The forest was darker than the sky, the leaves of high trees blocking the dark grey expanse from the dirt covered floor. They were a good distance away from Polis' outer walls and Clarke trailed behind Lexa, who kept reaching a hand out to her when Clarke's foot would occasionally get caught behind a large tree root that was barely visible on the dark ground. Luna walked in front of them, head held high and a smile on her face, knowing exactly where she was going.
After a good amount of walking, the Floukru leader slipped into a space between a large rock formation and a slope, and Clarke's eyes widened as Lexa grinned and tugged her along excitedly.
"Where are we going?" Clarke whispered as she squeezed herself through the moss covered walls.
Luna chuckled. "There's no need to be quiet, Sky girl. No one other than us has ever discovered this, as far as I know." She looked back at Lexa for confirmation, who nodded her head.
Clarke frowned, following after them as the small cave opened up to the outside again. She eyed the side of Lexa's face, the faint light from the darkening sky only illuminating her features slightly. "What about your hunters? Don't they know the woods well enough to know this path exists?" she asked.
Lexa shook her head. "A long time ago, shortly after I became Commander, I had this area sealed off from hunting. So no, I don't think anyone else knows about it."
"You did?" Luna asked surprised. When Lexa nodded her head, the sides of Luna's lips tugged up. She had fled after the Conclave and therefore hadn't witnessed Lexa's rule until the Boat Clan was invited to the Coalition. Knowing that the Commander had taken care to safeguard their childhood secret place, made her chest feel warm with appreciation.
"So isn't this area going to be filled with large, dangerous animals then? If there are no hunters to hunt them down here?" Clarke asked, suddenly worried that this might actually be some sort of Pauna enclosure.
"No," Lexa answered, taking the lead and slicing her sword over some of the overgrown vines in their path. "It is only a small area. There might be a lot of wildlife, but I assure you we're not risking a predator attack, Clarke." She smiled back at her for reassurance, remembering the Pauna incident all too well herself.
Faint, blue light gradually illuminated their vision. The overgrown path finally seemed to come to an end, and small blue flowers hid inside the tangle of vines that covered a metal gate in front of them. Lexa's eyes roamed over the familiar outline, although it was less tall than she remembered. Still, it made her legs feel unsteady for a moment, remembering all the times that she had stood in front of it. She took a breath and turned to Luna, who was wearing the same reverent smile.
Clarke's eyes roamed the structure, figuring that this was another piece of ruin that had managed to survive all those years. Greenery covered the holes of the metal gate, so there was no seeing what was beyond it. A thick, overgrown hedge connected to the sides, grown into the fence and blending in with the rest of the blue hued forest.
Lexa's hand slid over the rusted metal, moving to grip the cold handle that still felt oddly familiar on her bare fingers. She pressed down with all the force she could muster. The metal creaked a heavy screeching sound when it unlocked. Lexa let the handle come back up again and for the shortest moment, as she pulled her hand back from the metal, she expected to turn around and find the young, innocent face of Costia behind her, eyes large and beautiful, and Luna's wild hair curling around her still childishly round face.
Instead, she found Clarke's eyes. The blue glow of the forest made the sea in her eyes deeper, her carefully dilated pupils that stared up at Lexa reaching far into her soul as if to say, I understand.
Lexa smiled and realized this was okay. She wanted to share this with her. She took hold of Clarke's soft hand and caught Luna's nostalgically excited grin before pushing through the gate.
The garden's floor was soft, covered in glowing moss and littered with the smallest flowers that sprung from the dirt below and managed to push through. Luna chuckled warmly at the sight of the place they had spent many of their childhood days in. Whereas most of the world had only seemed to grow darker, greyer and uglier, this place still glowed as bright as ever.
A large pile of ruins which had once been a grand house stood proudly in front of them, crumpled into the earth and overgrown with greenery that had claimed it as part of the earth. Only two of the outer walls remained upright, although the whole collapsed building seemed to have formed an entirely new, complete formation on its own.
Around the structure, the garden was colorful and breathtaking. Clarke barely dared to blink, afraid that she would miss the tiniest detail of its beauty, or that the scenery would disappear completely. The wind ghosted warmly through the air around them and the garden felt alive.
Lexa could swear her own heart had stopped beating the moment they passed through the gate. She followed the steps of the stone path she knew was there, although it was no longer visible.
She had avoided this place for years - there was simply no reason to come here anymore once her childhood friends could no longer join her. She wasn't one to sit around and guard their fortress on her own in the silence of the woods, when she had an army to command and people to lead. The choice to seal the area off from others had been about preservation, about respect to the memories of her friends. It hadn't been about the possibility to go back there. She simply hadn't allowed herself to consider it.
Whereas Lexa had expected to be flooded by memories, they mostly just expressed themselves in feelings bubbling up inside her chest and pressing to the hollow of her throat. The sight of the earth-claimed ruins sent a spark of excitement through her, the illuminating flowers that grew everywhere made her chest feel warm with their familiar beauty, the soft, warm breeze against her cheek reminded her of Costia's breath as she would laugh and consequently made her ears burn.
Lexa blinked, almost dumbstruck at the marvelous feelings inside her. She looked up to find Clarke watching everything around them with the same fascination.
"This is amazing," Clarke breathed, and Lexa could only smile.
The radiation mutated flowers opened and closed their petals to their presence, having grown further into life. They moved on their own, swaying with the motion as the garden's visitors passed by. Clarke eyed them with wonder, her lips still parted as she tried to breathe as quietly as possible.
Lexa crouched down in front of one of the flowers, remembering their nature and behavior. It immediately retracted, petals closing at the sense of a nearby presence. She reached out a hand carefully, fingers spreading until she was close enough to touch the hesitant being. Her fingertips stroked softly over the lower, closed petals that felt soft and delicate. Her eyes were bright as the flower slowly opened up again, spreading its petals and showing the visitors its radiant center. Lexa glanced back at Clarke with a smile. She nodded her head, inviting Clarke to crouch down next to her.
Clarke followed Lexa's motion, reaching out with her own hand just slightly too quick, causing the flower to pull away. She retracted her hand again, but Lexa took it in her own and guided it ever so slowly towards the illuminating petals. When Clarke felt their smoothness on her fingertips, the flower once again opening up to their touch, she felt connected. She felt connected to the earth, to life. Their hands entwined, she felt connected to Lexa.
Clarke's fingers itched with the need for pastels, for pencils and canvas. The garden's beauty pressed into her like a liquid she was meant to absorb; an image she was meant to draw. She could only hope to remember it all vividly enough to recreate later. As she looked back at Lexa, peaceful and beautiful in the middle of all this wonder, Clarke realized that seeing her like this was still the most beautiful thing around her.
A large fountain - or, what once must have been a fountain - stood in the middle of the garden, in front of the ruins. Moss covered the sides of the stone structure, hiding the form of the statue on top. Although the water no longer fell from the tall stones, the base of the fountain was still filled with a dark blue pool.
The surface glowed brightly and Clarke leaned onto the railing of the fountain, staring into the water with amazement. Something rippled through the surface and before Clarke had a chance to wonder what had caused it, Lexa's hand gripped her shoulder and pulled her back. A pair of teeth jumped out of the surface, clicking closed with an audible clasp.
Clarke's eyes were wide. Luna chuckled softly, amused by the shock on Clarke's face although she felt sorry for the sky girl, remembering her own reaction when they had first discovered the fish living in the fountain.
"Don't worry, they can't get out," Luna told her, running a hand over the smooth moss on the stone's surface.
Clarke's eyes were still laced with shock and she turned to Lexa for some sort of explanation. "We discovered them not long after we first came here. The fountain is deep; it runs further into the ground than we can see. That is partly why the fish have managed to grow so large."
Clarke narrowed her eyes as she looked the water's glowing surface over once more. "It's radioactive water."
Luna nodded. "Lexa and I would wiggle our fingers in the water and throw small stones to annoy the fish until they would come up and snap their jaws in anger. It was amusing, until one day Lexa almost lost one of her fingers to them."
Lexa bit her tongue and grinned slightly. Chuckling, Luna continued in a low voice, captivated by the memory. "Costia was so mad at you. She never let us put another finger in the water again."
Lexa's grin fell into a soft smile, and she nodded. Clarke stayed silent, a soft look on her face and a warm feeling in her chest. Both Lexa and Luna seemed to regard the story as a good memory, although the mentioning of Costia made Clarke feel like she was intruding on a personal moment. She bit her lip and glanced back at the water.
"Come on," Lexa suddenly said, shaking herself out of the past and tugging on Clarke's lower arm. "We will show you our fortress." Lexa's eyebrows quirked in excitement and Clarke chuckled at the glimpse of Lexa's sudden childlike anticipation.
They moved towards the ruins, climbing over pieces of debris that had by now grown into solid platforms of the earth. The once standing house seemed to have been supported by pillars in the front, much like some of the buildings in Polis, although the upper roof had completely collapsed.
As they walked past it, Luna looked up at one of the outer walls of the fallen building. It was covered in vines and leaves that she knew had grown over the past few years, because they hadn't been there before. She used a small dagger from her side to cut away the largest vines and swiped away the rest of the greenery.
Black smudges became visible on the wall, familiar outlines of words and drawings that had faded over the years. She smiled at the sight of them and ran her hand over the letters of their names, written many years ago in their shaky handwriting. Everything had been so much easier back then, with the hint of peace still laced in their childish minds and the warmth of comrade that could tow them through anything.
Her hand smoothed once more over the cold surface and the black lines of their writing, seeping the well-hidden memory into her soul, before turning back towards the other two girls.
Clarke only noticed the trapdoor when Lexa bent down to trace the outline. The metal frame had rusted into the ground, the wood almost completely covered in moss.
"A bunker," Clarke murmured at the realization.
Lexa nodded. "Built by people who were hoping to survive Praimfaya. Whoever they were, they never made it here."
"Lexa and I found this place one day when we were out in the woods. We were hunting down a rabbit when we came upon the fence," Luna told. "Lexa was determined to explore. I was debating whether or not it was a good idea, but before I could decide she was already pushing through the gate."
Clarke couldn't help her bright smile. The idea of a young, curious Lexa sent butterflies rushing through her stomach and she grinned at the brunette next to her.
"I was young and foolish," Lexa defended at the mention of her impulsiveness, "but I do not regret finding this place."
"I thought you said Costia came here with you as well?" Clarke asked almost carefully. She knew it was still a tender spot in Lexa's memory, but Clarke felt genuinely curious about the whole story. She breathed a little easier when Lexa nodded without hesitation.
"We had come here a few times before Lexa told me she wanted to bring someone," Luna said with a smirk, bending down to help Lexa with the trapdoor that seemed to be rusted firmly in place. "I didn't like it at first, wanting to keep this place a secret between us. But then she told me about this girl she met at the market, who had smiled brightly and who had made her forget to look in front of her, causing her to bump into a trader carrying a load of fish."
"Like I said," Lexa interrupted, "young and foolish."
Both Clarke and Luna chuckled and Luna continued her story. "Back then, I couldn't stand the smell of fish, so I agreed she could bring this girl if it would stop her from smelling like fish next time we met."
"I never smelled like fish again," Lexa replied with the slightest quirk of her eyebrow. "You, however, do."
Clarke laughed. The trapdoor budged a little under the combined pull of the two leaders, causing them both to redouble their efforts. The wood creaked heavily, and in the silence around them it caused chills to run down Clarke's spine. The sky was quickly darkening and by the look of it, it would soon start to rain. She glanced around the illuminated garden once more, wondering what it had looked like the day Lexa and Luna had found it. She tried to imagine how the place would look on a sunny afternoon, or a snow-covered day in winter. She imagined it would still be breathtakingly beautiful.
The trapdoor's frame made another strangled noise. It took some effort, but eventually the latches buckled open.
Dust floated up into the air through the entrance. Lexa didn't hesitate to climb down the ladder that went down the dark shaft, remembering exactly where to put her feet. Knowing Lexa had made no attempt to unsheathe her sword, Clarke didn't hesitate to follow after her, realizing there must be no danger waiting for her below.
She climbed down the small ladder attached to the wall, Luna following after her only a few seconds later. Beside the ladder, Lexa's hand found the familiar switch. Soft light illuminated the room, and Clarke's breath caught in her throat.
What once must have been just a simple, bare bunker, was now so much more than that. A large rug of fur covered the floor while the walls were decorated with faded drawings and collections of stitched up feathers. A table with foreign devices from the old world that looked strangely familiar to Clarke stood in one corner, while another corner was filled with a pile of pillows to make for a comfortable seating.
Clarke wasn't the only one left breathless. Both Luna and Lexa felt overwhelmed with a sense of nostalgia. Although the room seemed smaller than they could remember, the vibe of their childhood still hung in the air.
Lexa had been afraid that revisiting this place would make her memories run cold with the realization that not everything had been as bright and colorful as she remembered. She had been afraid that it would wipe off the dust and spider webs from the moments she had hidden away in her mind, only to stain them with Costia's blood or break them entirely. Instead, she felt them replaying in the back of her head, causing the smallest of smiles to appear on her lips. She shared a look with Luna and knew she did, too.
The light bulb over their heads flickered once before glowing even brighter, drawing Clarke's attention. "You have electricity here?"
"A back-up power generator," Luna answered her. "Although it is small, the owner had built it with the purpose of lighting and warming this room."
"I would prefer a fire, but the smoke would get caught in the room," Lexa said, taking her own glance around the all too familiar room and focusing on the conversation to avoid falling into the memories that were trying to push their way to the front of her mind. Even so, as her eyes fell on the collection of feathers tied together to hang on the wall, she couldn't help but smile breathlessly.
"Did you make this?" Clarke asked, coming to stand next to her and looking over the odd piece of art.
Lexa shook her head. "Costia. She said this place needed to look nicer, so she took it on herself to make odd decorations and hang them on the walls."
Lexa was surprised by how easily she was able to tell these things. Although losing Costia had left a deep scar in her heart, recalling their memories was less painful than she had imagined.
Clarke ran her eyes over the walls once more, noticing various other creations made from feathers, twigs and dried flowers.
"What about this one?" Clarke asked, looking at a faded drawing of what she assumed to be the sky.
"That," Luna replied with a grin, "is from when we tried to count all the stars and recreate the night sky."
Clarke chuckled and Lexa grinned at the memory, remembering all the foolish ideas they had had as children..
"Titus had told us it was impossible, so we were determined to prove him wrong," Luna continued with a smile.
"You were taught by Titus as well?" Clarke asked her.
Luna nodded. "All nightbloods are."
Clarke moved further through the room, hovering her hand over the wall but avoiding touching the already faded drawings.
"Did you spent much time here?" she asked them.
"Only when we could," Lexa's voice answered her. "Natblida are required to go through a lot of training. But whenever we could, we would come here and pretend we were… free."
"Free?" Clarke asked, turning back to face them. "What do you mean?"
Luna shrugged one of her shoulders, knowing exactly what Lexa meant but unsure if she could explain it to Clarke. "Free from the training, free from who we were. Free from the knowledge that one day we would have to kill each other in the Conclave," Luna answered her. "Free from Titus," she added mumbling, causing both Clarke and Lexa to huff out a chuckle.
Clarke bowed her head, glancing around the fur covered floor once more and understanding what Luna meant. Her eyes fell on the table, a square device on top of it. She walked up to it and ran her hand over the few buttons, examining the meter's display.
"Is this… a radio?" she asked, suddenly thrilled at the prospect of finding an antique object from a hundred years ago.
Lexa nodded. "It doesn't seem to work, however." She came up beside Clarke and pressed one of the buttons. A soft noise of static broke through. She turned the large, round knob in the center, but the sound didn't change.
Clarke's eyes were wide with wonder. "It does work, actually. There is just nothing being broadcasted on the frequencies."
Luna smiled. "I have to say I always enjoyed the static sound, though. Reminds of the sea when the waves are crashing on the surface. It's soothing."
After a while they made their way back outside. It had started to drizzle, small raindrops landing on flowers and gliding down, causing the petals to buckle under their weight.
"We should go back," Lexa said, knowing more clan leaders would be arriving tomorrow and that whether or not they wanted to, they would have to go back to their leader roles soon. Both Clarke and Luna knew that, too. And so they followed the moss covered path back towards the metal gate.
Lexa spared another glance back into the illuminated garden, taking in the ruins of their fortress and the flowers that guarded it. Here, she could swear their childhood innocence was still intact.
"Thank you," Clarke breathed from next to her. "Thank you for showing me."
Lexa smiled and nodded. She took Clarke's hand back in hers and followed after Luna, making their way back towards Polis.