Lexa gently tried to rouse Clarke from her nap. She honestly could't believe that the blonde was able to sleep for such a long period of time while on a horse.
"Clarke," she whispered, but received no response other than being burrowed further into. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss directly behind Clarke's ear, followed by one on her jaw, and then a final one just above her pulse point.
Clarke returned to consciousness with a goofy grin on her face. She opened her eyes to see green ones staring at her patiently. "Hi," Clarke said in a sleepy voice.
"Hi, Clarke.. If you sleep so often then you will not be able to at night," Lexa responded.
"Don't underestimate my ability to sleep- perks of being a teenager." She was about to lean back until she realized something. When she received a quizzical look from the brunette, Clarke asked, "How old are you?"
"I am twenty winters old."
Clarke hummed lightly. She had been wondering how old Lexa was since they met, but never really found an appropriate time to ask. If she had to guess, it wouldn't have been far from the grounder commander's actual age.
"Are the two of you dismounting or remaining up there all day?" Clarke looked at Anya who was staring back at her unamused. She straightened up and spared a glance around her surroundings. They had stopped by a running creek that wound through the forest.
Lexa got off the horse first and offered a hand to Clarke.
"Thanks." Clarke's legs felt almost as if they were buzzing. It was the same feeling she got after a body part fell asleep for too long.
"It appears that the sky girl does not have very good riding legs," Anya quipped.
They did not stay in that spot for long, just enough for a routine water break and to relieve themselves. The next ride lasted much longer, and Clarke remained awake the entire time. She enjoyed watching everything pass by, it was relaxing to her.
They slowed their pace only once more. Several birds had set flight at once. They didn't have tropical or extravagant colors- rather the simple red, blue, and yellow, but it was still a sight to see. The way they flew together as a flock looked almost like a dance, they swirled and dove before soaring far away from the trio.
The remainder of the ride lasted well into the night, Clarke's was glad that she snuck in a nap earlier. At this point, she just wanted to get off of the horse. She looked upwards at the midnight colored sky and checked out the stars. There were some constellations that she recognized from her studies on the Ark. When stargazing became dull, the blonde returned to watching nature pass by.
Lexa pulled on the reins to halt her horse. They had covered a decent amount of distance, and the horses needed to rest if they were to do the same thing the next day.
"Tomorrow's ride will be longer. We will scavenge for roots and berries before we leave," Lexa told Clarke. She took a moment to complete a few stretches to release the tension in her legs.
Clarke's eyes lowered their gaze when Lexa bent over to touch her toes. It started at the slight curvature of the brunette's back, following it down to her pant clad bottom.
Lexa could feel Clarke's stare on her backside. She did a couple of exaggerated poses before leisurely returning to a proper standing position. Lexa turned around to a flustered Clarke and threw her an innocent smile while setting up a resting area for the night.
It took a snort from Anya to spur Clarke from her stupor. She shook her head and urged her legs forward, determined to distract herself. After looking around, Clarke decided to help with gathering fire wood. She found some twigs, a pinecone for kindling, and a coupe of thicker sticks.
After the ember grew large enough to keep the three adequately warm, Clarke wiped her hands together and sunk against a tree. She could hear her two traveling companions bickering over something.
"You need to rest, Heda," she overheard Anya say.
"As do you.. You hunted last night, I will watch over us for this one," Lexa countered.
"Fine.." Anya groused.
Clarke waited for Anya to settle down before heading the few feet towards Lexa. "Mind if I keep you company?"
Lexa looked at her with a small smile. "It would be my pleasure."
"The pleasure is all mine," Clarke responded while leaning her head against the brunette's shoulder.
The following day went the same, with the exception of a light hunt to tide them over for the day. After talking about it, Lexa and Anya decided to travel through the night as well instead of waiting another full day. The trip was taking longer than expected. The horses had periodic breaks every now and then. The pace was not as fast as the day before, just enough to make it to Polis by morning.
It had been dark for quite some time but Clarke couldn't sleep. She had too much energy from sleeping most of the day and the excitement of going to Polis kept her thoughts moving too fast to settle down. Part of her was worried for what was to come, and another just wanted the thrill of exploration.
When the sky began to wake, Clarke watched the sunrise. She felt Lexa poke her side lightly.
"Do you see that in the distance?" She asked while guiding Clarke's head to where she wanted her to look.
Clarke squinted, noticing a barely noticeable structure rising above the trees. Leaning forward to see better was pointless because they were so far away from it.
"That is my tower. It is in the center of the city," Lexa said proudly.
Clarke kept her eye on it until they eventually got closer, then her eyes fell upon a large wall. When they were just outside of it, Anya dismounted her horse and gestured for Clarke to get on. When the blonde hesitated, the general said, "The highest ranking people enter on horse."
"You're a general though." She looked behind her to Lexa who only nodded.
"And you are Wanheda," she replied simply.
Once they were all situated, Anya beat on the door of the wall. Two warriors pushed the sides apart and the trio entered. A much larger group soon crowded them compared to what they had met at the small village.
The structures were different. From what Clarke could tell, most of them were made out of metal, wood, and cloth.
As they neared the tower, guards began forming an opening in the crowd. They all moved easily while still admiring the people before them.
Clarke glanced behind her to make sure that Anya was still with them and sure enough the woman was. When the blonde finally dismounted the general took a few steps forward, staying withing a good distance for protection.
Lexa led the party into the tower. The inside was littered with plaques of weapons and portraits of the old world. The further in they entered, the more bare the walls began to look.
Clarke watched Lexa speak briefly with a guard standing post outside of two doors. The man disappeared, and soon after the doors cracked open.
"How do you make the elevators work if none of you have electricity?" Clarke implored curiously while stepping into the small room.
"There are warriors in a room underneath the tower that control everything manually," Lexa replied. If she was being honest, there were much better uses to put her men and women towards, but while in a time of peace there was not much for them all to do.
Clarke didn't have much time to think before she felt a light drop of her stomach and could sense they were going upwards. She eyed a few of the candles lining the walls and the all flickered downwards for a second before returning to their original position a moment later. After the initial feeling settled, Clarke rested against the railing that wound around the perimeter of the elevator- minus the doors.
When the door opened a bald man that Clarke had never seen before greeted them on the other side with a surprised expression.
"Heda, you're back." His voice was laced with a subtle hint of annoyance.
"We had to take a detour, it is nothing for you to be concerned with." Lexa challenged. Her posture was defensive and Clare wanted to reach out to her but felt that the time was wrong.
"It is my duty to be concerned about you, Heda," he countered, eyebrows narrowed. He looked past the brunette and locked eyes with Clarke.
"Wanheda," it came out evenly but Clarke could sense the distaste falling of of his tongue. "Pleasure."
Clarke nodded in response, not knowing the man's name and quite frankly not wanted to deal with him longer than necessary.
"We need to speak later, Heda." He barely waited for a response before turning to the left and disappearing down one of the halls.
"Well he seems like an asshat," Clarke blurted out, not thinking of exactly what she had said. Her and covered her mouth before mumbling a sorry and saying, "Sorry, I usually have a better filter."
Anya snorted and held back her laughter. "You are not far off, sky girl. He, Titus, is the fleimkepa and one of Lexa's most influential advisors," the woman explained.
"What's a fleimkepa?" Clarke asked, she had never heard the word before.
This time Lexa answered. "He is the one in charge of protecting the flame, it is what makes me heda." She paused while rolling her eyes. "Titus oversteps far too often because of that, he believes that he is entitled."
"Why not just pick a new one then?" Clarke couldn't see why Lexa would want someone around if she was displeased.
"His position is one of the few things out of my control. Future fleimkepas can only be trained by the current one. I can only assume that Titus has already done so, it would be unwise of him not to."
There was something about the man that caused Clarke to feel uneasy. She could tell that he was not fond of her, but she had never even met the man and had no clue as to what caused the distaste. Perhaps it was the history between Arkadia and the clans. The blonde decided to ignore it for now, opting to leave Titus be.
Lexa led them into a room. There was a couch facing the door, behind it a table with a couple of chair, and random decorations were scattered around the room. Windows bordered a large portion of one wall so there was a plentiful amount of natural light, which Clarke loved, and she could see candles that would be able to be lit once it became dark out. The most mesmerizing part of the entire room was the bed, Clarke had never seen one in person that was so big. Furs were laid over it and a few pillows rested against the wall.
"This room will be your quarters," Lexa looked at Clarke while saying it, making sure she was comfortable. "I sleep in the room down the hall from this one." The last part kind of slipped out, but it could be useful information at some point. The thought made the brunette blush.
"It's amazing." Clarke said to no one in particular. She sat on the bed and let out a sigh. "This. is. Amazing." She ran her fingers throughout the fur, they were much more luxurious than what she had grown used to.
Lexa smiled as Clarke relaxed into the mattress. "I promised you new clothes, Anya will show you around. If you do not see anything that matches your taste them I can have something custom made to your liking." When Clarke reached out a hand, Lexa hesitated momentarily before taking it. Is she had the opportunity to make the moment last longer then Lexa would've taken it.
"How long will you be gone?"
"The meetings will most likely last into the night," Lexa responded tiredly.
"Find me after, yeah?"
"Maybe." Lexa honestly wasn't sure. On a few occasions, her meetings lasted through the night and until the morning.
Clarke nodded and brought Lexa's hand to her lips, kissing it softly.
"I will see you later, Clarke."
"Bye, Lexa." Clarke kissed the brunette's hand once more before letting it go, allowing Lexa to leave.
After the light closing of the door Clarke dropped her back to the mattress. Her legs were more sore than anything, she could feel the parts that had constant contact with the saddle chafing. Clarke could see Anya standing by the door out of the corner of her eye. She leaned up enough to prop herself up on her elbow and lean her head against her hand.
"You know, you don't have to just stand there. You can sit down if you want to." It had been a decent amount of time since Clarke had seen Anya with the indifferent expression.
"I am supposed to remain alert while guarding anyone." Anya stared forward, looking out of the window.
"I'm not just anyone, I can defend myself." When she heard the woman snort, Clarke sat up and matched Anya's look. "I have never seen such a secure place in my life. Just relax, I know you must be tired."
"It does not work that way her, sky girl. Anything can happen at anytime." Anya met eyes with Clarke and at seeing the unamused look she sighed and said, "I will make a deal with you."
"I'm listening," the blonde said while crossing her arms in front of her.
"If we are behind closed doors- within the tower, then I will be more relaxed. Outside though, you need to listen to me." Anya left no room for discussion and Clarke knew it.
"Deal," Clarke answered. She got up and walked over to Anya, giving her a handshake in the way of the grounders. It was a better proposition than she thought she'd be able to get.
They rested for only a few minutes, both eager to get some grub in their bellies. As they exited the tower's door, Anya stood by Clarke and guided her in the direction of the food market. Clarke tried various foods, mostly meats that Anya recommended and she herself ate.
What surprised Clarke the most was how no one would let her pay for anything. The first time it happened, Clarke tried to argue but Anya stopped her and informed her that by their customs it was rude to say no to an offering.
Clarke was munching on an apple when they began browsing clothes in a small building. Different things were folded and placed on tables.
"You should look at things that will keep you warm. We can come back for lighter items when spring starts to bloom," Anya recommended.
Clarke would hold some things up next to her for opinion and Anya would either nod or shake her head. The blonde walked to the shop owner and was again denied when she tried to pay. She thanked the kind woman and went on her way.
"I can hold my own bag, you know." It was made to be swung over one shoulder. Clarke thought about saving it, for all she knew it could come in handy.
Anya sighed. "It is how we work. If a warrior is with someone of higher standing than them, then they carry all of their personal items." She didn't sound annoyed at all, Clarke couldn't put her finger on a specific mood though. If anything the woman just sounded tired.
"Well in my eyes, we're equals- if anything you should be seen as higher ranked than me," Clarke said slowly and deliberately, making sure Anya heard and understood what she was saying.
Anya faltered with her steps. What Clarke had said meant more than she would admit. Hearing it from Wanheda herself was an honor, but that wasn't what made it special. It made an impact because everything was always a competition; someone always had to be better, so Anya had never heard it before. Her throat constricted a little bit so she just looked forward and kept on moving.
Clarke could tell that her words had had some impact on Anya, and she had meant every word- truly.
Most of the walk back to the tower was done in a peaceful silence, with the exception of all the people. With Anya as an obvious guard, less people approached the blonde, but with those brave enough to do so Clarke would give them a light smile and be on her way- no one touched her. A few went to, not in an aggressive manor, but Anya stopped them none the less.
All of the sudden, a horse runs by them, its rider wearing a hauntingly familiar blue and white uniform.
Clarke looks behind her and can see the crowd parting, many people leaving the area all together- very few remained.
Five white horses could be seen in the distance. Two were in the front, one one that Clarke assumed Nia was on in the middle, and the final two behind her.
Anya immediately nudged Clarke towards the inside of the dirt path they were walking while she herself stayed on the outside, slightly shielding the blonde from view. Clarke tried to take a step closer, but Anya glared and instead stepped backwards.
As the Azgeda entourage neared them, Clarke could see Anya clench and unclench her fist- only relaxing when the new people were in front of them. Clarke could tell that her demeanor was all an act. Even when the five stopped in front of them her voice was cool and collected.
"Nia," the woman said calmly.
"That is queen to you, general," Nia snarled. She had on clothes similar to Lexa, but in Azgeda's colors. When she caught sight of Clarke an unsettling smirk spread across her face. She dismounted gracefully and sauntered the few steps towards the two.
Anya blocked the other woman when she came too close, but Clarke could still be seen clearly. "That is close enough."
"Come now, speak in the girl's native language. It appears that you have been demoted to the position of bodyguard. Besides, I was only trying to introduce myself to Wanheda, who will soon be mine." The queen was no longer wearing a smirk, but instead an expression of cocky overconfidence.
It was at this point that Clarke decided to say, "I am not a piece of property." It came out more edgy that Clarke intended for it too, but she didn't care. She didn't really expect what came next.
Nia laughed, she laughed like it was the most funny thing to ever reach her pale ears. "We will see about that, Wanheda. I will see you again soon." She walked away, eyes not once leaving Clarke's until she finally urged her horse back in the direction of the tower.
When she was out of ear shot, Clarke quietly grumbled, "Well she's an icy bitch.." There was something that was just unsettling about the woman.
Anya snorted and replied with, "I am more than aware, believe me."
The quiet that followed was less comfortable than the one they had had before Clarke met Nia. It lasted until the two returned to Clarke's quarters. Anya dropped the bag the bed and began pacing the room. Clarke decided to put her clothes away, finding a decently sized closet inside of her bathroom.
After sorting everything to her liking Clarke was about to change when she saw something folded in the back of the closet. It had a piece of paper with a familiar scrawl saying that she looked better in it. Lexa's name was written at the bottom. It made Clarke smile and she tucked the note away in the jacket's pocket. She added a pair of soft wool lined pants and a black long sleeved shirt to the mix before leaving.
Anya was still pacing so Clarke asked, not knowing if it would help or not, "What is ice bitch's problem?" She had decided the first time she said it that ice bitch was going to be her nickname for Nia.
Anya paused and stared at the blonde before shaking her head. "Do not let her or any of her guards hear you say that."
"Are you saying you disagree?"
The response was quick and short. "No." Anya intertwined her hands and placed them atop her head.. "To answer your question, there has always been this.. bad blood, I guess you could say, between Azgeda and Trikru. With Lexa being of Trikru decent, it made Nia that much more bitter." Anya shook her head annoyed. "On top of that, the woman is jealous of everyone that has something she does not. She wanted Lexa's throne, Costia." Anya closed her mouth the moment she said Costia's name.
Clarke gave he a reassuring look. "I have already heard some things about her."
Anya debated for a moment before continuing. "Do not tell Lexa that I told you this much or she will have my head." The general was only partially joking. "When Nia sent Lexa Costia's head, a note was attached saying, if I can not have her then neither can you." Anya spat out every syllable of every word. "It was her petty attempt to get back at Lexa. Nia made a point to join the coalition before sending the head so she would be protected in a way. Everything that Lexa worked towards would have fallen apart if she retaliated."
The story had made Clarke furious. One of her biggest pet peeves were when people felt that they were entitled to do whatever they wanted when they wanted. The thought of a young heartbroken Lexa made the blonde even more angry. Clarke was starting to see red again.
Anya could see the situation beginning to spin out of control so she she said, "Let us spar."
"Not now," Clarke replied through clenched teeth.
"Yes now, you need to learn how to control this." As soon as Anya had said it a furry of sloppy punches were thrown at her. She blocked all of them and was careful to manipulate the fight around the furniture in the room. "Control your anger, let it guide you instead of control your movements."
They continued like that until Clarke had worn herself out. She had landed a few hits, none of them bad enough to need a healer, but there was a chance for minor bruising to occur. Anya let her take a breather for a few minutes then looked over at Clarke.
"Better?"
Clarke looked up, but did not meet the general's eye. "In a way." She was no longer angry, but irritated that these random fits of red madness kept on consuming her. The way she felt when they were happening was awful.
"It is never easy being a living legend. You are strong, sky girl. I know it, Lexa knows it, now you need to too." Anya looked at Clarke and grinned before continuing. "Speaking of Lexa, I see you have managed to regain her jacket."
Clarke blushed and buried her face in the jacket's collar to hide her blush. It still smelt like Lexa and that was enough to calm her down for the time being.
Even though Anya argued relentlessly, Clarke had convinced her to take a nap- convincing her that she would be of no use is she passed out from exhaustion. Anya slept for what Clarke supposed to be around two hours.
Not long after, Anya called out to the guard that was patrolling the halls at the time, asking him to bring them food. It was more of an order than a question, and they both knew it, so he did not deny her. Her and Clarke had spent enough time outside for the day, and also did not want to risk running into, as Clarke likes to call her, the ice bitch.
As hard as Clarke tried, she could not manage to go more than ten minutes without nodding off at a time. She had talked to Anya, trying to stay awake, but it didn't work.
Their was a light knock at the door. Since Clarke had at last fallen asleep Anya went to answer it. Lexa was standing on the other side with a tired expression and two guards.
"You may rest now," Lexa said. She had spent the last twenty minutes looking through her list of night guards, trying to pick out the most trustworthy and loyal ones.
"Yes, commander."
When Anya left, Lexa went into Clarke's room and closed the door. She had already warned the two guards that if they were to speak a word of anything related to Wanheda then they would be stripped of their titles and exiled, which for many is a worse punishment than death.
She picked up the sleeping blonde, who woke up from the movement and quickly jumped out of Lexa's arms and wrapped her own arms around her. The brunette stumbled slightly at the abruptness of the gesture but quickly caught her footing.
"I see you found the jacket." Clarke nodded. "I had a short break between meetings and brought it up here when you and Anya were still gone." Clarke nodded again. Lexa tried to pull away, causing Clarke to only hold her tighter. "What's wrong?"
Clarke sighed and put her head on Lexa's shoulder. "Long story short I met Nia today."
Lexa stiffened. She had been alerted of her presence when her final meeting concluded. She wanted to ask what happened, but decided to instead ask Anya in the morning, having a feeling that Clarke wouldn't want to talk about it much. Knowing how trying the woman could be trying from personal experience, Lexa asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Just stay her, with me, please."
Lexa had to think about it for a second. She had picked guards that would not betray her, and they knew better than to ask questions.
"Anything for you, Clarke."
They separated only to go to the bed. Lexa went through the amiliarritual of removing her weapons, shoes, and jacket. Clarke did the same with her jacket, taking a moment to hang it in the closet. When she returned Lexa was in the bed holding the blanket open for her. The blonde crawled in and let Lexa hold her.
The brunette made sure to wait until Clarke's breathing evened out before kissing her softly, and falling asleep at last, her arm still wrapped around Clarke's waist.