It's a few hours later in the early morning light of the pre-dawn that Abby and Clarke deem Lexa stable enough to be moved to her own quarters. Servants are quick to enter Clarke's room and they waste no time in cleaning up the mess. While the blockade is still in place, Titus has delayed any kill order for the time being to allow Octavia and Murphy to return for the time being. Little does he know, she intends to use the delay to slip back and forth more easily between Polis and Arkadia so that plans can be made on how best to deal with the problem that is Pike.
Abby is busying herself with conducting another exam on her unconscious patient as her daughter silently drifts around the room lighting each of Lexa's many candles and bathing the room in an incandescent glow in the process. She is amazed at the life support capability of this previously unknown AI. Not only does it seem to be capable of regulating blood flow, heart rate, and body temperature, but it seems to have placed the commander into some sort of hibernation while she recovers from her trauma. Though the steady rise and fall of the woman's chest continues to be a comforting sign of life, she remains dead to the waking world—completely unresponsive to the stimuli of being moved or having dressings changed. Hell, Abby even shined a flashlight into her eyes at one point. If not for the physical signs akin to someone dreaming in REM sleep, she would think this is a coma.
Outside the Heda's sleeping chambers, a loud slap permeates the air. The hallway is thick with tension as Indra and Titus stand facing each other. The warrior's hackles are raised and she looks every bit like a fierce lioness ready to pounce on the meek little gazelle that is Lexa's Flamekeeper. She regards his reddened face with an accusatory gaze and her eyes narrow into slits as she speaks in a low growl.
"Yu bash op Heda."
There is an argument on the man's tongue. His intentions have always been to protect Heda and that's what he was trying to do, but it dies away as he remembers the moment he accidentally shot her and he bows his head in his renewed shame. He has failed his Heda. If she does not give him death, he surely deserves it for his actions.
"What were you thinking, Fleimkepa?" She all but spits his title at him in her disgust and her fury. "Do you know what it would mean if she were to die right now? When the Kongeda is so fragile?"
He nods faintly at this question, but dares not speak yet. He does know. It is the very thing he is trying to prevent from happening because it would mean the unraveling of her entire legacy in one fell swoop as the clans turn against each other and descend into chaos. And yet…
He shakes his head, trying to rid himself of the thought that they'd come so close to that reality the previous evening because of him.
"It would be madness." He agrees. "But, Indra, the people are hungry for blood and she refuses them."
Indra scoffs. "Our people have long been slaves to our own bloodlust. Perhaps it's time to teach the people that slaughter is not the same as survival."
Of course, she greatly resented the fact that skaikru warriors had slaughtered so many of her people and have yet to face retribution. But, truth be told, she grows weary of all the needless bloodshed committed by all of the clans and justified with flimsy excuses. Jus Drein Jus Daun has a very specific time and place, but she knows that it will be the destruction of her people if they continue to treat it as the only true way.
Heda Lexa understands that.
Titus, seemingly recovering some courage in the face of Indra's waning wrath opens his mouth to speak again. "I know that I have done wrong by our people and by Lexa. For that, I could never apologize enough. But, I will not apologize for doing my duty."
Indra's mouth twitches up at the irony of the word "duty". This man should be dead for the way he has done his duty. If he ever commits such treason again, she will see to that herself.
"You'd do well to remember that your duty is merely to advise, not make decisions on her behalf."
Three days and three nights have passed since the events of Ascension Day. On the afternoon of the fourth day, Clarke sits in a chair in Lexa's bedroom, bathing in the rays of sunlight that filter in through the large windows. She concentrates deeply on her drawing pad and her charcoal moves gracefully across the paper as she pencils in the details on a new sketch of Lexa that she'd started just days ago. Her eyes dart up to Lexa's sleeping form every now and then to reference certain details of features which haven't yet been committed fully to her memory. Every now and then, she thinks she sees movement out of the corner of her eye—the twitch of a finger or the slight jerk of a foot—but she quickly writes it off as a trick of the mind.
Her mother returns to the room a short time later with fresh bandages and sets to work changing the old ones. They had been sharing the responsibility of caring for Lexa to allow each other to rest.
Abby is just finished covering the stitches with fresh bandages after giving them a quick appraisal when Lexa's torso heaves underneath her hand and a long, deep sigh is heard through room.
"She's waking up!" Abby exclaims as Lexa's body begins to make the sluggish, lazy movements of slow wakefulness. Clarke perks up and quickly throws her drawing to the side, coming to the side of the bed. She gently takes Lexa's face in her hands and strokes tenderly at the soft skin beneath her thumbs as she waits patiently for those beautiful emerald eyes to look at her.
"Clarke?" She turns her face toward Clarke and leans into the warmth of her touch. Her voice sounds groggy and only slightly worn from disuse. And it is the most welcome sound in the world right now considering that just days ago she almost lost the chance to ever hear it again.
"I'm here." Clarke's smile stretches the width of her face and tears are streaming down toward her chin. She can't contain herself any longer; doesn't care that her mother is watching. She leans over and peppers soft kisses over Lexa's face: her forehead; her cheeks; her chin; and finally, her lips.
On instinct, Lexa brings her hand up to tangle it in that mane of blonde hair as each kiss pulls her further from sleep. Slowly, she becomes aware of another presence near her bedside and pulls away out of a sense of propriety. Her eyes finally open for the first time in nearly four days and the first thing she sees is Clarke.
Clarke, who is looking at her with eyes that shine with her love and her tears. Clarke, appears like an angel in the light of the sun and her candles. Clarke, who she finds herself becoming more and more devoted to with each passing day. Clarke, who refused to allow her to die not once, but three times, now.
And then the thought occurs to her. She had traveled to the City of Light. Seen things; troubling things. And if she went there after being shot then shouldn't that mean…
"Did I die?" She asks without preamble, with such bluntness that it takes the Griffin women aback. Her eyes search Clarke's for an answer, only finding confusion there as she offers an answer. "Not technically. Lexa…"
"I went to the City of Light while I was unconscious. That could only be possible if I had died."
"You were alive, but it wasn't medically possible." Abby offers and Lexa's sharp gaze snaps to her, willing her to explain. "You lost too much blood, but…that thing inside you—the spirit—kept you alive."
"I see." Lexa says. She looks as though she understands the significance of this explanation very acutely; as if this has happened before. More than that, she looks troubled by something more. Clarke sends her mother away hoping that she might be more open without another person in the room. With Abby gone, Clarke returns to the bedside and absently takes Lexa's hand between hers.
"Has this happened before?"
"Never to me." Lexa smiles fondly. She never thought the stories possible, but she's thankful they're true. "According to the legend, the first Commander suffered three deaths before the spirit finally left her on the fourth time."
Clarke's brow furrows in confusion and Lexa enjoys the sight; enjoys watching her Wanheda trying to put together the pieces of a puzzle when she does not yet have all of them. "Legend? But…wouldn't Titus have witnessed it?"
"You are technically correct. Titus has served as Fleimkepa since the first Heda. But the first Commander came before the clans had even formed. Before our language was first spoken."
"According to legend." Clarke points out playfully, cocking her head towards Lexa and the Commander guffaws lightly at the childish image it presents. She meets the blonde's expression with a raised eyebrow.
"What did I say about mockery, Clarke?"
"Sorry." Clarke shakes her head as a grin forms on her face. "You were talking about the first Commander?"
"She was the woman responsible for first forming and uniting the clans under her leadership…though, that unity clearly was not to last. Today, she is worshipped in our culture as something of a deity."
Clarke listens as Lexa speaks; reads her facial expressions. Lexa is the first leader since the first commander to successfully unite the twelve clans. Now, that coalition is on shaky ground with Clarke's people in the middle. She wonders if Lexa doubts her ability.
"Do you not believe you can keep the peace?" Clarke wonders out loud and those piercing green eyes meet hers, looking sorrowful, guilty, and far too heavily burdened for someone who just woke up.
"No, but I fear doing so may come at a price I cannot pay." Clarke; her people. The love she'd long thought lost since Costia's death.
Clarke's face crumples slightly as the weight of the confession landed on her heart. Her promise to Clarke keeps her from answering the demands for skaikru blood. Right now, she isn't sure the decimation of her people is such a bad thing. Thinking about it like this puts Titus' actions against her into perspective. Either way, she senses that they've set foot into a heavy subject best saved for another moment when Lexa hasn't just woken up from being shot. So, she clears her throat rather loudly and opts for a different topic.
"So…you mentioned something about the City of Light?"
And Lexa shakes her head at that. The troubles in the City of Light could wait for another day. Right now…
"It can wait. There are more important matters we must face first." She scoots over to make room on the bed. "Will you lay with me? I want a few moments of peace before I must attend to responsibility. Beja."
Clarke gladly assents, standing from the chair and sliding under the furs in one swift motion. The warmth of each other brings a comfort unlike anything else and they find themselves molding to each other as their limbs tangle. Lexa smiles as she feels Clarke bury her face into her hair. A thousand unspoken "I love you's" pass between each other through touch, but all the talking ceases for the moment.
Thanks for reading! We'll get into the action starting somewhere next chapter.
Just a quick note:
Yu bash op Heda- (roughly) You harm Heda.
Kongeda- Coalition
Beja- Please