Chapter 11:

"Are you ready?" Lexa asked immediately after Clarke walked into the room. She was dressed and packed and stood, holding Clarke's pack up for Clarke to take. It was clear she wanted to leave Jaha as soon as possible.

"Lexa…"

"What happened?" Lexa set Clarke's pack down and lowered her own onto the ground next to it.

"Raven, she's not…" Clarke reached out and pulled Lexa into her. "My mom doesn't think she's going to make it."

"Clarke, I am sorry."

"It's my fault."

Lexa pulled her back.

"Fault lies with the mountain men only. You rescued her, Clarke. You saved her from more torture at their hands."

"It doesn't feel like that."

"It may not, but it is true."

"My mom says she has a week maybe."

Lexa looked at the floor for a moment.

"You wish to stay to see it through to say the words to her."

"What words?"

"Yu gonplei ste odon."

Clarke got a look of determination on her face.

"Her fight is not over!" She walked to her pack and put it on her shoulders. "There's a hospital with medicine and supplies and machines. My mom said there's nothing more she could do, but with the right supplies, maybe Raven can survive."

"Clarke-"

"It's her only chance, Lexa."

"Clarke, the Old Ones are not an option."

"You said you were going to talk to them. You're set to meet, right?"

"The meeting is tomorrow. Indra will be attending. We will not make it in time."

"What will Indra tell them?"

"I've instructed her and the generals from the other clans to uncover the truth from them."

Clarke looked concerned.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I want to know if what they say is the truth and I want to make sure there is no ambush awaiting my people."

"We might make it if we leave now. We'd have to hurry."

"And if we don't?"

"Raven dies and that's not happening."

Lexa gripped the door handle.

"Do the Sky People have horses?"

Clarke smiled.

By horse, the journey would take less time, but they couldn't ride freely because of the terrain. Clarke told her mother the plan and Abby was doubtful, but she understood Clarke's need to try. They gave them their one and only horse found in a meadow months ago and tamed, but not easily. Lexa was a masterful rider so Clarke let her take the lead. They rode together while the guards followed behind as quickly as they were able. They walked with the horse when they could not ride. They stopped only to drink and catch their breath. By nightfall, they only had a short distance to go, but it was nearly impossible with limited light from a flashlight and a torch Lexa was carrying. The horse grew tired and frightened at animal sounds and after Clarke tripped once almost reinjuring her ankle, Lexa decided they must stop until dawn. Clarke was resistant at first, but ultimately acquiesced because she knew Lexa was right.

"Mom, are you there?" Clarke asked into the walkie-talkie that Raven herself had pieced together. They weren't sure of the range, but Wick had been working on improving it since the mountain and she brought it with her just in case.

"I'm here." It came through with a lot of static. Clarke knew this would probably be the only time she'd be able to check in.

"How is she?"

"We put her in a medically induced coma." Clarke made out.

"How long?"

"We can keep her this way for a few days, but it's not a long-term solution. We're also running out of the drug we use to induce it. Ten days tops. Then, we'll be out and-" Static.

"We'll be back by then." Clarke told her and heard static. "Mom?" No response. She checked several more times, but she'd lost her. At least she knew Raven was still alive.

"Sleep, Clarke. I'll keep watch."

"No, I'm okay."

"I was right." Lexa said with a smile.

"About what?"

"No one can make you do anything you don't want to do. I told your mother that this morning."

"You talked to my mom?"

"She came to your room. She was worried about you… about us."

"What did she say?"

"She wants you to be happy. She doesn't know if I can make you that." Lexa's smile shifted slightly. "I do not know either."

Clarke shifted closer to the girl next to her and rested her head on her shoulder.

"I love my mother. I know she wants what's best for me and she doesn't think that's you." Clarke felt Lexa's head move as if she was looking out into the woods. "But she's wrong, Lexa. I'm the only one that know what I want and what will make me happy." Clarke lifted her head, leaned in and kissed her. "Whatever else happens between your people and mine, I know that. I know she's wrong and you'd be wrong if you believed her."

Lexa fell asleep in Clarke's lap. She'd told her to wake her half way through the night so she could keep watch and Clarke could sleep, but Clarke wasn't tired so there was no point. She just let her sleep while keeping an eye on the horse and listening for potential predators. Just before dawn, Lexa woke with a start and scolded Clarke for not waking her earlier. They took off once they'd packed haphazardly and made their way back to the capital. They arrived just as the town was waking and moving along in their days. Clarke wanted to go straight to the headquarters, but Lexa had to remind her that people had to be notified and arrangements had to be made to get them there to discuss the meeting with the Old Ones. She dispatched several people to take care of notifying the leaders of the coalition and took Clarke back to her house.

"I've had Hobbs draw you a bath." Lexa spoke of the maid that worked the house.

Clarke was sitting on the edge of the bed waiting to hear back that everyone was headed to the command center to discuss how to handle the Old Ones. Clarke was running through scenarios. She wasn't sure what to expect from them when she asked them for a favor before solidifying the relationship.

"I'm okay." Clarke replied into the space in front of her. Lexa knelt down and touched her knees.

"It will take several hours to get them here, Clarke. Atami has delivered the herbs I requested for the bath. They are calming and will offer relief for your stress."

"I'm not-"

"Stubborn?" Lexa smiled at her. "Would it make a difference if I joined you?"

Clarke smiled at her and within minutes, they were both dipping into hot water that smelled of eucalyptus and something like mint. Clarke sat in front of Lexa and leaned back against her.

"What if they won't help?" Clarke asked her.

"That is not to worry about now. There is nothing you can do to prepare for this. It is not a battle. It would be best for you to rest."

"I don't think I…" Clarke faded and with that her eyes closed. Lexa continued to layer her in warm water while she rested after hours of walking and worrying.

"Clarke, the coalition has gathered. We must go." Lexa told her and caressed her cheek. Clarke's eyes opened.

"Where am I?"
"On our bed." Lexa stated what she felt was obvious.

Clarke sat up and looked around. She was still naked from the bath.

"How did I get here?"

"I had Tuk carry you." Tuk was the name of one of the guards. "Don't worry. You were covered. He saw nothing." She motioned with her nod toward Clarke's naked body.

"Good. How long have I been out?"

"4 hours."

"4 hours?! Lexa!"

"The Ice Nation's queen was out on a hunt. We had to wait for her return."

"The Ice Nation? Is she…"

"She is the one that took Costia from me, yes. She is a part of the coalition now."

"Lexa, how can you work with her after what she did?"

"I could not in the beginning." She paused and then stood. She grabbed clothing for Clarke and placed it on the bed for her to dress. "But with time, I was able. It was for the better of my people that we have an alliance."

"But she-"

Lexa sat down on the bed.

"Clarke, you allied with us after we forced you to kill Finn. You gave him mercy when I would not have. Yet you are here with me." Lexa illuminated. Clarke thought about that. "Costia's death was a terrible pain for me, but the Ice Nation did only what others would have done had they had the chance."

She was right and Clarke knew it. She looked at Lexa and wondered at her strength.

"I understand, but still it's just… with Finn… it was punishment for a crime he'd committed against your people."

"Costia's crime was being mine, being close to power. It is the same to rival clans as murder or any other crime. Jus drein jus daun, remember?"

Clarke did remember.

"Let's go." Clarke stood and dressed. Within minutes, they were making their way toward the command center where all clans would be represented. This meeting was about Raven for Clarke. It was about asking the Old Ones for help, but she knew it was so much more than that. It was also about these 12 clans that had a young alliance that needed to be nurtured not with an enemy, but with a common goal. If the Old Ones were to be trusted and that had all they said they had and more… If they were willing to share in that… Clarke had to find out more.

Lexa walked into a room of leaders and they immediately quieted their rambling. It was then that Clarke was sure she could rule over all of them. She garnered that kind of respect. She sat on her throne and other grounders, presumably from each clan slid chairs or symbolic thrones under each of their leaders. Once Lexa sat, they all sat. Clarke stood next to Lexa's throne momentarily until a man, dressed in warrior garb brought her a chair and sat it next to Lexa's right side. Indra stood there so Clarke was unsure if it was for her at first until Indra stood aside and walked behind the throne to stand at the left, gripping her sword tightly. Before Clarke sat, she looked at the wood engravings on the chair. Engraved in large letters in the wood of the chair was the word Skaikru. Sky People. Lexa was offering her a place in the coalition. She was offering her the chair to her right. Lexa nodded for her to sit. Clarke nodded and sat next to her.

"Clarke of the Sky People would like to address the coalition."

"Sky People do not belong to the coalition. The alliance was broken." It was the Ice Queen. She had the blackest hair Clarke had ever seen. Her war paint though was white with a blue tint to it and it covered most of her face in a pattern Clarke didn't recognize.

"That's not true." Clarke said. Everyone looked at her. "You left." She pointed out. "My people never officially broke the alliance."

"You wish to remain in an alliance with us?" She asked.

Clarke looked at Lexa, but Lexa was allowing her to run the meeting.

"Yes." That wasn't entirely true. She couldn't exactly speak for the people she'd left behind after the mountain was destroyed, but she had no choice. If she told them she was no longer technically the leader of the Sky People, she'd be unwelcome in meetings like this. When they'd left the camp, Clarke told Abby and Kane her plan and they agreed reluctantly so it wasn't necessarily a lie either.

"Even after the Commander chose her people over your own?" She questioned with a hint of something Clarke couldn't quite identify.

"I understand the Commander's decision. My people will come to understand it in time. They've had to make difficult decisions before."

"And we're to believe they forgive the decision of-"

"Hod yu rein daun!" Mind your place. Lexa stated with authority to the Ice Queen. "Allow her to speak." She demanded.

"None of that matters right now. The Old Ones are offering something that we must consider." Clarke continued. "Regardless of my people's place in the coalition, they have technology that can be useful to you… to us."

"We need no technology." It was another voice. A man dressed in fur from top to bottom with dirt spread across is face as if by one hand dragging it from his lower left jaw to his upper right temple.

"Then, don't use it." Clarke offered the objection. "But at least see what they have. Maybe something will be of use to you or to your people."

"We only agreed to this meeting with the Old Ones as an opportunity to ambush." It was the Ice Queen.

"That is not what was discussed in our meeting." Lexa expressed.

"It was discussed after you left the capital for the girl." She looked at Clarke with big eyes, almost wolf like.

"The girl is right here." Clarke stated before Lexa could speak. "The girl is the leader of the Sky People."

"Clarke rules beside me now as leader of the coalition." Lexa explained. Clarke turned to her with surprise on her face. "Anyone take issue with that?" Her dark eyes deepened in color with anger and frustration. "Speak now." She commanded. There was silence in the room. Even the Ice Queen seemed unsure if she should say something. "Osir keryon ste teina." The silence was interrupted with gasps throughout the room including a quizzical and concerned glance from Indra.

"Without our permission?" The man who'd objected earlier queried.

"It is done." Lexa repeated.

Clarke was unsure what her words meant, but she knew enough not to question them right now. She'd ask about them later. Everyone in the room stood. There was a moment of silence as they all looked at her and then they knelt reluctantly as if by tradition or custom. Indra even joined them with a quizzical look on her face.

They stood a moment later and the Ice Queen was seething as she sat back down.

"It appears it must come to a vote." She stated.

"Yes, it must." Lexa agreed. "Speak your thoughts on this matter. Ambush and scavenge or meeting as Clarke has discussed?"

"Ambush." The Ice Queen started it off.

"Ambush." Came from another man followed by 2 more of the same. That made 4 of the 12 members.

"Meeting." Two leaders spoke up. They both looked at Clarke with an expression resembling confidence.

"Same." It was the man who had originally objected. "The Sky Girl thought of the battle plan that won us the mountain." He nodded in her direction.

"Meeting." Lexa stated her opinion.

One more for an ambush followed by two for a meeting and then one for ambush. It was a tie. Clarke lowered her head.

"You are to vote for the Sky People." It was the man.

Clarke looked up.

"Clarke? What is your vote?" Lexa asked her and nodded. Clarke hadn't thought she'd get a vote.

"Meeting." She stated confidently. The Ice Queen wasn't happy, but as the meeting was dismissed, there was nothing more for her to do.

Lexa and Clarke walked back to the house with extra guards just in case the Ice Queen planned a different kind of ambush after feeling ganged up on in the meeting. Clarke felt like she'd made yet another enemy, but that it would be for the greater good. The meeting with the Old Ones was tonight and she needed to get help to Raven.

"Lexa, you wanna tell me what happened back there?" Clarke asked her as soon as they were safely inside the house.

"What do you mean?" Lexa asked, removed her coat and walked toward the stairs.

"When they all knelt on the floor for some reason… after you said something I didn't understand."

"Up here." She motioned for Clarke to follow. The maid and guards were standing nearby so Clarke guessed Lexa wanted some privacy.

They entered the bedroom and Clarke saw her bag had been unpacked and her things had been put away for her.

"The chair in that meeting was to signify that you are apart of the coalition of clans."

"I wasn't expecting that." Clarke expressed. "Can you just do that? Just invite another clan like that without their approval?"

"If I would have called it to a vote, I would have had the numbers. The people in most clans understand your value and the value of your people. There are some that are more concerned."

"Ice?"

"Yes, but that is more about me than it is about you. She and I have a history."

"Costia, I know."

"It's more than just Costia. The Ice Queen wanted an alliance with my people. Our previous commander refused. When I became commander, I refused."

"Why?"

"Because we do not trust them. We never have. They were invited here because we needed their numbers for the mountain. With the mountain destroyed, I expected her and her people to leave the coalition, but she has remained."

"Well, she always wanted the alliance…"

"With the Woods Clan, yes, but not with all clans." Lexa started and then sat on the bed. Clarke followed and sat next to her. "She wanted the alliance because our two clans together outnumber all the rest. We could have taken their land, their people, everything. We could have ruled together. She has remained because she hoped I would again consider ruling with her by my side." Lexa looked over at Clarke.

"But now I'm by your side?" She started putting it together. "She wanted you."

"Yes." She answered plainly. "Though of different clans, we spent time together as children. Both expected to be Commanders. The Commander at that time originally considered an alliance and therefore encouraged us to spend time together."

"She had feelings for you you, didn't she?" Clarke asked directly.

"She did."

"And you loved Costia?"

"This was before Costia, but I knew I did not return her feelings. I did my best to tell her that, but she didn't seem to understand. By the time Costia and I began our friendship and our later relationship, she was Queen of the Ice Nation and you know the rest."

"I am sorry, Lexa. I wish you would have told me the whole story before."

"It changes nothing. We are where we are." Lexa replied. She lay back on the bed. Clarke stared down at her for a moment.

"What did you do to her in return?" Clarke asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean how did you get revenge?"

"I got my revenge today." Lexa said and looked at Clarke. Clarke was confused. "With you by my side… that was my revenge."

"You didn't kill-"

"She had no one she loved."

"Except you." Clarke reiterated.

"She has since moved on."

Clarke lay next to her and rested her hand on Lexa's stomach.

"You still haven't explained why they knelt and what those words meant." She reminded.

Lexa rolled on her slide and Clarke followed to face her.

"Those words I said won't have meaning for you as they do for our people."

"So…"

"Osir keryon ste teina means our souls are tied. We are as one."

"You and me?" Clarke verified.

"I lied to them." Lexa began while reaching for Clarke's face to caress it. "I told them we had already bonded in ceremony."

"What?" Clarke was surprised. "Why? Just so they'd agree to not ambush the Old Ones?"

"For my revenge." Lexa explained. "It was wrong and I should have consulted you first. I apologize."

"Lexa, you told them we were married!" Clarke exclaimed, pulling back slightly.

"We don't call it that."

"It's the same thing."

"I can tell them the truth if you'd like." She ran her hand down the side of Clarke's body encouraging her to slide back close to her. "It wasn't all for revenge. Only a small part really. If they believe we are bonded, they will be more likely to follow you as they would me. They'd be more likely to trust you, allow you to be a full participant in the coalition."

"But we're not bonded!" Clarke exclaimed the obvious.

"Is it your intention to be someday?" Lexa asked her with all the vulnerability in the world.

Clarke didn't know what to say, how to react. This was not how she thought this conversation would go.

"I don't know." She replied honestly. "I know that I love you, but that is not something that happens so soon. I guess sometimes it does. On the ark, there were couples that got married fast, but-"

"I'm not asking you, Clarke. Not now. I just wanted to know if you thought you might one day. Not even to me. I just meant… at all."

Clarke smiled at her.
"I told my mom that I couldn't imagine living without you." She recalled with another smile. "Can that be enough for now?"

Lexa pressed their foreheads together and sighed.

"Yes, it can." She kissed her lips gently. "What would you like me to tell the others?"

"Nothing. Let them believe it if it helps things. At least for now." Clarke kissed her again. "What did they mean about their permission?" She asked.

"In an alliance such as this it is customary for Commanders and generals to ask the permission of the others to bond their soul with another. Technically, it is not permission. We can bond with whoever we choose, but it can create breaks in alliances if it is with the wrong person."

"Am I the wrong person?"

"No Clarke." She kissed her. "You are the not the wrong person." She rolled on top of her. "You are the only person." She pecked her neck once and then again. "If they persist in speaking about it, tell them the ceremony was performed in the woods before the first meeting with the Old Ones. Tell them Indra performed it. I will explain to her what she must do."

"She seemed just as shocked as the rest of them."

"She believed me. I will tell her later that I lied."

"Why later? Why not send for her and tell her now? Just in case one of the leaders-"

Lexa captured her lips for a heated kiss.

"Because right now I am doing this." She kissed her again and her tongue found Clarke's. They battled for dominance for a moment until Lexa gave in and Clarke climber on top of her.

"We should be preparing for tonight." Clarke tried to enforce while Lexa's hands were moving fast and everywhere.

"The meeting won out. Not the ambush. There is no preparing."

"I just… with Raven…" Clarke couldn't finish. Lexa stopped moving her hands over Clarke's body and looked up at her.

"You feel you should be doing more. You feel like every moment of your day should be spent trying to fix her, to fix the problem or the battle plan or take care of someone who's injured or needs food or shelter. You feel like it all rests on your shoulders."

Clarke sighed.

"Yes. This is what I was trying to get away from. I just don't know if I can go this again."

"The difference this time is that you will not be alone. I will be beside you." She took both of her hands and put them on Clarke's cheeks forcing the girl to meet her eye. "Always." She insisted in case Clarke worried that she'd leave her in battle again.

Clarke laid her body on top of Lexa's and just let her hold her and run her hands up and down her back.