Chapter 14

When Taylor woke up the next time, she had not recollection of how long she may have slept already. She got back into a sitting position carefully. Before she had agreed to lie down again, Lexa had another tea delivered to the tent for her. It seemed that it had either been stronger than the last one or she was already beginning to feel physically better again.

Taylor got back down from the bed, looking around and spotting Lexa within the tent as well. It seemed as if the commander was sorting through some of her things. She could not see Anya within the tent though.

Lexa looked over her shoulder when she caught the sounds of the movements Taylor made behind her. She noticed with the slightest frown how the blonde doctor seemed to be searching for something within the tent.

Lexa's stomach coiled a little when she concluded that Taylor was not searching for something, but most likely rather looking for someone, namely, looking for Anya.

She pushed the feeling away for now though "Anya is leading the preparations right now" she said in a casual tone.

Taylor nodded with a slight smile "I forgot" she retorted with a huff.

"You can rest until the camp will be broken" the commander offered with a pointed look back to her own bed.

Taylor shook her head in the negative though "I am feeling better already". She carefully took a few steps through the tent in Lexa's direction. There was still some pain, but it was bearable.

The commander must have changed her clothing again as well and Taylor immediately spotted a few gashes on her exposed arms. For a few seconds she was startled by the darkness of Lexa's blood until she remembered that the woman of course had black blood as a nightblood.

"Your wounds have not been cleaned?" Taylor asked in an attentive tone, stepping closer to the brunette.

Lexa looked up from her things again with a slight frown; none of her wounds were deep enough to warrant any need for attention of a healer. She knew that all the gashes would heal up soon enough on their own.

When she met Taylor's probing grey-eyed gaze, Lexa shook her head in the negative.

"Let me?" Taylor asked then as her eyes flitted back over the visible wounds on the commander's body.

Lexa slightly furrowed her brows "That is not necessary" she reassured the blonde woman.

Taylor gnawed at her lower lip for a moment before she finally said "That's the least I can do and it would make me feel better".

"Alright" Lexa inclined her head in agreement, standing up fully.

"Are there any more wounds?" Taylor asked in a professional tone.

Lexa nodded, knowing that Anya had gotten a hit in against her flank. She got out of her shirt quickly, letting the piece of clothing drop to the ground for now.

Taylor already had taken up the small flask filled with alcohol, ready to clean out the leader's wounds. She stood slightly behind the woman and her eyes were immediately drawn to the tattoo etched into the other woman's back. She could not see the whole tattoo because Lexa was wearing a sort of cloth bound around her upper body.

Anya returned to the commander's tent without any kind of announcement and the general remained standing within the opened tent flaps for a few seconds. Jealousy pooled hotly within the pit of her stomach at the sight which greeted her. The way in which Taylor was looking at Lexa did not sit right with her. She wondered if the doctor had been looking at her in the same way before.

The general finally cleared her throat, making her presence known to Taylor as well as she knew that Lexa long would have noticed her entrance of the tent.

"The camp will be ready to leave within the hour" she proclaimed in a neutral tone.

Taylor threw a short glance over her shoulder at the general's words, giving the older woman the hint of a smile, before she turned back towards Lexa. She knew that it would be better for her wound to heal longer undisturbed, but she was also well enough to make the journey. Her stitches had held her short walk through the camp earlier, so, Taylor was confident that although the journey which would undoubtedly be covered by horse, would be uncomfortable she would survive it.

"I don't think that I can ride alone" Taylor spoke up in a soft tone, while she gently cleaned out the wound on the commander's flank, feeling the heat emanating from her skin beneath her fingertips.

"Can you even ride?" Anya asked with a slight raise of a brow. Judging from the way how the doctor had moved through the woods to the camp a few days prior, she highly doubted that Taylor would be used to horses either.

Taylor's expression confirmed Anya's doubt. "Well…" she said in an unsure tone "…I did have a few riding lessons as a kid, but…" she let her words tail off with a loop-sided smile.

"You will ride with me" Lexa immediately decided in a strong tone.

"Yssa can also…" Anya tried to offer, but was interrupted by her former second shaking her head in the negative before she even could have finished her offer.

Taylor finished attending to the commander's wounds quickly, giving the younger woman a slight smile "You can dress again" she said officially. Normally, she would have bend down herself to pick up the shirt for Lexa, but she also did not wish to put unnecessary stain on her own wound.

A handmaid entered the commander's tent a few moments later. Lexa had asked before to search through the camp for a coat for Taylor, the dark sweater she was wearing, was hardly suitable to withstand their weather for long.

"Commander, I have found a coat which will fit her" the handmaid said in a kind tone, keeping her eyes lowered to the ground of the tent respectfully "Do you need any help packing?" she asked kindly.

Lexa told her to place the coat on the bed and leave again. Her tent would be broken down after they left and the contents would be delivered later as well.

Taylor looked at the coat in interest. It was clearly a long leather coat and she was fascinated by the many clasps and metal accessories added to it.

"It is for you" Lexa explained with a slight frown as she thought it would have been obvious enough.

"I don't need…" Taylor tried to deflect the offered piece of clothing out of habit, not used to accepting things as a gift just like this.

"Your clothes are not suitable for the weather here" Lexa evenly countered "we will arrange for a set of thicker clothes later in addition".

Taylor followed Anya out of the commander's tent only a short while later. She had taken another dose of the tea and Lexa had given her a few dried herbs which she could chew during the journey to ease any pain which may flare up, while the commander got dressed in her full gear.

"If you do not want to ride with Lexa, I can take you on my horse as well" Anya suddenly broke the silence between them.

Taylor slightly furrowed her brows; the general was not looking directly in her direction and she guessed that Lexa had only offered this because Anya was still recovering as well. "It is okay" Taylor finally retorted in a soft tone, not wanting to affront the general.

Her attention was quickly diverted from the general to the small enclosure holding a variety of horses. A brown horse immediately looked towards Anya, flicking its ears and trotting over.

The last time Taylor had been close to a horse, was over twenty years ago now. Back then, the animals had seemed enormous to her.

Taylor watched with a slight smile as Anya stepped closer to her horse, greeting the animal in person. She could not understand what the older woman was saying to the steed, but it was obvious that the woman was happy to be reunited with her mount. She waited respectfully for Anya to turn her attention back from the horse.

Anya's expression was uncharacteristically soft when she finally turned around to look back at Taylor, while she still scratched over her horse's soft nose. "Come here" she motioned the blonde doctor closer, stretching out her free hand for Taylor.

Taylor blinked for a second before she placed one of her own hands right into Anya's outstretched palm.

The general gently pulled her a little closer to the horse, bringing both of their hands closer and letting her horse sniff at the doctor's fingers.

Taylor let out a slight giggle as the horse's large puffs of breath tickled her fingers. At the same time, she was very aware of how close she stood to Anya now, if she stepped just a single bit closer, their bodies would be pressed together.

She glanced up at Anya and felt a blush beginning to heat up her cheeks.

Suddenly someone else behind them cleared their throat rather loudly and Taylor immediately took a slight step away from Anya.

Taylor threw a glance up at Anya and only flittingly caught anger passing over the woman's features, when she turned around and spotted Lexa in full commander regalia standing opposite of them, she noticed the same anger within her green eyes for a moment, before the commander's expression fell blank again.

"It is time to leave" Lexa proclaimed in an apparently tightly controlled tone.

Taylor was not sure on what to say, but she could feel the slight lingering aggression between the commander and the general. She did not know where this animosity was coming from though. The show never had showed both women together. The first time in which Lexa appeared, Anya had already been dead. So, Taylor could not be sure if this had been between them before or if she somehow had caused this tension.

"I will help you up" Anya offered before anything else could be said and the tension thankfully seemed to diminish mostly.

Only a moment later, Anya helped to hoist Taylor up onto a large black horse, while Lexa seemed to hush a few soothing words into the horse's ears.

Taylor bit her lips together harshly. She knew that it was not Anya's fault but the motion really hurt on her wound.

Lexa had still caught the groan the blonde doctor had obviously tried very hard to keep between her lips. The woman had paled several degrees and her horse was trampling in place in agitation when Taylor's hands closed around strands of the horse's mane in clenched fists.

"Easy there" Lexa quickly moved from the front of her horse to Taylor and placed her own hands around the doctor's clenched fingers.

Taylor opened her eyes again, breathing through her mouth against the pain and she forced her fingers to relax under the blanketing warmth of the commander's hands. "I am okay" she assured in a slightly breathless tone.

"Are you sure?" Lexa questioned in a kind tone, looking up at the doctor with worried eyes.

Taylor nodded in agreement; she also wanted to be there when Clarke and Lexa met. She knew what would happen during the next days and she had no idea how different things could play out now that Anya was still alive. Would Clarke still offer the knowledge to cure the reapers?

Lexa mounted the horse quickly in one fluid motion.

Sharing a horse with the commander was awkward to Taylor. To her it seemed as if Lexa was being cautious to uphold a slight distance between them, so, she herself was sitting rigidly upright in the front of the saddle.

Gustus was riding on one side of the commander, while Anya had led her horse to walk on Lexa's other side.

Lexa was conversing with Gustus in Trigedasleng as the guard was worried for his commander's safety. He also found it highly inappropriate that she was sharing a horse with Taylor and her offered to take the woman onto his horse instead, which Lexa immediately declined in a rather harsh tone.

Once their conversation fell silent after that comment, Lexa turned the attention towards the doctor in front of her, noticing how uncomfortable the blonde appeared.

"You can relax" she bent forward slightly, so that she could speak her assurance directly into Taylor's ears "You are safe with me" Lexa added on instinct.

Taylor turned her head a little bit, looking back at the commander, while she cautiously let her body relax.

Lexa seemed to catch on to what Taylor was doing immediately and scooted a little closer to her in the saddle, so that her arms rested lightly against the doctor's sides.

Taylor finally let herself rest back fully, so that her back fell against the commander's front. She had to tilt her head forwards or it would collide with the other woman's large shoulder piece.

After some time of riding in silence, Taylor decided to use the herbs Lexa had given her beforehand. She had not known though that the herbs would make her sleepy quickly as well.

Lexa expected it though and already waited to adjust the doctor's sagging body to rest more comfortably against her own.

"Is she alright?" Anya asked from the side with her brown eyes clearly worried.

Lexa nodded in agreement "She will wake up again once we are there. She needs the rest" while she kept her tone kind on purpose.