After 1 hour and 27 minutes of swearing, sweat, hard work, confusing instructions, tent poles and many of the grounders including Lexa charging at the half propped up tent, with sword or dagger in hand; threatening to "End the contraptions life" or "be done with this burden", only to have a certain blonde stand in between the un-cooperative tent and the attacker, with her arms crossed and eyebrows raised as to say drop the weapon and get back to work; each grounder slouching their shoulders and retreating with defeated sigh. But finally 1 hour and a half later the tent was up properly and much to Lexa's dismay in one piece.
"Never ask of me to anything for you again." Lexa demanded in a serious tone.
"It wasn't that bad Commander." Clarke turned to face her with a smirk and playful blue eyes to the brunette. Lexa didn't reply, but just stared at Clarke as if she spoke a different language. How does she do that? Lexa thought.
Snapping out of her trace "It was a complete waste of time. I still don't know why you won't just sleep outside on the floor." Lexa retorted.
"Because" Clarke huffed whilst bending down next to the pile of weapons she'd previously confiscated when the tent was under construction " in a few hours it's going to be freezing cold, and the ground is going to be freezing cold and although we have a fire, we can only get so close to it before getting caught on fire and at some point it's going to go out during the night." She stated, standing up and holding Lexa's dagger out to her handle first.
"That still doesn't explain why you need the tent." Lexa challenged stepping closer to the blonde to retrieve her dagger.
Rolling her eyes "Well think about it, my body heat is going to warm up the tent and I will be warm and cosy throughout the night, whereas you and your men will be freezing." She stated lifting her chin slightly in success.
Lexa just eyed her cautiously trying to come up with a point to win their debate. She has a point. "Okay then."
"Okay?" Clarke raised her eyebrows slightly.
"That's what I said Clarke."
"No throwback or smart retort as to why the big, brave commander is right as always?" Clarke over dramatized the last part, making the corner of Lexa's mouth give slightly into a smile, before almost immediately disappearing back into her serious commander mask.
"Nope." They kept each other's stare for a few more seconds.
Don't look away. Hold her gaze. I'll show Lexa I'm not inferior. It's time to play her at her own game.
As if Lexa understood what Clarke was doing, smirked and turned her back on Clarke to walk towards her men, her posture up right, head held high. She's so annoying when she does that. She addressed her men in Trigedasleng before walking to the far side of the small camp they'd set up and disappeared through the thick trees.
Where's she gone now?
The muscular men all walked up to Clarke and the pile of weapons she had collected each man queuing and glaring slightly whilst Clarke handed them their weapons back, with the occasional "sorry" and "thanks for your cooperation" from the blonde, with only an annoyed grunt or nod in return. Well they like you that much more now you took their beloved weapons away from them, well done.
"Thank you?"
Clarke looked up to the person she was handing the last blade to. A boy who appeared to be not too much older than herself, he was about half a head taller than the blonde, he had short tousled hair, the same deep brown colour locks that all the tree clan possessed. His eyes a stormy grey colour, contrasting against his tanned skin; similar complexion to Lexa's.
Lexa. Why does everything remind me of her?
"Erm...Did ai say it right sky prisa?" The young man snapped her from her thoughts of Lexa, looking at the blonde uncertain with himself.
"Yeah, sorry I was in a world of my own, but call me Clarke." Clarke smiled at the boy trying to reassure him, looking down at her hands she noticed they both still had hold of the small sword as she was distracted with her thought of Lexa.
Quickly letting go "You're welcome...sorry what's your name? The blonde asked suddenly realising she better start learning the names of the people who are protecting her.
The boy looked surprised that she had started to make conversation with him, he swallowed clearly nervous at the interaction "N-Nathaniel." He said gently whilst putting his sword in the holder on his back.
"Well you're welcome Nathaniel." Clarke smiled at him. Wow. So there is such thing as a grounder with manners. Why doesn't Lexa use manne- LEXA AGAIN! I need to stop thinking about her. "Hey do you know where Le-the Commander is?" Clarke asked quick to correct herself in front of Lexa's people.
"Heda walked up to higher ground that way" he points to the right of them" She's figuring out what route is best for us to take tomorrow home." Nathaniel roughly translated. "She said she will return shortly." He quickly added noticing the slightly worried look on the blonde.
Clarke nodded at that and Nathaniel turned away from her to join the rest of the men gathered around the fire cooking the meat. The cold had started to settle, a nearby owl sounded, accompanying the sound of the crackling fire and murmurs of the nearby men. Sighing Clarke limped over to her tent rummaging through her bag until she pulled out her father's watch and fastened it onto her wrist. She was too scared to wear it whilst hunting in case she broke it. She decided to lay down for a little bit until food is ready, it's dark and there's not exactly a lot I can do with a dodgy ankle she thought to herself. With a moment to herself Clarke started to think of all the things that happened in the last 3 months; herself and the 100 being sent down to earth, getting attacked by the grounders, the ark coming down to earth after figuring out it's habitable, finding out her Mother is the reason that her Dad got floated, Finn getting killed by the Pauna by distracting it from the rest of the small group they were in so that they could all get away. Then Lexa. The first time she met her. The alliance she formed. Them attacking mount weather and winning together. Restoring peace, getting their people back. And now just living normal lives well as normal life as you can get down here anyway. But she always thinks back to her Dad in the end, missing him, hoping that he is looking down on her, trying to make him proud. Hoping that he is proud.
Clarke was snapped out of her thoughts, when she could hear the grounder's voices getting louder, bickering over something. They were speaking in Trigedasleng so Clarke couldn't properly understand what they were saying. She roughly translated the words "wake" and "sky princess" and she could have sworn she translated "scared". Clarke rolled her eyes and sat up in her tent.
"Food must be ready." She muttered to herself.
She was too annoyed and busy with getting herself onto her feet without hurting her ankle, she failed to hear the scuttles of advancing feet towards the entrance of her tent, she stood up with a final swift movement and instantly groaned as she something impacted with her temple, making her dazed as she lost her footing and fell on the floor for what must be the 10th time on this hunting trip.
"Ow! What the hell!" Clarke looked up to see Nathaniel holding his nose in equal amount of pain.
"Klark are you okay?" He asked bringing his hands from his face, finally registering what he had done, his face riddled with concern.
"Yeah I'm fine, I think. Just lost my bala-oh my god Nate your nose!" Clarke's eyes grew big once Nathaniel had helped her from the ground and she could see his face more clearly. He had a steady stream of blood pooling form his nose, and the bridge of his nose had slowly bent to the side" I broke your nose!" Clarke says mortified. Well fucking done Clarke like you didn't make him nervous enough as it is.
Nathaniel just wiped at his nose with the back of his hand and shrugged. "Food is ready." He simply stated and turned on the spot to go back to the fire, but Clarke intervened.
"Where are you going?"
"To eat?" He questioned afraid that this was a trick.
"What about your nose?"
"I've had injuries worse." He shrugs again. He turns to leave again but-
"Oh no you don't." Clarke stopped him hands on hips. Grab my bag and I'll fix your nose.
He picked up Clarke's bag, but protested "But Kla-" He was immediately silenced with the shut your damn stupid grounder mouth, drop the proud grounder facade and get over there glare. When they reached the fire, the rest of the men started sniggering at the young warrior, they had clearly watched what had happened and were laughing at the fact that he had been on the brunt end of the Clarke's orders.
Clarke noticed this "You four go and keep watch!" The blonde ordered.
The men all looked shocked staring at her, one of them was half way through taking a bite of meat.
"Now." She said again. Whoa! When did I become scary?
One by one the men dropped the food they were eating, picking up their weapons, shooting glares at the guilty looking Nathaniel and walked off in four different directions, some dragging their swords along the floor behind them like 6 year olds.
After 5 minutes Clarke had stopped the bleeding and cleaned up all the blood, she was just preparing to snap his nose backwards, so that it healed straighter.
"Are you ready?" Clarke asked positioning her fingers along the young grounders nose.
Lexa was only a few meters away from camp, after 20 minutes; she had finally figured out an appropriate route home for tomorrow. I wander what Clarke is doing? Just as she thinks that, she hears a loud groaning noise coming from the camp, she quickly rushes through the bushes and see Clarke and one of her warriors stood near the fire. Clarke has blood all over her hands and down the front of her jacket and shirt.
Lexa immediately rushes over seeing red.
Clarke quickly recognises this "Lexa it's not what it looks like!" Crap!
Too late.
Within a swift movement Lexa has dodged around the blonde's body and has Nate by his throat pinned to a nearby tree, dagger at his throat. Her face centimetres from his; eyes big, nostrils flared. The young warrior looks terrified.
"Lexa! Stop! It's his blood! The noise you heard was me snapping his nose back into place!" Lexa turns slightly to register Clarke's face to get an honest answer. Clarke looked close to crying, eyes wide, face pleading with the commander.
The brunette moved the dagger from his throat and spoke to him sternly in Trigedasleng, she let go of his neck and he ran scurrying into the woods behind him "Yes Heda!"
Lexa turned to face Clarke.
Clarke looked at her expectantly "Well?"
"I told him to go keep watch." Lexa replied, her face passive as if nothing just happened. Lexa shrugged.
The blonde just shook her head in disbelief.