And here is the conclusion. There may or may not be a follow-up to continue this series, just because I really love writing for Clarke and Lexa. As always, I relish in all forms of feedback and critique, so please leave a review if you can.
The good weather mocks the sombre mood of the three women as they enter the Trikru village the following afternoon. After the previous night's revelations, the day had been spent in almost-silence, Clarke still trying to process Lexa's history.
Murmurs follow them as they walk, the grounders stunned that Lexa has returned to her village once more. Some bow out of respect, but Lexa acknowledges no-one; she walks with purpose, straight to her childhood home. A woman stands at the entrance, and Clarke can see from a distance that she is the spitting image of Lexa. As they approach the woman runs towards them, and straight into Lexa's arms.
"Welcome home," the woman says in Trigedasleng.
"Phyllipa," Lexa breathes, returning the hug with force. The two women break apart, and Lexa turns to Clarke.
"Clarke, this is my little sister, Phyllipa. Phyllipa, this is… this is my Clarke." Now that she can see the third sister up close, she notices the similarities between her and Lexa. They have the same eyes, the same small smile, the same rigid posture. Clarke smiles at the introduction, and offers her hand to Phyllipa, who promptly shakes it.
"It is nice to meet you, Clarke. And it is even better to see you again, Lexi." Lexa smiles at her younger sister.
"I understand that you have a family that I must be introduced to?" Lexa inquires, and Phyllipa leads the women into the old home. Inside stands a man, broad shouldered, and muscular, his face hidden by a short beard. In his arms sits a baby, no more than a year old.
"Lexa, this is my partner, Noah," Phyllipa beams, "and my son, Julius." Lexa approaches the man, and he gives a small bow.
"It is an honor to meet you, heda," he says.
"Noah, you are part of my family. Call me Lexa," she replies. Grinning, Noah offers the curious child to his aunt, who gladly takes him.
"Heya, Julius," the commander coos at the little boy, and Clarke feels herself fall a tiny bit more in love with her girlfriend. "He is named for my father," Lexa explains.
"It's a wonderful name," Clarke replies, smiling at the child. Julius reaches his chubby hands out to Noah, who gently takes his son into his arms once more.
"You have a handsome son, Phyllipa, and a gentle husband," Lexa smiles, "I am glad that you've found happiness."
"And I am glad that you've found yours," Phyllipa replies, gesturing to Clarke, who blushes deeply.
For the first time in a very long time, thinking about her future did not give Clarke anxiety. Life on the Ark had been mundane and predictable, that is, until she was thrown into her prison cell. And ever since hitting the ground, it was as though she were trying to outrun an inescapable force that would kill her the first it chance it got. But now, now she stood with Lexa by her side, and she watched a small family live a normal life filled with love and nothing much else, and for once, Clarke could see herself with greying hair, with Lexa's hand in hers.
A coughing sound cuts through the pleasantries, firmly planting Lexa back into the reality of her visit. Squeezing Clarke's hand, she takes a deep breath, before going alone into her mother's private room.
Despite spending the past two days of silence trying to prepare herself, Lexa lets out a small gasp when she sees the frail woman before her. Her mother is barely skin and bone, her face emaciated, and filled with pain. But when she sees her daughter standing in the doorway, her green eyes light up, joy defeating the pain.
"Nomon," Lexa whispers, her eyes welling with tears.
"Lexa," the woman breathes, "you have come back to me." Lexa kneels by her mother's side, and takes a small, bony hand in her own.
"I am sorry, Mama, for leaving you, and deserting our family-"
"Lexi," she says, cutting off her daughter, "you have nothing to apologize for."
"But Papa-"
"Your father was more proud of you than words could describe, and I, too am so very proud."
"Every decision, every action, every step- I did everything for you, Mama. I did my best so you'd be safe, and so you'd be proud of who I'd become," Lexa admits, not bothering to wipe away her tears.
"Oh, how I have missed you, Alexandria." Lexa leans forward, and embraces her mother. She pulls away when she hears a knock on the doorframe.
She beckons an apprehensive Clarke into the room, and turns to her mother.
"Mama, this is my love, Clarke," Lexa introduces, "Clarke, this is my mother, Augusta kom Trikru."
"It is an honor to meet you, Nomon Heda," Clarke says, bowing deeply. When she stands straight, she sees Augusta's eyes boring into her. Though they differ in shade to her daughter's, they hold the same critical gleam.
"Clarke," Augusta breathes, "a star sent straight from the heavens to be with my daughter."
"I'm a very lucky woman," Clarke tells Augusta, "your daughter is… well, she is everything."
"I am glad that she has found solace within you, and more importantly, that she has found proper family in Polis."
"You are still my family when I am in Polis," Lexa tells the ailing woman.
"Yes, but you have been lonely there, and now, you have Clarke."
A few days later, two families gather around Augusta's bed, as Daria's bonding ceremony takes place. Her fiance, Venn, is taller than Noah, his head shaved bald for the ceremony. He and Daria stand hand in hand, wearing matching blue clothing. Clarke struggles to keep up with the swift pace of their Trigedasleng, but catches words like 'oath', 'love', 'family', and 'forever', and she can't help but imagine herself standing in Daria's place, with Lexa's hands in her own, promising to love the grounder forever.
A man with similar tattoos to Titus steps forward, and takes Venn and Daria's right hands, and with a needle, he tattoos a small sun on each of their index fingers.
"You are committed to each other, like the earth to its sun," the man says, and Venn and Daria link their hands, as their family members offer their congratulations. Lexa looks down at her mother, and sees her tearing up at the sight of her daughter's finished ceremony. Clarke sees the wistful look on Lexa's face, and knows that she desperately wants Augusta to witness her bonding ceremony, too.
And so, later that night, as the celebrations continue in the middle of the village, Clarke drags a confused Lexa back to her mother's room, quietly shutting the door behind them.
"Lexa? Clarke? What is this about?" Augusta asks.
"I am wondering the same, Mama. Clarke?" Clarke takes a deep breath.
"I know this isn't the right way for things to be done, but we're doing this anyway," she tells the grounders. She stand facing Lexa, and holds her hands.
"Leksa kom Trikru, I vow to be with you for the rest of our lives, to support you through any decisions you need to make, to help you when you refuse to help yourself. I vow to hold you, to care for you, and to love you, forever."
Lexa stares at Clarke, shocked.
"Clarke, we don't have to-"
"No, we do. Because I know you need your mother to be at your bonding ceremony, and because I can deal with my mother when we return to Polis. So just… promise to love me."
Uncharacter tears pool in Lexa's eyes as well as in her mother's.
"I possess a book from the old world, and when I look at you, Clarke, I can think of only one passage: 'Where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your gods, my gods. Where you die, I will die, and there we shall be buried.'
"Clarke, I vow to follow you to the ends of this earth, to protect you, to stand by your side through any obstacles in our path. I vow to hold you in my heart, I vow to keep you in my arms, and I vow to love you forever."
Clarke turns to the kit left behind by the old tattooed man, and procures ink and a needle, carefully handing it over to Augusta. Taking the blonde's hand, she tattoos a crude sun on Clarke's right index finger, before doing the same on Lexa's.
"Your individual journeys are over," the sickly woman whispers, "and now, your journey together begins."
Clarke kisses Lexa softly, before turning to Augusta.
"I am indebted to you, Mama. You gave me your daughter," she says.
"Oh, Clarke, you have given me more than you could ever know."
Two nights after the wedding, Augusta takes a turn for the worst. Her daughters, and her sons- and daughter-in laws crowd around her small room, a solemn silence settling as Augusta's breaths become weaker and shakier. Lexa's holds her mother's right hand, and Daria her left. Phyllipa rests a comforting hand on Augusta's thigh.
"My children," Augusta wheezes, though it is clear that each word brings with it pain, "you have made me so proud, all of you." Clarke feels tears fall and moisten her cheeks. She feels so connected to this woman she's only known for a few days; it's as though she's watching her own mother die.
"My fight is over," Augusta breathes in Trigedasleng, and Clarke feels her stomach drop when she hears Lexa let out a single sob. The family sits together, listening as their matriarch's breathing slow, and eventually stop.
Nobody moves a muscle, nobody knows how to react. Silent tears stream down everyone's cheeks, as they feel the emptiness that fills the room.
"In peace may you leave the shore," Clarke whispers, "In love may you find the next. Safe passage on your travels, until our final journey on the ground. May we meet again."
"May we meet again," the others echo.
Lexa and Clarke enter the walls of Polis, greeted by the sight of a city in mourning. Nobody talks to one another, everything is draped with black cloth. When citizens catch sight of the couple, they bow silently, before moving on with their day.
"Our people are good people," Lexa states, and Clarke hums in agreement.
The journey back had been difficult, as had been saying goodbye to Lexa's family. They had left amidst promises to see each other again soon, and the sojourn back home had been done in almost-silence. The trip had undeniably brought them even closer together, and bonded them in ways neither had thought possible. Clarke was eager to go straight to Arkadia, to inform her mother and friends of her elopement, but she knew it was important for Lexa to get back into a proper routine in Polis. She also knew that the two of them needed some time to themselves before telling the wider world about their marriage.
Lexa would probably tell Titus, which makes Clarke roll her eyes in anticipation. She imagines he won't approve at all of their marriage, but she couldn't care less, and neither could Lexa. Despite their grief, both girls were still relishing in their newfound commitment to each other.
By the time they finally make it back to their room, Lexa collapses on the bed, the last week of her life finally catching up to her. Clarke joins her on the bed, running a soothing hand up and down her back.
"I miss my mom," Lexa whispers, her voice thick with emotion.
"I know, baby," Clarke replies.
"I can't wait for us to tell your mom."
"I can. She's gonna have a heart attack," Clarke laughs.
Clarke doesn't care, though. Her mom will probably object in some way, her friends will take time to come around to the idea, but for Clarke, being married to Lexa makes more sense than anything ever has before. Lexa is her sun, her stars, her entire goddamn solar system. And having met her lover's family, seeing where she came from and understanding some of her past, well now Clarke loves Lexa more than she ever thought possible. Life on the ground is unpredictable and often frightening, but suddenly, with Lexa by her side, Clarke's future looks is shining with hope.