Commander's Redemption | Clexa

Chapter 8

Clarke woke up from her dreamless slumber to a soft knock on her door. Her head felt heavy, as if there was a cloud inside her brain.

"Go away", she says with a croaky voice, assuming Lexa was at her door again. She would refuse to see Lexa again, and she was sure their conversation yesterday had made that abundantly clear.

"Wanheda, please, I have tea, ice, and fresh linen and clothes for you", a bright voice sounds from behind the door.

So, not Lexa then.

"Enter", Clarke says.

A Grounder girl, maybe fourteen years of age, enters the room, a tray in one hand, and a stack of what must be the linen and clothes in her other.

Clarke almost felt bad for reacting the way she had when she had heard the knock on her door. This girl looks nice, and more importantly, she wasn't the woman who her foul mood and irritated reaction had been aimed against.

The girl looked almost giddy about being here.

"Wanheda, it is great to meet you in the flesh, wow! I brought you clean clothes and linen. I already said that didn't I? Would you like to take a bath and refresh? I will get you hot water. And here is your tea and breakfast and your cold compress. Wow, you are so much prettier in person. This is such an honor!", the girl rambled excitedly.

Clarke was barely able to hold back her laughter, not wanting to embarrass the girl that was clearly just excited to meet the infamous Wanheda. She did sincerely hope this wasn't going to become a regular occurrence though, people being excited to meet Wanheda. She did not want to be famous or admired for the worst thing she had ever done. Of course, she was now very much aware of the power and respect it had gained her as well as the enormous target on her back. All of that was something she wouldn't be able to avoid at this point, but being worshipped for it was an entirely different story. If anything, that would make her feel much worse than being despised for it.

"Thank you", Clarke says, sitting upright, facing the girl. "What is your name?"

"My name is Calliope, but you can call me Callie, Wanheda... Ma'am, Wanheda."

"Alright, Callie, please call me Clarke. Thank you for all of this. I would love to have a bath."

"Great, Wanh... Clarke", Callie answers uncertainly, "I'll fetch you hot water right away."

Clarke nods at her gratefully, starting to undo her splint so she could ice her ankle while eating breakfast.

Breakfast consisted of a bowl of warm oatmeal accompanied by some fresh fruits such as strawberries, apple slices, and blueberries, and a tall glass of milk to wash it all down. Of course, there was also the tea. Clarke dreaded drinking the tea, fearing it would make her drowsy or even dizzy once again, just like it had the previous night.

She was mostly finished with her food when Callie returned and started filling up the bathtub in the adjoined bathroom. When Callie eyed her tray and noticed she had not touched her tea, she says, "Nyko says it's a different recipe from the night tea".

Clarke looks at the cup of tea again, not fully believing that would mean she wouldn't be knocked out by the hot liquid again. Then, she decides that would still be a better option compared to the throbbing pain in her head and ankle and she takes a sip.

It did taste different, a lot sweeter, a lot less bitter. Maybe it was actually a different recipe with different, or better yet, no side effects at all.

She lets her eyes roam the room, taking it all in for the first time since she had gotten here. Last night she was completely out of it, so she hadn't really noticed how nice this room was that she was put in. It was quite a large room, a couch against the wall, a large fur carpet covering most of the floor, a balcony to her right, and the door leading into what must be the bathroom to her left. There was also a fireplace across from the bed, right next to the door that should lead into the hallway. It currently wasn't burning, but with Winter still right around the corner, Clarke could already imagine how nice and welcome the heat that that fire would bring would feel.