Clexa

Clarke

In one swift move, Clark grabbed the gun from the floor and shoved it into Titus's temple. "Put her down or I will kill you," she hissed in a voice sounding nothing like her own.

Titus, gently returned Lexa's limp body to the bed then turned around slowly and faced Clarke, who instinctively backed out of arms reach.

From a few feet away, Clarke kept the gun pointed at Titus's face and contemplated options. Her nostrils flared, her breathing was ragged, she tasted blood on her lips, blood that was all over her hands; blood that was not her own, blood that was her lover's.

Rage boiled within Clarke. She surrendered to it completely, allowing Wanheda to take the lead. She was no longer in charge, the Commander of Death was.

"Hand me the technology," she spat. "NOW!"

"Clarke you don't know what you're doing," Titus pleaded.

"Yes, I do!" Clarke fired back with sheer venom.

"She's in there right, that chip, Lexa's in there?" Clarke demanded an answer.

"Yes," Titus said nodding, color running from his face, visibly shaken.

Gun still pointed directly at Titus face, Clarke took two more steps backward and with her free untied Murphy.

"Leave us!" she commanded and was pleased when he did as instructed. She cared nothing of what became of him or her people any longer, her focus was on Lexa and the technology in Titus's hands. Nothing more.

"Hand it to me," Clarke demanded again, stepping toward Titus again, gun still threatening, eyes wild like that of a wounded animal.

Titus did as directed, but pleaded once again, "Clarke it can't be like this, you must allow our process to take place. It is her rightful place to"

Clarke snatched the satchel from his hands and cut him off completely. "Her rightful place, you stupid man, you stole that from her the instant you attacked me! She's gone because of you! Her rightful place will not be honored because of you!"

Clarke felt an uncontrollable heat surge through her veins. She knew Wanheda was dangerously close to losing control. Titus could not die yet, he was too valuable, she heard the Queen of Death warn.

"Clarke, you must know that this is her fate and the fate of the, "The Flame. The paintings will explain. Let me show you. They will help you see what must be done; please let me teach you our way."

Clarke considered Titus's words. It was true. She needed to understand what was happening, but she was in shock. Her heart was racing; her blood was on fire and her skin was cold and clammy. She was starting to shake and holding a steady aim was becoming a chore. If she didn't pull it together soon, she would likely shut down. She knew this. She forced herself to steady and collected her energy, grounding herself.

"Paintings? What paintings? Where are these paintings?" she pressed, thinking they were in a book somewhere in Lexa's chamber.

Titus explained that they were on a wall on the lower level of Polis's west end.

Clarke contemplated options again. After a while she agreed to go there, but they would stop first at the place where the Night Bloods studied. She knew Aden would be there and she would enlist his help.

Titus looked relieved and Clarke made it clear that he would make no sounds nor indicate to anyone he was her prisoner or she would kill him on the spot, fearing none of what the consequences would be.

Titus nodded. He could see how serious Clarke was and knew she had nothing left to lose. Literally nothing, which made her more dangerous than the weapon in her hand. He knew she would make good on her promise, if he went against her in any way. He would not cross her, besides he'd promised Heda. He would never cross the Queen of Death ever again.

Clarke took a moment and reverently covered Lexa's body, hiding it from view, before she and Titus left to retrieve Aden; the assassin in the front, she behind, fully prepared to pull the trigger, hungry for the opportunity to obtain revenge.

Once Clarke had Titus and Aden in a place where she could speak freely to one while holding the other captive, she prepared the young warrior for what she feared would be his first major blow.

Aden, appeared deeply saddened by the news, yet processed it immediately. It occurred to Clarke that Lexa had prepared him for any fatality and that it could come at anytime and in any shape or form. No matter what the situation, Aden was ready to lead, Lexa, as his Heda, made sure of this.

The young warrior glared at Titus with the same level of disdain Clarke did. Without question or hesitation he agreed to find a way to bring Lexa's body to the place where the painting were and would do so without seeking help from anyone. "No one." Clarke repeated "NO ONE!" could know.

Clarke watched as the tiny boy disappeared from her site. She marveled at all he seemed capable of, especially given his youth. He was just like Lexa she thought and knew he would bring Heda's body to them without alerting another soul. She absolutely trusted her gut on this one. A maternal sense rushed through her veins and she wondered if this was how Lexa felt about him as well. She assumed their feelings were the same, the sensation of which tore at her soul. Tears streamed down freely now, she could hold them back no longer. She loved the way Lexa understood her and the way they shared so many of the same thoughts.

Wanheda allowed space for Clarke to grieve, but not for long. After only a short time, she shut down Clarke's capacity to feel, however, and made compartmentalization of emotions possible. She took over once again, though compartmentalizing came naturally to Clarke.

With Wanheda's help, Clarke regained focus and leaned on the strength the Queen of Death provided. Within minutes she and Titus stood before the paintings he assured would help her understand. Fortunately for Clarke, she knew the story of Polaris and instantly recognized it. Pieces about The Flame were starting to make sense. She grew up knowing Becka's story pre launch and now she knew what happened post. With this information she began to formulate a plan.

For nearly an hour Wanheda rifle-fired question after question at Titus. The moment he disclosed the left over syringes of Night Blood, Clarke found hope.

Aden arrived while Clarke was calculating dosages. He had beautifully wrapped his Heda in the softest of furs and placed her on a large cart underneath a beautiful display of staffs and flags from the Ascension Ceremony. No one would ever have suspected her body was below.

It was obvious to Clarke that Aden had shed many tears in the time they were apart. It must have been hard for him to see Heda's lifeless body though. With motherly instinct, Clare reached out and touched his shoulder lightly. He welcomed her affection, in a warrior's way. He didn't linger long before standing at attention again, as if awaiting a command.

Relax Aden, Clarke whispered, I am not in charge here.

Aden looked confused, "But you are; you are the Legendary Wanheda. Heda has told me many great things about your strength and wisdom. And, I assume it is you who will be the Flame Keeper now, given Titus can no longer be entrusted with the responsibility. If this is true, you are now my teacher AND you are my commander."

Clarke remembered that Lexa taught Aden that Sky People were his people too. She also realized the young boy knew far more about Heda/Lexa's history than she did. She wasn't ready to tell him that it was he who would the next commander, but she did sit him down on a bench near Polaris to ask him question after question about The Flame and Grounder spirituality, well more specifically, Lexa's beliefs in spirituality and her teaching around reincarnation.

After Clarke extracted every bit of information she needed from young Aden, she had him analyze every single painting, from his perspective. She took in every word and fine-tuned her plan. Unfortunately, there were things that Aden didn't know, and gaps Clarke would have liked filled, but didn't trust Titus to fill them. It wasn't worth the risk. Bad information could be deadly. She would leap "on a wing and a prayer," like her father used to say.

By nightfall, Clarke found herself with both "The Flame and a vial of Night Blood in her hands. By now both she and Wanheda were on the same page. "It can't be this easy," she said inwardly. "It just can't be this easy," she repeated. The last time she said these words; she burned 300 grounders alive in a ring of fire.

Clarke directed Aden to a part of the room where Titus couldn't hear. He looked bewildered when she told him what she was about to do, but he did not question or dissuade. He simply stood by respectfully, at the ready, as Clarke injected the first dosage into her veins. Aden watched with the same kind of loyalty and concern Lexa would have. Clarke felt touched.

Both Clarke and Aden were relieved that the Night Blood seemed compatible with her system. There were no violent reactions, no nausea, no blurring of senses. In fact within in an hour, Clarke felt stronger than she'd ever felt before. It was as if the air that entered her lungs was made up of pure oxygen. Her appetite returned as well. In response, she asked Aden to retrieve supplies for the three of them to travel to Arcadia, qualifying that they'd be transporting Lexa's body and would need caloric fuel for them and the horses they would steal.

Clarke was struck by how the food she ingested nourished her in such a profound way. She'd known Lexa to eat very little yet have more than enough energy for any situation. She'd also known Lexa to have incredible strength of body and mind, even when she hadn't slept for days. She attributed her virility and stamina to the Night Blood they now shared. A fluid more powerful than her own bio engineered genetic material.

The Flame was something else to consider entirely. Clarke has to believe there was more to it than just data storage. It had to contain both Lexa's intellect and her emotions; it just had to, she was banking on it.

It wasn't difficult to convince Aden that she was fine and that her body was accepting the Night Blood with absolute grace. It showed on her face and in her stance. Clarke was literally growing stronger right before his eyes. He agreed to take the first sleep shift so that she could put together the maps and instructions she wanted him to have for their travels. She needed time to make a second set as well. They were instructions for Abby and Raven, should any part of her plan fail.