A/N: This week for your reading pleasure, I bring you... the wedding chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or plot to The 100.
The wedding ceremony was something else.
Clarke didn't find it bizarre like some of her people that were in Polis with her. In fact, she thought it was rather inclusive! It appeared that the details of the ceremony were incredibly gender fluid, but respectful in her traditional role as a woman. It was clear that marriages to the grounders weren't just for population growth or unions between two people, but it was a union of families. So much so, that the political agreements of the marriage were the only negotiations that had to take place. Bellamy and Roan had to sit down with herself and Marcus -with Titus supervising, to discuss personal alliances between the Ice Nation clan and the Sky People. They agreed to share specific holidays, trading routes and in a customary tradition among the grounder clans the trading of people. Which was not as bad as it sounded!
Traditionally wedding ceremonies were week-long events, but given the circumstances of Bellamy and Clarkes' the celebration would have to be divided between the allotted three days in Arkadia; really a two-fold purpose. In this particular marriage agreement no dowry would be necessary, which to Clarke felt like a relief, because it was already going to be difficult explaining things to Abby. However, it was expected for Bellamy and his family to present the Sky People with a gift -mostly, to Abby, but Clarke and Marcus both knew that she wouldn't be receptive to much of anything. Bellamy explained that he didn't have much family, just a sister, but then Roan had chimed in. In the end Roan had insisted that Marcus accept a gift from the siblings at the first joint celebration, the Sky People's Unity Day, Clarke gagged, and in the meantime Roan would see that something was sent from the queen herself as well.
Finally the terms were set. Clarke would live in Azgeda with her husband and she would get to invite (she stressed the word invite) up to ten citizens of Arkadia to take up residence within the Ice Nation as well. In return, Azgeda would send the same amount of people to live amongst the Sky People to teach them their ways and to further combine the cultures. Arkadia would be allotted the land of the pre-designated territory of Mount Weather and the citizens that took residence at the sight of their main camp must either take residence within that territory or separate from the official Skaikru. It would be the responsibility of both clans to come together to trade integral information on survival; hunting, medical practices, preparation for the seasons and the duties that come with becoming part of the coalition. In the event that either clan fell under attack it would be the immediate responsibility of each other to take arms. If either clan fell into peril it would be the immediate responsibility of each other to assist. And so on, and so forth. For Skaikru their responsibility within the coalition would be to act as an advanced technological clan. They would utilize their healing skills and advances in medicine to treat whoever came through their gates. Finally, once they established a secure and stationary way of life they would have to supply advisors that could travel through the clans and offer assistance in architecture or healing, or whatever the clan needs that Skaikru can meet.
"The last thing we must finalize is the position of Marcus kom Skaikru becoming your ambassador."
"Is this an imperative decision?"
Titus looked confused as he decided it wasn't imperative, but it was necessary. "We ask," Clarke interrupted gracefully, "because it's customary among our people to vote on our political leaders. We'd want to take all of this information back to Arkadia and allow for our people to vote on the person they think would make the best choice in ambassador."
"We can agree to that!" Roan replied enthusiastically, "I'd like a condition to be put in place."
"Of course, name it." Marcus gestured before him.
"I think that to keep it fair the vote should be between the two members of your clan that have already dealt with the coalition and commander."
"An excellent thought! It would make the adaptation of your tradition easier to understand by the rest of our council."
"I personally think it should be between Marcus and your guard Wells." Roan said, his tone sturdy, his eyes soft. Clarke felt her eyebrow quirk up, but before she could say anything Marcus was in agreement and Roan explained his reasoning. Instead of focusing on the rest of the political discussion she met her husband to be as his gaze traveled from her face to the far wall behind her. She smirked a little at that. He acted shy, but the way he held himself showed nothing but confidence. For most of the talks neither of them had been allowed much input, which was fine with her, Clarke was done making difficult decisions. She could tell that some of the negotiation points didn't sit right with him.
Despite Bellamy being a complete stranger to her he had particular tells and generally let emotions run across his face. His jaw ticked every time something was decided without his input -the tick would travel from his jaw to his temple if it involved his people as a whole. He kept his arms crossed across his chest, but every time he heard something he didn't agree with his knuckles would turn white against his sleeves. He also kept his gaze steady, his brown eyes unyielding as he surveyed every reaction to those in the room, every movement of lips of those speaking and followed every miniscule movement of the body. Clarke noticed that he sat straight in his chair with perfect posture and that he spoke only when addressed. He regarded Roan as 'Your Highness', but called Marcus and Titus sir. He didn't address Clarke. In fact his apparent disdain for her immediately irked her beyond belief!
She didn't have the chance to confront him, because as soon as negotiations were done Titus called in servants to lead Clarke away to prepare for the formal ceremony. She was itching for a fight and had wanted to confront Bellamy on his apparent hostility with her, not that he had spoken more than two words to her, but still. She allowed herself to be ushered out of the room by three giggling servant girls. All of which eyed Clarkes' betrothed up and down with devilish grins and that jerk responded with a playful wink. A wink! Clarke bristled at the obvious attention the pretty brunettes got and then barked at them to hurry up. Bellamy raised his eyebrows, taunting her, but remained silent and she just didn't have it in her to respond. She wouldn't stoop to his childish taunts. Instead she said goodbye to the three gentlemen at the table and fled the room.
Clarkes' mood only darkened when the three servants told her that she had to send Wells and Murphy to guard Bellamy's quarters and allow the Ice Nation guards to stand at her entry. "It would be seen as offensive if you didn't allow for your future husband's men to protect you."
"I don't need protection." Clarke grumbled, but she conceded and after a few moments of dealing with a disgruntled Wells and flat out rude Murphy she had two nameless guards in their place. "I'm keeping Zoe." she had said when she returned. Zoe just shrugged as she walked past the three servant girls.
To Zoe it was a fascinating opportunity to learn something new. It was fascinating learning about their customs; weddings normally took place on the fifth day of the week and normally not held in the winter time and did the Sky People know that there's a special wine prepared for the bride and groom? It was exciting to the younger of the two sky women, but to Clarke it just reminded her of her inevitable fate. And then one of the servants went on to explain the 'maidenhood'. "We want to cleanse you of your formal self which allows you and your new husband to come together as one new whole."
"Uh…" Clarke reddened in the face, "... that sounds enlightening, but I don't think I understand."
"We'll build you a bridal crown from the flowers of the garden while you bathe in the watering hole."
"Right, okay, and this symbolizes what exactly?"
One of the servants snickered, "Your virginity Clarke."
Zoe snorts from across the room and Clarke throws her a quick glare before she begins to stutter out her explanation. She hadn't even thought to consider her virginity as a token to the marriage! She floundered through her explanation until one of the servants laughed until she gasped for breath; "Oh gosh! No, no we don't anticipate our people or your people to live celibate lives until marriage! We're very open about our sexualities' and in some cases conditions of a marriage are left open so that the bride and groom can continue to explore themselves with others." and then the girls voice softened as she gripped Clarkes' hand, "All of this is just symbolic to show that from this point you are no longer just Klark kom Skaikru, you're no longer on your own in life's' journey and that the marriage itself is sacred to you."
Clarke blinked rapidly and she felt a little dizzy as she sat down slowly. Zoe rushed over to ask her if she was okay, but she held her hand up to signal she was fine. The servants in the room also shared looks of confusion and panic, but Clarke did nothing more than sit and stare into space in front of her. For the first time in the forty-eight hours since her arrival in Polis she's hit with the first sign of shock. She had run on auto-pilot for most of this ordeal that it never occurred to her how serious it was! She was getting married! Suddenly she was overwhelmed with a feeling of homesickness, because how could she get married without her mother? And the thought of marriage just never seemed in the cards for her! Ever since her time in solitary, she lost the hope of having a life like that. Not that the life she would have imagined in the Skybox could ever compare to life on the ground.
"Clarke?" Zoe asked gently after a few moments of silence from her friend. "Are you alright? Because, it's completely okay to not be alright. This is a big deal and you really haven't had the chance to really adjust to it all."
"I'm fine, I just realized what was actually going on." Clarke let her eyes travel from the wall to her friends eyes. "I never imagined myself getting married, let alone here on the ground and without my mom."
"You imagined your mom at your wedding?" Zoe asked with a chuckle, "I could never imagine Abby a weepy mother of the bride."
"No, but she is my mom." Clarke laughed back in response, but then she looked at the servants that waited patiently, "Alright, I'm ready let's get ready."
And so Clarke was led to the same garden that she snuck into at night, but to the far corner with the deeper water feature. She felt an ironic bubble of laughter spill from her lips but when she was questioned she just shrugged it off. She didn't know if it was appropriate for her to be sneaking into the gardens at night and she definitely didn't want to mention her first time meeting Bellamy being in the garden as well. So instead she allowed herself to be led to the water and stripped. Her servants went in with her while Zoe stood watch, a silent reminder that even during joyous occasions they couldn't let their guard down. She let them wash her with the soaps and oils that they deemed necessary and when she finished with her bath she was led back to her room where they began to brush out and braid her hair. One of the servants placed intricate smaller braids along the sides of her heads and connected them in the back and then did the middle up with one bigger braid. Clarke was mesmerized by the way this stranger pulled at the bends of the braid to make it seem bigger, messier, but still ornate. Then she had some smaller free falling braids throughout the body of her hair. It was explained that each stand alone braid represented a moment in which her status as a warrior and leader were earned.
When they finished her hair they placed a crown of intricately placed flowers atop her head. Clarke wasn't the best at Earth Studies, but she knew that Zoe was one of the top students and was fascinated to hear her friend review the selections. "You thought I was just standing watch, huh? Secretly, I was asked to make this for you since your mother couldn't be here and it normally would be her job. I hope you like it! I put lilies of the valley as the base of the crown and some lilac towards the sides to thicken it up, but I wanted to emphasize your eyes so I found some delphinium to weave in with the lilac and three of the green orchards right at the center of the back of it!"
Clarke gently ran her fingers over the velvety petals and let Zoe see her watery smile; "It's beautiful Zoe, thank you." she said as she moved to envelope her friend in a tight hug. When the girls separated another servant came over with a bundle of material, it wasn't white, like the old Earth traditional style had been. They helped Clarke change and it was a simple deep blue tunic, almost black. Thick straps rested on her shoulders to keep the tunic up and then the third servant came in and weaved long strips of leather across her waist crossed over at odd angles and then tied off at the front in a standard knot. Her boots were exchanged for a silky pair of slip on shoes that brought her height down at least two inches, but felt wonderful on the calloused skin of her feet. And then the paint came, which wasn't shocking to Clarke, she knew that the grounders' believed in the traditional war paint to symbolize many things.
She had not expected the paint to be a shimmery gold color. Each servant and Zoe took turns with the sacred paint. To start the servant that braided her hair painted three gold bands on Clarkes' left forearm and this symbolized the three-hundred grounder lives she took in the name of her people. The second servant then dipped Clarkes' right hand into the paint up to the scar on her wrist from her time inside the mountain and then allowed the excess paint to drip back into the collection; this symbolized the natural born leader within Clarke. The third servant girl took her finger and smeared a steady line down the center of Clarke's face, over her lips and down her neck to the center of her chest, she then replaced her finger into the paint and placed two lines horizontal on Clarkes' face so that the gold smeared over her eyelids and just at the height of her cheek bones. The marks of a heda or commander. Finally it was Zoe's turn whose finger was dipped into the paint and then led by the first servant to create the mark at the center of Clarkes' sternum, just where the original vertical line of gold ended. It resembles a loop, but with sharper angles. Zoe's fingers started by tracing a diamond and then added on an open ended triangle.
The four extra women excused themselves to prepare for the ceremony themselves and left Clarke alone, but she was startled out of her stupor when she heard the steady and melodic voice from the doorway; "Your chosen symbol is fitting for you."
"Lexa…" Clarke smiled weakly in greeting, "what are you doing here?"
"I came to ensure that preparation was complete, we'll be starting shortly. Kane is a good man and he wanted to ensure that some of the traditions of your people were included as well. He'll be escorting you to the ceremony space and down the aisle."
Clarke shrugged off the emotion with an easy jest, "Yeah he would be good with that. Do you like it all?" she gestured to herself and then could feel the way Lexa's eyes trailed over her body.
"You're beautiful Clarke…" Lexa made her way further into the room and then sat beside the young blonde, but she remained facing forward, "I wanted to apologize for how things have turned out. I never should have taken that deal from the Mountain Men, I should have stood beside you."
"I get it, you know? You don't have to apologize for making shitty decisions to save your people." But the unsaid hung heavy between the two of them.
Lexa touched her right forearm gently, "If I hadn't listened to the voices of the commanders' past maybe this ceremony would be happening differently."
Clarke turned and smiled softly at the woman, "Thinking like that will only drive you crazy."
And then they sat in a heavy silence until Clarke broke it to ask, "What does the symbol mean?"
"It is a reminder of heritage, patriotism and family." Lexa paused to take in a deep breath before she turned to finally look the woman she yearned for in the eye. "You must honor your roots Clarke, because behind every one of us there is an ancestry that provided us with a heritage. Our values, our habits, traditions, skills and abilities. It's time for you to stop seeking stability, because you've already attained it through all of this."
Clarke hummed in response and then the two girls sat in another silence, this time only disturbed by Lexa standing up and making her way towards the exit. "I'll see you out there." she said solemnly, but Clarke couldn't let this moment end with just that, so instead she threw out her own condolence…
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry too, that things didn't turn out differently."
Bellamy knew what was expected of him after he watched Clarke leave the room. He knew that when he returned to his quarters there would be two members of the newly declared Skaikru standing guard at his doorway and three servants awaiting him inside and undoubtedly the presence of Roan. Since Bellamy didn't have a father or any brothers, it would be Roan taking over the sacred duties left for family. And Bellamy loathed it all. The beguiling and frustrating woman named Clarke (or Wanheda as he soon realized) hadn't left the room for more than two minutes before her stand-in ambassador was making more requests. Traditions that their people stood by to be incorporated into the ceremony, which of course Roan and Titus thought would be a brilliant chance to bring the two cultures closer together. If he thought they were pointless and a waste of time he kept the opinion to himself, but he let Roan know the second they were on his way back to his room his standings of it all.
"Don't look too smug, your highness." He sneered as they walked past the two strangers at the door, only Bellamy rolled his eyes when one of them greeted Roan as if they were old friends, because of course they would. "Come on Roan, we don't have time for you to manipulate the sky guards."
"I didn't manipulate anyone, I simply played the room to get what I wanted. And it worked! Imagine that." Roan ended wistfully as he threw himself into one of the armchairs in the room. "Isn't this exciting, the most eligible bachelor of the Ice Nation is tying the knot!"
"Yeah, it's really something." Bellamy grumbled as he threw himself face first onto the bed. "She seems problematic."
"She seems feisty!" Roan said in reply with a smirk.
Their conversation was interrupted by one of the new guards making his way inside the room in a fury, "Don't talk about her like she's a piece of meat you scumbag!"
"Damn it Wells!" The other guard groaned as he attempted to reach for the deep skinned boy's arm. "I told you to let it go man. Let it go!"
"How can you just stand there while they talk like this?" The one named Wells demanded with a shove at the chest of the nameless guard.
"Can we help you?" Roan said with a bored drawl as he eyed the two, completely unimpressed with their bravado.
"Yeah, you can, you can stop talking about my friend like-"
"Like she isn't an attractive and powerful woman?"
"That's not what you said." Wells grumbled out with a sulk. He then addressed Bellamy with a finger point (God was this kid rude), "You're about to be the luckiest man on this planet, stop acting like it's the end of your world."
Bellamy sat up and glared at him, "Please spare me the dramatics, I don't want to marry your Princess because it'll ruin my life. I just don't want to marry her in general."
"You are really selling yourself buddy." The nameless guard muttered before he promptly turned to Wells and grabbed his shoulders. "Dude you have to let this go, Clarke made her choice and we are so close to achieving what we set out for! Do not ruin it all just because you're jealous."
Wells in turn stuttered, "I am… I-I am not jealous Murphy! I'm concerned. For my best friend and her overall happiness and wellbeing."
"Not convinced, but maybe if you practice some more."
"Shut up Murphy, just because these guys speak your language doesn't mean you shouldn't be suspicious of them."
"Gentlemen…" Roan interrupted with a clear of his throat and clapped one hand on each of their shoulders, "we have some pressing duties to fulfill in preparation for our groom over there, may I suggest having this conversation another time?"
Murphy shrugged the heavy hand off of his shoulder and glared at Wells, "See what you did? You got us in trouble."
"Ok, seriously, enough!" Roan barked out as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I need to take Bellamy's sword and put in the tomb."
Bellamy groaned from his spot on the bed, "Must we do that? Can't we just say that we did that?"
"And risk Titus finding out that we didn't adhere to one of our sacred marriage traditions? No thank you, hand it over."
To Bellamy's credit he does and Roan smiles and makes his way out of the room, "Try not to kill each other!" he called over his shoulder as he whistled. And the three men sat awkwardly and in tense silence while the servants managed to get some things done around them. Bellamy eventually let out a groan as he threw himself back on to the bed, his arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. Through his peripheral vision he could see Wells still lurking near the entryway of the room while Murphy appeared to make himself at home in one of the armchairs. Some guards, he thought to himself.
Another few moments passed before Wells spoke up once more, only this time softer and less irate. "Look man, I'm sorry for how I acted. It wasn't professional of me given my position." accompanied by a snort from the other guard. "Clarke and I grew up together in space and for a long time it was just us. We were a lot better off than most kids on the Ark, but our family lives weren't the best. I'm protective of her like a sister and I just want to make sure she's going to be alright."
Bellamy could understand and appreciate the concern. If his sister was in a similar position he'd probably have reacted much worse than Wells had. The Ice Nation warrior didn't necessarily believe that and from the groan of frustration from the one called Murphy it was safe to assume that he didn't either. The three of them lapsed into another silence, this one far more comfortable and relaxing compared to the last. The rustling of the three servants as they prepared his wedding attire and sacred paints the only noise besides their breathing. With his eyes still closed Bellamy felt it best to extend the olive branch; "I swear to you, I have no intention of hurting Clarke. I'll do my best to make sure she stays alive, but I'm not going to be her babysitter if she goes running head first into trouble."
"Oh good, then you already know she's a shithead."
Bellamy chuckled, "More like a spoiled brat to me, but yeah that works."
A few minutes later Roan had reappeared to the room and clapped his hands together rather happily. He hurried them all along so that Bellamy could complete his passage to manhood. Bellamy rolled his eyes at the blatant enthusiasm in his leader, but it was in good fun. Wells and Murphy followed up behind them and the servants took up the rear. It did not surprise Bellamy at all that it was Wells who asked about their traditions. Roan was polite in his response. The marriage ceremony was far more intense for the women -or whoever chose to advocate the feminine role in a same sex union, and it was all to ensure the balance between duty to the human race and honor to themselves. For men, or the masculine role, it was more about responsibility. While grounder culture saw women and men as equal in terms of status, it was expected that at least one of them would be the provider. In a political situation, such as Bellamy and Clarkes', that role would be Bellamys' because it is Clarkes' clan that is joining his own.
The purpose of the sword ceremony was for Bellamy to prove himself a man. A few sly comments and chuckles by Murphy were ignored, but not before Bellamy whacked him upside the head. Of course in grounder tradition manhood didn't mean sex, because sex was sex. Manhood was the ability to commit to a task and follow through with it. The ability to respect those that have gone before him and to be able to honor and defend the future generations. Normally the sword would be placed within a tomb or grave of a family member to the groom, but as the setting didn't provide that opportunity (and since Aurora didn't receive a grave after execution for treason) the sword was placed in the sacred tomb of the first commander. It wasn't hidden or surrounded by booby traps -unless Roan had help, but by Bellamy walking out of the tomb with the sword he'd complete his transition from boy to man.
He's held his sword hundreds if not thousands of times, but when he went to pick up off the ground in front of the final resting place of Bekka Pramheda it felt heavier. He stared at it as he held up in front of him and allowed the weight to settle in his arm. He flexed his grip a couple times and gulped down a huge breath. Once he stepped out of the tomb he'd officially be accepting his fate. He'll be married, not just to a stranger or the Sky Princess, but to Wanheda. He'll be married to the Commander of Death. And he couldn't tell if he resented the idea or not. If he had known who she was the night before, he probably would have asked more direct questions. He probably wouldn't have noticed how blonde her hair was or how clear her eyes were despite them looking so sad. And then when she approached him and stuck her hand out he just couldn't find a single reason to say no. Fuck his duty and responsibility to his queen, he meant what he said to her friends. So much so he swore it to himself, to Pramheda and to the weapons he's wielded for his own life and protection hundreds of times.
When he exited the tomb Roan cheered and clapped him on the back, Murphy rolled his eyes and Wells stared straight into his eyes and when he appeared satisfied with what he saw he nodded once and then shook his hand. It felt like a small victory. Especially during the cleansing ritual as Murphy shared stories of Clarkes' leadership during their early days on Earth and Wells sharing his stories of them growing up; "It was always Clarke that got us in trouble, always, but my parents just couldn't get past what a sweet girl she was."
"Sweet, like a thorn in the side."
"You're really selling your girl up for Bell here, please keep going." Roan snipped while the servants continued to rinse Bellamy's unruly curls and wash his body with the sacred oils. "Is it true you were all criminals in space?"
"Nice reminder." Murphy laughed, "We were criminals, yeah, but I mean most of us were breaking the law to survive."
"Or to help others survive." Wells pointed out and that caught Bellamy's attention and he asked for an explanation, "A lot of the kids in lockup were sent there for petty crimes because they had no choice. Our system was heavily flawed and now that we know the reasoning behind it all it makes sense. It doesn't excuse the actions taken against children or anyone else that got caught in the crossfire, but it explains an awful lot."
"And what did Clarke do?" Bellamy asked as he waded out of the water and into the robe waiting for him. "How did she end up locked up and sent to Earth if she grew up comfortably?"
"Her father was an engineer for the Ark and he maintained the oxygen supply system. Somewhere along the line he noticed a flaw in the design and what was originally supposed to last us three-hundred years wasn't even going to make one-hundred and fifty. He knew about it for a while and had apparently been trying to figure out how to fix it. He never intended for Clarke to find out, but she did and for weeks I knew something was wrong, but she wouldn't tell me. One night she snuck to my family compartment and spilled it all to me, her father was getting desperate and people were getting sicker and something had to be done. People deserved to know why their children were losing their vision and they deserved to know that their untreated bronchitis was actually a reaction within their lungs to compensate for not having enough air…
"Jake, Clarkes' father, tried to talk sense into Abby, her mother. Abby has been a councilor for most of Clarkes' life and Jake figured since Abby was also the lead physician for the entire Ark that she would make the right decision. Maybe Abby did, or maybe she just thinks she did, but she and my father the Chancellor of our people executed Jake for treason and then within seconds of his death had Clarke arrested." Wells let the information settle over the newcomers before he continued to finish his retelling of the situation, "Abby thought she was protecting Clarke by sentencing her to solitary confinement for a year. I don't know anything about that, Clarke has yet to talk about it, but there's a lot of resentment that still rests between the two of them. I do know that she was two weeks out from her eighteenth birthday when we got sent down here."
"Do you think they'd have executed her?"
Wells swallowed thickly as his gaze trailed towards the grass, "I have no doubt that was my fathers' plan. When I confronted him on it he told me chaos must be avoided, the expedition to the ground was still unannounced at that point and I was desperate to get back in contact with her. So I punched a guard and got landed in lockup and hoped that Abby would try and get me in with Clarke, but no dice. A few days later we were being loaded into the Dropship and sent down here as experiments. I think it still rubs Clarke raw that either way her mother was prepared to sacrifice her too."
Bellamy scoffed, "I'd probably be too, yeah, that's fucked up."
"So fucked up." Wells agreed with a chuckle, but it appeared that the two men had reached some kind of understanding. The group made their way back into Bellamys' quarters and proceeded to get ready. Clothing was provided for the two guards and Roan took the place as the father figure for the ceremonial dressing. Tan trousers and a deep red top that was open down the torso with long sleeves. His curls slicked back, it only took Roan three times to get it to work, and then deerskin boots. He wore a leather sash around his waist and over the top of the trousers that tied in the front and cuffed his sleeves at his wrists so that they were secure. And then it was time for the paint, gold to symbolize a rich and fruitful life as a married man. The first servant took his right hand and dipped his palm in the paint. This was done to show that he was a warrior and could protect his family. The second servant took his fingertips and dipped them into the paint before he traced a line from the top of his lips down the front of his throat. He then used the remaining paint to place two thin lines of paint over the bridge of his nose. These lines represented his service to the commander and in his case his status among his people. Finally Roan stepped forward to trace the symbolic symbol at the center of his chest.
As Roan traced the 'Y' shaped design with an extended vertical line between the branches he spoke quietly, "For divine protection, that the higher powers spare you trouble and that someone kind will warn you about misfortune. May this acquaintance grow into a friendship and beyond. Let it guide you through your instincts and intuition."
The ceremony space was minimally set up. Lexa clad in her war attire stood in front of a large crowd on the stairway entrance to the tower in Polis. Bellamy stood in front of her to the left and Roan behind him with his sword. Lexa allowed the crowd in front of them to settle before she motioned with her arms for their attention; "Ai kru today ste a celebration! Osir join Belomi kom Azgeda en Klark kom Skaikru in sonraun. Osir welcome Skaikru as our own en celebrate the continuation gon peace en sonraun ona the graun."
The crowd let out grunts and war cries, some warriors pounding their chest and almost all of them stomping their feet in thunderous applause. The stranger across from Bellamy looked confused and he almost took pity on her, before he noticed Titus quietly translating from Lexas' right hand side. Once the crowd died down a little Lexa raised her left arm out in front of her, "Ai present Klark!"
The thunderous sound continued as Clarke walked down the aisle created for her, escorted by the one they call Kane. She looked poised, calm and collected. She looked beautiful, but Bellamy didn't want to focus on that. When they reached the bottom of the stairs Lexa prompted them with a question in English; "Who hands over the great Wanheda to this man in the name of marriage?"
"I do." Marcus said with a polite smile, he then turned towards Clarke and gently placed his cheek against hers before she silently pushed her up the stairs. She took her time to reach the top and walked gracefully, elegantly really. She looked like a princess and Bellamy had to fight the urge to throw the condescending nickname to her. Once she was settled in front of Lexa across from him her eyes met him directly and for a split second he felt intimidated. Blue clashed with brown and he found he couldn't look away. Once more the crown grew silent as deep dramatic bell chimes echoed over them, normally used to signify danger, now used to announce the beginning of a celebration.
Lexa continued to speak in both Trig and English. She explained the importance of marriage for mankind and the continuation of life. She followed it up with the significance of peace and justice and that by joining together the two clans and expanding the coalition by one is what the fleim feels is right. Lexa spoke of the commanders of the past and their conquests for security and the happiness of their people. She spoke of faith in the higher powers and the sanctity of an honorable life. And then she had transitioned to the vows, first she looked to Clarke and told her to repeat after her. Clarkes' voice was steady, strong and carried across the crowd as she said…
"There shall be one end for us both, one bond after our vows, nor shall our first love aimlessly perish."
Bellamy was instructed to repeat after the commander as well, "So let the encircling bonds grip my throat in the midst, the final anguish shall bring with pleasure only, since the certain hope remains of renewed love and death shall prove to have its own delights."
Lexa proclaimed from there; "I will now connect you both in flesh and spirit." and took Clarkes' left hand and sliced diagonally across her palm. She held the hand up for the witnesses to see, the legend of Wanheda would be no more than just stories. Proof that her life was mortal and that her spirit could not possess the flame clear in the sheen of ruby that now coated her skin. In turn Lexa did the same to Bellamys' left palm. She brought their hands together. As Lexa wrapped their hands and wrists with the marriage cloth -which would then be expected to sit in their home, she whispered, "Jus drein, jus draun."
Clarke let out a small gasp of pain as Lexa tightened the cloth knot. She felt Bellamys' fingers flex against hers and she felt her eyes trail up to meet his, she had expected to see boredom or annoyance in his expression. Instead, she saw a fleeting bit of warmth and admiration. He sent her small smile and she returned the favor only to have her gaze trail away as she felt Lexa place her hands over their conjoined palms. "Do you Klark kom Skaikru pledge that from this time on you will take the responsibilities and exercise the privileges of an independent household in the community of humankind?"
Clarke looked over at Bellamy and nodded once before she vocalized her vow, "I do…"
Lexa nodded and then looked towards Bellamy, "And do you Belomi kom Azgeda pledge that from this time on you will take the responsibilities and exercise the privileges of an independent household in the community of humankind?"
"Ai do." He never broke direct eye contact with Clarke and she felt a blush work its way across her cheeks, he didn't comment on it.
Lexa smiled at them both, her political leader's smile that made Clarkes' nerves prickle and stomach clench and then held her arms up out wide, "Em ste odon!"
No, Bellamy thought to himself as he caught Clarkes' wide eyed and suspicious expression, they were far from done. In fact, it was only the beginning and he was equal parts intrigued at their future together and terrified. From the wary way Clarke looked at him he surmised she felt the same. In a split second decision he pulled her closer and leaned his head down so that his lips brushed the top of her ear, "What do you say Princess? Together?"
She pulled back and smirked up at him with her eyes twinkling, "Together."
A/N: So some clarification! We do not have an extensive amount of information in regards to Grounder culture. However, some of the similarities between them and ancient civilizations has been highlighted throughout the t.v. series (it's been years since I've read the books, though I intend to re-read them this upcoming winter). So I took that and I rolled with it. I have a deep, deep appreciation for the Celtic and Norse cultures of ancient times -with ancestry leading back to both as well, so I decided to take what I already knew about their marriage ceremonies and add in some twists to make it seem more appropriate for The 100. I hope I did alright for you folks. Either way, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stay safe!