A/N: Hey guys, sorry it's been a bit of a hectic week, although positive, I have finally gotten my student id for uni and we went down yesterday to get my key and have a look at my flat. Funny little story, coming home, we were about fifteen minutes away and about to come off the motorway when my mum got distracted and we ended up having to drive another however many miles cause she just completely missed the exit. Anyway, thank you all for everyone who has reviewed on the latest chapters, I love you guys so much. And also thank you to everyone who is supporting my other new story Too Stubborn to Leave, that one is becoming so addictive to write haha, :) Anyway, love you guys! xx

The fire crackled as Clarke sat in front of it, holding her hands over the flames and relishing in the heat it was giving off.

They had left Floukru as soon as the last of Clarke's hangover had abated and had made short work of sailing back into Trikru territory. From there she had expected Lexa to take them on a route back to Polis but instead she had started leading them in the opposite direction, following along the border of Trikru to isolated spots in the forest and trails that didn't look like they had been used in years.

She jumped out of her skin when Lexa suddenly appeared, seeming to melt out of the treeline which was made easier by the fact that Clarke couldn't see anything in the pitch black.

Lexa chuckled softly as she dropped a pile of firewood next to the log Clarke was perched on. "Scared of the forest Clarke? You're been in far more frightening situations."

Clarke rolled her eyes as Lexa sat down on the ground, her back resting against the log, "You left me alone in the dark, that's enough to freak out most people."

"You had a fire." Lexa shrugged, pulling Clarke down to sit beside her so she could wrap her arm around Clarke's shoulders, warming the blonde up, who was doing her best to supress shivers. "I have a blanket in my bag I think." She offered softly, unsurprised when Clarke shook her head.

"You're more than warm enough, I'll just steal all your body heat." Clarke grinned, snuggling into Lexa's side, "Is this how we're going to be sleeping them, just in the middle of the forest with no shelter?" She asked curiously, already knowing the answer but still not quite believing it.

Lexa just gave her a surprised look, "It's not like this is the first time we've slept under the stars Clarke. We've done it both in Arkadia and Polis."

Clarke nodded quickly, "Yes, but those were both within major settlements, we're miles from anywhere or anyone else right now, it's just a little unnerving."

Smiling, Lexa tightened her arm around Clarke's shoulders, "Well I will protect you, fearsome mountain slayer who strikes terror into the hearts of warriors marching against her."

Scowling at her, Clarke dug her fingers into Lexa's ribs in revenge for the teasing, causing the Commander to yelp and bat her hand away. "Why do you enjoy this so much?" Clarke asked her, staring into the fire, watching the patterns the charred logs made as they crumbled and became embers at the bottom of the fire.

"When we were small, myself and Luna were a handful, and for much of our training it seemed as though all Anya did was discipline us." Lexa started, a fond smile on her face as she thought back. "Technically Anya wasn't even responsible for the training of Luna, but more often than not she ended up with us if we ever rode out from the city. It was a little past my ninth birthday I think when Anya came into our room in the dead of night and pulled us from our beds. We had no idea what she was doing but we followed her because it was not our place to question and we respected her, she took us out into the forest, far deeper than we had ever gone before. And then she left us there."

Clarke's jaw dropped as she stared at her, "She left you?"

Lexa grinned as she nodded, "She did. Luna's reaction was hilarious, I think she was shouting at the trees for at least half the night, as though she personally blamed each of them for being pulled out of her warm bed."

"So what did you do?" Clarke asked her, fascinated with any and all stories about Lexa's childhood.

"We survived." Lexa answered simply with a small smile, before her smile widened and she elaborated. "We made a fire and curled up next to each other to stay as warm as possible. The next morning Anya came back to fetch us, said well done for not dying, and then dropped us back off for our lessons that afternoon."

Clarke shook her head as she laughed, "That sounds like fun, did that happen often?"

Lexa sighed and nodded again, "It happened many times, which was fun and we loved it, but we were always taken deeper into the forest, or put somewhere predators where known to stalk at night. And the less we slept the more annoyed Titus was with us the next day when we could barely stay awake for his lessons."

"You probably wouldn't have missed anything important anyway." Clarke snarked slyly, "Except, don't love anyone, don't be happy. Don't get a pet, that's far too much love to have in your life. Except maybe a fish, you can name a fish because then it will swim away and you'll never see it again."

Smiling, Lexa placed her finger on top of Clarke's lips to cut off her sleepy tangent, "It wouldn't have surprised me if he had actually said something like that, maybe not the fish part though."

Chuckling, Clarke snuggled even closer into Lexa's side, as the taller girl carefully stretched out her leg and nudged a fair size log so that it tipped over and lay on the fire to catch and burn through as they were sleeping to keep them warm and also so that there would still be embers to relight the fire in the morning.

"Go to sleep Clarke." Lexa murmured in her ear as she shifted so she was lying in a more comfortable position, even with Clarke practically laying on top of her.

"Goodnight Lex." Came the answering mumble.