The Tribute (Clexa)

Chapter 21

Indra wasn't wrong. Clothes really did make the woman. Since they started heading to Polis, Clarke couldn't take her eyes of Lexa.

The alpha's outfit wasn't dissimilar to her own, only Lexa now sported her dual swords on her back, chunky boots on her feet, black warpaint on her around her eyes, and a golden sprocket-shaped medallion on her forehead.

They both had their sashes secured under their pauldrons, only Lexa's was long and flowed partway down her front and nearly all the way down her back. It reminded Clarke of a cape, only it was better. It highlighted the regal elegance the alpha already had.

She wondered if her own sash made her look that way. The parachute material of her sash had been secured under her pauldron then draped over her other shoulder. She wasn't quite sure what effect it had on someone looking at her. If nothing else, the pop of color on her otherwise black outfit would surely draw attention to her as they entered the city. She could only hope that Lexa in her finery was more eye catching than she was.

She looked at the alpha again, and this time Lexa caught her staring.

The heat rose in her face. "You look really nice, Lexa."

Mentally, she slapped herself. You look really nice, Lexa. What a stupid thing to say to her alpha.

No, fuck.

Lexa was not her alpha. It was the second time she had thought that, and she needed to stop it. Even if she did want Lexa to be her alpha, which she was slowly starting to realize she might, she wasn't ready for that. She wasn't sure she would ever be ready. She was too new to this world to start thinking about things like relationships. Wasn't she?

When they had first gotten on their horses, Clarke had assumed that Lexa would take the rear of the group as she usually did, but this time she didn't. She rode to Clarke's left, so close that if Clarke wanted to, she could reach out and hold hands with the alpha.

Knowing this fact had her itching to do just that. They had been riding for over an hour, and in that time, something in the blonde had clicked. After the embarrassment of how she reacted to the others kind words, after having run to hide in the tent, and after having a heart to heart with Indra, Clarke finally came to the conclusion that all her fears and insecurities were a silly waste of time.

She kept letting the jumbled mess of feelings and preconceived notions in her head mess with what was happening in her heart. Time and again the people around her had proven to her that things on the ground were not like things on the Ark. Not once had anyone lifted a hand to her or made a derogatory comment about her.

No, everyone, especially Lexa, had gone out of their way to make her comfortable. They kept her safe, warm, fed, and made her increasingly happy, and she realized that she needed to make a serious effort to let go of everything that was weighing her down. That meant letting go of her past. What was the point of lingering on it anyway? It wasn't like she would see anyone from the Ark again.

It made her sad to think of her parents and friends, but she knew they would be elated for her and the new, incredible life she had. If they were down on the ground, they would be telling her to get her head out of her ass and start enjoying the gift she had been given. Okay, so only Raven would be telling her to get her head out of her ass, but everyone else would be saying the rest.

Consequently, finally paying attention to the good voices in her head, she decided that she was going to start listening to those around her. If Lexa said she looked pretty, then she was going to believe it. If Anya told her that one day she would be strong enough to be a warrior if she wanted to be, she would take her words to heart. She was going to stop going to that dark place within herself. She was going to ignore the feelings that had her wanting to run and hide all the time, and damnit, she was going to explore the feelings she thought she might be having for a certain, gorgeous alpha.