Sacrifice (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 7

Title: Sacrifice

Relationship: Clarke and Lexa (Clexa)

Author: ArshuK

Beta: VampyDeer948

Lexa wakes to the smell of strawberries hitting her nostrils. Strawberries were out of season. Groaning she opens her eyes and moves her left arm up to yawn. She tries to move up but fails to do so; her right arm is stuck. She shifts it again and hears a groan. A groan that had not resonated from her throat. Her eyes widen and she looks down.

Clarke had somehow crawled in the middle of the bed and taken up residency on her right arm. The blonde woman is facing her, "snuggling" into the front of Lexa's body, her head right above Lexa's chest binder, her lips millimetres away from the grounder's bare skin. Lexa takes deep breaths in order to calm down her racing heart as she had been taught by Anya during the early days of her training.

Lexa's mind quickly pieces it all together- she was just smelling the other girl's sun-coloured, luscious, beautiful hair. She tries to gingerly move away from Clarke, she moves her hip away from Clarke and tries to slip her arm from under Clarke's head but she freezes as Clarke's delicate hand comes around her waist and pulls her closer. Her lips come in contact with her skin. This is the torture for all my wrong doings.

Lexa closes her eyes, and prays Clarke will not wake up. Lexa's eyes journey down and she finds her looking so peaceful, her eyes closed and her lips slightly parted. However, this peaceful look doesn't last long, the hold on Lexa's waist tightens to a painful extent and Clarke's nails start to dig in Lexa's flesh. Tears start to escape from the blonde beauty's eyes.

"Clarke."

Lexa says her names softly but it has no effect other than addition of sobs from the blonde's body. Her nails now dig deep into Lexa's spine but Lexa ignores the stings and says in a slightly louder voice, right above Clarke's ear,

"Clarke, please wake up!"

She says it multiple times before Clarke's eyes fly open and she cries,

"Aaaah!"

Her head quickly looks up at Lexa and she trembles, her face burying itself into her chest. She suddenly feels enveloped in the scent of earth; of rain, of timber, of ground. She buries herself further in, hoping the smell to consume away her sufferings.

"God. Oh my God. Oh. Oh. Oh..." Lexa hears her muffled voice.

"It's okay. You are safe now. You are safe, Clarke."

Lexa's hand is running up and down Clarke's spine in a rhythmic manner, her touch easing Clarke's breathing, absorbing away some of her fright. Clarke calms down a bit and whispers,

"I am so sorry."

"It is alright. The nightmares...they can be driven away. You should participate in physical training, as the physical activities decrease the mental stress."

"You sound like someone speaking from experience." Clarke observes.

Lexa nods lightly and says,

"I have seen many horrors of life on Earth, Clarke."

Silence follows them, in which neither tries to change the current positions of their body. Both relishing in the contact and too weak to move away.

"Clarke, please let me help you." Lexa finally says.

Clarke peers up at Lexa, she feels so small right now, so fragile, so vulnerable. She knows her eyes show that she is scared but Lexa's green eyes are softer now, a lighter colour. They show understanding. Clarke gulps before nodding.