The Tribute (Clexa)

Chapter 19

Clarke didn't wake until she felt the horse start to slow. It was almost nightfall, and she must have been asleep for hours. She decided that riding on a horse while asleep was by far her favorite way to ride. She might have loved Haula, but she didn't think she would ever enjoy riding her for more than a few hours at a time.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Lexa teased. The alpha was beyond pleased that Clarke felt safe and comfortable enough to fall asleep in her arms.

"Are we stopping for the night?" Clarke asked, rubbing her eyes with her left hand.

"We are. We will sleep here, and then in the morning, there will only be a few more hours of riding." Lexa let go of the reins. "I am excited for you to finally see Polis."

"Me too," Clarke said. It was true. She had an entirely new outlook on life, and she wanted to see the wonders of this world, and Polis, from what she had heard, sounded wonderous indeed.

"I am going to get down, and then I will help you," Lexa said.

Lexa was off the horse in less than two seconds, and before Clarke knew it, she had her feet back on the ground too.

The alpha had to steady her for a second while she got her legs under her.

"They are setting up the tents now if you want to rest. I instructed them to get yours ready first. I need meet with a messenger from Polis for a little while, but then I will be back. Is that okay?" Lexa asked.

"Of course, you are Heda now. I know you have duties to attend to," Clarke responded. She was tired, but she wasn't sure she wanted to go directly to her tent. "Will they be building a fire? I think I would rather stay outside for a while."

"Anya is building one just over there," Lexa pointed. "She would be happy to keep you company. I'll come back as quickly as I can."

Clarke watched Lexa walk over to the messenger. She stood tall and there was no denying that she was a regal creature. While she hadn't officially ascended into the position of Heda yet, the alpha exuded power and confidence. She carried herself like a real leader.

Clarke smiled. She was happy for the alpha. In the next few days, Lexa was going to realize her dreams. She would be the leader of the twelve clans, and the omega knew that if Lexa treated her people even a fraction as well as she had treated her so far, the clans would be in good hands.

She turned and wandered over to Anya. The alpha had already collected wood for the fire but hadn't started it yet.

"Will you teach me how to do that?" Clarke asked, surprising her fos.

Anya had tried on several occasions to teach the omega how to start a fire, but Clarke had always been reluctant. The omega had been afraid of the flames even while being fascinated by them, and it was understandable. There were no flames where Clarke came from, in fact, the blonde had told Anya that if a fire were ever to start on the Ark, it would have spelled disaster for the entire population.

"I would love to teach you," Anya replied with a lopsided quirk of her lips that could almost be called a grin.

Anya instructed the omega on each step she needed to make, and in less time than Clarke imagined, she had a fire roaring to life.

She turned to Anya and gave her teacher a rare smile. "That wasn't as scary as I thought it would be."

Anya gave a rare smile back. "Trust me, fires can be scary when they get out of control. That is why we teach our goufas (children) from a young age about fire and safety, so that we don't accidentally start the forest on fire. Now let's go hunt. We need meat for tonight's meal."