Disclaimer: I own nothing.
By the time they made it downstairs just before lunch the next day there was no doubting they'd had a very passionate belated wedding night. Both looked tired but satisfied and both were walking gingerly. Despite wearing a scarf Lexa couldn't hide the massive hickey on her neck and Clarke couldn't contain her smirk.
They ate a feast of sandwiches before someone asked what the plans were for the day.
"I have an appointment with my tattooist at one" Lexa stated and noting the time stood. "Those who are interested can come. Otherwise you are free to your own devices"
Octavia stood, she had been waiting for a while now to get her tattoo and Lincoln would not talk her out of it. No one else seemed interested but Clarke stood.
"Clarke?" Her mother questioned.
"I am SkaiKwin. It is expected. I at least need one to show my rank like Lexa's"
"It is not necessary" Lexa assured
"But the people would respect me more" Clarke stated and Lexa nodded. Respect shone from her own eyes at the decision.
"Very well, let us go. I reserved all his artists. They are very talented if any of you change your mind." She informed the others before she, Clarke and Octavia left.
Octavia bounced like a little girl in excitement at the idea, Clarke was trying to keep down her lunch at the thought as they entered the shop and four burley men covered from head to toe greeted them.
"Xander" Lexa shook his arm grounder style.
"Heda, an honour as always" he turned to Clarke next and bowed his head "Skaiprisa"
"Hi" Clarke squeaked and Xander's eyebrow rose as he looked at Lexa.
"She is nervous but determined to get one to show her rank". Xander nodded.
"SkaiKwin. I won't promise it won't hurt but not as much as you probably expect." He pointed to a younger dark haired man "Gavon will do your tattoo. He is very good. He will design you a nice two band tattoo for your arm"
"SkaiKwin it will be my honour" Gavon may be huge but his voice was gentle and immediately settle Clarke somewhat "shall we go to my desk to design a pattern?"
"Ok" she smiled and squeezed Lexa's hand before leaving with him. She sat at his table as they discussed ideas. As long as it was two bands representing her rank it could have any pattern. Large or small. She decided on one that would go around the centre of her bicep. They appeared as lightning strikes representing her status from the Skai. Outlines only. Between the two bands would be the sun, the moon and a star. If it looked half as good on her arm as it did on paper it would look awesome.
When the time came for the tattoo itself Clarke was pleasantly surprised. It hurt, more of a sting, but not anything she couldn't handle. She'd had worse.
She turned to the others to see that Octavia was getting one on her right shoulder and was talking with her artist through the whole thing. No signs of pain.
Lexa was laying on her back, a towel covering her for modesty while Xander worked on her left chest area. That had to hurt more but Lexa showed no signs of pain. Clarke wondered what she was getting. Clarke was surprised when forty minutes later Gavon said she was done and lead her to a buffed mirror. She gasped in delight at the tattoo. It looked awesome. She hugged the man and said she would definitely come to her for more tattoos.
It was only as she studied it further she realised her mistake. Her armband only represented the skaikru when she was also Trikru.
"Is something wrong SkaiKwin?" Gavon asked worriedly
"It's a wonderful tattoo Gavon but I realised it represents the Skai only. I need something to represent the Trikru also" she turned to him with a frown and saw him studying the pattern while rubbing his chin.
"I could incorporate a tree in it. The trunk below with branches and canopy spreading out the top" he went to his desk and she followed. He used his old sketch and drew a tree with roots and trunk below and branches and canopy above. It wasn't big and overpowering but it showed the Trikru was as important to her as the Skai. With a few more edits she was ready to add to her tattoo and returned to her chair.
Lexa saw this and raised her head in surprise.
"Another one Houmon? Hooked already?"
"Adding to it. The band symbolises the skaikru too much. I am adding a tree for the trikru" she informed and Lexa was so quiet for so long Clarke became restless.
"You honour me and my people well houmon" Lexa stated and Clarke blushed. Octavia snorted and whispered something to her artist that had them both laughing.
"Shut it Octavia or I will tell Lincoln you are flirting" Clarke growled while glaring at the girl. Octavia's jaw dropped in shock before she shut her mouth tight. She turned back to Lexa and reminded "And they are our people now."
Lexa's return look had her blushing again.
They didn't leave the shop for another couple of hours. Lexa had still to show Clarke her tattoo claiming it was a surprise. Clarke and Octavia spoke excitedly about their tattoos, O having a wicked one over her right shoulder. They were instructed to go home and have a cool shower before treating their tattoos. Clarke was hoping to shower with Lexa so she could see the tattoo.
Upon arriving at the Homestead the others were there waiting after a quiet day in. Abby was the first one up with Lincoln and Raven wanting to see the tattoos. O went first as she was beyond excited to show hers off. Lincoln looked with admiration, Bellamy was unsure but the others decided it was cool. O dragged Lincoln upstairs for her shower.
Clarke was next, sliding off her jumper and pulling up her sleeve to reveal her tattoo.
"It's big" Abby muttered only for Jayde to slide her arm around her shoulders in comfort
"Actually it's relatively small compared to most warrior tattoos. It is also unique. I see Skaikru and Trikru represented well" Jayde nodded.
"Thanks"
"Did it hurt?" Maya asked
"Stung more than anything. Nothing too bad"
"It looks wicked" Jasper grinned
"My wife chose well" Lexa nodded and took her hand "come we must shower"
"How convenient" Raven chuckled "we haven't seen yours yet"
"And you will not. Mine is on my chest and only for Clarke to see" she stated "we will be down In time to go to the festival"
"An early night my friend. Tomorrow we go fishing on my boats. I feel it will be a good day to sail" Luna revealed
That brought a large smile to Lexa's face. She loved fishing on Luna's boats.
"Sha, it has been too long"
On the way upstairs Clarke asked questions about fishing. Lexa answered them the best she could until they made it to the bathroom and started to undress. Clarke kept an eye on Lexa, waiting for her tattoo to be revealed but Lexa took her time, leaving her shirt until after she set the right temperature for the shower. When she did see it her jaw dropped, it was huge and covered from her sternum, across the top of her breast to her armpit and up to her clavicle. The top half of the tattoo was her name in trigedasleng. Klark, and it was done in cursive writing. Beneath it was the mythical creature of a Gryffon. Clarke Griffin. Surrounding the name were stars, representing where she came from.
"Well?" Lexa asked
"It's beautiful. You got my name"
"Sha" Lexa smiled and stepped into the shower stall, offering her hand. Clarke took it and stepped in after her. She shivered when the tepid water hit her. They needed it though to help stop the bleeding. All thoughts of showing Lexa how much she loved the tattoo went out the window with how cold the water was. They showered quickly, cuddling under the spray to keep warm until Clarke couldn't stand it anymore and had to get out. They helped to dry each other down and then treat each other's tattoo with the cream given.
Once dressed they spent some quiet time sitting in their lounge and watching the ocean while just snuggling on the couch. It was just good to have some down time to themselves. Even if it was only for an hour before they headed back downstairs.
They left for the festival early, spending more time walking around, showing their faces. They ate their dinner from different vendors, Clarke deciding on another kebab while Lexa ate a burger with gusto. Clarke was sure she married a pig. Of course no meal was complete without pie and Clarke wondered if the woman who made them ever slept with all the pies she made.
It was nine when they all headed back to their accomodation. Luna had given orders that anyone that wanted to learn about fishing to be at the docks by six in the morning. There were a lot of grumbles at the ungodly hour before they made their ways to their rooms.
Clarke and Lexa undressed each other as was their ritual, in between kisses and gentle caresses. Clarke made sure their tattoos were clean and well dressed before they crawled into bed. After last nights love fest she just wanted sleep. She opened her arms to Lexa, still amused her wife liked to cuddle and soon fell into a deep sleep.
In the mean time Luna returned to her Inn she owned and ordered several of her crew to sober themselves up and be at the docks by five to ready the boats to take the Heda and SkaiKwin out. The crew knew and order when they heard one and hastily ordered water and a feed.
"It should be an interesting day tomorrow" Raquel stated as she slid into bed and into her wife's arms. Luna accepted her easily, rolling the younger woman beneath her with a smirk. "Insatiable" Raquel rolled her eyes
"Only for you" Luna dipped her head and kissed her soundly "let's hope no one gets seasick from the Skaikru"
"I'm sure if you give them your usual concoction they will be fine" Raquel gasped as Luna pushed a knee between her own and rubbed a thigh to where she was already slick and waiting. "Luna"
"Hmmm?" Luna murmured as she kissed her way down a delicate throat.
"Fuck"
"I thought you'd never ask" Luna growled and descended lower.
Jayde lay flat on her back gasping for air as she stared stunned up at the ceiling. Abby kissed her way back up her body and then took her mouth in a deep kiss, tongue plunging deep so that she could taste herself on Abby's tongue. She groaned.
"You Ok?" Abby asked with a smirk
"Ask me when I can think" Jayde groaned as limp as a noodle. Abby laughed feeling pretty proud of herself. Tonight had been the first time she had taken the initiative, turning the table on Jayde and showing her lover she may be new to loving women but she was a quick study. "No one has done that to me in a long time"
"What?" Abby asked stunned, and slightly proud.
"It is too intimate for me for one night." Jayde shrugged and Abby was blown away. She went to ask why but Jayde silenced her "Questions for another time. We must sleep and be up in just over seven hours" a hand slid low across Abby's belly and she sucked in a startled breath. "But before that it's my turn"
"God yes" Abby bucked as knowing fingers slid between her thighs.
Clarke and Lexa were up early and waiting. Clarke was having real trouble holding back yawns though as they were served toasted bread with fruit spread for breakfast. Others came in here and there until finally everyone was eating. Lexa was happy to see Flynn and Bellamy seemed to be becoming good acquaintances. She was sure they could learn a lot off each other. She even believed she heard Flynn invite him and Echo to the Caves and was discussing how not everyone lived in caves, just some.
It was 5.50 when they made their way out into the brisk morning air, the sun just peaking over the water on the horizon to show the cloud free day. There was no wind and the ocean appeared calm. The perfect day for boating as they made it to the docks. Luna and Raquel and their crew treated them warmly. They had their old world engine boats ready, three in all. Raven was fascinated by them and how they kept them running.
Lexa, Clarke, Luna, Jayde, Abby, Raquel, Raven and Wick went on one boat. The rest split up between the other two and soon they were heading out. The Skaikru had experienced nothing like floating on water. Raven said it didn't even compare to space walks.
Clarke and Raven fell instantly in love with being out on the sea. Wick and Abby needed a bit of convincing. Because it was so flat they ventured out of the sound but within sight of land to try for bigger fish. One boat dropped large pots on the way, for lobster they were told, they would be pulled tonight for a good meal hopefully.
The rods appeared to be in very good condition for their age as they settled on an area where Luna knew there was a shelf that dropped down. Lexa helped Luna set up the lines with Raquel, the three of them working easily. They were soon baited and out in the water, all different sizes. Then they waited. They took turns on catching some smaller fish, Clarke punching the air when she pulled in a decent sized fish. Oh yeah she liked this.
"We will need to visit Luna often" she told Lexa just as Raven pulled in another and high fives Wick.
Not long after the action started, a bell on a rod started jangling and Luna and Lexa raced for it. Luna picked up the rod and waited for a bit before flicking some hidden switch and pulling back on the rod which bent almost double. Lexa meanwhile put on some gloves and put a belt around her waist that snapped onto the rod and would help her hold it. She took the rod from Luna and the fight was on.
Clarke never knew fighting a fish would be so exhausting. Lexa and Luna took turns along with one of the deckhands. The battle raged for nearly half an hour and all three were exhausted by the time they pulled a fish bigger than anything she'd even seen on board. Clarke felt her heart flutter as she saw the grin on her wife's face as she inspected the giant.
"I think I will stick with the smaller fish" Raven stated and Clarke agreed. She gave her wife a congratulatory kiss before letting her celebrate. They all caught several fish, happy with their accomplishments before they spent time just cruising on the water. One boat headed in after Jasper got sea sick despite drinking the potion to aid this. They doubted they would get him on water any time soon.
It was late morning when they went in with their catches and met men on the docks from the factories who off loaded the fish, exclaiming over the large one Lexa caught. Lexa ordered it be cut up and given to the people for free in the poorer section of the city. She doubted any changes had been made for compensation by the council yet.
Warm showers were needed after a long morning on the water and Clarke enjoyed nothing more than a long relaxing bath with Lexa.
After their bath Clarke checked on Jasper who was feeling better after being on dry land but wasn't up for eating anything yet. He'd had some ginger tea to settle his stomach before going for a lay down.
They returned to Costia's families restaurant for a late lunch, telling of their morning exploits. Much fun and laughter was shared as most of the busy lunch rush hour was gone. They lingered after they had eaten and shared small talk. Costia's mother sharing tales about Lexa pre Heda and while still in training. Clarke had to wipe the tears from her eyes on several occasions she laughed so hard. By the time they left with a promise to return one last time prior to departing their cheeks and stomachs were hurting from laughter.
"I can't believe you helped in the restaurant" Monty chuckled
"They insisted. Though once I was called I had to stop" Lexa smiled sadly "I missed it"
"Hedas life is not her own. Always her people" Flynn nodded "it is the same with all leaders but more so with you"
"Put your people first Flynn, choose with your head and you will be a fine leader"
"Never ignore your heart though" Clarke informed. "A leader without a heart is ruthless, like the Ice Queen. Ruling with fear"
"Sha Skaikwin" Flynn nodded and Clarke sighed. She really hated that name.
"It's Clarke among friends Flynn. I hate that name."
"It is your title" Lexa frowned and Clarke shrugged
"I actually prefer Skaiprisa if I had to choose"
"Be lucky it isn't Skaiheda" Raven teased and Clarke flipped her off. They made their way straight to Lexa's families Inn, sitting around and sharing drinks and being merry before stumbling drunk out into the festival to find food and sober up.
They stayed late before Lexa declared they needed to head back. She wished to train in the morning after going several days without. She needed to ensure she kept fit. They made their way back to their respective accomodation to call it a night.
For the next few days Lexa had them training every morning and in the afternoon she showed them different parts of the city. Raven was fascinated with the wave generators and wind turbines. Clarke was shown museums and galleries and was in heaven. She was so inspired she started to paint and sketch at night after the festivals wound down.
Others loved the libraries and got lost in all the books. Abby went back to the hospital and the merchant that sold medications and medical supplies and with Lexa's help set up trade.
They even went to some old war museums that showed history repeated itself in the old world, their wars becoming more and more violent. Nothing changed but now the wars were smaller, between the clans before Lexa formed the coalition.
The scale of the world had many wondering how many other survivors were out there. No one could tell.
Everyone was having a blast. And then...