fragile | clexa

chapter twenty two

"Clarke," Lexa spoke slowly. Her tongue popped the k as usual, making her name sound a little different. "No one will lay a hand on you ever. I swear. You will never go back anywhere. This is the end of your enslavement. You're a free person now and I'll ride to Polis tomorrow to talk to Indra and let all people involved into that organisation be searched and found. You won't meet any of them again."

Clarke's look was empty as she tried to process the vision Lexa was offering her. She didn't trust it, really, but when the Heda swore something, Clarke guessed she would at least do the talking to Indra thing. Or maybe just keep her safe, if that made sense. Practically, staying with the Heda was about the safest thing to do if you weren't her enemy. Guards, and a warrior with impossible skills.

"Thank you," Clarke spoke. "Where will I go?"

"What?"

"Tomorrow."

"Oh. Well I suppose it would be better if you stayed here, I could be a little faster on the horse and you're safer here. Lincoln can stay with you, if you'd like that."

Clarke nodded absentmindly. That was okay. She needed to be able to deal with a day or two or a week alone.

Though the idea quite terrified her, she didn't lose another word about it.

-

Lexa left in the early morning hours, but not before informing Clarke, obviously. She tried to be ridiculously fast on her journey, not wanting to leave Clarke alone for too long and once she was in Polis, she hurried up to the throne room.

Indra was sitting on a smaller throne, not Lexa's, that would probably be a scandal, and her eyebrows raised from her otherwise stoic face, surprised. "Heda," she said, got up and bowed. "I was not expecting you to be back so soon."

"I'm afraid I will have to leave again," Lexa mentioned while she strode to the wartable in the back. "I need to talk to you."

Indra joined her at the table.

"There's a slavery organisation. In Polis, around Trikru, maybe over the whole territory of all clans, I do not know yet. They take young girls and probably people in general from their families, or buy them from people that are ready to do anything for money. They brainwash them into thinking they deserve to be tied to dirty beds and raped, and that they're objects and apparently they do it with a lot of violence. When a person is 'borrowed' or 'bought' by an owner, they get barely fed, aren't allowed to sleep much and get tortured. That's all I know about it and we need to eliminate anyone in contact with that."

Indra seemed baffled by the quick, rushed speech. "A slavery organisation? And that big?"

"I do not know how big it is, but yes."

"So... where did you find out about it? Maybe there are more information to be found."

The older woman watched the Heda's facade falter for a moment, her lips form into a thin line before letting out the softest, not audible sigh. "There's... a girl," she said then. "She's the reason I'm not here."

"Oh, you're having vacation with your girlfriend?"

"No! No, no, nothing like that. Titus 'gifted' her to me a few weeks ago to 'pleasure me'. She was one of the slaves." Then, her voice reduced to a whisper. "God Indra, you wouldn't want to see her. She's such a poor thing. Only bone and bruises. She's made some progress in moving her arms and legs now, to a point of walking once around my tent even, but the way she pulls her weak- or weakest- leg behind her and her arms shake when she lifts a soap... she must've been lying in those beds for months, years. It's horrible."

It was the most unusual to ever hear the Heda sound so concerned, talk so much about one topic- one person- with such worry layering her voice, and then to Indra.

"Why are you doing this?" Indra asked. "Staying with an almost dead, ugly girl? I mean no offense Heda, but of what use is that?"

"She's not an almost dead, ugly girl. I said she was making progress and she is. She's going to be fine. And she's not ugly."

Indra raised a brow. "Heda-"

"Enough, Indra. Do not talk about her like that."

"Heda, you will not get rid of her. You have duty here. It will take forever until she's physically healthy and she'll probably never be okay mentally. You will spent years on her like that and then she'll be attached to you like your skin to your body! You're the Commander, there is no room to-"

"Enough!" the Heda snarled. "I came here to discuss the slavery organisation."

-

Lexa spent a good while figuring out a plan with Indra, and though they were working together quite well, whenever it came to Clarke, she blocked completely. Indra had no right to talk like that, or tell her what to do.

An almost dead, ugly girl. Right. Indra had no fucking idea. Clarke was going to conquer the goddamn world, and she was going to have the ability to walk once around it and lift every book and soap on her way, and when she'd be back, Lexa was going to make sure to keep Clarke safe and away from any evil ever again.

It was evening by the time they had finished a part of her plan and for the first time in about three weeks, Lexa was back in her own bed, alone. She couldn't say she necessarily hated it, though she never minded Clarke, having someone in your bed and your arms every night after not really having anyone close for more than a decade- well, it could be refreshing to be alone for a change. Though her mind stayed with the blonde, if she was okay, if Lincoln was there, how she dealed with things while Lexa was gone.

And she was gone for quite a while. It had originally planned to be 2 days including the journey, but with Titus giving- forced out- information about where he had 'bought' Clarke and from who, and Lexa picking up a track from there on, it took her a whole week until she was on her horse to TonDC again.

They had, next to Titus, ten other people in the prison cells by then. All of them, with the fear of their Heda and the sword on her hips, speaking quite enough for Lexa to figure out a whole network.

It was a lot of work to figure everyone out, but she trusted Indra with her orders. She had brought Anya, her mentor, into the game as well, together with Gustus, so they could all work on it and still effectively overtake her duties.

Her horse, not Artigas, obviously, she hadn't taken that from Clarke, slowed down towards the gates of TonDC, the guards bowed and let her in and she almost rode it straight into a tent when her eyes caught onto Clarke at the end of the road.

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