Sat against the wall on the floor, legs splayed out in front of her, Clarke sighed. She ran her fingers through Luna's hair, who's head was rested in her lap. The brunette was asleep, her bruised and tired eyes sealed shut in exhaustion.
There was no time in a cell, Clarke had concluded. No night and day, or hours or minutes. Just one breath after another as she waited for freedom. It felt like years since she had been locked away, but judging by Luna's still injured state, she could take a logical guess that it was only a few days.
She wondered where Lexa was. She hoped that Lexa hadn't forgotten about them, or had decided to leave her behind again...
"I will in no way betray you again" Lexa said "I promise"
"You promise?"
"I promise"
Clarke sighed and leant her head backs against the wall, feeling the cold seep through her hair and drill a dull ache into her scalp. No. Lexa wouldn't leave her again. Not after everything they had been through, and everything that they had done. Lexa had shown she had cared for Clarke, especially on the battlefield after she threw herself into harms way to protect the blonde from flying arrows.
Clarke closed her eyes, biting her lip. The way the green would flick across foreign words printed on withering paper. The way her brows would turn down when she stumbled on a few unknown words. It never mattered if Lexa was in a state of confusion, or anger, or pain. She was still breathtakingly beautiful, and she never once refused the softness that would grow in her eyes at a single glance of Clarke.
"What are you thinking of, Wanheda?" Luna's sleep-thick voice caused her eyes to flick open in search of its source.
"You know what I'm thinking of" She sighed
"She'll be here, Clarke" Luna rolled on her side, adjusting her head in Clarke's lap "You need to stop, you're thinking too loud"
Clarke smoothed back Luna's hair once more, tucking it away from the warm eyes of the floukru leader.
If only she could stop. It would be so much easier to fall asleep without the flashes of green darting across her half-shut eyes, or the gentle whispers of the commander just as she began to feel sleep tug at her. After a few attempts at sleeping, Clarke came to the realisation that she couldn't sleep without Lexa by her side. Without knowing that the brunette was safe in her arms.
"I said stop thinking" Luna mumbled with her eyes closed "you're giving me a headache."
Clarke let a small chuckle slip from her lips as they curved ever so slightly in amusement "I'm sorry. Sleep."
After a few moments of silence, with the two women beginning to relax in comfortable silence, Clarke was quickly drawn back to the horrific reality of living on earth. The door to their cell was ripped open, and footsteps followed with thunder as farm station members grabbed them in violent grasps, restraining them without the slightest care in the world.
"What the hell are you doing?" Clarke exclaimed, wincing as she was dragged towards the door by her arms "Let me go!"
Clarke felt a fist deliver a harsh punch to her stomach, knocking the breath from her lungs in a swift blow. Luna lunged forward at the action, teeth bared and growls rising in her throat like an angered wild animal.
"Touch her again, and so help me I will rip you to shreds" Luna threatened. A woman stepped forward and back handed the girl, sending her head snapping to the side. The leader clenched her jaw.
"Don't be so sure" the farm station woman sneered
"Oh I am sure. If I don't do it..." Luna leant forward in the grip of her enemies "Lexa will"
The sick woman scoffed, and lead them down the corridors. Clarke was hardly even able to use her feet, and in the end, resulted to allowing her legs dangle uselessly as they were dragged across cold concrete floor.
"I want them taken to level 7. Hold them in the harvest chambers" she instructed, cold grey eyes glaring at both Clarke and Luna.
"Is that everything?" A low voice grumbled from behind them. By the sounds of it, he was almost tipping over the edge of sanity. He was most likely growing sick of being told what to do by this woman, who clearly had no respect.
"Barricade the doors. I want guards on every single entrance. Nobody gets in without Chancellor Pike or my permission. Understood?"
Clarke could only assume that he had nodded, as once again she felt herself be dragged forward once again. The last words she heard from the woman in charge sent flames surging through her veins, and hope bubbling in her heart. Luna and Clarke's eyes widened as they landed on each other, both feeling the impact of her words.
"She's almost here"
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"Niylah, as soon as we get them out, I want you to take Clarke and Luna back to your trading post. Whatever happens, you take them and you do not look back. Is that understood?" Lexa commanded.
Niylah stepped away from the harsh tone which the commander projected with a quick nod. Octavia watched the scene play out from a distance as she sharpened her sword, one foot propped up on a rock and her arm rested on her leg. Lincoln sat behind her comfortably. Every now and then she would glance back to find him scribbling and sketching in his notebook. A small smile appeared on her lips.
"I don't care, Niylah!" Lexa surged forward and grasped the blonde by her shirt "Just listen to what I say. Because if things go wrong, I'll make you wish you were dead. Is that understood, trader?"
Niylah tipped her head up to look Lexa in the eye in attempt to challenge the commander. Octavia wasn't sure what Niylah had done to enrage Lexa in such a short amount of time, but with Clarke missing, she could only guess that her temper had been at breaking point to begin with.
"Just do it" Lexa hissed through gritted teeth. She dropped the fabric bundled into her fist and turned back to Indra "hurry up and get our army moving. There will be no more waiting. We end the conflict now, and retrieve Luna kom Floukru and Clarke kom Skaikru."
"Let's go! Jasper, I want you to stay with Raven. Octavia, Lincoln, go with the commander." Abby said, walking side by side with Lexa.
The women seethed, both entirely enraged by the kidnapping of the ones they cared for. Octavia could see it in their eyes, that if any harm had came to Clarke Griffin, they would break- they would never forgive themselves- they would tear every single man and woman down who hurt Clarke. With a sore heart, Octavia could confirm that Bellamy would be one of those people.
Their movement was rapid, faster than Octavia had ever traveled with an army of such great size. They had made it to the doors of mount weather in next to no time. She could sense the urgency in every footstep Lexa took.
She watched the commander cross the grass towards the entrance, fists clenched to the point where her split and bruised knuckles had turned white. Octavia narrowed her eyes as she watched. Did Lexa really care for Clarke? Everything she had done since her return had benefited the stubborn blonde leader. But what if she was just using Clarke, for a second time, to end a war? Quite frankly, Lexa Kom Triku was the most confusing woman Octavia had ever met. She brought her hand up to scratch at her chin in thought- perhaps Clarke Griffin was the only person to truly know who the commander was.
"Raven" Lexa crossed to the mechanic who stood slumped against a horse, eyes weighted with darkened bags. There was the smallest amount of sympathy in Lexa's eyes.
"Yeah?" She looked up from her feet sadly
"I want you to do what you do best. Do you remember the basic layout of mount weather?"
"Yes" Raven tilted her head "why?"
"I want every floor removed of it's power and lighting. Are you capable?" Lexa eyes Raven up and down.
"I suppose... I'm going to need to get inside though. Through the farm or the dam maybe...." Raven had entered her mechanic mode, where everything and anything was blocked out that wasn't related to the task at hand. Octavia found that one of Raven's most impressive features.
"Octavia, Lincoln," Lexa turned "take Raven in. Protect her while she works. If you need backup, communicate with Jasper or Abby immediately. Is that understood?"
"Yes commander" Raven mumbled, and Octavia turned to follow Raven immediately into mount weather- but a soft hand with a hard grip caught her elbow. She turned back to see Lexa staring at her, and all of a sudden she felt like she had her figured out. Well, slightly anyway.
"If you find her, get her out" Lexa whispered. Octavia nodded in an instant. It was true, now she could see it clearly, that Lexa cared for Clarke. It was in her eyes. It was something she and Lincoln personally shared after one of them were exposed to danger. But this.... this was stronger "If anything happens to me, keep her safe. I've already told Abby but... you're different. Please."
Lexa's beg almost reached out to grasp Octavia's rapidly pumping heart. It was obvious as to why Clarke had fallen for the woman. She was strong, and hid her emotions for the better of her people, even if sometimes it was the worst thing to do. She was a perfect warrior: selfless, powerful, skilled and strong. Above all, Octavia could admit that Lexa was in fact breathtaking in her own way. She would promise Lexa. Not for Lexa herself but for Clarke; she wasn't sure if the blonde could admit it, but she knew Clarke loved the commander.
"I promise." Octavia reached out and gave Lexa's unarmored shoulder a squeeze before turning and catching up to Raven who had limped ahead during that time. The faint thundering voice of the commander could heard even from the distance Octavia had put between them. Her voice seemed to echo with power past anywhere. For violence or for peace, Lexa's orders were definitely heard.
"We kill everyone who fights back" There was a pause. A powerful glow of pure silence which radiated from Lexa "mow down those who get in our way."
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Indra stared at the door to mount weather with a glare of which could burn holes in the impenetrable metal if she so wished to. She stood by Lexa's side, sword wielded tightly in her right fist.
"Do you still have your fears of the dark, Heda?" Indra asked through gritted teeth quietly. Lexa side glances towards the woman.
"Perhaps. But none of that matters right now, Indra. My only fear at this moment is the harm that may come to Clarke and Luna." She replied.
There was a loud groan amongst the building of mount weather. As the door creaked open, Lexa stared for a brief moment into the darkness of the echoing and empty corridors. Occasionally, there would be the faintest rumble of a voice from far deeper inside the mountain.
"Raven did it. She cut the power" Abby called from behind them. She made her way quickly to stand between Lexa and Indra, eying the inner walls of their enemy's base "let's go get my daughter back"
"And Luna." Indra added, tilting her head to send a small glare her way.
"Yes. And Luna" Abby repeated. She pulled the gun, which hung at her side from its strap, and settled it in her hands, rested against her shoulder in preparation.
"Are you aware of how to use that, Dr. Griffin?" Lexa couldn't help but ask.
"We'll soon find out now, won't we?"
Abby was the second to step into the black oblivion of a powerless mount weather, the first of course being the commander herself.
"Not a sound from anyone. We move in stealth and silence, and we attack swiftly and quietly. Understood?" Lexa whispered as her footsteps remained echoless, noiseless. The only sound she produced were the sounds of her unsheathing her swords, and the hushed, commanding whispers that escaped her lips "Radio Raven. Tell her to destroy mount weather as soon as we give the order."
Abby nodded to Jasper, who left to speak to Raven on the radio. Which left Abby, Lexa and Indra leading the group. Abby remained tailing the two warriors, knowing that a close counter attack would be much more successful deflected by them than her, who was a mere doctor who had fallen from the sky to find her daughter.
Ahead, Lexa's long fingers tightened around the grip of her sword. There were more footsteps, more than they themselves could produce, and Lexa lunged forward. Her blades clashed into the man who walked blind through the dark. The body thudded against the concrete, blood seeping from the gaping gashes in his flesh. The droplets dripped onto the ground like water leaking from a broken tap.
Lexa was vicious, raged, animalistic in so many ways. The mane of brunette hair, braided and curled, cascaded down her back. She stood tall, stealing pride from Lions, her footsteps were silent and unwavering, stealing stealth from cheetahs- speed and agility high at the top of her ability list.
She pounced, dove, and hunted. Her unannounced presence inside mount weather shortly made clear with the screams of falling men. Each one had been slashed down with technique; her years of training from Anya had prepared her for this. And yet, her training had also never prepared her for falling in love. Her refusal to name her feelings towards Clarke... that... was a refusal made out of fear.
That fear was returning, boiling and pooling up in the pit of Lexa's stomach as she fought her way through mount weather. She couldn't hide from it, because she didn't want to. She couldn't hide from Clarke. And she couldn't hide from caring for her. As she slashed down the last of the people on the open levels, she stared down at the body.
She could be the body at any point in her life, she realised. She could die the next day and Clarke would never know how she felt. Clarke would live, only knowing half of who Lexa really was.
She clenched her jaw and powered forward towards the locked down level. Abby was behind her, eying a small cut on Lexa's arm.
One thing the doctor knew for sure though, was:
Level 7 was close to becoming a bloodbath.
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When the power cut out, the only source of light in the room were Clarke and Luna's victorious, glowing smile. They both knew Lexa had came to help them.
They also knew it was Lexa herself, when they heard the following screams and begs for forgiveness shortly after. They had all been silenced part-way through their begging.
Clarke's heart skipped a beat when there was a thud against the door, and she jumped forward to run towards it. She could feel Lexa on the other side, the magnetic pull of the commander drawing her from her knees. Of course, her legs were kicked from below her, and she fell on her face as a consequence.
"Stay down" said her guard. His voice wavered, knowing for a fact that his life would shortly end. Clarke groaned, the small sounds of her pain causing the thuds against the door to increase, louder and angrier.
"You don't have to do this. You can help us. Open it" Clarke said unto the darkness. His hesitation moved the air around them.
"She'll kill me" he finally replied
"She'll kill you once she gets that door open" Clarke countered. There was silence. A footstep. A quiet beep of authorisation from his keycard. The slide of a door.
Lexa bounded in, feral and wild. Wild until her eyes landed on the outline of Clarke's figure in he dark. And then she was collected, calm, as she reached down with an open palm to help up the blonde.
"Clarke?" She whispered.
There was a certain softness in her voice which Clarke had not even heard before. It was as if Lexa had dropped down ever single wall she had in the space of a few seconds.
Whatever it was that Lexa was showing Clarke in that moment in time, with Abby stood not far behind her...
....she wanted more of it.
So, so much more of it.
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Hey guys! So I played my gigs, messed up every now and then but I'm here again! I'm on 'vacation' as many call it, but right now it's tipping down buckets of rain on my head, so there's not much to do. Sooooo that means more writing for you guys!
Obviously I haven't written in a while now, so if the beginning of this chapter is better that the ending, that's because I started the beginning ages ago, while I just finished the end. POINT OUT MISTAKES PLEASE!?!
Leave a comment on what you think, or just to talk to me, I don't care. But vote too, and I'll see you next time! Thank you for being patient with me.
I also think this book will end in a few chapters now.
(Yes I've said that in the past quite often and haven't, but I didn't have the book so well planned out. It's more planned now, so yeah.)
I also added the song called 'our souls were clean' by the body. It's kinda weird I know. The atmospheric sludge metal doesn't hit home for many people. But I think it fits well with this chapter. If you guys don't think so I'll edit it and change it.
Anyway, have an amazing day, guys. Hopefully I'll be posting close to Christmas.