Wanheda - A Clexa Fanfiction

Chapter 4

Clarke woke up. In the cell where she was locked up in Azgeda it was always dark. She had no idea if it was day or night. Around her she heard the moaning of the other prisoners locked in the dungeons of the palace of the Queen of Azgeda. She didn't know how long it had been since she was locked up there. When she and Roan arrived in Azgeda, the prince had immediately brought her to Queen Nia. The ice-eyed woman had watched her victorious. Between the two of them there had been an exchange of un-polite jokes that Clarke did not remember accurately, then the Queen had ordered her men to take her to the dungeon, waiting for the ritual - meaning her killing - to be performed.
Clarke wondered how long that agony would last, plunged into the darkness in the moaning and screaming of the other prisoners, before they would have finally killed her. The thought of death made a strong nostalgic feeling grow inside of her. She thought back to the Ark, that time that seemed so far away, when she was a child, convinced that she would have spent her whole life in that bizarre floating city in space; she thought back to her father and Wells, her best friend, she thought about how much she had hated him for thinking he was responsible for her father's death, until she realized that Wells had done nothing, he was just protecting her. She thought back to the first time she had set foot on Earth, the first time she had smelled it and the first time she had felt the warmth of the sun on her skin. They thought they were alone on Earth, they had no idea what they would have faced. She thought back to Finn, the guy who had died because he loved her, and finally she thought back to Lexa, who from the first moment she saw her, had been caring to her, in her own way. She had allowed her to be the one to kill Finn, sweetening his death with a kiss; she had allowed her to be the one to set fire to the pyre where lay the bodies of Finn and the innocent grounders that he had killed. Lexa had trusted her from the start, when everyone else was telling her to stay away from the Sky People. At that moment, she didn't care that Lexa had betrayed her at Mount Weather, it didn't matter anymore, the good memories were the only ones which mattered. Sweet memories such as when Lexa confessed her that in Ton DC she had left everyone to their fate but not her, such as when Lexa had asked Clarke to come with her to Polis, or such as when Clarke had told Lexa that life was about more than just surviving, and that maybe they deserved better, and Lexa had kissed her. At first Clarke had abandoned herself to that kiss with all of herself, she wanted it, and she felt that it was the right thing. Then the memory of Finn had stopped her. She was not yet ready to love someone, and Lexa understood it.
Suddenly she heard a clanging sound, and immediately she heard the squeaking of the keys opening the door of her cell.
-The time has come. , thought Clarke.
She could not tell who opened the door in the twilight. The figure approached her.
-"Give me your hands, Clarke, I'll take off your cuffs. Hurry, we don't have much time."
That voice...Clarke's blood froze in her veins. It wasn't possible.
-"Lexa?"
She looked better as the nimble, slender hands took off her handcuffs. Her eyes had become accustomed to twilight, so that she was able to see the emerald green eyes and the girl's long braided brown hair.
-"What are you doing?"
- "I'm freeing you. Come on, let's go."
Clarke stood still.
-"I'm not coming with you, Lexa."
The girl turned to her.
- "Clarke, don't do anything stupid, please. Come on, we have to get out of here."
Clarke didn't move a step.
-"I don't trust you, Lexa. What makes me think you're not taking me out of here to kill me yourself? If someone is to possess the power of Wanheda, I want at least that someone is not you."
Lexa snuffed out.
-"Do I really have to carry you around?"
Clarke remained motionless, a fierce look in her eyes.
Lexa rolled her eyes and approached the girl. Clarke was stunned when Lexa lifted her off the ground effortlessly and rushed out of the cell. Lexa was slightly taller than Clarke. From the clothes she was wearing, it was clear that her body was toned, but she still remained a rather thin girl.
- "Okay, okay, put me down, I'll walk alone."
Lexa placed Clarke on the ground and the two silently walked along corridors of the dungeons, up to a door leading to the outside. Once they approached the door, Clarke noticed that Roan was standing in front of it with his arms folded. She suddenly stopped and was about to run away when Lexa grabbed her by her wrist.
-"Stop, he's with us."
Clarke looked at her confused and followed her. Upon reaching Roan, Lexa returned the set of keys, looked him in the eyes and nodded in recognition. Roan nodded in turn, and turned to Clarke.
- "Perhaps you were right, Princess. I have obeyed my mother far too much."
Clarke was increasingly confused, but smiled at Roan.
- "It's time for you to go, it won't take them too long to notice you're gone, Wanheda. Your execution was set for dawn. Your horse is tied up out here, Commander."
Lexa thanked Roan again, and the two of them went out in the open, in the cold air of the night. Lexa's horse was tied to a tree nearby. Clarke noticed that there was no other horse. Lexa hurried to untie the horse's bridle from the trunk of the tree and beckoned Clarke to approach.
- "Come on, Clarke, climb aboard."
Reluctant, Clarke approached the horse. The stallion was impressive. Seeing that Clarke was in trouble, Lexa quickly mounted her horse and stretched out her hand. Clarke snorted and grabbed the hand that Lexa was holding. Once mounted on the horse, Clarke realized that they had never been so close. Lexa was sitting behind her, with her chest and belly touching Clarke's back. Clarke was holding the beast's neck, while Lexa's arms girded her hips, holding the bridle. Clarke felt nervous. She didn't know why Lexa had freed her from Azgeda after betraying her at Mount Weather, but until she would provide a reasonable explanation, Clarke would have not forgiven her, of which she was certain. She was mad at Lexa, she was disappointed with her, and she wanted to hate her. Yet feeling Lexa's breath on her neck and the close proximity of their bodies sent shivers down her spine. She hated feeling this way. She breathed in and out, she closed her eyes trying to drive away that feeling, but the warmth of Lexa's body and her accelerated heartbeat...made it really difficult.
...

They rode in silence until the first light of dawn, when Lexa stopped the horse at the edge of the forest.
- "We should take a break, light a fire to warm ourselves and eat something."
Having said that, Lexa dismounted from the horse, and Clarke did the same.
She stood still while Lexa was setting up a bonfire; once the fire was lit, Lexa told Clarke to stand there and wait for her, and disappeared into the thick of the forest.
Clarke approached the fire and warmed her hands. Lexa had not yet given her explanations about why she had freed her. As soon as she got back, Clarke would have asked her. She waited until Lexa emerged from the forest holding a dead hare by the ears. Clarke watched her as she skinned the rabbit to roast it on the fire.
-"Why did you come to set me free, Lexa?"
Lexa's gaze remained low.
-"You saved my life that time when we were attacked by Pauna. I owed it to you."
Clarke continued to watch as she roasted the beast on the fire.
-"You told me mine was weakness that time."
Lexa looked up and her piercing green eyes met Clarke's.
-"Weakness or not weakness, you saved my life. Now we're even."
Clarke looked down thoughtfully.
-"So now I go my way and you go yours? Never see each other again?"
Lexa immediately looked up, her eyes full of fear.
-"You can't leave, Clarke. They'd kill you."
Clarke's lips folded into a slight smile.
-"Didn't you say we were even now? What does it matter if they kill me?"
Lexa gave her a cold look.
- "I don't understand your point Clarke, do you want to be kidnapped again? Do you want to be killed?"
Clarke could barely hold a smile. She loved provoking Lexa.
-"I don't want them to kill me, but I don't see how that would interest you, Commander, now that we're even."
Lexa stood up irritated.
-"What do you want me to say, Clarke? Saving you was an act of weakness, because you are my weakness. I know you hate me after what I did at Mount Weather, and I understand that. I did it to save my people, and I would do it again if I had to. I know I did the right thing, but I could never forgive myself for betraying you. I'm sorry I hurt you, Clarke, I didn't mean to. When I heard you were captured, I had to save you. I endangered the coalition and the peace between the clans because I couldn't bear the thought of them killing you. At Mount Weather I managed to do the right thing for my people, but I did not now, because you, Clarke of the Sky People, are my weakness."
Lexa turned and hurried away into the woods, warm tears rolling down her cheeks.
Clarke was stunned. She had hated Lexa all that time, believing that Lexa didn't care about her. She hated her for what she had done at Mount Weather, but she never thought that in fact she had done the right thing to save her people, and that in her place Clarke would have done the same.
She suddenly felt guilty. Lexa had told her that she was her weakness. Was it an insult or a compliment? She knew that for Lexa love was weakness...did that meant that Lexa loved her?
She got up quickly from the ground and rushed to find Lexa. She found her not far away, standing still with her head bent down. She slowly approached and stopped in front of her, looking for her gaze.
- "I'm sorry, Lexa."
Lexa looked up at Clarke.
-"I'm sorry too."
The two stood still for a while, without saying a word.
It was Lexa who broke the silence.
- "We should go now, you're not safe here."
Clarke nodded, and the two of them walked side by side into the thick forest.