"So, if you aren't back within the week and I haven't heard from you, I'll right straight to the border."
Before Lexa could continue talking, Clarke pressed her fingers to her wife's lips, "I love you, and I'm worried that you're going to pass out if you don't pause for breath soon." Clarke laughed, waiting patiently until Lexa reluctantly nodded her agreement not to start off on another tirade. "You've told me three times already, I will be fine." She said reassuringly before reaching out and pulling Lexa into her arms.
"I just hate that you have to go, I want you to stay here." Lexa muttered against her chest.
Clarke just laughed again, "Now you know how I felt anytime you disappeared off into danger. At least you know that Roan would never hurt me. He owes you too much, and I swear to you that he considers Ontari his sister, even if he'd never let her know that."
Lexa grinned despite herself, "I know, I'm being ridiculous, but I love you and I want you to be safe."
"And I will be." Clarke answered her seriously, not wanting to make light of just how nervous Lexa was about the whole endeavour. "I swear to you that I'm coming back. And I will send messages every two days. It's only a couple hours ride away, so if anything happens you know you can get there."
Squaring her shoulders, Lexa stepped back and looked at her with authority, "If you die Clarke, then I will kill you."
"I'm sure you will." Clarke chuckled, before taking her hand and twisting their fingers together. "I love you."
"Ai hod yu in." Lexa breathed softly, before cupping Clarke's cheek with her hand and drawing her close, bringing their lips together in a soft, tender kiss. "Be safe."
Nodding once more, Clarke released her grip on Lexa's hand and swung up onto her horse, taking the reins that Lexa handed to her. "Two days, expect my message at midday." Clarke told her, smiling down reassuringly once more before clicking her tongue and turning her horse towards the gate.
"Let's go!" She called to her party of twelve warriors, ordered to protect her at all costs by Lexa. Not that they needed it. Each of them may be one of Lexa's most trusted warriors, but they had each volunteered for this task, each owing their own debts to Clarke kom Skaikru.
Octavia limped over to Lexa as they watched Clarke ride out of Polis and across the field before disappearing into the trees and out of sight.
"For a moment there, I thought you weren't going to let her get on that horse." Octavia remarked, as Lexa looked over to her and shook her head disapprovingly.
"You shouldn't be out of bed, Clarke told you not to be moving about on that leg." She spoke softly, but with a stern edge to her voice.
Octavia shrugged lightly, "I thought you'd realized by now that your Heda voice doesn't apply to me anymore, and she said to take it easy, but it's not like I'm running laps of the city walls. Besides, I thought you might need me." She almost whispered the last bit, offering comfort freely but half expecting Lexa to snap at her and storm off.
Lexa gritted her teeth for a moment, but then forced herself to relax and nodded, just once, "I suppose I'm not entirely ungrateful that you're here."
"So, what do we do now?" Octavia asked, linking her arm with Lexa's comfortably.
"We need to find out why this attack happened, but it's so strange…. I'm not entirely sure where to start." Lexa answered her, as they turned away from the gate and started walking back towards the tower.
Octavia was quiet for a moment as she thought, "Have you called a meeting with the ambassadors for each clan yet?" She asked curiously.
"Not yet." Lexa replied, steading Octavia as she stumbled slightly on the uneven ground.
"That's probably where you should start then." Octavia smiled thankfully up at the taller girl. "At least then you can rule out whether any of them had a hand in it."
Lexa chuckled, "And if they lie? Then I'm back to exactly where I was."
Octavia shook her head, "Have you tried lying to you? Trust me it doesn't work. If me and Ontari skip like one training session and then try and get it past you, you make us regret it for weeks. You just know, it's slightly scary."
"It's strange that you claim to love me so often and yet seem so scared of me. Is it all a ploy to stop me from killing you?" Lexa asked teasingly, nodding to the guards on the doors as they pulled them open to admit the two of them into the building.
"It is an effective survival strategy." Octavia nodded in agreement, "But that doesn't mean it's not true. We all love you, no one more than Clarke, which is why you can trust when she promises to come back. Clarke would never break a promise to you, it'd be like a betrayal of herself."
"Mochof Octavia." Lexa smiled, "I'm still worried, but I appreciate the effort."
"Yes, I know," Octavia laughed, "I don't expect you to stop worrying until the minute that Clarke walks back through the gates."