Chapter 3 Questioning
A day's ride away from where Commander is.
Roan is standing on the sidelines of a field watching his children play. Donovan, the eldest at 13, is Roan's mini me in stance, talk and walk. Gideon, the next oldest is 11, the only one with the night blood, is the quiet one, the watcher, he'd rather have peace, but will fight and win if needed. In looks he takes after his mother, Fianna with dark eyes, dark hair. Roan's youngest son, Kieran, 9, is small for his age, but quick in a fight. Roan's youngest and only daughter, Ciara, 7 is quiet, watchful like her brother Gideon and she too takes after her mother, dark hair, dark eyes. Roan's wife, Fianna is pulling on her daughter's long dark hair braiding it.
"The Commander is changing everything, you can not let her get away with changing our ways of succession in the line of Commanders." One of Roan's closest advisors, Taggart, informs his King.
"It makes sense to not have a conclave." Roan replies keeping his calm while watching his children sword fight in play. "The Night bloods were our fiercest trained warriors. I never understood the necessity of having them kill each other."
"Changing the line of Heirs does not allow for other clans to have their Night bloods gain power and position. Azgeda will never have a chance to have a night blood as commander if Lexa allows her daughters to take the throne. They are not night bloods, they do not deserve the throne and power." Taggart continues getting upset the longer he talks. "Gideon will never have a chance to lead."
"Taggart, my sons and daughter are here, we will discuss these issues at a later time." Roan simple replies watching his children are playing and laughing.
"We are but a days ride..." Taggart tires to argue.
"Then we still have time to discuss matters at a later time." Roan sternly interrupts Taggart's replies.
"Very well King Roan." Taggart bows and leaves the area.
"Boys how about we spar." Roan smiles at his sons.
"Yes." Donovan gives his father a huge smile. He stands at Roan's shoulders already.
"About time." Kieran puts his faux sword down and goes to get his staff.
Gideon quietly grabs his staff and begins to expertly twirl it.
Out in the area set up for sparring you can hear laughter and play as Roan takes on his 3 sons in 'battle' and teaches them as they play.
Dinner at the Commander's tent.
Lexa is sitting at the head of the table; Helena is sitting to her right as she takes something from each plate and places it on her plate. Lexa takes a piece of meat then passes it to Kyleigh, who doesn't take any meat. Clarke meets Lexa's eyes and looks at her girls. It's the same thing every night, the fight to get the girls to eat meat.
"Kyleigh, you know the rule. You must eat a little bit of meat to be allowed to go out to the fire tonight." Clarke reminds her daughter while placing a small piece on Devlin's plate. Kyleigh and Devlin happen to make the same face at the same. Clarke looks from Devlin to Lexa and sees the smirk on Lexa's face. Clarke rolls her eyes and sticks her tongue out at Lexa. "This is when they take after you." Clarke smirks.
"Mommy that not nice." Kyleigh looks from Lexa to Clarke.
"Sha noman, that's not nice." Lexa agrees with Kyleigh making a face at Clarke and sticking her tongue out at Clarke.
Devlin and Helena laugh as their parents begin to make many different faces at each other. This is the time that everyone enjoys the most, the evening time. Majority of the time in the evenings, Lexa and Clarke can be themselves, not the Commander, not Heda or Wanheda, but just plain mama and mommy.
Once everyone is done laughing, they begin to eat and talk. Kyleigh still refuses to take a piece of meat.
When Kyleigh was 5 years old, she saw what happens to some of the animals the hunters bring back. She watched as they killed, skinned and chopped up the animals…some she had played with and loved. From that day on she refused and cried whenever meat was given too. She also became very anemic and the pills Abby tried to make made the little girl sick…so Lexa and Clarke have to fight to get her to eat a little so she wouldn't become ill. Devlin, being Devlin, followed in her older sisters footsteps and stopped eating meat as well.
"Kyleigh, you don't want to get sick again do you?" Clarke asks putting a small piece of meat on her plate. "It's important, meat gives things we need to not be sick."
Kyleigh looks at the cooked piece of meat and begins to cry knowing how the animal was killed. Devlin looks at her sister and begins to fidget. Helena looks at her two younger sisters and she catches the glint in Devlin's eye.
"I hate meat." Devlin stands on her chair and takes her meat and throws it. Clarke and Lexa both stand stunned at first.
"Devlin Elizabeth you sit down right now." Lexa commands standing to walk over to her daughter.
Clarke stands up but out of the corner of her eye she sees Helena taking Kyleigh's meat off her plate and begins to eat it. Clarke looks at Devlin, who is grinning when she sees Helena nod her head.
"Devlin Elizabeth." Lexa says one more time in a sterner tone.
Devlin sits down and looks at her mothers with innocent eyes.
"What was that all about?" Lexa sits next to her youngest. "We don't throw food, it's wasteful."
"Sorry mama." Devlin looks down and begins to eat her vegetables.
Kyleigh begins to eat her vegetables and other items off her plate. As Helena finishes Kyleigh's portion of meat.
"Lexa." Clarke replies looking again at each of their daughters and how the distraction worked. "We're out numbered." She replies sitting down trying not to laugh at the craziness.
Lexa looks at Clarke confused and she sees Kyleigh eating. Lexa looks at Helena who shows no emotion, Kyleigh who looks a little guilty and Devlin who is grinning from ear to ear.
"When did you three monkeys plan that?" Clarke asks looking at each of their daughters. Lexa tilts her head and looks at Clarke putting the pieces together.
"Why?" Lexa asks Helena.
"Don't like seeing Ky cry." Devlin replies looking at her mothers seriously. "Meat taste weird and she no like."
"Doesn't like and it's part of our diet, if we don't eat it we get ill." Clarke tries to explain.
"Is there anything else she can have?" Helena asks.
"Well beans, but we don't have any right now." Clarke answers.
"So you guys worked together?" Lexa sits making eye contact with her wife.
"Sha noman, we worked together." Helena replies trying to get a sense of what her parents are feeling, if they are angry.
"All so Kyleigh didn't have to eat meat?" Clarke picks up Devlin and puts her on her lap. She looks at Lexa eyes wide, knowing that if these three continue to pull stunts, they were in trouble and out numbered.
"No," Devlin replies, "so she wouldn't cry." Devlin looks at each of her mother's eyes playing with her blonde hair.
"Who's idea was this?" Lexa questions most impressed with this little tactic, trying to not so a lot of pride in their children's behavior, but feeling a load of it seeing her daughters work together to protect each other.
The girls stay quiet unsure if they were in trouble and not wanting to turn on anyone. Clarke and Lexa remain quiet as well just looking at each other, having a silent conversation.
"Girls get your blankets, it's time to go to the fire." Lexa says as she walks over and gives Clarke a kiss.
"Ewe." Devlin buries her face in Clarke's neck. Lexa rubs Devlin's head and she leans down and kisses Clarke again. "Ewe" Devlin mumbles.
"Are you coming?" Helena asks Lexa as she pulls out a blanket.
"I will be there in a little bit, we have to remember company is coming tomorrow."
"Is he bringing his kids?" Helena asks remembering how last time, four years ago, the kids were bad and made fun of the girls, except for Gideon and Donovan, she thought they were pretty cool.
"Yes King Roan and family will all be here. Now go, your mother and I have somethings to talk about and plan." Lexa begins to push the girls out of the tent.
"We're in trouble you know." Clarke walks up to her wife and puts her arms around her and starts to kiss her neck.
Lexa leans back into Clarke's embrace and makes an agreeing noise and she enjoys Clarke's lips on her neck. Lexa turns in the embrace and begins to kiss Clarke passionately. The longer the two kiss, the more the fire ignites.
"We have what an hour?" Lexa asks pushing Clarke back towards the bed.
"Try half with Devlin out there." Clarke smiles into the kiss.
Lexa pushes Clarke onto the bed as she begins to strip, Clarke following suit.
Outside at the fireOctavia and Lincoln are sitting around, their two children, Kincaid and Larkin are running around playing with Helena and Devlin. Kyleigh is curled up in the blanket reading a book.
Devlin runs past Lincoln, he swoops the girl into his arms.
"Uncle Lincoln." Devlin begins to laugh as he tickles her. "Stop." She still laughs.
"Where's Lexa and Clarke?" Jasper asks making his way to the fire.
"Having sex." Devlin nonchalantly replies.
"What?" Octavia looks at Devlin and tries not to laugh. "Where'd you learn that?" Octavia picks up her youngest niece. Lincoln horrified, puts the little girl down.
"The older kids at school." Devlin looks up at the adults innocently. No one knowing how to respond. "Can I go play now?"
"Ya, ya." Octavia shoos her away and looks at Lincoln. "What are they teaching kids these days?"
"I don't know." Jasper replies handing Octavia and Lincoln their cups full of moonshine. "But it's better than what we were taught from the sounds of it."
As expected Clarke and Lexa downtime was interrupted in less than an hour when Devlin fell and got hurt. Lincoln brought the girl to her parents having a stick poking out of her hand. Helena and Kyleigh came home not long after and got ready for bed.
Clarke helps to take the stick out of Devlin's hand as Lexa gets the other girls ready. Lexa finishes telling the girls a story and pulls the covers up over them. Helena is the first to fall asleep, Kyleigh soon follows suit. Devlin however is still wide-awake, her eyes swollen from crying.
"Why don't you sleep with us tonight?" Clarke asks Devlin.
"I don't wanna." Devlin replies as she goes over to her own bed and tries to lie down.
Lexa and Clarke soon follow and both are asleep. Devlin however is lying wide-awake and moving around the room making noises.
"Go to sleep Dev." Helena who has been awoken by Devlin's antics sleepily says.
"I can't, I want to play." Devlin says sitting up.
"It's bed time." Helena whines.
Their whispering wakes Lexa and she lies listening.
"But I'm not tired." Devlin whines back.
"Dev come on." Helena throws a pillow at the little girl.
All of a sudden loud thunder can be heard followed closely by lightning. Causing both girls to scream, waking Kyleigh and Clarke.
"Girls?" Clarke sits up beside Lexa.
Kyleigh comes out with her blanket. Lexa moves over and makes room for her to join them. Five minutes later after another flash of lightning and thunder Helena joins them. Devlin is peaking out the tents door.
"Devlin, it's time for bed." Clarke quietly says trying to not wake the now settled Helena and Kyleigh. "Why don't you come sleep over here?"
Devlin shakes her head no, until the lightning strikes somewhere near camp. She then runs over and crawls into bed next to Clarke. Lexa lies down and puts her an arm protectively over her girls. Clarke and Lexa find each other hands and clasp them together and that is how this little family falls asleep.
TBC