She silently prayed that Lexa could pull this off as they made it to the gathering point at the center of the village.
The family was met by the ambassador of the Trikru clan, A tall woman named, Naomi, stood nearly six feet with tanned skin and dark, piercing brown eyes.
"Heda, welcome. We did not expect to see you after the events that took place in Polis last night. Our warriors only just returned this morning." Naomi said as Lexa dismounted from the horse gracefully, yet making sure Indie was not jolsted or roused.
"Your warriors are all accounted for I hope." Lexa said as she helped Clarke from the horse. The blonde still had trouble walking for too long but could manage to stand for a while.
"Yes. After the Sky people arrived with their metal weapons, the Ice Nation retreated quickly." Naomi said quickly with a smile in Clarke's direction. She noticed how Lexa kept an arm firmly around her wife's waist and the aura of exhaustion that Clarke portrayed. She eyed the couple skeptically but the two held their composure well.
"I am glad to hear that, however I am afraid our visit must be brief, as we have a difficult situation on our hands that I hope the people of TonDC will take an understanding to." Lexa said informatively and Naomi nodded.
"My people will do as you wish, Heda. Just ask and it will be done." Naomi said with a smile as she held her arm out to the commander who gladly accepted the gesture.
"Thank you, ambassador. Now if you will gather the Trikru clan I would like to speak to them." Lexa said quickly and Naomi nodded as she stalked off to gather her people. Lexa took a deep breath.
"Here we go." She whispered and Clarke squeezed her hand reassuringly. She leaned in a placed a gentle kiss on Lexa's neck to relax her as she felt the commander shiver at her touch.
"Here we go." Clarke echoed quietly as the people of TonDC gathered before them.
/
Queen Nia sat on her throne as Ontari and Roan strode in through the gigantic white doors.
"And where have the pair of you been?" The Queen asked tiredly. Ontari glanced at Roan with wide eyes as the prince smirked at his mother.
The prince chuckled and paced around the throne room shaking his head , "Where do you think? We went to Polis to give orders for the retreat. We lost almost half of our warriors last night."
"Good thing we have two more armies ready to go to replace those we have lost." The Queen grinned menacingly. " I'm sure Lexa is planning her attack now, and will leave her beloved and the baby behind. And when she does, we will be ready."
Ontari laughed uneasily and the Queen eyed her suspiciously. "Did either of you see or hear of Lexa's whereabouts as of yesterday" She questioned. Ontari shook her head quickly and Roan gave a dismissive shake of his head.
"She was headed toward TonDC." Jaha spoke loudly as he entered through the doors flanked by the Azgeda Warriors who broke him out of Lexa's dungeons.
The Queen stood slowly and looked at Jaha with disdain. "And you are?" She spat out annoyed.
"An ally." Jaha said with a small smile as he clasped his hands behind his back. "Lexa was not alone either. Her wife and child were with her." Jaha's eyes gleamed as he watched the queen's eyes widened with surprise, then squint with pleasure.
"I think we could help each other out." Jaha said as he took another, slow and calculated step forward.
The ice queen chuckled and her eyes burned bright with excitement. "Yes, I think we could."
/
The village center was filled to its max capacity, even the streets were filled with people gathered to hear word from one of their own, their commander. Clarke looked out amongst Lexa's home land and imagined her as a little girl running through the village and playing in the streets with her friends and sisters. She looked to the tiny lump under Lexa's coat and smiled hoping that, one day, their daughter might have the same privilege as her mother.
Smoke from cooking the morning meal still lingered in the air mixing with the smell of the dampened ground from last nights snowfall. Lexa breathed in the all too familiar scent as she looked out amongst her people, friends and family.
"Trigedakru, ai luktots, ai seingeda," Lexa spoke beautifully fluent in their native language Trigedasleng.
"People of the woods, my friends, my family," Clarke listened and watched as every face in the crowd watched Lexa with respect and curiosity.
"I come before you today in need of your help. The attack on Polis that occurred last night was only the first of many. The Queen plans to attack TonDC and Arcadia until she gets what she wants from me and Wanheda." Lexa spoke loudly, making sure every person could hear her message. Murmurs started to spread throughout the village And Lexa scanned the crowd, listening to the fear that arose in her people.
"Enough!" Lexa shouted, instantly grabbing everyone's attention, the murmuring ceased at once. Clarke looked around and could see how much these people trusted Lexa, how much they relied on her leadership. " I don't want this to come to a war. The people of Azgeda follow their Queen in fear. They are not to blame for the path of destruction Nia is leading them on. I ask you today, to marched with me to Azgeda to put those in charge, accountable for their actions. We will not continue to tolerate their irrational and angry behavior towards us." Lexa's voice boomed across the village. Silence filled the air for a moment before an older gentleman spoke up.
"Heda of course we will do as you say but…..' The man hesitated before continuing quickly. "What it is that she wants exactly? We could better serve you if we only knew what we were to protect." The man finished with a red face, embarrassed for speaking out to the Commander. Lexa stared at him for a moment while she debated what to say next.
"She wants my family, Malek." Lexa said quietly to the older gentleman whom she knew. She looked out into the crowd and spoke up. "She believes my family will give her power." Lexa repeated as she gathered up the courage to introduce her daughter to her people. "She wants… my daughter." Lexa announced. An audible gasp rang throughout the village as the Trigedakru realized that the miracle child wasn't just speculation after all.
The people looked at their commander with wide eyes as they watched her unveil the sleeping child from inside her coat. Indie wore all black footy pajamas and a pink bow in her blonde wavy hair that was combed into an adorable little fo-hawk.
Silence filled the space as Clarke and Lexa stood hand-in-hand with their sleeping daughter cuddled safely in the crook Lexa's arm. It was so quiet that, for a moment, the two women felt as if the people gathered could hear their hearts beating nearly out of their chests. Indie grunted and stretched in Lexa's arm and the great Commander looked down at her daughter and smiled with tear filled eyes. She would fight for her with or without help. Ten thousand against one, Lexa knew that nothing would stop her from trying to protect the baby girl in her arms. Until her dying breath.
Lexa looked over at Clarke and took in her expression, knowing that she shared her same thoughts.
"Ai gon op Natblida kom sonraun." Malek said suddenly and firmly, taking the women before him by surprise as he knelt at their feet.
"Oso gon op Natblida kom sonraun." Naomi said softly with a smile as she too, knelt at the feet of, not the commanders, but of the baby in their Heda's arms. One by one every person fell to their knees repeating the words Naomi had spoken.
Clarke and Lexa watched in awe as they looked out across the people on their knees. They both smiled brightly as they looked at their daughter who had already made a name for herself in this crazy world.
"We fight for the Nightblood of Life." Lexa and Clarke whispered in unison, repeating the phrase that echoed throughout the land and resonated deep within the hearts of everyone who stood in the presence of the daughter of the Commander of Blood and of Death.