Rebuilding Ruin

Disclaimer: I don't own the 100 or its characters

Spoilers: All episodes of Season 1 and 2

The sounds of shouting woke Clarke and she sat up quickly in bed, looking beside her she found Lexa slowly opening her eyes. Despite the shouts, Clarke allowed herself a moment to smile as she had never seen Lexa sleeping as she had been. Instead of on her back with hands on her stomach, she lay on her side with one arm extended above her and the other on Clarke's leg

"It is a wild boar, nothing more." Lexa spoke groggily and rolled onto her back, closing her eyes as she did. "Go back to sleep, it is not yet dawn."

Clarke shook her head and reached over the side of the bed, grabbing her pants to pull them on. The shirt beside them soon was being pulled over her head as she stood from the bed, "no, boar wouldn't stray this far from the forest near a camp at night. Something or someone is out there Lexa." She turned to see her wife looking barely awake, "I'll go do a parameter check and before you demand it, I'll take Axel with me."

Pulling on the bear fur shawl, she exited the tent and started walking towards the parameter of camp. Axel moved from the doorway to follow, another warrior taking his place to guard the tent that belonged to their Heda. Walking the parameter, Clarke found herself bending down to check the impressions in the snow.

"Ai kwin?" Axel stood beside her as she looked up towards the forest despite her hand laying in the snow. "What do you see?"

"Fresh footprints but they extend beyond the parameter that we check." Clarke stood and pulled the shawl around her tighter. "If they were ours they wouldn't be this fresh, the last parameter check was before the moon was overhead and would have frozen over by now with the cold."

Looking out at the forest she watched the trees and the shadows that lay in them in moonlight. Shadow moved to stand beside her but the wolf bared her teeth and growled. "Spies." Axel stated and put a hand to his weapon.

Clarke turned to Axel, "they don't realize we know they're here. We'll wait till morning to investigate further, giving us time to plan and surprise them if they plan more than spying." She looked down at her wolf, "come Shadow." She patted her leg and the wolf trailed behind her as she made her way back to the tent with Axel walking a few feet behind.

Returning to the tent, Clarke shed her pants but remained in her shirt as she crawled beneath the warm fur blankets. Lexa turned her head toward Clarke but her eyes remained shut, "nothing but a wild boar, am I correct?"

"No, there's something in the forest. Shadow was bearing her teeth and snarling at the trees and I found fresh footprints not from our parameter checks." Clarke watched Lexa's eyes shoot open and she sat up quickly. "We know they are there but they aren't aware that we know. There's nothing we can do till morning, the woods aren't friendly to us right now."

Lexa pushed from bed, pulling on clothes as she went. "If there are spies then I must plan a course of capturing them for information."

"The minute we light candles they'll know something woke us, alerting them of a change in our routine." Clarke reached across the bed and pulled Lexa's arm till she turned. "A wise leader once said that to lead is to make hard choices. This is one of them, we wait and bide our time till we strike when they have their guard down."

Lexa nodded and laid back on the bed, ignoring her clothes. "Rest, I will remain awake."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Lexa placed a hand to the blond's head and pulled it down till it rested on her shoulder.

Clarke closed her eyes and tangled her fingers in Lexa's own, the leader placed a kiss to her crown. "Thank you for listening to me."

"While most times your counsel is unwise, there are times I do welcome it." Clarke chuckled as she raised her head to look into green eyes. "Why do you laugh?"

"Nothing, you just say things that make me laugh. Just do me a favor and never stop doing so because it's something about you I find endearing." Leaning down she kissed the brunette, who smiled when Clarke moved back.

"Rest Clarke." Lexa pulled Clarke's head back down and ran her fingers through the blond locks.

Dawn came and with an hour both leaders stood facing the forest. Shadow continued to growl at the trees until after what seemed like hours of standing in silence, shadows moved past the trunks. Lexa put a hand to her sword at her side and Clarke placed her hand on the handle of the sword strapped to her back. The sky girl kept a tight hand on Shadow's leash because of the amount of snarling going on, clearly an indicator that the animal didn't like whoever it was.

A horse emerged then a second and finally three more. At the front of the small escort was Dara, head held high and with pride in her eyes. She stopped a few feet from them and removed herself from her horse while her men stayed on theirs.

"Lexa, we meet again and this time you join me as a sister bound in unity to another." She smirked at Clarke, "congratulations on your union, you bound two clans together at the expense of your own happiness I'm told."

Clarke narrowed her eyes, "I don't know where you got your information but it's not correct."

"Is it?" She held up her hand and two men emerged from the forest dragging something. "Your pet Lexa, I believe you know her." The men pushed a girl down and the bag was removed her head to show Nia. "Once she felt pain she told me much more than was necessary."

Nia looked up at the two women who had sheltered her. "Lies, I told them lies! I swear it Heda, I told them lies." Tears marked her face and she looked at Clarke, "ai kwin, I said nothing of importance or truth. Please believe me."

Clarke bent down in front of her and nodded, "I believe you Nia, I know you wouldn't do anything to betray us."

"Thank you." Tears fell down her cheeks and the men started to pull her up again. "No please, no! Please do not let them take me…" she continued to cry and struggle more.

Clarke looked at Dara to see her smiling and then at Nia, she pulled her knife quickly from her waist and moved to the girl before the men could pull her away. Quickly she shoved the knife into the girl's neck and pulled out, knowing she'd be dead in moments.

"Yu gonplei ste odon." Clarke spoke as she looked down at the crumpled body, bloody knife in hand.

Dara's eyes narrowed and she threw up a hand to order off the men. "She was my prisoner, you know the game Lexa."

"War is not game!" Clarke stated with ice on her tongue. "She was innocent, done nothing to warrant what you had in store for her. Enough Dara, you have struck at Lexa more than enough times. What is it with you?" She took steps towards the queen and the woman backed up each time as a step was taken. "What did she ever do to you? You rule your kingdom, had it handed to you while the rest of us fight to survive. Your people do everything you desire and all we do is try to live in peace instead of war. I'm getting the feeling you keep going to war to avoid the reality that is the Ice Nation. Your people despise you and want you gone, you don't care for them or their needs but war makes them forget it. Lies that others will invade, that the great Heda kom Trikru will take their homes from them so for as long as war occurs they forget about what you are doing to them!" She starred into ice blue eyes, "tell me if I'm getting close to the truth or maybe I've already hit the target."

"You know nothing."

"Silence tells me I'm right!" Clarke smirked and backed up, "I have the clans behind me, self-proclaimed warriors ready to fight against you. I have a wife who gets very pissed off when I'm threatened. My people have technology that could decimate you and your people with the push of a button." She held out her arms, "do you really want to take on Skaikru?"

The woman climbed onto her horse and backed it up, "this isn't over. I will have your head as I did her last beloved and this time I'll send it to your people."

"Try it bitch, I promise you the last thing you'll ever do it get closer to me then you were moments ago. As I said, I have an army and weapons and a very pissed of wife who commands an entire clan."

"You aren't weak!" Dara shook her head, "no you were sent by the gods to destroy us all!"

With that she turned her horse and rode away, her men riding behind her. Axel moved past Lexa and Clarke to pick up Nia's body, carrying it away. Clarke turned to Lexa and found amusement behind the green eyes.

"What's funny?"

"You made a woman whose heart is cold as ice fear for her life. Never has she backed away from another, not even her own husband can do such a thing. All fear her but she fears you."

"Well she needs to be afraid of something." Clarke signed and shook her head, "I'm sorry about Nia. I couldn't think of someone else you care for undergoing what Costia did so I gave her the quickest death I could."

Lexa nodded, "you saved her suffering a death more horrifying then a death by a thousand cuts. Nia would thank you for your mercy, she would not feel anger towards you." Lexa looked down at the ground. "She will come back with a larger army, war has officially begun."

"And we'll end it." Clarke put a hand to Lexa's arm. "Together, hopefully without massive bloodshed. Right now we deserve to give Nia a proper funeral."

The pyre was built and set alit by Lexa as the sun set, Clarke stood beside the warrior silent in reverence. They'd stood side by side on before when their own people were at war but instead of being at war, they stood as one people together united. Clarke turned her head to look at Lexa as she stared at the flames.

Reaching her hand out she caught the one Lexa had at her side but the leader pulled back and said nothing. Clarke sighed and turned back to the flames, allowing Lexa time to herself until the woman finally spoke.

"Nia came into my care just four moons after Costia was killed. She was barely of age, just fourteen winters and I was not ready to allow anyone in. I allowed her to do what she wished as long as she left me alone. In time as I spent time in Polis keeping peace we saw more of each other."

Clarke nodded, "she told me you treated her like a little sister, cared for her and guided her in many things."

"My mother died at my birth, a hallmark of carrying the spirit of Heda." Lexa looked at Clarke and met her eyes. "Taking our first life as one enters the world and before taking the first cry. My father was a warrior who died fighting the mountain, so I had no sisters or brothers." Lexa gave a slight nod before turning back to the flames. "So yes, Nia did become as little sister and I cared for her as such. When Wash hears her death he will be distraught, I must notify him."

"Wash, that's her intended right?"

"Yes, he is a blacksmith and when he finished his training as a second they were going to unite. He lives in the village I was born in, they met when I visited my mother's sister and Nia asked to go with me to get beyond Polis. Perhaps I shouldn't have taken her, then she would not have broken him with her death."

Clarke moved slightly and Lexa turned to look at her. "No, I know you've been trained to think love is a weakness but it is a strength. I once read that it is better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all. Yes he will hurt and there will be pain just as you suffered with Costia but I bet you every weapon I have that you would still love Costia even if you knew the future ahead. Am I right?"

"Yes." The woman gave a solemn nod and Clarke gave a soft smile. "Even knowing her fate I would not change what I felt for her."

"Neither would he change the time he had with Nia." Clarke touched the back of her hand to Lexa's arm and met green eyes. "Even if I knew everything in advance, I'd still be right here with you and I'd change nothing."

Lexa turned to look at the pyre, "you gave her laughter, I had never heard her laugh until you arrived. Thank you for allowing her to share that with us."

"I'm going to miss her teasing me about that stupid bird." Clarke chuckled and looked down at her hands. "Even when I arrived in Polis to rally the army, she teased me about it."

"Dara will pay for what she has done, jus drein jus daun."

"Jus drein jus daun." Clarke echoed and met Lexa's eyes. "She wants to strike at you, well this was the last time she does so without immediate retaliation. Tomorrow I ride for Camp Jaha and prepare plans with my people so we can use the weapons we have against her."

Lexa put a hand to Clarke's arm as she turned, "don't make this war personal."

"She made it personal when she smuggled that ice snake into our goods. She made it personal when she took Nia from Polis and she made it damn personal calling me weak." Taking a step forward, Clarke ignored the sparse people around them and placed a hand to Lexa's cheek. "She made it beyond personal when she demanded my head like that of Costia. I told her if she ever brought up Costia again, I'd be taking her head from her and I keep my promises."

A/N: I think Clarke is more pissed off than Lexa!

Next: Plans for war escalate as unexpected arrivals show up at Camp Jaha

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