Lexa had caught Clarke the second her body went limp, saving her from crashing into the ground. Lexa was startled as three young men came rushing to her aid and the instinct to be protective of her soulmate kicked in, holding Clarke's slumped body against her own.
"What did you do to her?" Bellamy asked, aiming down the sight of his rifle. Instantly the three guards by Lexa pointed their spears at him. His Adams-apple moved roughly as he swallowed in anxiousness.
"She was overwhelmed," Lexa said, fighting to sound more honest than defensive. "This day must have been building up stress for her, I'm sure she'll come around any minute now."
"Hand her over," gently urged one of the three men. Lexa realized that she was still gripping Clarke to her chest protectively.
"Hand Clarke over to Wells, now," Bellamy warned, lowering his weapon just a bit.
"Heda," grumbled Gustus, waiting for her command.
Hesitantly, Lexa handed Clarke's unconscious self to Wells, who shifted in order to carry her properly, with one arm tucked under her shoulders and the other under knees. "I did nothing to her," Lexa repeated.
"I'm not sure I can entirely believe that," Bellamy continued, Atom, Miller and Murphy closing in behind him.
Lexa had had enough. She wanted this to go through for Clarke, and these stupid pretend-alpha males were getting in the way.
"Do you really think I would come all this way to injure just one of your people? What purpose would it do to hurt someone in front of their entire community?" Lexa said defiantly. "If I wanted to strike fear in the hearts of your people I would have just charged through you all by now with just a fraction of my calvary."
The gathering around the riverbank began to fill with tension, and each side wondered who would strike first, when the last of the three Skaikru men had stepped up.
"This isn't what Clarke had worked for," he said, stepping in between Lexa and Bellamy. "If she was overwhelmed, then that's that. She did not work hard to secure this alliance, and I'm sure Commander Lexa did not go through the trouble of dragging a team of workers to help us, for things to not follow through. If Clarke is indeed just under a faint spell, when she awakes and sees that we are at odds, she won't be happy."
"Who cares what Clarke wants, Finn," Bellamy snapped. "She did not fully consult with us regarding all the conditions we were to offer. She sold us out. Now all of us have to give our labor to these people."
"What do you think the Ark will do when they come down? Let us frolic about? They'll put us to work too, at least the Grounders are offering us protection and prosperity." Finn retorted.
As much as Lexa had hated the thought of this boy catching Clarke's attention, she had to admit that at least he was rational. She could admire his attempts to keep Clarke's goal intact.
"Please, Commander," he addressed to Lexa cautiously, "When you're ready, we would all be more than happy to help you and your people start building."
Later
The sense of accomplishment granted by hard work was apparently all everyone needed, as tensions decreased as more work was done. Sure it started off rough, as some of the Arkers had insisted that the building should not commence until Clarke was able to wake up and testify that she had just fainted and wasn't harmed by the Grounders, while others greedily urged the building, only thinking about the luxury of having a roof over their heads. However, the groups seemed to tolerate each other, as seeing the framing of longhouses go up made the Arkers happy, easing the Grounder carpenters and builders who had felt the tension of discrimination brewing.
Lexa however had done what was praised of leaders, disarming Bellamy's propaganda that the Grounders did not truly care about them, by aiding in the building. She helped lug major support beams to the foundations of the longhouses and hammer planks into place. It had been thoroughly agreed upon that the longhouses would function as sleeping halls for the hundred, where twenty persons were to be housed in each of the five buildings, while the drop ship would function as the actual main trading post facility. Food and supplied would be stored there as well until the Skai people built additional buildings on their own, after being armed with this one the job experience of construction. The 100 were thrilled as the camp began to look more and more like the small communities they had seen in their text books, and began to almost feel like they were a part of something. The Skai people kept going on about how it reminded them of some kind of holiday called Unity Day.
Clarke on the other hand, must have been truly exhausted, as she had slept for two hours after her faint. When she woke up, she found herself in the drop ship lying on a makeshift bed. Embarrassed at the remembrance of the her last memories, Clarke slumped out of bed, eager to make her way out to see the fruits of her diplomatic labor. She had heard a rhythmic pummeling, and was curious to see its origin. As she pulled apart the parachute curtain of the drop ship and stayed at the threshold, her eyes were greeted to the sight of the entire camp at work, hammering together planks and beams. And then her mind snapped back to the reason of her fainting. She had been so overwhelmed to finally find her soulmate, combined with the fact of it being the one person she least expected, had sent her brain into overdrive, inciting a panic attack.
Lexa had to be somewhere among this labor, and she had some deep questions to discuss with her. As if on cue, Clarke saw the Commander working hard, integrated with Grounders and Arkers. She had switched out her ceremonial tunic for a more industrial-purposed one, and her lean and fitted body was complimented by it. Her arms, face, and exposed collarbones shone with sweat, while her expression seemed pleased at the activity. The longer she watched Lexa, the more energy she swore she sent out into the world, because soon Lexa looked up from her work, sensing she was being watched, and made eye contact with Clarke. The Commander's face instantly wore an expression of nervousness as she excused herself from her labor team and began to make her way towards the drop ship.
Clarke found herself taking a deep breath in preparation for the interaction to come. Lexa looked like a child getting ready to be scowled, trying not to make eye contact with Clarke as she made her way into the drop ship.
"How are you feeling?" She asked genuinely.
"Rested," Clarke answered. "Much better now knowing that I don't have to worry about anyone's safety for the time being. You really did a lot for us, you know? More than you probably should have for complete strangers." She made her way back to the makeshift bed and sat down.
"I had to ensure peace. My people don't need another enemy to fight, and yours deserve a chance at survival," Lexa said, maintaining a polite diplomatic air.
"Sit with me," Clarke said sincerely, placing a hand down next to her. Lexa's heart skipped a beat, already believing that she was one step closer to having Clarke sooner than she'd imagine. She joined her on the bed, but left a considerable space in between her and Clarke. "Did you know?" Clarke resumed.
"Yes," Lexa admitted, "but only when I had untied you from the post in the cabin. I wanted to tell you, but you were so frightened, I did not want to seem selfish. I wanted you to be comfortable, I couldn't force the news on you, not when you were so shaken. I did not mean to keep it from you forever."
Clarke listened to these words solemnly, processing them. "When were you going to tell me?"
"I wanted to do it today… or the next time I stopped by to observe the progress of your camp. I wouldn't have stayed away for long, I don't think I could." Lexa was surprised at herself for being so open, stunned by the calming effect Clarke's aura had on her.
"Did you do this… all for me?" Clarke investigated gently. "Back when you held me captive, you did not express any desire to offer my people anything, save for healing Jasper. Probably as a courtesy- but since you said you did not find out until you untied me… you offered all these things after you had found out. Was this entire trading post agreement done just for me?"
Lexa nodded as she swallowed, nervous for the first time in her life since the Conclave. "It's excessive, isn't it? I knew it, I just… I couldn't help myself. I wanted an excuse to constantly see you if I took too long to introduce myself to you as your soulmate."
"It's… a lot," Clarke chuckled, "But maybe you'll inspire people to act on destiny, like you did."
"They can't know we're soulmates," Lexa interrupted. "Not yet, at least."
"Why not?" Clarke asked.
"Because then they will piece together that I came up with this proposal to be with you, and not an act of peace and charity. This whole spectacle will be seen as fraudulent," Lexa explained mournfully. "They will see me as irresponsible in my future general actions as Heda."
Clarke shifted on the bed uncomfortably, not satisfied with the idea of having to keep her soulmate a secret. "I've waited years to find my soulmate," she began, preparing to fight for this.
"So have I," Lexa chimed in. "I'm sorry, Clarke, but I'm a leader, and love is an easy target for my enemies, you have to respect the fact that our romance may start out fragile. I have to make sure no one can use me against you, and vice versa. We can't just walk out in the open, not at the start of everything. They must get used to your people first before they can know anything, that way it seems like we found each other along the way, and not at the start."
Clarke exhaled deeply.
"I can understand if you do not want to be with me right now, asking someone to keep their love a secret is a tremendous request… that's why I expressed my desire to speak with you in private." Lexa said, filling the silence.
"You think I'm not going to want to be with you if being with you means being your secret…" Clarke summed up, looking Lexa in the eyes. "You fear your people might invalidate you if they figure out that you've done all this to win me…" Lexa could feel the rejection coming and, turned away, contemplating getting ready to leave once Clarke delivered the killing blow. "When I lived on the Ark, there was no way I could've known that my soulmate lived on Earth, I thought they lived in one of the many space stations as well. I've always felt that living in the Ark provided a minimum sense of life satisfaction. Jobs didn't feel like pursuing a dream like they tried to make us feel about it, truly nutritious food, not just filler, was difficult to come by, and any truly creative skill was always suppressed by either the lack of tools or education. Many people on the Ark invested a lot of life's energy into finding their soulmate in order to give their life some fulfilment. When I got my symbols from you, I have to admit, I felt like everyone else on the Ark- completely consumed by your existence. Now that I'm on Earth, and am surrounded by this overbearing thought that life now has endless opportunities to experience, one would think that I could rid you from my wants and needs… The universe wants us to be together," Clarke continued, and she reached to gently hold Lexa's hand, "… and I want us to be together, too."
Lexa turned back to face Clarke and studied her face, her soul filling with hope and dreams of their upcoming love.
"You do?" The Commander asked, containing giddy feelings from spilling into her persona.
"Yes," Clarke answered. "I will be with you as subtly as you want in public, but you must promise me that we'll be able to experience the love that we're destined to feel with each other. I can wait for you, but don't take too long. I don't know how I can resist the urge to be affectionate with you now that I know who you are to me."
Lexa smiled, content with Clarke's current perspective. "I don't plan on leaving you dry throughout this," she said, trying to sound comforting, but felt the desire to cringe when she realized the faint sexual innuendo that unintendedly lingered in her comment. "I will still engage with you in having our love grow when we are in private. I wouldn't torture you, or myself, like that."
"Good," Clarke mumbled, watching herself entwine her fingers with Lexa's. She then looked up, an idea dancing behind her eyes. "Shall we go help the others build?" She offered.
"Yes," Lexa nodded, "We have been gone for too long, it is time to return."
As they both sat up from the bed, Clarke kept her hand held onto Lexa's, feeling her heart fill with energy she had never experienced before. This must have been the start to indulging in what a soul-bond had to offer. Before they reached the parachute curtains of the drop ship, Clarke darted a quick kiss on Lexa's cheek.
The Commander fell victim to a violent blush that conquered her complexion.
"That's all you get for now," Clarke innocently teased with a smile, and slipped her hand out of Lexa's grasp. She stepped out first, followed by the baffled and smitten Heda. As they made their way to the center of the labor, their budding love-struck mentality caused them to miss the sight of Bellamy, who had watched them leave the drop ship, his trademark paranoia already putting pieces together…