Chapter 38:

Lexa woke to a soft small hand squeezing her forearm. Lexa groaned as she peeled her head off the cool metal table and looked up. Her chest still hurt but it was mending. She already felt better than yesterday. She heard the soft patter of rain on the Ark.

"No word yet huh?" Octavia asked jiggling Lexa's arm again.

Lexa sat straight and stretched a bit before standing, she shook her head as she looked at Octavia. She was afraid to speak. Afraid her voice would betray her and reveal how worried and frightened she was.

Octavia sighed and gave her a small smile. "We'll find her. We did it before, we can do it again."

Lexa tried to return it, resulting in a very awkward half smile half frown. She sat down again staring at the radio.

Octavia pulled up a chair and sat with Lexa. She remained silent but Lexa was grateful for the support.

"Thank you Octavia, for saving my life."

Octavia looked at Lexa, a little surprised, before smiling graciously, "You're welcome Heda."

There was a tone of respect there, Lexa smiled half heartedly at the formal term knowing that Octavia was trying to reinforce Lexa's strength.

"I have to find her." Lexa said softly, her voice croaking slightly in emotion.

Octavia remained quiet but she didn't leave. After a while Abby popped in to change Lexa's dressings on her wound. Abby was even more impressed with the healing rate. She told Lexa she was out of the woods, only thing she had to do now was deal with the remaining pain. Lexa nodded as she took the information in not really listening but looking at Abby and recognising each piece of her that Clarke carried.

When she was finished Abby gave Lexa's hand a squeeze and left her and Octavia alone again.

That's when hey heard the crackle. It was coming from the radio. They froze trying to listen harder.

"R…R..Raven?" a gruff voice asked carefully through the radio. Lexa recognized it as one of her advisors – Ryder. She smiled, this was the same man Lexa had entrusted to watch over Clarke after they made their original alliance. She had faith in him.

Octavia grabbed the transmitter and handed it to Lexa showing her how to respond. Lexa pressed the button before she spoke, "Ryder? This is Heda, what news?"

A short silence followed before the voice replied, "Heda," he greeted her before continuing, "Wanheda is being held prisoner by sky people, we have crossed the border into Azgeda territory."

Lexa froze. She went ice cold. She felt her heart stop in her chest. Not again… her breath hitched as her heart began pounding violently again. "How far?" she demanded into the little box.

"Two days journey from you. They will arrive to Queen by dusk tomorrow."

Lexa looked at Octavia who spoke first, "I'll get our shit!" And she was off in a full run out the door slipping past Raven who was hobbling in on her brace. She stayed quiet watching Lexa.

"We're leaving shortly, we will catch up, stay on their trail and radio with updates."

"Yes Heda."

Lexa snuck a glance at Raven before looking back at the little box and speaking, "Ryder?" she said softly, more Lexa less commander.

"Heda?" Ryder's voice came back through a crackle in the frequency softer than the warriors normal voice.

Lexa pressed the button and paused before she spoke, she opened her mouth and closed it twice before she could get the words formed as fear gripped her, "Is she okay?" before she said in an even quieter tone like a prayer, "is she alive?"

Ryder responded, "Yes Heda…"

Lexa looked at raven who was smiling in relief. Lexa took a deep breath to calm herself, "If anyone makes a move against her they die," she ordered, "We will ride straight through."

With that she tossed the transmitter to Raven feeling much better about her chances. Not again she said to herself with a steely resolve instead of the worry before. She had time. She had to move now. Raven was grabbing some things and told Lexa to wait a second. LExa froze antsy now but listening.

"Take this. This too. This… a few of these. And this, this and…this." Raven was saying handing Lexa things. As LExa bobbled them Raven spoke up again, "Woah, careful there, that'll probably go boom," she said catching the item Lexa did drop before it hit the ground.

Lexa looked at her with wide-eyes before glancing down at what was in her hands. There was small cyclindar items and hand guns and even a larger gun, Lexa panicked and set it all down on the table.

Raven looked at her with screwed up eyebrows, "What did I just say?"

Lexa ignored her, "We can't use your guns."

Raven rolled her eyes, "You are going into enemy territory with swords versus swords and guns. Trust me, you'll need my toys."

Lexa shook her head, "Grounder lore…it's not how we do things," she began before closing her mouth. Grounder lore was about the mountain. They couldn't pick up guns to defend themselves against the mountain without all of them dying. That was the legend…but the mountain has fallen.

Raven raised her eyebrows confused, "well maybe it's time you change the way you do things?"

Lexa nodded motivated by Raven and the logic that the mountain fell, hell they even blew it up. "Never-mind, give them here," Lexa said resolved that this would work. They needed the advantage.

Raven began piling the items into a bag for Lexa before slinging the large gun over Lexa's good shoulder. "Octavia will teach you how to use these," Raven said pointing at the cylinders that apparently would go boom, "Jasper can help give you a run down on the guns."

Lexa nodded as she adjusted the strap on her shoulder and hoisted the bag. She was surprised to find Raven stepping closer and wrapping her arms around her in an awkward hug. Lexa tried to adjust so she could reciprocate some how and she managed to get her hand on Raven's back before the mechanic pulled back and looked seriously at Lexa before smiling, "Go get our girl back."

Lexa nodded, afraid to speak, afraid to give any false promises. She didn't know if that was for Raven's sake or her own. She turned and left the room without another word.

She found Octavia in the medical bay loading up her gear. Lexa set the stuff Raven had given her down with dull thuds. Octavia raised her eyebrows, "A gift from Raven," Lexa said quietly.

"Okay Lexa, Okay!" Octavia said excitedly nodding her head looking at their dangerous new weapons, "let's fucking do this!"

Octavia's warrior spirit connected with Lexa's in this moment. Lexa felt her worry slowly turn into a determined resolve. They geared up, Lexa strapped on her sword and daggers. Her and Octavia then walked side by side out of the Ark to the grounds. People were gathering, news of the rescue mission had spread. Octavia beamed at Lexa, "This is going to work."

She led Lexa to Kane where he and a number of men were gathered. "Commander," he greeted her.

Lexa nodded in response, "Chancellor Kane."

Kane smiled and began to speak, "I have an idea," he said pulling Lexa to the side and whispering his plan in her ear. She nodded agreeing it was a good course of action. They split and went to inform their people, Octavia remaining at Lexa's side.

Lexa led the way into the woods where her people were waiting. "We march to Ice Nation. We have reports that Wanheda has been captured. We take a small group with us, the rest of you are staying with the sky people to await the rest of our army. When the Ice Nation army arrives, lay waste to them all!"

Her speech ended with and eruption from the warriors around her. Shouts and hollers carried through the trees. War drums began to beat as her army spread out to their positions. Indra instructed a group to head to Arkadia to defend the inner compound as Kane had sent out a large group of men to join them in the woods with their guns.

Lexa rounded up her best warriors to join them on the mission. She had Octavia and Lincoln instruct the few that would carry the guns. They proved to be quite good with them after a few minutes practice. It would be quite different in the heat of the battle but at least they had another option if they couldn't get close enough to use their swords and axes.

She sent archers on ahead of them before hopping on a horse beside Octavia. They set off at a fast pace. Not willing to waste another moment. As they galloped into the rain Lexa watched Octavia weave her horse through the trees like she had been doing it all her life. She looked so much like one of Lexa's grounder warriors it was unreal. She looked at the Blake girl beside her and she began to wonder how two siblings could be so different, how they could land on opposite sides of a battle and how that would change their relationship forever.

Her thoughts ran back to Clarke. How they had been on opposite side, how they had looked past their differences and found so many similarities. How they had used them to bridge the gap to understanding and friendship and watching it bloom to love. Lexa spurred her horse on harder. Pleading with the beast to go faster driving forward into the pouring rain and darkness. The thought of Clarke, the thought of how much she loved Clarke, how her whole heart belonged to Clarke giving her hope that she would find her, alive and well. She couldn't feel the rain, she couldn't feel her clothes being drenched in the liquid, she couldn't feel the cool nights chill pinging against her cheeks. All she could feel was the warmth emanating from her pounding heart at the thought of Clarke.