Lexa grasped Echo's forearm tightly, both women nodding to each other respectfully. She eyed the dried darkened patch of Ontari's blood which had stained Lexa's shirt, before stepping away again. Lexa could feel the concealed anger when Echo held her arm with a vice-like grip, forcing her fingertips and sharp nails to dig into the commander's skin. She was smart enough, though, not the cause any harm to Lexa. Two important Azgeda deaths were enough for one day. Another would do no good to their clan.
"I'll be seeing you soon, commander" Echo said.
Lexa tipped her head to the side ever so slightly, examining Echo's angry state "No you won't" Lexa responded calmly.
"Heda-"
"Azgeda has shown its true loyalties within this war" Lexa folded her arms "I no longer recognise Ice Nation as a member of my coalition; our alliance has been broken"
"What?" Echo's eyes widened
"The place of the 12th clan with be awarded to a more... loyal clan" Lexa said "If they will have it, Skaikru will become the 12th clan"
"But... Heda. We need the supplies from other clans. We were following orders-"
"Ice nation have always been unloyal, no matter who their leader is. From now on, you are on your own, Echo. I apologise if this causes any difficulties for the families within your clan, but I am afraid I can no longer trust you"
Echo clenched her jaw and gave Lexa a small nod, stepping back from the dangerous commander. Now, Lexa was expecting farm station to recognise they had lost heir war, and accept defeat.
She looked back to Clarke, where she should have been stood beside Indra. Lexa knew that's where she had been, because she kept glancing over to the blonde during the fight to persuade herself she was safe. But now that space was empty, and Lexa's heart was pumping rapidly, her mind racing faster than ever.
"Where is Clarke?" Lexa asked. Indra straightened her back and looked at her surroundings.
"I... she went to talk to Luna. They should be here..." Indra frowned.
From across the crowd, Lexa's eyes met with Pike's. His dark eyes were fixated on her, something smug hiding behind his daring stare. Lexa's clenched her fists into a tight ball, knuckles going white with the pressure. From beside Pike, Bellamy stood with his arms crossed, staring at his shoes as if they were the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. He looked suspicious. Guilty.
No, their enemy had not lost just yet. Lexa turned her back to the leader of farm station with his newly discovered lackey, and faced Indra again, who gave her a questioning look. Through gritted teeth, she spoke.
"She's not here, Indra"
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Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Clarke's eyelids felt weighted. Her head pounded with damage.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
She slowly tore her eyes open, the sickly noise bringing her to her senses. Each distinct, individual sound was shortly followed by a pained cry or groan. Clarke already knew who they belonged to. Luna.
She pushed herself up with extra care, avoiding the fact that the cell she lay in was spinning. Blood slowly trickled down the side of her face, serving as an ever growing puddle of evidence that she had been hit in the head forcefully by her attacker. Lifting her shaking fingers, she lightly touched the wound just above her temple, instantly retracting her hand from the sudden amount of pain. Her mind was blank almost. Most events which had occurred before the attack on her and Luna were a hazy blur of dull colours. She closed her eyes, attempting to remember.
~ As Lexa approached Nia's dead body, Clarke realised that the commander was no longer in danger. What she had also realised, was that Luna was standing further from the scene than she had imagined her to be standing. She tilted her head with curiosity.
"Indra, I'm going to go and talk with Luna. I'll just be over there, okay?" Clarke mentioned to Indra, who gave a quick nod and redirected her attention towards the victorious commander.
Clarke weaved though the crowds of her people, passing Octavia and Lincoln who were still discreetly watching Farm Station. The three of them shared small glances along side the slightest nod of understanding between them. It seemed that the grounders had spread their habits of nodding more than necessary to Clarke's own people.
Her pace slowed as she approached the warm-eyed leader of floukru. She looked proud of Lexa. Of the coalition. But there was something within her that looked... anxious?
"Hey" Clarke said quietly "Everything okay?"
Luna quickly shook her head and uncrossed her arms "Yeah. Yes, I'm fine Wanheda."
Clarke lifted an eyebrow "What's on your mind, Luna?"
In response, Luna dropped her shoulders with a sigh "Seeing Lexa fight like that- It reminds me of our conclave. She was magnificent; it was clear that everyone already knew she'd become Heda." She stared ahead of her through the crowd as Lexa wiped the dagger clean of blood "seeing her fight like that reminds me of when I fought like that"
Clarke rested a hand on Luna's shoulder to offer some sort of comfort. She could never understand Luna's full pain, or how it felt to kill a brother to achieve a political position of which she never even wanted. All she knew, was that it felt wrong.
Clarke sighed "This time, the people who died deserved what they-"
A twig snapped loudly behind them, causing both women to spin their heads in the direction.
"What was that?" Clarke whispered. Luna drew her sword and squinted, eyes narrowing into thin slits.
"I don't know." She whispered back.
They moved quietly further into the woods, alert. The trees offered whoever or what it was, a hiding spot. But then again, it wasn't as if they hid behind the trees.
"Luna watch out!" Clarke yelled, eyes widening in horror as a body dropped down from the tree, knocking down Luna in one swift blow to the back of the head. Clarke stumbled back as the powerful figure in black stormed towards her. She fumbled for her gun in her belt and yanked it out, aiming directly for her attacker's head. Just like that, their arm snapped out, and her gun was sent flying into a tree, leaving Clarke completely defenceless. One giant, almost inhumane fist connected with her temple and knocked her down. Next, all she could remember was staring across the leaf littered ground in hope for someone to help. But help never came.~
Clarke ran her hand up and over the ripped fabric of her jacket, staring ahead at the plain white wall. She could remember drawing in and out of consciousness, upside down and swaying back and forth over the shoulder of her strong enemy with his hands wrapped tightly around her ankles. She can still see the teary, upside-down visions of the reversed writing. The puddle which rippled below the carriers feet reflected the name.
'Mount weather'
It was like a cycle, always ending up being captured and taken to mount weather when she thought she was winning. The cell she was in, quite frankly, became disgustingly familiar. She rolled on her side and peered at the door, waiting for someone to show up and beat her bloody like they were beating Luna- and whoever else they had captured.
The same question tore through her mind. It made her entire body freeze up, tense. The horrific feeling of worry pressed down on her chest as if it was intending to suffocate her.
Where was Lexa?
Had all of Clarke and Lexa's people been captured? Had Lexa fallen into the same trap Luna and Clarke did?
The door was swung open and a body was dragged in by two men. Clarke recognised them as members of farm station, one of which were close with Monty. Family perhaps.
Her eyes flicked down to the unconscious tangle of limbs which hung limp in their arms. Her once brown and fuzzy hair was matted wth blood, which oozed from cuts and gashes across her face and body. They discarded her, dropping her at Clarke's feet before leaving once again.
"Luna" she whispered softly, dropping to her knees beside the beaten and bruised leader. She wiped the hair away which had stuck to her face with blood. Bloodshot brown eyes stared up at her, and shaky hands grasped at Clarke's shoulder.
"D- did they hurt you?" She asked quietly, voice cracking with the abuse it had received so recently. Clarke frowned down at her.
"Are you kidding me? Look at you Luna, you're practically bleeding out and you're worried about me?" Clarke shook her head, removing her ripped and torn jacket to press it to Luna's largest wound "worry about yourself first"
Luna scoffed, rolling onto her back. She puffed out a pained breath and stared up at Clarke as she wiped her wounds clean "I wish I could" she mumbled.
"What?" Clarke paused to look at Luna again, giving her full attention. Luna just shook her head in response and stared at the ceiling above her. Clarke took it as a sign to be quiet, and allowed the silence to take over them, only interrupted every now and then by Luna's heavy breaths catching in her throat.
Clarke couldn't understand why they had been taken, or why they had tortured her friend so brutally. The war was over, right? Lexa had killed the Ice Queen, resulting in a victory for her clans. So why we're farm station still taking action? What were their plans?
"She'll be here" Luna sat up, pushing Clarke's hand away.
"What do you mean?"
"Lexa" she rested her head against the wall draping an arm over her knee and watching Clarke "she'll come for us"
Clarke nodded, looking down, lacing her fingers together as a distraction. She now knew it was a trap. The only reason why she was still alive was because Pike knew she'd come to Clarke's aid. The thought of Lexa throwing herself into danger for her made her feel a soft warmth in the pit of her stomach. It was sickly, but it was still there.
"She loves you, you know" Luna said, breaking the silence between them. Clarke quickly looked up at her, taken aback. "She won't ever say it. But she does. I can see it."
"How can you see it?" Clarke shook her head.
"She protects you. And she let you in. Do you know how many people she shuts out?" Luna leant forward, her words soft "Everybody Clarke. Even... even Costia was kept in the dark about a lot of things"
"She hasn't told me much, Luna" Clarke crossed her arms
"She's told you a lot more than she's ever told anyone since Costia died. And that's what people expected of her" Luna sighed and wiped the blood from her hands onto her pants "They see her as the commander, Clarke. A symbol, with ruthless actions and no weaknesses to exploit. They all forgot that there was still a girl underneath all of that. Maybe I did too, at one point."
"Why are you telling me this?" Clarke frowned. She didn't want to listen. She knew Lexa had been robbed of a normal life, a childhood, a love. It pained her to know that.
"Because, Clarke, we all wear masks. But sometimes if the wrong one is forced onto you, when the time comes you can't remove it without removing your skin"
"What are you even talking about Luna?"
"I mean, Lexa cares about you enough to lose herself and give up everything just to be with you and see you smile. I know she's planning to remove the flame. And drop from the position of the commander. Do you think she'd do that for anyone?"
"No..."
"No. She wouldn't. She would give up everything she had worked towards, and built, just be with you. That stands for something, don't you think?"
Clarke shuffled uncomfortably at her side of the cell, Luna's words bouncing around in her head. Lexa cared about her. Lexa loved her. But would she ever admit to it? Or was Lexa too full of self pride and care too much for her reputation with her people?
Her mind wondered further- to only a few days ago. To how it felt to be in Lexa's arms, warm and safe. And how it felt to have Lexa in her own arms, knowing all too well that that was exactly how she wanted to be for the rest of her life. The memory of the beautiful smile on Lexa's lips made her heart ache, and the soft, gentle touch of her fingertips, made Clarke feel her absence more than ever.
"Now someone looks heartbroken"
Clarke lifted her head to see Pike stood, peering through the freshly installed bars at the two women.
"And someone else looks... like shit" he chuckled to himself, shaking his head "wow you two really are your own messes huh?"
"You're the one who ordered this" Luna said through gritted teeth, motioning to herself "you had me tortured"
"You were the one who fought back" he added. He pressed a hand to the doorframe and leaned closer to the bars "Sit tight, ladies. She'll be here soon"
Clarke almost growled at his words. So it was his plan to lure Lexa in, capture her and probably kill her, with Clarke and Luna themselves as his bait. She moved towards the door, jaw clenched in anger; it was a habit which she had picked up from Lexa.
She approached the door, fists curled into a tight balls of anger. "You want the commander, Pike?" She asked, earning a smug nod from the leader.
"And I'll get her too" he said. Clarke grasped the bars and dared to bring her face as close as she could to Pike's.
"Yeah, you'll get the commander" she whispered slowly, delivering every hint of rage and hate into her words "and she will rip you to pieces in front of every single one of your people. She will show them exactly what you are. Nothing."
"Oh, trust me, I would believe you." He glared directly back at the increasingly brace blonde "but words often lose their charm when they're spoken through prison bars, Griffin."
Clarke stood, refusing to break the stare of which she held with severe confidence. She knew, if it were Lexa here, she would do the same. She would challenge her enemies with the terrifying calmness that Clarke had came to face the first time she'd met her. Now this was Clarke's take on it, but more angry and vengeful. After all, Clarke had never been trained as well as Lexa to hide her emotions. So why try?
"Alright. Then believe this: If Lexa doesn't kill you... I will" she growled "that's a promise you know I can keep"
He scoffed and turned his back to her, quickly moving down the hallways of mount weather angrily. Clarke tipped her chin up in a small victory as she watched his form shrink with distance. She heard Luna snort from behind her, and she turned to find the girl holding back a smirk.
"What?"
Luna let out the smallest of laughs, shoulders shaking softly with the movement "If Lexa was here, I wouldn't say this. But I have to admit that I can see why she likes you" she scratched her chin, finally allowing her smirk to show through "that was terrifyingly hot... Griffin"
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Hey! Hope you guys didn't grow too impatient with this chapter, and I hope it met your expectations! I'll be updating as soon as possible to bring the next chapter of the story. Unfortunately, I have gigs and band practice almost every day, and I'm only just managing to wedge other things between that time never mind trying to update this book as well. BUT I will not give up on this book anytime soon, because I love writing it. Hence why I'm planning to make another after this one.
On that note! Commeeennttt! Don't be shyyyyy! And vote if you enjoyed! Thank you so much guys, as always! This book as been number one in clexa for ages now! I'm so happy you're enjoying it!
Song is called Muddy Waters by LP!
See you next chapter!