Clarke and Niylah

Chapter Three

TWO MONTHS LATER:

It was the middle of summer and life in their new camp was in full swing. Everyone was working hard to build homes for them all, log cabins that looked very much like the ones in the history books that had survived on the Ark. No one wanted to live in the bunker, but a different team of four would enter it every day and scrounged around for items they could use in their new homes, such as the metal bed frames. Even though most of the dorms had bunkbeds, many of the rooms had been designed for couples and had a double bed. Clarke, who had always excelled in her Earth skills classes on the Ark, remembered the ingredients that made up chinking, the substance that would seal the logs to each other, ensuring the wind and rain was kept at bay. Clarke was still suffering from nightmares, and still struggling to get back the easiness of her friendship with Niylah after she practically shoved her out of her bed for the sin of helping her through a nightmare she had no recollection of, so she spent her days quietly applying the substance in between the logs of the cabins. It was simple, repetitive work, and helped quiet her mind during her waking hours, while she tried to learn how to let go of the multiple sins of her past.

After finding solar panels in a storage closet deep in the lower levels of the bunker, Raven was working on how they could have a working sewer, along with running water, and electricity. Jackson and Clarke were their medical experts, but without the technology from the ARK, they were still learning about all the natural remedies available to them. Echo, Octavia, Emori, and Indra hunted and foraged for the group, bringing back plenty of meat and plant life to feed them, as well as prepare for winter. Murphy was the chef, surprising them all with the delicious dishes he was able to cook over a fire, with just basic ingredients. Niylah, who was raised at the trading post her parents owned, had a multitude of skills that had proven to be invaluable. She learned from a young age the names and purposes of all the surrounding plant life. She could prepare medicines, teas, and spices out of most plant life the rest thought nothing of, and was teaching Jackson and Clarke the medicinal purpose of each plant. She knew how to make mead from honey, which everyone appreciated. She was an expert at skinning and tanning animal hides, so by training the others how to help, they were all going to be prepared with warm clothing when winter hit. Both Jordan and Gaia also had some training in medicinal plants…Jordan learning from Monty and Gaia as the FleimKepa, so they worked alongside Niylah, taking in as much as they could and passing on their own knowledge in the few areas that outpaced Niylah's.

And then there were the logs. It seemed like endless logs needed to be cut and stripped of their branches, then hauled into their burgeoning little village to build their homes, as well as some community buildings. There would be Niylah's workshop, similar to her family's old trading post, where separate spaces would be set up for all the different projects she worked on, with plenty of room for when others came in to learn and help, as well as a private space for her to live in the back. Because, of her expertise in so many different areas, everyone agreed that hers should be the largest building, other than the community building where some or all of them could gather in the evenings, especially when the weather turned cold.

It was decided that they would work on the workshop and community building first, so everyone would have a place indoors to sleep once the weather turned cold. Then, they would build cabins for both the couples and the singles to share, including one for Clark, who would be the only member of their community, besides Niylah who would live alone. She joked with everyone that it was for their benefit, so they could all sleep through the night without being woken by her nightmares, but really it was because she didn't yet believe she deserved to share space with anyone.

ONE WEEK LATER:

Niylah was getting ready for a day of foraging. With summer in full swing, she went out twice a week, looking for plant life that would help supplement their diets and/or illnesses and injuries during the winter. As she finished adding a water skin to her pack, Gaia stepped into her makeshift workshop.

"Foraging today?" she asked.

For her part, Niylah had tried to create a closer friendship with Gaia, but so far, the other woman subtlety resisted. She could feel there was something below the surface, causing the resistance, but she couldn't put her finger on what that might be. "Yes," she responded as she continued her preparations.

"Do you mind if I come with you?" Gaia asked, surprising the taller woman.

"Uh, sure…if you would like."

Gaia smiled. "Thank you. I'll get my pack and meet you out front?"

"Okay," Niylah responded, her brow furrowing in confusion by the out of the blue request.

The women walked in silence for the first hour, only speaking when one of them found something to harvest. Then, as they stopped at a slow-moving creek to refill their water skins, Gaia finally spoke, exposing her true reason for wanting to accompany Niylah. "I'm glad I was wrong about you," she said, confusing Niylah even more.

Standing up and putting her water skin back in her pack, Niylah simply asked, "wrong how?"

"That night in the tent when you and Clarke were talking about Madi. You knew she was lying about making Madi a Natblida." Gaia stopped for a moment, making sure she had Niylah's full attention. "I was the one who attacked you from behind."

At hearing this news, Niylah took a deep breath, and gave the other woman a soft smile. "That explains a lot. Thank you for telling me."

"You're not angry?" Gaia asked.

Niylah shrugged her shoulders. "You're the Fleimkepa. I understand your duty to the Natblidas."

Neither woman spoke for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. "Clarke wouldn't let me kill you," Gaia said after a moment, giving Niylah a smile. "I told her that I hoped she knew what she was doing. Turns out, she did."

"Clarke is a good friend." Niylah responded. "She told me it was a man who attacked me. She was protecting us both."

"Clarke is more than that to you, and one of these days, you are both going to be at peace with your feelings for each other."

"What are you talking about?" Niylah asked, worried that Gaia could see into her heart.

"Niylah," Gaia reached out and laid her hand on Niylah's arm. "As Fleimkepa, part of my job was to always observe those around the Natblidas, so I could protect them better. Now, it just comes naturally. You hide it well, but I can see where your heart leads you. And, as for Clarke, I want you to think about everything that Clarke was ready to do to protect Madi. She held Octavia at gunpoint and was ready to shoot her. She betrayed her own friends by working with the prisoners of Eligius IV. She killed her best friend, and then, she had the Flame removed from Madi, knowing by doing so she was losing her connection to Lexa forever. She did all that and more to put Madi's protection before that of her chosen family. But, with everything she did, everything she was willing to do to protect Madi, the one person she didn't betray, the one person she refused to harm…was you."

Niylah listened closely to what Gaia was saying, also thinking back to what Madi had said about Clarke not seeing it yet, but that she would. Could it be that Madi was talking about Clarke's feelings for her?

After a couple minutes of silence, Niylah was still not sure what to think. Looking at Gaia, she said, "Maybe it was because she knew that at some point Octavia would find out about Madi, so killing me would do her no good."

"Maybe," Gaia shrugged her shoulders, but shook her head, indicating her disagreement. "I just wanted you to know the truth about me, so we can move forward without that between us."

"It was your duty," Niylah responded, her thoughts still swirling from everything Gaia had said. "It's good to know Heda was safe in your hands, but..." She grinned at Gaia, "I too am glad Clarke knew what she was doing."

The women left the creek to continue with their foraging, their conversation slowly loosening up and becoming more comfortable as the afternoon wore on.