Chapter 12: More Than Dreams

Clarke was exhausted, and not just because she and Lexa had just finished with their third round of love making. No, she was mentally exhausted because she had spent the last four days fighting with the leaders of the clans over Skaikru's proposal. It was a good plan, one that most of the clan leaders had readily agreed to, but that was all they could agree to.

The proposal was simple, Skaikru would teach select members of each clan all they knew about medicine, agriculture, and how to build sturdier buildings, in exchange the clans would teach Skaikru their medicine, how to hunt more efficiently, and for a temporary place in Lexa's coalition. After two months, if everything was running smoothly, the clans could revisit Skaikru's place, and decide if they were to join permanently.

Every clan except Azgeda, (which wasn't a surprise,) agreed to the terms of the alliance. What they did not agree upon was where this training was going to take place. The clan leaders were reluctant to send their people to Skaikru. Clarke could understand their reluctance. Her people did have a tendency to start wars without meaning to, but with so many of their people gone, they needed as many of their trained people in Camp Jaha preparing for the winter.

It made sense to send people to each clan to teach them agriculture. It was something they couldn't really teach them in the abstract. Each clan's land may be different, thus changing how they teach them. The problem they were having was where they would teach the clansmen their medicine. The only Skaikru who are fully trained are Abby and Jackson. Clarke knew enough to get by, but her knowledge was nowhere near as extent as her mother's. Skaikru couldn't spare either of them.

It took some time, but she was able to get a few clans to agree to send their fisa to Camp Jaha, but the majority of the clans only agreed to send their people if Clarke was there for training. Which led them to another problem. Clarke had no plans on returning to Camp Jaha for an extended period of time.

After Clarke conveyed that she was staying in Polis, Lexa suggested that she teach a few of the clans fisa in the tower while the rest were sent to Camp Jaha. It took another hour, but they had finally came to an agreement. Each clan would send two fisa, one to Clarke and one to Camp Jaha, and two of their strongest people to help build buildings with Skaikru, and two warriors to teach their people how to make the sturdiest weapons and teach them to hunt. Azgeda of course declined the alliance on all sides.

In addition to the treaty talks, Clarke had to be especially careful not to let Kane know that her and Lexa were together. She was sure that he had heard rumors of their coupling, and since he was in charge of her security detail, he must have wondered why Clarke was always with Lexa. She just didn't want to confirm anything until she had a chance to talk to her mother, and the rest of the hundred.

That had been the most exhausting part of the last four days. Having to remember not to touch Lexa, or look at her in ways that would be telling, was not an easy feat. Having bickering clan's leaders around her only made it more taxing.

Clarke was so happy that they had finally gotten all the clans to agree to terms of the alliance, that she had barely waited for the door to their room to close before she began ripping Lexa's clothing off. She was thankful that Lexa wasn't wear her battle paint for the meetings.

She was even more thankful that she and Lexa had stopped tiptoeing around their relationship and were finally enjoying this part. With the nausea that she had felt since she landed on Earth gone, she seemed to be bursting with sexual energy, and when she was around Lexa, that energy was nearly explosive.

Clarke had enjoyed the night she spent with Finn, but Lexa could run circles around him. Literally! There was this move Lexa did with her tongue that drove Clarke crazy. If she wasn't mistaken, Lexa would draw words across her clit, driving her to the edge, only to stop and repeat the process until she begged her to make her climax.

Lexa seemed to have an endless supply of energy, which was good because Clarke's libido seemed to have a bottomless pit. The more Lexa pushed her into the abyss, the more she craved it again, until Clarke was a floppy pile of spent bones. Which Clarke did not mind at all.

Lexa made her forget the reason why she was so exhausted, and her marvelous tongue pushed into the kind of exhausted that make all the dreams she had been having disappear. That was something she was even more grateful for. It really was a package deal.

Clarke fell asleep not long after Lexa crawled back up her body, placing tender kisses as she did. Even with the threat of Nia, she felt incredibly safe in Lexa's arms. It was her favorite place to be. Unfortunately, this was not one of those nights that she slept a dreamless sleep.

She woke just a few hours after falling asleep, breathing heavily, tears already flooding her eyes. This dream had been the worst one she had. Careful not the wake Lexa, she rolled out of bed and padded across the room quietly. Images of her nightmare flooded her mind, making her act on auto pilot as she pulled out the art supplies Lexa had given her. She spread the pictures she had already completed over the floor as she looked for a blank sheet, and then began to draw her nightmare on to the papers.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Lexa was startled awake hours before the sun was due to rise. She laid perfectly still as she listened for what had woken her. She could hear scratching coming from across the dimly-lit room, and quiet muttering. She reached across the bed to feel for Clarke, but her love wasn't there. She rolled over to face the door, and froze at the sight that met her.

Clarke was sitting on the floor naked, feverishly moving a stick of charcoal across a sheet of paper, while muttering to herself. There were papers strung across the floor around her, seemingly thrown there in hast.

Lexa stood and grabbed her night gown from the bed post. She slipped it on, then grabbed one of the furs from her bed. She carefully stepped across the cool floor so her movements wouldn't startle Clarke. She expected Clarke to stop drawing when she draped the fur over her, but she didn't seem to even notice.

"Clarke," she said softly. Once again, the woman seemed to not notice Lexa's presence. Lexa kneeled beside Clarke, and picked up the closest sheet of paper. When she looked at the sketch, her heart seized in her chest. "Clarke, where have you seen this man? Have you spoken to him?"

Clarke muttered something that Lexa couldn't understand. Lexa reached out and quickly snatched the pencil out of Clarke's hand. Clarke turned her head sharply, just now noticing that Lexa was awake. "Black blood," she muttered to Lexa. "Black blood," she repeated, and then turned quickly turned around and grabbed the knife Lexa kept hidden beneath the coffee table.

Before Lexa could comprehend what Clarke was doing, the blonde had spun around and swiped the knife across Lexa's forearm. She looked down at the small cut in shock, before lifting her head to look at Clarke.

Clarke had dropped the knife and was staring at the small cut blankly. A drop of blood slipped from the cut and began running down her arm. Lexa watched as Clarke smeared the blood, creating a black streak against pale skin.

"You have black blood," Clarke finally said clearly.

"Sha Clarke," Lexa said confused.

"This is how you were chosen to be a natblida? Because you have black blood."

"Sha Clarke," Lexa repeated.

Clarke looked up at Lexa. "Show me your neck," she demanded softly.

"Clarke?" Lexa asked.

"Please Lexa," Clarke snapped. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Lexa didn't deserve to be spoken to so harshly. "Please Lexa," she said gentler. "Beja, show me your neck."

Lexa nodded and then turned to allow Clarke to see her neck. Clarke took a deep breath, steadying herself for what she was about to do. For weeks, she had been avoiding looking at Lexa's neck, afraid to find the infinity symbol tattooed over a scar. She brought her hand up and gently moved Lexa's wavy hair to the side and then rested her hand on Lexa's shoulder.

A tear fell as she gazed upon the infinity tattoo on Lexa's neck. For weeks, she had been reliving every moment she spent with Lexa before the first dream, trying desperately to remember if she had ever seen it. She was sure that Lexa always kept her hair covering it. She had no way to explain how she knew anything from that first dream. She had never seen the tattoo, she had never seen Titus, and she was positive that Lexa had never mentioned that she had an AI in her head. She was at a loss to explain it scientifically.

She ran her thumb over the tattoo and then slid it along the vertical scar lying underneath the middle of the infinity symbol. Taking in the fact that her dream had shown her this before her eyes had ever laid upon it.

Lexa turned slowly, shivering at the sensitive touch from Clarke's hand. "Clarke?" She asked again, and then brought her hand up to her face. She gently ran her thumb over Clarke's cheek, wiping away the single tear that had fallen.

Clarke gazed Lexa's worried eyes. "I…" She sighed, and then took a deep breath. "I think I'm losing my mind. I'm dreaming about things I've never seen before. Of people, I am positive I have never seen before."

Lexa eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and then gently pushed her girlfriend back into the couch. She made her sit down, before heading backs to the bed to grab Clarke's nightgown. She handed it to Clarke, gently instructing her to put it on, and then began collecting the pictures that were scattered across the floor.

"Tell me about your dreams," she gently said as she sat next to Clarke. "Which one was the first?"

Clarke looked at Lexa for a moment, before taking the stack of drawings from her. She flipped through them, pulling out each drawing she had created from the dream where Titus shot Lexa, cringing as she did. She put the pictures in order before handing them to Lexa.

She watched Lexa closely as she studied each picture, before moving onto the next. Lexa was trying to remain calm, but there was a subtle increase in her breath, and there was a crease that always formed between her eyes when she was worried about something.

"When did you dream of this?" Lexa asked. Her voice was slightly shaky. Not so shaky that anybody but Lexa's closest people would be able to tell, but Clarke could hear it.

"The first time I dreamt about that we were in Tondc. It happened the night of the celebration," Clarke said. "The dream ended when he shot you. After that I began dreaming about it almost every night. Each time a little more was revealed."

Lexa repeatedly flipped through the pictures. Her stomach churned with every new drawing, hoping her theory was wrong. If she was right, that meant Titus was going to betray her in the future, and that betrayal would lead to her death. "What was said?" She looked up at Clarke. "What did Titus say?"

Clarke replayed the dream for Lexa word for word. As she spoke the words, it was like the dream began to replay in her mind. "… that he said that you might be angry enough to declare war and then fired at me."

Lexa, who had begun flipping through the drawings as Clarke spoke, looked up sharply when Clarke spoke the word war. "You're sure that is what he said. That I would declare war if you were gone."

Clarke nodded her head.

Anger flashed across Lexa's face, before turning her head to her shelves. Clarke's description of dream Titus' words reminded her of something the man had once said to her. It had been just a few days after she found Costia's head, when he told her that she could declare war on Azgeda now that she was gone. At the time, she had assumed he said that because he thought Costia made her weak, but what if it had been more? What if he had meant it another way?

Lexa pushed the feeling aside. She couldn't worry about her past love, when her current love was sitting next to her in turmoil. She would analyze her memories later. She flipped to the last drawing, and held it out for Clarke to see. On the page was a picture of the AI in Lexa's head.

"You dreamt about the flame," Lexa stated. "I have not told you about the flame."

"No, you haven't," Clarke said, and then took the picture. She ran her finger over the drawing. "Somebody must have said something to me. Maybe you described it to somebody while I slept."

Lexa grabbed the stack of drawings from Clarke, and flipped through them to find the first drawing she picked up. She gasped when her eyes fell on the drawing Clarke had been working on when she woke. "Clarke, have you seen this woman in Polis?" she asked.

"No. I don't know where I've seen her," Clarke answered. She was looking at the picture in disgust. Her stomach was still rolling from the horrific dream, and seeing the results only made it worse.

Lexa tried to pull her eyes away from the drawing, but her eyes were glued to the woman holding Aden's severed head. She knew who the woman was. She allowed the image to be burnt into her mind before flipping to the picture she was looking for. She handed the picture to Clarke as she asked, "And him? Where have you seen him?"

"I don't know Lexa. We were still in Tondc when I dreamt that. I don't remember seeing him anywhere."

"Are you positive?" Lexa pressed.

"Sha. Lexa, do you know who these people are?"

"Sha Clarke," Lexa said. "You dreamt of Titus before meeting him, so maybe these are the same," Lexa said quietly, almost to herself.

"It's not possible to see people before you meet them," Clarke said.

"And yet you are," Lexa said gently. She handed the picture of Aden to Clarke. "This is Ontari. I've only met her a few times, but I would remember those markings anywhere. She's Queen Nia's pet. Rumored to be next in line for the throne. According to Nia, Ontari isn't in Polis. She is in the Azgeda capital overseeing the City."

"And the other one? Who is he?" Clarke asked quietly.

Lexa looked at the picture. "This is Roan, Prince of Azgeda."

"Nia's son?"

"Sha," Lexa nodded distractedly. "If you've seen him here in the city, then your life is in danger."

"Why?"

Lexa looked up at Clarke, allowing the blonde to see the fire raging in her eyes. "Several months before Costia was murdered, an attempt for her life was made here in the tower. Roan was ordered by Nia to kill Costia, and he nearly succeeded in doing so."

"And you let him live?" Clarke was surprise by that, after all, they had executed two people for a crime that was for less than attempted murder.

"Sha, because Costia wished for him to live, and I agreed. Roan was a better asset alive than dead. We kept him locked up in the cellar until Nia's concession. I banished him once Nia had taken the brand. A peace offering of sorts."

"To who? Nia, or the future king of Azgeda?"

Lexa smile softly, marveling at how Clarke instantly picked up on her motives. "You were born to lead Clarke," she said softly.

"I'm too weak to lead anybody," Clarke sighed heavily.

Lexa tucked a loose strand of hair behind Clarke's ear. "You are stronger than you think."

Clarke looked at Lexa with an incredulous look. She repeatedly poked the stack of papers in Lexa's lap as she frantically stated, "I'm going crazy. I'm dreaming about people I have never seen, and events that have never happened. It's making me insane."

Lexa chuckled. She tried not to, but Clarke looked so adorable when she was being irrational. "You are not going insane, ai hodnes. I will not allow the dreams to take your mind, as they have to other prophets?"

Clarke was pretty sure her crazy was rubbing off on Lexa. "Prophets?"

"Sha Clarke. You are not going crazy. You have been gifted with the ability to see the future." She had said the words with such sincerity that Clarke could only stare at her, unsure of how to respond. A fact that Lexa picked up on. "There are no stories of prophets amongst the Skaikru?" she asked.

"There are many stories about prophets from the old world, but they are fiction."

"Fiction?" Lexa asked confused.

"Stories that are made up. Like the books I am reading to the kids." Clarke clarified.

"Harry Potter?" Lexa asked.

"Sha," Clarke confirmed. "There is a teacher in the book who can predict the future, but it's all just make believe."

"Oh," Lexa said. She stood suddenly and strolled to her bookshelf. She returned a minute later with a stack of faded journals. She set the stack on the table and resumed her place next to Clarke. "Do you remember when I told you the name my people dubbed you?"

"That Wanheda was a legend passed down through the generations, and…" she looked at Lexa. "You mentioned prophecies, but I didn't think anything of it. Your people believe in many things that my people don't."

"The same can be said about your people," Lexa smiled. "I was looking over some of the journals written in English, and I think I found the prophecy about Wanheda."

"You did?" Clarke asked surprised. "How? I haven't even taught you the basics of reading yet."

"I recognized a few words from when you read to me," Lexa said. She picked up the top book and flipped through the pages. She read through the passage she believed to be the prophecy silently and then offered the book to Clarke.

Clarke accepted the book, and quietly read over the passage. She looked up at Lexa in surprise, and then back to the book. Aloud she read, "As the first century after the cataclysm dies, a star will fall from the sky amongst a hundred friends. This blonde hair beauty will bring death to the commander's enemies, and together they will defy the past and bring about a peace not seen since before the fall of the bombs."

"Am I right?" Lexa asked.

Clarke looked up from the book, and quietly asked, "How?" She rubbed her hand over the worn, fading page as though to unlock its secrets. There was no doubt in her mind that this was written well before she had even fallen the sky. "How?" She repeated, then looked to Lexa, silently asking the question again.

Lexa smiled at Clarke comfortingly. "Prophets have ruled side by side the Commander since Becca Pramheda. The legend goes that once the fire cleared Polis, Becca set out to find others. During her search she came across Emmy, the first Flamekeeper, and together they ruled. One who knew the past and one who could see the future."

"Wait," Clarke said suddenly. "So, Titus is a prophet?"

"No," Lexa sighed sadly. "There hasn't been a prophet discovered in over twenty years. Titus's father was the last. Titus grew up here in the tower, and helped his father take care of the young natblida. He learned everything her could. When his father was murdered by an Azgeda assassin, he was the most qualified to take over the position."

"And you really believe that people can see the future?" Clark asked, merely for clarification than anything else.

"Sha Clarke. There are many journals written in Trigedasleng that depict prophecies coming true," Lexa said.

Clarke looked down to the forgotten pile of pictures. Laying atop the pile was the picture that haunted her the most. Lexa's lifeless body sprawled across her bed as she kneeled beside her, black blood covering them both.

Lexa heart seized in her chest when Clarke looked to her with teary eyes, and said, "If you are right, that means you are going to die soon."

Up until that point Lexa had been so focused on making sure Clarke was okay, that she neglected that one detail drawn across several sheets of parchment. Titus's betrayal meant that she would soon die, something that she has never feared before she met Clarke. It was in that moment, watching Clarke look at her with tear filled eyes that she realized that now she had something to live for; someone to live for.

She had spent so much of her life learning that she was merely a vessel for the Commander's spirit to serve her people, that she often forgot that she is a woman. A simple girl with big dreams.

"Then we'll just have to make sure that your dreams don't come true," Lexa declared with conviction.

"Lexa…" Clarke began, but as unsure of what to say.

"No. I refuse to leave you. We will find a way."

"Is it even possible?" Clarke asked. She still wasn't convinced that she is a prophet, but if she had learned anything from her time on Earth is to forget everything she had been taught. A lot of her ideology had already been proven false.

"I don't know," Lexa said, her conviction deflating slightly. She looked at the pile of journals, and then to her bookshelf. "I don't know, but we are going to scour through every book in this tower until we find an answer."

Lexa stood suddenly, startling Clarke. She strolled to the door, and slowly peeked out the door. Her guards weren't stationed at her doors any longer. She had been ordering them to remain at the entrances of the hall way, this way she had a better chance of protecting Clarke if there were an attack.

She could see Octavia, looking tired but determined, standing across from Indra at the end of the hall. Slowly she crept across the hall, avoiding alerting the other guards stationed out of sight. Both women noticed her a few feet before she reached them.

"Heda," Octavia immediately said. "Is everything alright? Is Clarke alright?"

Lexa nodded her head. "Clarke is fine. We have been discussing plans about our people's future." She spoke words of truth, but they were spoken more for any eavesdroppers. She dropped her voice to ensure that only Indra and Octavia could hear her, "I need you to quietly bring Raven and Aden to my room at once, and station new guards here. We have a very important mission to accomplish." Indra and Octavia nodded their heads, and left without another word, despite the aching need to ask why.

When Lexa entered her room a few moments later, Clarke was already on the floor going through her pictures again. She paused for a moment, unsure if she should help Clarke with her task or begin working on the books. Clarke looked up at her and she knew what she had to do. Gone were the tears that had glistened her beautiful eyes just moments before, replaced with a look a sheer determination.

Lexa moved across the room and knelt beside Clarke and place a soft kiss on her forehead. "Ai hod yu in," she said softly.

"I love you too Lexa," Clarke choked. "I won't let this happen."

"I have faith in you," she replied, and then dropped another kiss on Clarke's forehead.