After learning about the attack at Mount Weather by the hands of Azgeda, Lexa had called an extraordinary war council, in which took part the generals and ambassadors of every clan, apart from the Ice Nation. It took them a whole of five hours to agree to a plan of action to face this new threat. It didn't matter if Skaikru had just become a new member of the Coalition, the other clans still weren't easy to get on Clarke's people's side. Most of the generals were still reluctant to work with them, and many of them didn't like the idea of going at war against a clan which had fought by their side at Mount Weather.

Clarke and Lexa still don't know how it happened, but eventually they did manage to come to an agreement. Now each clan is meant to send a part of their best warriors to place a small defensive block around Arkadia. A few of the most valuable scouts will be sent in the woods surrounding the Sky people's home. They're job is to warn the army about a possible advance of the Ice Queen forces towards Arkadia. In case of a sighting of the Azgeda soldiers a couple of messengers will ride to Polis, where a bigger army will be ready to march to Arkadia, and support Skaikru in the fight against the Ice Nation. Of course, if it comes to that, Clarke and Lexa will join the battle alongside their warriors, as their roles require them to do.

It's midnight by the time everyone has left. The last one to exit the throne room is Titus, leaving Clarke and Lexa alone. The room still hosts the decorations and objects used for the summit, but the two hedas had had the time to go and change into their armors before the meeting began. Well, at least Lexa's wearing her armor, as for Clarke, she's wearing more casual clothes.

They stay put for a moment, both of them lingering in the long awaited silence. Then finally, Clarke decides it's time for them to leave the room as well. She goes for the door, expecting Lexa to follow her cue, but as she's about to step outside Clarke realizes the other woman is not behind her. Lexa didn't move at all actually. She's still inside staring ahead towards her throne.

"You're not coming?" Clarke asks as steps back into the room.

"I'll only be a moment." She says it with a reassuring smile, but Clarke's still hesitant to leave. "You should go get some sleep, Clarke. It's been a long day."

"Yeah well, not just for me. It's been a long day for you too, Heda." She says walking towards Lexa so she can stand right in front of her. Lexa can't help but smirk at Clarke's attempt to be formal, and makes the other woman smile brightly at her. If their people saw them right now, smiling at each other like idiots… but thankfully, it's just the two of them right now, and they can finally be lovers, and not leaders. So, they simply stay like that for a few seconds, staring at each other and enjoying the peace and quiet after the chaos that the summit had turned to be.

Finally, it's Clarke to break the silence with a heavy sigh. In an instant, shame takes over her features and she can no longer stand to look at Lexa. As she moves her eyes to the floor, Clarke starts to apologize. "I'm sorry my people interrupted the ceremony like that."

"Hey, you have nothing to apologize for." Lexa puts one hand on Clarke's shoulder to give it a gentle squeeze, and with her other one she grabs her chin to tilt her head up. Once their eyes meet again, she speaks. "They were only doing what they believed would keep you safe."

"Maybe. But still... They shouldn't have killed three of your guards like that."

Lexa gives her a shrug as if to say she doesn't have to worry about it, it's not a big deal. But then it's her turn to be ashamed, and to avoid Clarke's gaze. "If someone needs to apologize, that's me. It was my people who destroyed the Mountain, killing yours in the process. I know all too well what Nia is capable of, I've tested it on my own skin. But still I let her into my Coalition. I shouldn't have trusted her. I shouldn't..." Lexa's voice cracks, and she's on the verge of tears when she vigorously shakes her head. "I'm so sorry. If I hadn't…"

"Hey, stop." Clarke interjects, and moves her hands to her face to wipe away the tears that are now flowing down Lexa's cheeks. "What happened today at Mount Weather was beyond your control. This is not your fault, Lexa." Lexa doesn't seem convinced, so Clarke looks her straight in the eyes with a dead serious expression, and she repeats herself. "This. Is not. Your fault. Do you hear me? You can blame yourself all you want for betraying us, but you cannot blame yourself for the ones who died today. Okay? Promise me you won't blame yourself."

"Okay." She sighs. "I promise."

"Good." Clarke gives her a kind smile before leaning in to kiss her briefly.

"I love you, Heda." She whispers on Lexa's lips when they part. They keep their eyes closed as their foreheads are pressed together. When Clarke opens her eyes at last, she's met by the sight of two watery green orbs, and her heart immediately fills with worry. She wonders what she's said wrong to make Lexa cry all over again.

"What's wrong? What did I say?"

"It's just... I've never thought I'd hear you say that."

"Say what? That I love you? Because you're gonna have to get used to it, since I plan on telling every single day. For the rest of our lives." Lexa's smile is so big and bright when she repeats those words that it makes Clarke's heart melt. "I love you, Lexa." And that's when Clarke mentally promises herself to say those three little words any time she can, if that what it takes to see Lexa smile so beautifully.

"I love you too." She says with a big smile before turning towards the windows. "I'm gonna sit outside for a moment. I like watching the city at night. It's the only time when everything is quiet and peaceful. It's soothing." She turns back to look at Clarke. "Maybe you can come sit with me tonight. If you want to."

"I'd love to." And with that Clarke grabs Lexa's hand, and they go outside on the balcony behind the Commander's throne.

They sit side by side in silence for a long time. But it's not an uncomfortable kind of silence, on the contrary, they really enjoy the moment. It feels really good to revel in each other's presence as they look over a sleeping Polis. Clarke takes everything in, every detail of every building. It's actually the first time that she stops to give the city a proper look. It's beautiful, for what she can see in the darkness of the night. And Lexa's right, the peace and quiet are actually soothing.

"You don't believe there's a chance Azgeda won't attack my people, do you?" Clarke whispers as she rests her head on Lexa's strong shoulder.

"No." Lexa sighs. "I'm afraid we cannot avoid this war."

"I wish we could stay like this forever. It's nice to have a moment just for ourselves."

"I have a sparring session with the Nightbloods tomorrow morning. You can watch us if you want to. And then I could take you for a tour of the city."

"Are you offering me to come see you flexing your perfectly toned muscles, Heda? Because you have to do better than that to seduce me." Clarke jokes, but her amused look falters as soon as she hears Lexa's low and seducing voice next to her ear.

"Do I?"

It takes Clarke all the self-control that she can master in order not to show just how turned on she already is. Too afraid to raise her head and look at Lexa, she can still feel the Commander's eyes on her. Finally, she can't resist anymore, so she gives up her fight. When she turns up her head, Clarke is met with Lexa's green orbs, which have taken a much darker shade as they stare right back at her. And there goes that little self- control she had left. She can feel her eyes darkening too as she leans in to kiss Lexa. It's nothing like the kisses they've exchanged before. This one is heated and hungry, all teeth and tongues. Their hands start wandering over their bodies as well, touching everything within their reach. Their chests are completely pressed together by the time Clarke feels Lexa's cold hand on the skin of her lower back. Reluctantly, she leans back, earning a whimper from the other woman at the loss of touch.

"We should take this to a bedroom, don't you think?"

"Mine's closer." And with that they jump on their feet and all but rush to Lexa's room.

They spend hours making love to each other, and discovering every inch of their bodies. At last, their muscles are so sore, they cannot get them to move anymore without hurting. So, they just lie down on their sides and talk. They talk about anything and everything, explaining some of their people's traditions to one another, and simply enjoying the chance to share all of themselves with the person they love.

Lexa tells Clarke how the Conclave to choose a new Commander works. She explains that all the Nightbloods she and Titus are training here in Polis will have to fight each other until only one of them is left alive. The winner will be her successor, the one to host her spirit. She also tells Clarke that the most promising of the novitiates is Aden, a very smart and strong kid. Clarke can't help but notice how Lexa's face lights up when she talks about her pupils, and how proud she is of each one of them. The brightness of Lexa's eyes and the love in her voice let Clarke know just how much she cares about these children, who are like a family to her. Then Lexa tells her own story about how she became the new Commander. Clarke learns there were a total of nine novitiates in her Conclave, and that Lexa has tattooed on her back the memory of all of her friends. When she insists on studying her tattoo better, Lexa turns to face away from her, and she closes her eyes as Clarke's gentle touch ghosts over the ink lines on her back.

"This is beautiful."

"It's a circle for every Natblida that died."

"Seven circles... I thought you said there were nine novitiates in your Conclave." Clarke sates, remembering what Lexa has just told her.

"There were." It's only a soft whisper, but Clarke hears it loud and clear.

She's curious to learn more about it now. "What happened to number eight?"

"Nia killed her."

Clarke regrets her question as soon as she hears the crack in Lexa's voice. She doesn't need her to say the name. She knows exactly who Lexa is talking about. "Costia. She was a Nightblood too?" When Lexa turns to face her again, Clarke notices her beautiful green eyes are sparkling with unshed tears.

"We didn't mean to fall in love. We weren't supposed to." Clarke grabs her hand and gives it a small squeeze to give her the strength to continue. "We'd both been taken away from our families at a very young age. As children we soon became very close; best friends you could say. It was no news that we were inseparable. But what the others didn't know was that with time we got closer in a different way. I think we'd always been in love with each other. But as kids we were just too young to realize what that feeling was." When Lexa pauses, Clarke keeps quiet because she doesn't want to pressure her. What Lexa adds next makes the both of them laugh. "You can imagine Titus's face when he caught us making out in a hallway before our lesson."

"I'm afraid he's not a big fan of me either." She chuckles.

"Yeah... He believes that to be a Commander is to be alone."

"Love is weakness." Clarke says in her best impression of the bald man. "Now I know who you learned that from."

"Yeah well… Fortunately for you, I know better than to listen to him now." Lexa chuckles, soon joined by Clarke.

When they both turn serious again, Lexa takes a deep breath to go on telling her story. "We had a plan. It was a reckless one, but it was also the only way for neither of us to have to kill the other. We were both sixteen when the Commander died in battle. At the beginning of the Conclave it was already clear that I was the most likely to win. Costia always told me I was the smartest and strongest of all the Natblida, but I'd never believed her. I thought she only said that to make me feel good, because I was her girlfriend." They both smile at that, understanding the feeling all too well.

"The night before the final round of the Conclave began, Costia and I ran into the woods, and I helped her escape. Of course, Titus knew the truth, but he told everyone Costia was dead, and I became the new Commander. For two years, I had to listen to Titus's reprimands every time I'd snuck out in the middle of the night to go meet Costia in the woods surrounding Polis. Unfortunately, the dark did nothing to hide me from the eyes of Queen Nia's scouts, who were stationed along the path that led to our usual meeting point. Thinking about it now, it would've been wiser had we changed place from time to time. I mean, I'd always been aware that the Nia was jealous of my power, and that she wanted the Commander's throne for herself. But what I didn't know was that she knew exactly what my only weakness was."

Clarke gives her hand another gentle squeeze before Lexa turns to lie on her back. In doing so, she doesn't let go of Clarke's hand, who ends up tucked into Lexa's side, her head resting on her chest.

"For my eighteenth birthday Costia and I had planned to meet at midnight, and spend the rest of the day together. It was supposed to be our very first time together in the light of day in two years. After so long of just sneaking around into the woods for a couple of hours each the night, I was finally going to spend an entire day with the girl I loved. A whole of 24 hours to get tired of each other's presence." Lexa smiles to herself at the memory. She was the happiest girl in the whole world when Costia told her what her birthday present was going to be. She was so excited that in the days before her birthday she'd barely gotten a few hours of sleep. Finally, the day of her birthday, she'd left the tower at dawn and she'd skipped all the way to where Costia was going to be waiting for her.

Lexa realizes she's been crying when she feels Clarke's arms circle her waist in a tight embrace. Just like Costia, Clarke always knows what she needs. She guesses these are the perks of being in love: you understand the other person better than yourself. Lexa rests her chin on Clarke's head for a moment as she attempts to stop other tears from flowing down her cheeks. When she's positive no more are coming for the moment, she leans down to press a loving kiss to Clarke's hair. It's her way of thanking the blonde for giving her comfort and strength. She doesn't voice the words because she knows Clarke will understand. To prove her right, a moment later she feels Clarke's arms squeezing her sides lightly. Again, no words are needed because Lexa knows exactly what Clarke is thinking. "You're welcome, love."

They revel in their hug for a moment more, then Lexa continues her story. "I waited for Costia all day long, but she never showed up. Titus found me at night sitting against the trunk of a fallen tree and sobbing heavily in my knees. He was the only one to know Costia and I were still meeting, and where. He got worried when a messenger from the Ice Nation showed up to deliver a message for me from Queen Nia in person. After ordering for the man to be locked in prison, Titus came looking for me in the woods. He told me what Nia's messenger had told him: Azgeda had the Commander's lover, and they were going to torture her until she'd revealed all of my secrets. If the girl refused to talk… the Queen would 've killed her." A strangled sob leaves her lips, and Clarke tightens her arms around her middle again.

"Sssh. You can stop now." As Clarke whispers those words, Lexa feels wetness on her skin, and it takes her a moment to realize the other woman is crying as well.

"No. No, I… I have to this. I have to let it out. It's been haunting me for too long."

"I'm so sorry. I just feel so helpless. You're hurting, and there's nothing I can do to make it better."

"That's not true. The pain for losing Costia will never go away, Clarke. But laying in your arms makes it hurt a little less. It doesn't feel like I'm drowning anymore. With you I can finally breathe through this sorrow again."

Lexa feels Clarke's lips pressing softly onto her chest, and then she hears her murmuring in her skin: "I'm here. Keep breathing. I'm not going anywhere." With that Lexa takes a deep breath and speaks again.

"I'm sure you can tell Titus isn't a big fan of showing affection and emotion. But I'll never forget his strong arms keeping me from falling as I sobbed into his chest. He stood by my side the whole time as I was trying to figure out a way to save Costia. My people all believed her to be dead, I couldn't just send a rescue party to get her back. Whatever we were going to do, it had to be done in the dark." Lexa stops to take a few deep breaths, and Clarke can tell that what's coming next is going to be pretty hard for her to say.

"I was discussing a possible plan of action with my most trustworthy generals, when a guard told me a new messenger from Azgeda had arrived. The man carried something for me, a small box, and he was waiting for me in my chambers." Lexa takes another deep breath, and this time Clarke is terrified by what might follow.

"Not only had Nia killed the girl I loved… she had also cut off her head, and delivered it to my bed."

"Oh my God." Clarke is horrified by such an image. How could a person ever do that to someone else?

"I let Queen Nia into my alliance, because I needed her warriors to fight by my side in the war against the Mountain Men. That was the first time I made a decision with my head, and not with my heart." Lexa pauses a second. "Jus drein, jus daun. That's what my people say all the time. But sometimes blood must not have blood."

With that Lexa concludes her story. She stays silent for a moment as she stares up at the ceiling. Finally, she turns in Clarke's arms so they can face each other. Lexa slips her arms around Clarke's waist mirroring her position. Then a soft thumb comes up to caress her cheek, drying the remaining tears in the process. After a second, she feels Clarke's soft lips pressing sweetly on her forehead, where her gear usually lies. When Clarke leans back, Lexa tucks her head under her chin, and she closes her eyes.

She's exhausted. They both are. So, eventually they let sleep take over their features.

"Reshop, Heda." Clarke murmurs in Lexa's hair.

"Goodnight, Ambassador." She smiles lazily as they both fall asleep, safe in each other's arms.