Clarke squinted against the low sun as she aimed down her sight to magnify to distance. The battle had stretched out for hours, with like sending line after line of warriors like they were the levels of a video game. But when no more waves came, Clarke grew curious.
Down her scope, she could see Pike barking orders at a poor boy that looked as if his voice had only just dropped, the small fuzz on his upper lip providing Clarke with more evidence of his youth. The boy seemed to flinch slightly before nodding his head violently. He spun around, and ran down line after line, calling something out to the warriors who had been waiting their turn all day.
The poor boy looked dangerously near to a heart attack by the time he reached the front line, and he bent down to rest his hands on his knees. He huffed and puffed as the warriors behind him slowly turned, retreating back towards Polis, leaving their last warriors to fight alone. His head prepped up as he realised that everyone had left him behind, and he took off running to catch up with them. Clarke lowered her gun with one eyebrow firmly raised higher than the other.
After the incident at the cliff, and the fighting continued, Clarke had found herself a nice advantage point amongst the rubble which gave her cover as well as higher ground to snipe from. Sinfully, though, she found herself more often than not watching Lexa than actually shooting.
This was one of those moments. Again. She looked down the sight to watch Lexa, who took on a man with too much armour for his own good. This appeared to prove as a hassle for both him and Lexa. Another stepped up to challenge her along with 'the big metal man' as Clarke had decided to call him from the time being.
Clarke watched, the corner of her mouth rising into a small smirk as she watched her girlfriend sweep the blade in her right hand in a crescent slice. The blonde almost kicked herself as she caught herself paying too much attention to the way Lexa's bicep ultimately jumped with the muscle below the skin.
'The big metal man' lifted his sword to block the blow, but the weight of his armour cause his balance to be anywhere but where it was supposed to be, and the clash of blades sent him stumbling back, sword clattering from his hand. Lexa ducked the sword of the other warrior, sweeping metal man's his legs from below him as she did. Clarke's brows shot up. She was certainly getting a nice view of...
Lexa slammed the tip of her sword down, piercing through the thick metal of his chest plate. Her blade didn't stop until Clarke was sure it had ended up in the ground below him. His hands wrapped around the metal in panic, eyes wide and blood slowly trailing down the outside of his mouth.
The other man moved to slash at her side, but Lexa shifted just enough to avoid his sword. Lexa tipped her head, and jumped up to land a spinning kick in his head, knocking him down to his knees. She then grasped the back of his head, bringing her own knee to slam into his face. He dropped, unconscious.
That was when Lexa turned back to the metal man. Something changed in her emotions. Clarke could see in those two bright emeralds. The brunette crouched down beside him, and reached down to put her hand on his shoulder. With the way Lexa's face contorted with emotion as she spoke, no doubt softly in order to comfort the dying man. With a small, painful nod from the man, she tugged the sword from his chest, and his body went limp.
In that moment, Lexa lifted her head to look at Clarke, spotting the blonde watching her. Slowly removing the gun from her face, she looked at Lexa face on from afar. The brunette hesitated, looking down at her blood covered hands and wiping the thick liquid on her pants. She glanced around the near empty battlefield.
Clarke had grown to know this part of Lexa. The part which was compassionate and pitying, and sometimes sad to see. It was the side of Lexa where she reflected on her actions- mostly resulting in Lexa being upset. In this case, it was Lexa pitying the man who she had just killed. He was inexperienced, and Lexa clearly had the upper hand. But she killed him anyway.
Clarke made a mental note to talk about it with her later... along with all the other things she really needed to talk to Lexa about.
The blonde dropped her gun from her shoulder, and took her time to lower herself from the rubble; her legs had grown numb at least half an hour ago. As her body made contact with solid ground, she groaned, stretching. Feeling the satisfying 'pop!' In her lower back left her sighing in relief.
She slung her rifle over her shoulder and started off towards Lexa with a smile far too small for the victory they experienced. It was a smile never the less, completely reserved for Lexa.
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Lexa felt the temperature beginning to cool around her, and she took note of the setting sun and the dulling light of the evening. She could feel the after-effect of every war: the slowing heartbeat, the sudden decrease in adrenaline, the relief that the war was over, and the weight of hundreds more deaths on her shoulders.
Instead of focusing on the dying faces, Lexa casted her attention to the ground in front of her, her shadow stretching far over the blood and dirt which she had spilled. She clenched her fists at the realisation that she wasn't helping herself.
Movement caught her eye and she looked up, hand locking around the hilt of her sword. Her grip slacked when she saw Clarke walking towards her with a small smile on her face.
"Hey" She said softly.
There were minute smudges of dirt on her cheeks, and the cut on her lip was still very evident. But the way her blonde hair fell over her shoulder, and the way her eyes seemed to glow brighter in the setting sun, or even the way she walked towards Lexa with the most beautiful smile she swore she had ever seen- Lexa could do nothing but stare. She almost felt at loss when Clarke's face contorted to a frown.
"Are you okay?"
The blonde was then in front of her, stepping closer which a concerned look, her brows furrowed as she examined the commander.
"Are you hurt?" Clarke questioned.
She then cupped Lexa's face with soft palms, and brunette leant into the gentle touch. Every coiled up muscle in her body instantly relaxed, and all of her fears and stresses vanished into thin air. "No" Lexa whispered softly.
"Thank god" Clarke almost laughed out "I don't know what I would do without you"
Lexa lifted a brow, a small smile on her face "Perhaps build an army against Pike, as well as complete hundreds of drawings of myself."
Clarke immediately blushed, hands retreating from Lexa's face to cover her own heated cheeks "I didn't know that you saw those"
"Clarke, I slept in the same room they were in. They were in piles next to my side of the bed. Of course I saw them." Lexa smiled at Clarke's reaction, as well as her own. She had a side of the bed. Of their bed. They shared a room... together. Lexa's chest almost burst with pride at the mere thought of it.
"Lexa... I." Clarke began, but continued to be caught up in her words, knowing what to say without knowing how to say it. Lexa shook her head, knowing what she wanted to say anyways.
"You were doing what you thought was right. If it was you dying, I would have made you take the nightblood too, Clarke." She said as gently as she could "I should be the one who apologises. I never meant to hurt you. I didn't want to. When I turned around and saw it was you who I elbowed... Clarke, I'm so sorry."
Clarke laced her fingers with Lexa's pulling them both closer. She looked up into green eyes, and smiled "Are you finished?"
Lexa frowned "would you like me to continue?"
Clarke laughed a laugh that had every butterfly Lexa's stomach contained fluttering violently. "No. I want you to be quiet so I can kiss you"
Before Lexa could come up with some sort of commander-like response, the brunette felt desirous but demure lips against hers. The silken hand returned to cup her cheeks, yet they slowly slid away again to lead her arms around Lexa's neck. The two instantly shifted closer at the new found space between them.
Lexa could admit that her first time kissing Clarke was a risk she was unsure of taking, and she had hopelessly leaned in, prepared for the rejection. Of course, it came. Yet it took longer than she had imagined in her head. But now, Lexa kissed Clarke in full confidence, the thought of being pushed away had disappeared from her mind.
The kiss was soft at first as they attempted to pour everything they had into gentle small kisses. But then they continued with a swift gradation that made them cling to each other, as if the other girl was the only solid thing in a dizzying and swaying world.
For a long stretched moment, she kissed Clarke, and Lexa was in deep astonishment at how the blonde almost ruled her with her kisses, luring her in and loving her. As the blonde pulled away, Lexa was left breathing deeply, her surroundings beginning to return to her. It appeared that Clarke was equally as dazed.
"Come on" Clarke said breathlessly "We can do that later. We have to find where Niylah went"
Lexa groaned internally at the thought of finding Niylah. Yes, she had forgiven her and shared an understanding for her... but it didn't stop her from being greatly jealous when she was so much as in the same room as Clarke. She huffed and followed the blonde.
"What happened to your armour anyway?" Clarke asked as they joined the others on the battlefield. Laura almost jumped at the mention of Lexa's armour.
"It was destroyed in the rubble"
"It was my fault" Laura commented "I dropped it"
"I was the one shoving you" Lexa countered
"I could have had a tighter grip"
"You were scared"
"But it-"
"Alright we get it" Raven interrupted, hobbling into sight "Stop arguing"
"Raven" Clarke pulled the mechanic into a hug "I'm so glad you're okay. Where did you go? I couldn't see you."
"I went with Niylah and Luna to protect the others. I came back to make sure you're not all dead. Thankfully you're not." She grinned. She glanced behind Clarke at the many guards and brave warriors who fought off Pike's army "Come on, guys. We set up camp a while from here in the woods. Let's go."
Raven lifted a hand and rested it on Lexa's shoulder to bring her forward, but instantly retracted her hand as she felt the blood and sweat on the black shirt. Lexa raised an eyebrow at her as if to say 'That's what you get'
"Ew." She muttered and began leading the group to their families.
Clarke turned to Lexa and held her hand out, palm facing upwards. She wiggled her fingers ever so slightly and raised an eyebrow. It took Lexa a short moment to understand what she meant. Clarke almost laughed when the look of realisation flashed across the commander's face and she let a small smile play on her lips as Lexa finally reached to take Clarke's hand.
Lexa caught Laura watching from beside Raven, but the other brunette quickly looked away. She ignored it and gripped Clarke's hand tighter. There was something about holding a Clarke's hand that made the world feel a great amount lighter than it felt when she was alone. Lexa was addicted to the feeling, as well as every other feeling she felt when they kissed, or hugged, or made love or even brushed hands.
"Bellamy?"
Clarke's voice instantly had Lexa's attention, and she listened to their conversation carefully whilst under a pretence of disinterest.
Bellamy looked in Clarke's general direction before he kept walking. The way he shortened his strides and hunched his back, it was obvious he was stressed and unsettled. Something was on his mind, and Clarke was always the caring person who confronted people about it. That was another reason on the long list of why Lexa loved her: she cared about others. Lexa couldn't have had said the same for a long time.
"Bellamy, are you okay?" She paused, waiting for a response
The eldest Blake gave a pained expression before he looked down at his feet as they entered the outskirts of the forests "They stayed behind to keep Pike from suspecting them. She stayed behind for me. I saw her. She was right there, Clarke. Right next to Pike and I couldn't help her.
Lexa recognised the form of pain that bubbled from his voice. Bellamy loved that girl, Echo. Lexa had met her on more than one occasion. Most occasions ended with the commander spitting out threats and pointing her sword menacingly at the Azgeda woman. If they met again in the future, the reasons behind it would be much different.
She just hoped there would be no more weapons between them. She was far from having enough with weapons, especially since Pike was in fact still alive. But the thought that one day there would be no reason to fight had Lexa's eyes lighting up, despite Bellamy's sadness.
"Bellamy, I'm so sorry." Clarke said softly "We'll get her back. We'll get them all back"
Clarke would have continued to show her support to Bellamy, but she didn't need to. His younger sister bounded over bodies and rubble, eager eyes fixated on her target. She lunged into his arms, cheek pressed to his chest with arms wrapped around his torso just as tightly. Bellamy lifted her off the ground to hug her.
"Family reunion" Raven grabbed a bunch of leaves and through them in the air, wiggling her fingers to join her green confetti "yay"
Octavia scoffed "let's go big brother. We'll get them back soon. For now, we regroup. Agreed?"
"Agreed" Bellamy smiled down at his sister as he released her.
"Good. Now let's go. I plan on meeting the others as soon as possible. There are children to protect" Indra walked past them and into the woods "Raven, come on."
Raven quickly hobbled after Indra, feeling the need to get back just as the other woman. Clarke and Lexa glanced at one another before following.
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Clarke edged closer to Lexa in the dark, knowing well what the commander was thinking. In other words, she would be thinking that it's dark. Lexa hates the dark.
She took her hand and pressed a light kiss to her cheek.
"You okay?" She asked softly.
Lexa huffed and pulled the blanket higher, the fabric only just skimming her chin "It's dark" she muttered.
Clarke smiled at Lexa's predictability and rested her head on her shoulder. She wrapped an arm around her waist. They were both still covered in blood and dirt, but they had decided that whilst everyone else bathed in the river, they would just sleep. The two women were far too tired to do anything but, and told each other they would just bathe in the morning. It didn't bother them in the slightest.
With a raised eyebrow, she asked "Do you want to talk? Maybe it could distract you?"
"What would you like to talk about, Clarke?"
The blonde lifted her hand to rest her hand on Lexa's chest. She could feel the harsh and thunderous beat of her heart filled with life. She smiled. Yes, she was definitely alive again.
"I don't know. Have you seen Isaac?" She asked
"I saw him not long ago. He's okay. He was one of the first kids Niylah found and got out."
Lexa's heart sped up below her palm, and she lifted her head to meet her eyes.
"What has your heart racing? Isaac or Niylah?"
"Perhaps both" Lexa said. But Clarke knew she was holding back; there was something she wasn't telling her.
"Lexa. You're not still jealous of Niylah are you?"
"No. I... well, yes. But not as much as I was. It's more Isaac." Lexa paused to think her words over and collect herself before continuing "His younger sister is still in Polis. I feel like every day I don't return her to him, I am failing him. I never returned Jayden to him. And now his sister is still missing."
Clarke frowned "hey" she whispered, cupping Lexa's cheek "It's not your fault. You can't do everything."
"But she was there. When I was in Polis, and supposedly dead, she was there. I saw her, and I didn't help her."
"But we will. We will help them all."
They allowed themselves to fall into silence, with Lexa feeling more comfortable in the darkness when she's in a Clarke's arms. It just so happened to be the commander who dozed off first, followed by Wanheda after a few moments of happily savouring the moment.
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In the morning, Clarke was awoken by the empty space beside her. She opened her opened her eyes, shielding them from the early morning light with the palm her hand. Lexa sat across from her on the ground, tugging on her boots with a scowl.
She looked in her element: as if she was born and bred to live in the woods. Her brunette hair fell over her shoulder and blocked her sight from her laces. She angrily brushed them away, the dark strands growing more and more offending to her. Clearly it wasn't the first time she had been interrupted by her own hair. Eventually, she sat back and braided her hair, completely unaware of Clarke watching with an amused smile.
"Good morning." Clarke said softly "You're off to a good start"
"I truly am." Lexa said sarcastically.
Lexa carefully got to her feet, body obviously aching from the war they had fought the day before. Her legs seemed stiffer, too much use causing them to seize after a night of long rest. Still, Lexa steadied herself and sighed.
Tilting her head, Clarke began to wonder. If Lexa's mother passed when she was young, who's as there to teach her the simplest of things in life? Like how to walk, or speak or even stand? Who was there to hold her hand as a child?
"Lex?"
"Hmm?" Lexa grunted as she stretched, before she directed her full attention to Clarke. She came and sat down beside her on the blankets, twisting to look at her.
"What happened to your parents?"
Lexa's face fell.
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Alright my dudes. I'm sick. Again. Surprise surprise. And I'm not on holiday anymore. Luckily, I wrote a large percentage of both this chapter and the next when I was healthy and on holiday. So the next one SHOULD be up soon.
As usual, comment, vote and all that. Tell me if you spot some mistakes. Let me know what you think: it matters to me deeply. Thank you to everyone who lets me know what they thought every chapter.
I know this chapter seemed more like a filler chapter than anything eventful, but at least it was something... I'm trying here haha.
Feel free to message me with questions or to tell me something or to simply just talk. I open all day everyday.
Until next time!