Lexa pov:
With the approval of Clarke's family, it only remains to find the rings. Usually any precious object to the person is used in the proposal, but Clarke has told me what it was like in the Skaikru culture. Her parents had married using rings, and I would get some. The hard part was finding the right ones.
I head to the elevator, when Octavia and Raven jump on me. "Where are you going commander?" Raven asks curiously.
"To the market." I answer briefly.
"Without Clarke?" Asked Octavia puzzled.
"Yes, without Clarke."
"Sure? You're not cheating on her, are you?" Raven raises a threatening eyebrow.
My eyes widen and I repeatedly deny. "Of course not! I would never do that to her."
"You'd better," says Octavia. "And then what are you going to do?"
"Well ....." I don't know if I should tell them. Not because I don't trust them, but they tend to have easy mouths. I don't want them to ruin the surprise.
"Come on, tell us. We will be graves." Raven makes the sign to close her mouth with her hand.
"If I tell you I will have to dig you and bury you, I doubt you can keep a secret." The elevator arrives and I enter. Raven locks the door so I can't go down.
"Please let us go. We promise that if we tell the secret, you can bury us whenever you want." Octavia blackmails me.
I sigh knowing they won't leave me alone until I tell them. "Okay But you have to really keep the secret, it is of the utmost importance. Clarke must not know. Not until I tell her."
"We swear." They raise their left hands, bringing their right to their heart. I should make them make a blood oath, but I dismiss the idea.
"Okay, I'm going to the market to buy rings ...... for Clarke." I say half nervous.
"Rings? I didn't know Clarke would like them." Confusion adorns Raven's face.
Octavia hits her on the back of the neck. "No idiot. Engagement rings, she's going to propose to her."
Raven understands and they look at each other excited, to let out a high-pitched yell and celebrate. I glare at them, wishing I could go down and get this over with. When they calm down a bit, they start asking millions of questions and Raven complains about losing the bet to Roan. They speak so fast that I can barely understand what they are saying. The only thing I understand is that they want to accompany me.
"On one condition." They keep quiet and look at me attentively. "No screaming, no jumping, or anything that attracts attention. I'm supposed to be in the tower for a meeting. Clarke and no one should know."
They nod in excitement and we get on the elevator. This will be interesting.
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We go through various stalls in the market, without being satisfied with anything. My feet are starting to ache and I'm exhausted from analyzing so many rings. We have ended up dividing ourselves and thus cover more ground. I find myself staring at one in particular when Raven arrives agitated by my side. We wear fabrics covering our hair and face to avoid being recognized.
"Lexa! Lexa, I found it!" To hell with anonymity. She better be the right one or I'll murderer her.
She drags me by the arm and leads us a few shops further, until we stop. An elderly woman smiles at us and leaves us to look at the merchandise. Raven excitedly points to some rings. They are perfect. They are not gold like most, these are made of silver. Like Clarke likes it. One has an emerald green stone, and the other has a deep navy blue. Simply beautiful. It's what I was looking for.
"They are perfect! And stop yelling that you are going to find out." I tell her, glaring at her.
She raises her hands in defeat. "Hey, I'm not the one who sneaks out of my girlfriend. If you didn't want her to know, you wouldn't have come out like this."
"Or you wouldn't have yelled my name. If she finds out, I'm screwed." I turn to the woman at the post.
"Something that you like." Kindly ask.
"Yes, I want to take these." I hand her the rings and she places them in a box. "How much for them."
"Oh, they're yours Heda. They are a gift." She hands me the box and I refuse.
"Please, how much do they cost?" The woman denied again and I dropped several coins, more than the rings cost I'm sure.
"Mochof." She looks at me gratefully.
"Pro, have a nice day." She bows and we walk away from the post.
"I should learn more grounder language." Raven says wrinkling her nose.
"Did you find something?" Octavia asked, coming to our side.
"Yeah, we found them." I show her the rings and she squeals.
"They're perfect, don't they?" Raven asks and Octavia nods enthusiastically. "Courtesy of Moa."
"Hey, don't take all the credit. I also helped to search." Octavia says to her, slapping her arm.
"You both helped." I interrupt before it leads to a fight. "Thank you."
"No problem. Now the only thing left to do is propose." Octavia says moving her eyebrows.
I swallow hard. That will require too much courage on my part. And if I have to fight an enemy army is not a problem, but facing Clarke is something else. I hope everything goes well.
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Clarke pov:
I walk through the boring market. Lexa is in a meeting or something like that, so I have to entertain myself. Roan is not available, or so the noises in his room told me. I did not find any of my mothers, so I only stayed to go down to the market.
I observed the gadgets of a post, when some screams catched my attention. "Lexa! Lexa, I found it!" I turn to the woman who screams and in a shop in front of me, a young woman runs up to a woman with a cloth covering her head. Lexa. I recognize the fabric and clothing. What is she doing here?
The girl takes her by the arm and drags her through the market. I keep myself hidden, trying not to get their attention. I also have a cloth covering my face. Let's just say my blonde hair and scars would stand out too much. I approach the stall and have a head-on view now. Yes, it is definitely Lexa. I cannot distinguish the other woman, but she seems to be unknown to me.
"They are perfect! And stop yelling that they are going to find out." Scolds the other woman. My heart clenches in my chest. Are they going to find out? Oh wait. I'm going to find out. Find out what?
"Hey, I'm not the one who sneaks out of my girlfriend. If you did not want her to find out, you would not have come out like that." The other woman replies. Her voice seems slightly familiar to me, but the bustle of the market does not allow me to recognize her.
"Or you wouldn't have yelled my name. If she finds out, I'm screwed." And that was the last straw.
Tears cover my face and I run as fast as I can. I avoid people, the only thing on my mind is to get as far away from this place as possible. Without realizing it I have left the protective walls of the city, but I keep running. I do it without stopping, until I stop in such a well-known place.
The lake with the waterfall. The place Lexa brought me to our first day at Polis. Our place. We have spent so many afternoons here. I collapse in tears on the ground. I hug myself and vent all I can. Lexa lied to me. The only person I was sure of would ever betray me, she did.
Otherwise, why would she be unknown in the market? Why not go with me? Why go with another woman? Why not tell me? If she was a new friend, she would have had no problem telling me, but she didn't. The pain is so much that it feels physical. A hole in my chest is created, opening past wounds.
It feels like when Roan and I fought during the war. Thousandfold. I never thought she could do something like that to me. I didn't think she was one of those women, but I was wrong. Like I did with Bitter Witch. I thought she was a heartless and soulless woman, even though she wasn't. The opposite happened to me with Lexa. I thought she was the most wonderful woman in the world, she said I was her everything, but apparently I was not enough. I'm not.
I dry my tears and stand up determined. It may be the worst decision I've ever made, but it's what I want. I'm not going to leave, I'm not going to tell her, I won't do anything. I'll act like nothing has happened, like I'm still blind to everything. I may not be enough for Lexa anymore, but I've developed so much dependence on her that the thought of walking away breaks me. I may be selfish, but I won't let her go. I will live with deceit if necessary, but she will be by my side. It's the most I can get right now.
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Two weeks have passed. Two hellish weeks. She's different and I know it. When she is by my side, she becomes more nervous and spends most of her time lost in thought. It hurts to see her face and she acted as if I was still the most precious thing to her. It seems to me the most hypocritical of all. Oh no, that's that Raven and Octavia are just as strange as she is. Everybody knows it, and they don't deign to tell me? Bitches.
Roan has noticed me changed and has tried to open me up, but I rejected all his attempts. He even played the card to call my mothers, but not even they made it. I'm closing in on the band again like when the thing about Roan happened. Like I said, I was going to regret not taking sides in the game.
I am overflowing, I have reached the limit. I must do something, everything will end up destroying me. I sit in one of the armchairs in our room to wait for Lexa, who is in another "meeting" with Titus. And I say "meeting" because I came across him in the dining room, he's not with Lexa at all. The performance is over, I must get away.
At that moment the door opens and Lexa walks in, smiling at me like always, only this time I'm not giving it back. She frowns, but clears up fast. She seems twice as nervous as I saw her these days. She stands in front of me, unable to look me in the eye. I take courage and stare at her. When her gaze meets mine I raise an eyebrow and clear my throat.
"Sorry, we should talk." Great, here it comes. She's going to kick me.
"Yes, we should talk." I cross my arms, in a protective attitude. I'll get hurt anyway.
"Mmmm, you first." She says scratching the back of her neck.
"Not you."
"Okay." She takes a breath, even more nervous. I look at her impassively. "We have been together for a long time, more than I imagined. "For Heda, just end this. "I still do not believe that you have chosen to be with someone like me." She gives me a nervous half smile. "Waking up with you every day fills me with a happiness that you can not imagine, Clarke. I just hope to cause the same in you." You do it, now unmask everything. "You came into my world and you literally turned it upside down. You broke all my ideals and made me create new ones. And damn, Clarke. I don't regret anything." But ... Wait what? She kneels in front of me. "We may be girlfriends Clarke, I wait for forever. We are together, but it is no longer enough. I want more, I want it all with you. Words are not enough to express how much I love you, nor are there titles that can pigeonhole ours, but I have tried to find the closest thing. Being your girlfriend is not enough, I want to be your everything." Tears run down her cheeks and I think I find myself crying too. "So, Clarke Griffin kom Azgueda, Skai Prisa." She takes out a box with two silver rings, one green and one blue. "Would you do me the honor of making me the happiest woman on earth by accepting to be my wife?"
I look incredulously at the rings, then at Lexa who waits restlessly, again at the rings and her. That's not what I expected. I thought would come a Clarke, we can't be together anymore, or a Clarke, I love someone else. Even a Clarke, ours doesn't make me happy anymore, but not this.
"Clarke?" Her voice breaks as she gets no response from me.
I threw myself to the ground and burst into tears on her shoulder. She puts the box on the floor and hugs me. I can feel her mind working at full steam trying to figure out why this reaction, but she holds me against her chest and strokes my hair, whispering soothing things. I misjudged her, horribly wrong. She was planning to improve our relationship and I think she's cheating on me. I must be the worst girlfriend that exists. She really deserves someone better.
We part ways and I look into her eyes. Doubt and insecurity adorn hers. I kiss her hard and passionate, trying to show her my decision with that action. She kisses me just as furiously back, and I feel her warm tears roll down her cheeks. We part and I dry them. I stare at her without being able to believe it yet.
"I thought I was going to lose you." I whisper at last.
Confusion adorns her face. "What do you mean?"
"You were strange for several days, you said you were in meetings when you weren't. Also I saw you in the market with a strange girl and screaming your name. You also said that someone shouldn't know or you'd be screwed. So I was not supposed to find out. I thought you were tired of me." I lower my head and sniff my nose.
She lifts my chin connecting our glances. "Clarke, I would never tire of you. I love you, more than anything in this world." She connected our lips in a sweet kiss, although salty by our tears. "The girl you saw me with in the market was Raven. I was looking for the perfect rings. She and Octavia caught me leaving the tower and practically made me carry them. We had split up and Raven came in screaming that she had found the perfect rings. And she did. I said that, because I wanted it to be a surprise. I'm sorry if you thought otherwise. I was weird because I was nervous to ask you. I didn't have the courage to do it until today. I'm sorry." This time she is the one who lowers her head, and I raise it by taking her by the cheeks.
"No, I'm the one who's sorry. I should have trusted you more." I say sorry.
"Do not worry princess. Anyone would have believed it." We smile at each other and she picks up the open box with the rings. "So, do you accept it?"
"Yes! Of course I do!" We rejoin in a kiss full of affection.
We part ways when we have no more air in our lungs and we smile big. She carefully places the green ring on my ring finger and hands me the other. I do the same with hers and it's done, we're officially engaged. She caresses my left wrist and I look at my tattoo. Memento mori. Yes, we better enjoy the time we have left.
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Two months later .........
Clarke pov:
Is today. Fuck, it's today. Today Lexa and I will officially become wives. Shit, I'm too nervous. It will be at sunset and it will not be so long for that. Nomon braids my hair, while my mother prepares the paint that will be placed on my face. As they were always confused when saying mom, I have chosen to call Zarah nomon and Abby mom or mother. It's more simple.
Nomon finishes and places the white flowers that I have used since I was a child. She brought them from Azgueda on her return. She had to go and catch up on what was happening in our clan, after all she is still the queen. She returned for the wedding as promised. While mom has definitely settled in Polis. Healers from all clans come to learn from her.
Mom delicately makes the white line from my forehead to the scar. Wait for it to dry and apply the black paint on my eyes, that way they won't mix with each other. Nomon finishes with the flowers and I'm ready. I wear completely white armor, while Lexa's will be black. The silver-colored shoulder pad, hanging the piece of blue cloth that flies in the wind. Lexa had it made especially for the occasion. From now on, it will be my special outfit, like Heda of Lexa's.
I look at myself in the mirror. Wow, I have changed too much. I never thought this day would come, but it did. It is simply amazing. Skai Prisa went from being the tender girl who fell from the sky, to the fierce warrior, to the faithful advisor of Heda. And now, her wife. Well, in a few hours. I smile. Who knew that fate would bring me to this point?
"You look beautiful, strikon." She whispers in my ear, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Everything will be fine, you'll see." My mother encourages me.
"Thank you." I tell them on the verge of tears. I still haven't said yes and I'm already crying. How sensitive.
"Hey, princess. It's about time." Raven enters the room, interrupting the moment. Octavia enters behind her.
I take a breath and the nerves invade me. "Okay, here we go."
We left my room at five o'clock and went down the damn elevator. I hope Lexa appreciates that I risk going down the death trap just so I don't arrive a mess at our wedding. It takes forever to get down, but when the doors open I'm shocked. Thousands of people crowd the streets to witness the ceremony.
The news of the wedding spread through all the clans, but I didn't think that many people would attend. Although the ceremony will be in a private setting, everyone attended the subsequent celebration. Amazing. People make way for us, shouting with joy when they see me. I blush a little, but try to stay serious.
We arrived at the doors of the building where the ceremony will take place. Just my mothers, Roan, our friends consisting of Raven, Octavia and the natblidas, the ambassadors and clan leaders, plus the priest. We are about thirty, few people really. People who will witness the union, our love.
Music plays and Raven and Octavia enter first. They were chosen by me and Lexa to be the bridesmaids of the wedding. Roan will be the best man and waits at the altar with Lexa. Nomon and Mom each take an arm and I take a breath. Here we go.
The doors open and everyone is standing, watching expectantly at my entrance. The place is lit by hundreds of candles, courtesy of Lexa. Raven and Octavia are on the right, Roan behind on the left with Mason, he could not miss, and in the middle Lexa. She's beautiful. I can see how her serious bearing threatens to fall when our gazes meet. Our eyes flood with tears, but we don't allow ourselves to shed any. Not now at least.
My mothers leave me and I climb the altar on my own. Lexa takes my hand and smiles at me. I return the smile and a squeeze on her hand. We were charmed by the other's gaze, so much so that the priest cleared his throat, drawing our attention, breaking the bubble. Laughter is heard in the audience and we blush.
"Brothers and sisters, welcome to the union of these two wonderful women, Heda and Skai Prisa. Before starting, you can say your vows."
As agreed, Lexa clears her throat and begins, "Clarke, I think everything that has to be said is said. I love you so much that I can't think of a world where we are not together. You came into my life to stay. Whether you want it or not, I'm going to force you." Laughter floods the place again and I join them. "My life has been filled with color and emotion since I met you. You light up my darkest nights, and bring me down to earth when I dream too much. As I have already said, it is not enough for me that you are my girlfriend, I want more from you. I never believed that I was going to find someone special, much less get married. To be a commander is to be alone. They taught me that love is weakness." We turn to Baldkeepa who avoids our gaze. Damn, I hate to have invited him. "But you have taught me that it is not. Love is strength, and you are mine." She takes the green ring from the box that Raven is holding and places it on my ring finger. "With this ring, I seal my promise that we will be together forever. I love you."
I wiped away the tears that fell during her speech and cleared my throat. "Well, I doubt I can get over that, but I'm going to try." People laugh again. "Lex, I don't know how you do your speeches." She laughs and we get serious again. "My life took too many twists. I had ups and downs, but one of the few constants has been you. I don't know what tomorrow holds for us, but what I do know is that I want you to be by my side. Taking my hand and supporting me in everything. And I want to be the same for you, I want you to lean on me. My shoulder will always be there for you to cry on, even if you want to keep the facade of the tough and rude commander." We laugh. "I just want us to be together forever. You and only you. I do not want anyone other than you." I take the second ring, the blue one, and gently pass it over her finger. "With this ring, I promise that today, tomorrow and forever, I will love you a little more every day." I kiss her knuckles and wipe away the tears that fell from her eyes.
"Beautiful speeches." Says the priest drying his tears. We had not noticed that the majority in the room had begun to cry with emotion. "Well, Heda Lexa kom Trikru, do you accept this woman to love and respect her, take care of her and protect her, be faithful and support her, in health and in illness, Until death separates you?"
"No." A gasp is heard in the room and I fear the worst. "Death is not going to separate us. We will always meet. In heaven, in our next life, or wherever. It will never be the end for us." She smiles at me and I shed even more tears.
"Yes, I'm sorry. So, Heda Lexa kom Trikru, do you accept this woman to love and respect her, take care of her and protect her, be faithful to her and support her, in health and in illness forever and ever?" He repeats the above, but changes the final phrase.
"Yes, I do." She says confidently, not taking her eyes off mine.
"And your Skai Prisa, Clarke kom Azgueda, do you accept this woman to love and respect her, take care of her and protect her, be faithful to her and support her, in health and in illness forever and ever?
"Yes I do."
"Then I declare you wife and wife. You can kiss the bride."
Our lips collide and screams erupt behind us. Mason's barking joins the chorus. We part and smile. It is not what I imagined would be my life, it is even better.
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Lexa and I finally managed to sit at the honor table and eat something. Between congratulations from everyone present, my insistence on dancing the first waltz, and Raven and Octavia practically begging us to join them on the dance floor, we didn't have a moment to rest.
Nomon and mom smile at us and go back to their talk. Roan sits at the table and we begin to debate whether there were too many candles in the place. Roan and I won the debate in favor of there being too many. Mason of the emotion almost burned with some and that made her close her mouth to Lexa, who claimed that they could have even been more. I never leave her in charge of lighting again. Sorry, ai homoun (wife).
"Hey, isn't that Octavia?" Roan asks, pointing to the dance floor.
Octavia is exchanging saliva with Lincoln. "Yes, it's her."
"How disgusting," Lexa says, wrinkling her nose.
I go over and kiss her, she responds instantly. I stick my tongue out and she smiles pleased. "Not so much now, right?" I tell her when we part.
She is shocked and Roan and I laugh. We continued eating and chatting animatedly. The night goes by quickly, between dancing, laughter and very good food. After another endless dance session, we sit back in our chairs. I rest my head on Lexa's shoulder and close my eyes.
"Clarke, princess awake." I lift my head quickly and Lexa laughs. "You fell asleep, niron. Come on, I'm tired too."
We got up and left, greeting everyone who was not drunk. Raven seemed to be kissing Anyta the obnoxious. She and I will have a serious talk later. I'll let her be with anyone, but not with Mason's enemy. Then I must assume that she is also against him.
We went up the elevator, but only because I'm too tired and I risk passing out on the stairs. The elevator goes up too slow for my liking and I yawn about fifteen times by the time the doors opened on our floor. We went off and walked to our room.
As soon as we enter, Lexa corners me against the wall and brings us together in a wet kiss. I may be tired, but it's my wedding night, I'll be able to sleep tomorrow. We make love until the wee hours of the morning. When we go to bed, small rays of sunlight begin to enter through the windows.
"Looks like one of those endings that are in your books." I say yawning.
"No, princess. It seems like the end, but it is only the beginning." She kisses me sweetly and lies on my chest.
She's right, we still have so much way to go. But if we are together, we will be unstoppable.
THE END
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Hi
So, last chapter.
But don't leave, there's the epilogue.
Hope you like it.