Blood Must Have Blood (Clexa Fanfic)

We Come Running

Somehow Clarke managed to drift into a light and uncomfortable sleep, the image of Lexa still fresh in her mind. For some reason she couldn't describe, she kept thinking of the Commander often. She didn't know whether it was out of hate, fear, or admiration but either way, she didn't want to find out.

By the time morning came Clarke had long since been awake. There was no way she could rest easily knowing that there were so many people out to kill her.
As the first needles of the dawn's light pricked through the curtains Clarke squinted, almost as if it would somehow expend the light. She was stupid to think it would.
That's when she heard the sound of footsteps outside her door and her muscles tensed, the hairs on the back of her neck standing to attention.

The door creaked open and Lexa walked into the chamber, not bothering with the common courtesy to knock. Although Clarke knew that given her position, she didn't have to.
"So. You're awake." The Commander commented and Clarke looked a little perplexed for a moment but before she had time to reply, Lexa had tossed something onto the bed beside her. The blonde-haired girl followed the object and it took her a few moments to realise what it was. Her eyes widened as they traced along the curved edge of a hunting knife. It was small but it looked pristine and polished. It could easily deal damage, especially to another person..

"But..what is this for?" Clarke asked and Lexa looked at her boredly, the black markings around her eyes only making the iris's of them a deeper green.
"I think it's about time you started to earn your keep. We can't afford to keep feeding you with so little in return." The Commander explained. "I've arranged for a small hunting party to escort you and see how much you're really worth to us."
It seemed strange, after last night Lexa seemed so much colder. Even more so than usual. It was like she was deliberately daring Clarke to challenge her or argue back.

"I'm not a hunter." Was all she could think to say and Lexa just dismissed this with a single look.
"Then you can learn. I want you to be ready to leave in ten minutes and I warn you. My people do not like to be kept waiting." She said in finality and then turned to leave. Her face looked stern but soft at the same time and it was a look that Clarke wanted to capture with her pencil. To sketch those perfect lines of her face and lose herself in the warm feeling of escaping the rest of the world.

But as Lexa's words sunk in she felt the warmth fade and she got up from the bed, roughly pulling the covers back over and untangling the mess they were in. She looked at the strewn covers and somehow saw her own emotions reflected in them. She didn't know what to feel right now and all she wanted was to not feel at all...

After a few minutes Clarke was dressed and she made her way out of the room, her knife clutched to her chest tightly in a white knuckled grip. The passing Grounders shot her looks and she tried her best to shoot them back. She didn't feel in the mood to be looked down upon and she knew it must've been the weapon that gave her confidence.

She walked outside and the sun was already beating down from the middle of the sky. It was clearly noon and the slight warmth against her pale skin felt nice. Almost peaceful.
"So you finally showed up." A voice scoffed and Clarke turned her head towards the sound. Stood in front of her were about ten Grounders, each armed heavily with various weapons that seemed to mirror their personality. The voice belonged to a tall woman, her eyes harsh and poisonous. She had the sort of gaze that made Clarke want to hide but she tried to stand broader.

"Oh, leave her alone. She's been through enough without you adding to it." Another voice snapped and both Clarke and the woman turned.
Lexa's figure strode through the crowd of Grounders, her face was dead-set and serious as she grabbed the woman by the shoulder, her fingers digging into it.
"Don't ever let me catch you troubling her again." She said and the woman just nodded slowly, swallowing a lump in her throat. It was a strange encounter and Clarke didn't know what to do as she watched Lexa yank the woman aside before her cold green eyes rested on her.
For some reason Clarke felt pressured, as if she had to say something but the bitterness she felt towards Lexa overtook and she snapped instead.

"I don't need you to protect me." She said, feeling her lips peel back into a snarl. "I can look after myself."
Lexa looked at her and she saw something flash behind her eyes. Although it wasn't clear whether it was anger or even pain, but it didn't matter as in the next moment the Commander had turned away. She grabbed the reins of a horse that one of the Grounders had offered to her and mounted it, her face as blank and unreadable as before.

"Keep that close." Was all she said as she nodded to the knife Clarke didn't realise she was still holding. "You're going to need it." With that she kicked her horse and it started forward, heading off into the dense shrubbery.

The blonde-haired girl felt breathless and for one brief moment she didn't know what to do. A faint mumble could be heard from the Grounders as they all took off after Lexa's horse and for a horrifying moment Clarke thought she'd be left behind. Her legs worked almost mechanically as she ran to keep up, her footsteps nowhere near as light or experienced as the hunters that surrounded her. They seemed to run forever and Clarke was out of breath by the time she felt an arm across her chest and a young-ish looking Grounder that gestured for her to stop.

She looked around and the forest definitely seemed different here. The faint trickling of running water could be heard and she could taste the dampness on the air. Wherever they were they were near a river.

"Stay down.." A voice hissed and Clarke recognised it as the woman from before. Immediately feeling uneasy being around her, Clarke moved away, sensing her poisonous glare on her again. For some reason the blonde-haired girl felt herself searching for the Commander. It wasn't even out of malice. She just felt...safer when Lexa was around. As much as she hated it, it still felt like for the first time in forever, Clarke had someone on her side. Although she'd rather die than admit that. It was something she'd bury beneath her hatred for the Commander because after all, Finn would've done the same.
Her eyes rested on Lexa eventually, she was only a few meters away and her back was turned to Clarke. She had a sword in hand and her eyes were fixed on something further off into the bushes that the former Skaikru leader couldn't see. That's when Clarke became painfully aware of the dagger in her own hands. It seemed heavier than before and she glanced down at it before back at Lexa. She could do it...plunge the knife into her back...she'd never expe-

Suddenly there was a loud shot that rang out into the air and the grounder nearest Clarke dropped to the forest floor. Blood pouring from a gunshot wound in his chest and his eyes were still open and wide in shock.

She felt her heart beat faster as she looked back to Lexa who hadn't moved. All of the other warriors shuffled and were shouting in panic but the Commander remained unmoving as more shots sounded, more Grounders fell. Even from this distance Clarke heard the Commander's sharp intake of breath and saw her eyes close as she whispered something just loud enough for her to hear.
"Skaikru.."