A/N - Hey, I love writing this so much and I especially love how engaged you all are and the suggestions you make, I have a file on my computer where I write any ideas and prompts I get from your reviews and then I see where I can work them in! Anyway, please review and I hope you enjoy this one :)
When Clarke woke up on the morning of the second day of the tournament, she was happy to see that it was Lexa sitting beside her rather than her mother.
"Good morning." She smiled brightly, as Lexa leaned in to kiss her.
"Good morning Clarke." Lexa focused back on lacing her boots tightly as Clarke sat up and ran her hands over Lexa's hair.
"Can I do your braids today?"
Lexa nodded quickly, trusting Clarke to get it right as she moved on to tying the other shoe. When she had arrived in Polis Clarke had spent a lot of time amongst the young night bloods and they had taught her how to braid each of their hair in the warriors designs they had chosen. Then it had been Lexa's turn to sit quietly as Clarke practiced over and over until she had memorized where every strand atop Lexa's head should go.
"I've been meaning to ask," Clarke whispered, focused intently on bringing the different sections together in the Commanders intricate design, "You've been in an extraordinarily good mood lately, like a weight has been lifted." She observed with a smile.
Humming softly in the back of her throat as she leaned back, Lexa relaxed and closed her eyes, enjoying the gentle tugging at her hair.
"I was going to wait till after the tournament to tell you but I underestimated your observational skills." Lexa sighed.
Clarke narrowed her eyes suspiciously, picking up on the subtle hint of teasing, "Are you insulting me?"
"Only a little." Lexa grinned, "Anyway, the previous Commanders spoke to me in my sleep again, only this time I spoke to the first ever Commander, Rebecca. She said that I am on the right path and she agrees with my blood must not have blood decree."
Clarke beamed at her, finishing up the last braid and coming to sit next to her, "That's great!"
Lexa smiled, "Yes it is, but that's not the most important part. Rebecca, the first night blood, and the first Commander. She crashed to earth in a drop ship from a station called Polaris."
Clarke's eyes widened and she stared slack jawed at Lexa, "The thirteenth station?"
"And now you're the thirteenth clan, everything is coming full circle." Lexa nodded at her.
"The black blood is hereditary right?" She asked, "Then you're part Skaikru, you have a familial link to our clan."
Lexa chuckled slightly, "From many years ago. Clarke, we can discuss this more after the tournament has finished. I was waiting to tell you but it would have been wrong to lie when you asked me directly."
Clarke nodded blankly, still processing what Lexa had said and the further implications of it, "Wait, I have questions about-"
Placing a finger on Clarke's lips, Lexa stared at her for a moment, "Later Clarke, we have less than an hour before the second round starts and I am competing first today."
Clarke wasted no more time, darting away to put on clean clothes before following Lexa through the town down to the arena. The entire journey she kept throwing more questions in Lexa's journey but once the Commander retreated into her calm and collected warrior mode she basically ended up talking to herself. Not that she really minded, as it allowed her to work through the new information uninterrupted.
As they reached the arena, Lexa pulled Clarke close and kissed her before giving her a shove towards the dais, leaving to go join the other warriors waiting to fight.
Clarke huffed slightly at the abrupt goodbye but brightened when she saw Roan waiting in his own chair, "Good morning!" She smiled happily at him, taking her seat and quickly glancing round to check how many clan leaders they were waiting on.
"Clarke." He greeted, amused at how excited she seemed, "Do you know something I don't?"
She laughed at him and shook her head, "No. It's just last time I saw Lexa fight was against you. And I had never actually seen her fight and it was to the death so I was too worried to just watch it and I certainly couldn't have enjoyed it."
"But know you have the opportunity to watch your girlfriend in battle and swoon?" He teased.
Clarke paled, "No I- We're not- Wait, how do you even know that word?"
Roan let out a bark of laughter at her panic, "Don't worry Wanheda, I understand why you haven't made it public knowledge yet, your secret is safe with me. And Ontari was dragged along to a drink by your friend Octavia, apparently most of the conversation made no sense but what she did understand seemed to be being told backwards, but she did pick up some new words."
Clarke smiled and relaxed, "Ok Roan, I trust you but I wouldn't tell Lexa because she might kill you." She surprised herself with how easily the admission of trust came.
He grinned back at her, flattered by her faith in him and his loyalty to their newfound friendship, "Oh trust me, I'm all to aware of that. She would do anything to protect you."
"Can I ask a question?" Clarke turned to him fully, "Is Ontari trustworthy? Because I actually find myself liking her, and Octavia is close to considering her a friend. Really it's just the association with your mother that pulls her down."
Roan sighed and leaned on the armrest of his chair, "Clarke, a lot of reasons she went along with my mother are Ontari's stories to tell. But I will tell you this, no one was happier when Lexa killed my mother than myself and Ontari."
Clarke nodded resolutely as she saw the sincerity in Roan's eyes, "Then ok."
"Thank you Clarke." They were the softest spoken words Clarke had ever heard, but Clarke did manage to pick them up.
"Your welcome."
Their conversation was then cut off by Indra who stood from her seat and walked to the front of the platform once the last clan leader was in place.
"Welcome to the second day of the tournament!" She shouted to cheers from the crowd, which was larger today, in part because there was no one laying at home nursing a hangover. "Today there will be four fight, and our Heda is going first, battling against the Desert Clan's finest warrior!"
As the thunderous applause waved over the arena, Indra took her seat again. The Desert warrior, who was a lanky man with a thin, wiry build, came first bowing to Indra and the other clan leaders. Then Lexa came out and the cheers grew deafening, so much so that Clarke wondered if they could be heard back in Arcadia.
Once again, in place of bowing, Lexa saluted with her sword and then stepped towards the man, clasping his arm and nodding once before drawing back and backing up to put a small amount of distance between them.
When Indra's arm dropped there was dead silence from the crowd as the Desert warrior rushed her, but when he stumbled past it looked as if Lexa hadn't moved at all. Everyone leaned forwards in confusion before noticing that she had sidestepped at the last possible second and slammed her elbow into his back to cause the stumble.
This time he came at her slower, swinging round in an arc before changing direction and aiming the sword at her exposed neck.
Lexa ducked under quickly and then blocked his next strike by holding her own blade flat against her forearm, catching the blow by simply raising the limb in front of her face.
With the momentum carrying him towards her, he fell into her just enough for her to grasp the back of his shirt and pull so they were face to face. Lexa's expression was a picture of tranquility as her hand shot out and snatched his sword straight out of his hand, dropping her own to the ground as she raised his own blade to his neck.
The Desert warrior grinned ruefully as he held up his hands to admit defeat, having known from the start that his chances of beating Heda were practically none existent. He bowed to the platform as was expected and then turned and bowed to Lexa, whose lips twitched slightly as she handed him back his sword.
Then he retreated off the field.
Lexa bent to pick her sword from where it had fallen and then raised it once again to the clan leaders, before heading straight for the platform, jumping up and snapping her fingers at one of the guards to fetch her a seat to put next to Clarke's.
As the seat was being carried over, the Desert Clan Leader stood up to greet Lexa, "He may be my best but he never stood a chance against you Heda, congratulations on your win." Lexa smiled at him and shook his hand before taking her seat.
"Showoff." Clarke muttered under her breath to Lexa, who grinned but didn't say a word.
Roan leaned over to get closer to them, "You just won a battle without even swinging your sword, I think Clarke has a point."
Lexa shrugged lightly, "I wouldn't want anyone questioning my abilities."
Clarke laughed and shook her head, a hundred percent sure that Clarke herself was the one Lexa was showing off for.
The next battle was between the Boat Clan and the Shadow Valley Clan. Both fought well but after a close match the Boat People came out victorious, which Clarke could tell Lexa was pleased at. Before she could ask why, Lexa had spun around to address the Boat Clan Leader who was almost directly behind her.
"It looks like I might be facing your man in the next round Luna." She smirked and Clarke began to understand, she had mentioned a friend called Luna on a few separate occasions, and the friendly rivalry they had going on.
"Don't underestimate him Lexa, he may beat you yet." The Boat Leader grinned back. Clarke sucked in a breath of air worriedly at the woman using Lexa's given name but no one batted an eyelid so she assumed that their friendship must be widely known, because she knew for a fact that no other clan leader would get away with that level of familiarity being flaunted in front of the other twelve.
Lexa chuckled and then stood again to announce the next battle, between the Skaikru and the Broadleaf clan. As Octavia and the other warrior walked out Lexa sat down next to Clarke who leaned into Lexa worriedly, "He's huge."
Lexa smiled at her comfortingly, "Yes but that makes him slow, Octavia is fast and a whole lot smarter, worst case all she had to do it dance around until he tires."
And that's exactly what happened.
From the instant Lexa signaled for the fight to begin, Octavia played it smart, darting and weaving around the other warrior. Coming just close enough to land a glancing blow and the disappearing again as though she had evaporated into smoke. The warrior growled in frustration and kept his massive blows coming, but even though a single one would end the match if it landed, he was unable to catch the sky girl.
After his strikes had become noticeably slower Octavia ducked under the next instead of spinning away, going into a tight roll on her shoulder and coming up behind him.
With deadly accuracy she kicked the back of his leg to force him onto one knee and then she jumped onto his back, clinging tight and wrapping an arm round his neck before throwing all her weight backwards to topple him over.
Rolling to the side just in time, she bounced back up and stamped on the wrist of the hand holding his sword, punching him with the hilt of her own to keep him down just long enough for him to release the blade so she could kick it away.
When the warrior raised his hands helplessly there was dead silence for a beat before the crowd went wild. Truly, they had not believed that one of the Skaikru could compete fairly and hold their own, but many had found themselves rooting for Octavia during the battle.
Octavia considered for a moment and then held her arm out to the warrior she had beaten, who took it and let her help him to his feet, then they bowed to the platform together before standing shoulder to shoulder as the other contestants joined them on the field.
Lexa stood back up for the final time that day, "Congratulations to all our warriors. Tomorrow will feature two fights, between myself and the Boat Clan's warrior, and also the warriors from Azgeda and Skaikru. We meet here on the field off battle three hours after dawn."
She stepped to the side as everyone began leaving, making her way straight over to Octavia who was practically vibrating with the amount of excess adrenaline still in her system.
"Well done Octavia." Lexa smiled warmly, "Time and again you prove you were born for this life."
She walked away without another word, leaving Octavia staring after her as Clarke came over and tapped her friend on the shoulder to catch her attention.
"Girlfriend approved." Was all she said in a slightly shaky, joking voice, as Clarke laughed and started dragging her over to their people who would surely want to congratulate her on her fight.