archenemy | clexa

twenty five

It hasn't rained in weeks. Although the summer was rich, the fall is dry as age old bread. The leaves aren't beautiful in their color, the whirlwind of confetti they bring about is brown and dead.

Usually, Lexa loves fall. It's extra candles, pumpkin soup, rain outside and warmth inside, storms, statistically less crimes to worry about.

This time, she doesn't love it at all. It's too warm outside, it doesn't rain, everything feels infested by death and nothing is festive. Had Lexa not known the side of Clarke she gets to see for short flashes at night, she'd believe that this is the doing of the Gods of Death. (Clarke strangely doesn't seem like the Commander of Death at all, Princess of Sky and Stars still fits better)

It's uncomfortable to fight in that weather, and Lexa doesn't see any advantage in it at all.

Azgeda does, though. And Azgeda doesn't see anything within the rules.

It starts with a strange paper Lexa gets, not signed and not in a handwriting she knows, but it's in her tent one day and says,

Do not engage today. Do not let your army go off the field, in case you do not act on my first advice.

Lexa has no idea who might've written it or why. She doesn't trust the message, naturally. Anya and Indra are doubtful as well and so she throws it away thinking that it meant nothing at all, a stupid joke, maybe Skaikru trying to get the better of her after all.

Still, the next day, she's more careful. She doesn't know if maybe the paper was from Azgeda and Nia, who knows Lexa wouldn't act on it, specifically wants Lexa's soldiers on the field that day. So when the army rides into war that day, everybody's warned to be careful. Most don't care, being careful in war seems like a given, but there are a selected few that have a rough idea something bad is about to happen.

One of these people is Lexa, but she doesn't let anyone notice. She doesn't even want to admit it to herself.

-

Octavia begged to be on the battlefield that day. She's not a trained soldier, but neither is Clarke, and a Grounder chief, Indra, has been adamant to teach Octavia how to properly use a sword.

So that day, she's in one of the many rows that mostly don't get to see the action of war. Bellamy insisted, especially after hearing there was a sketchy message to be careful on that particular day.

It's not as exciting as she believed it would be. It's stuffed, uncomfortably warm, and Octavia is constantly unsure whether or not a breach is about to happen that might threaten her life.

Mostly, it's uncomfortably warm. Really warm. Hot. Almost... burning.

Octavia becomes aware of the growing heat and when her nose catches on the scent of fire, she whips her head around. Before she can properly catch a glance of the flames in the middle of the field, she's already pushed to the side by masses of warriors. Screams echo over the field, everybody runs and Octavia has to keep up not to be overrun.

Are they stupid? They're running towards the edges of the field, the forest! If there's a fire, the open field is a better option than the woods!

By the time everyone has fled into whatever direction the fire hasn't spread, Octavia is in the forest, chased by what feels like sky-high walls of fire.

She won't make it, she's not that fast.

Her throat is burning, her eyes are bloodshot, the smoke is murdering.

She slips and little twigs slap into her face like whips, but she keeps on her feet, she keeps running. She needs to survive. She promised Bellamy.

There's a steep slope then and Octavia draws back, looking into all directions and finding only one possible to escape to. She runs horizontally to the forest fire now, runs until her lungs are heaving and she cannot breathe.