Blood Must Have Blood (Clexa Fanfic)

Empire of Our Own

The mood was somber on the way back to the Grounder camp. Not much was said between any one of the survivors. Each of them knew how many lives had been lost, but worst of all, each of them knew that it had been Clarke's people that had done it. She felt their stares weighing heavy on her shoulders and some of the glares felt hot and accusatory. Every so often she'd risk a glance upwards but for most of the journey she kept her head down, not wanting to face the Grounders around her. There were mutterings and although she couldn't understand the language fully, Clarke still heard clearly the word 'Wanheda'. Somehow the name seemed to fit. Wanheda. Commander of Death...

Lexa however, remained as quiet and composed as ever. It was strange to see the Commander's clothes so torn and bloodied yet her face looked expressionless. Almost like she hadn't allowed the commotion to affect her or the fact that she'd just killed someone Clarke cared for. The blonde-haired girl felt a small urge nagging at her every time she looked over at Lexa and she realised after a few moments what it was. Clarke wanted to thank her.

She felt guilty for thinking that way, especially whilst she could still see Octavia's expression branded into her mind. It was Lexa's fault that Octavia was dead and that was the end of it. Clarke would hate Lexa for everything she had done and never regret a thing. But yet...somehow, Lexa's voice kept repeating itself in her head.
"Get the hell away from her.." Over and over again. The way the words sounded and felt were almost animalistic. Like for that brief moment, Lexa wasn't herself, she was someone else.

Time itself had stopped for Clarke as she tried to think back and feel the memory as it had felt at the time. Lexa had protected her, she could remember that much at the least and as much as she had hated to admit it, Octavia was her enemy. She was the one who had tried to kill Clarke and she was the one who had paid the price for it. Her brow furrowed as her lips began to form the words..
"Blood must have blood."
Clarke turned, realising that the exact words she had wanted to say had been spoken out loud, but not by her. Lexa's eyes were locked with hers and it took Clarke a moment to realise that the Commander had said them.

"You haven't spoken at all since we left the clearing." The brown-haired girl said, her voice also hoarse from the previous smoke inhalation.
It appeared that even Lexa couldn't hide the damage that the fire had done. As much as she wanted to.

Lexa's face was covered in dirt, her eyes being the only feature that stood out amongst the blackness. Although Clarke noticed a few cuts along her face and one down her neck, the black blood mixing with the mud. It was easy for her to tell that they weren't life-threatening but they could be if they were to be infected.

"You should get those looked at." Clarke noted, her voice quiet but matter-of-fact. Lexa frowned at this and brought her hand to her neck where the worst of the wounds seemed to be. Her fingers came away black and bloodied but the way she looked at her hand made it seem as if she'd only just noticed the pain. Lexa raised her eyebrows and shook her head.
"I appreciate your concern but there were only two healers who came with us. One of which is dead." Her voice was blunt although she looked at Clarke the entire time, making her feel a little embarrassed but she didn't show it.

"But what about the othe-" Clarke stopped herself for a moment and the realisation hit her, making her feel idiotic.
"Me?" She asked, her eyes flickering slightly whilst Lexa just nodded, turning her head away for the first time and looking forward, her hand resting on her sword.
"Your people must be proud, having such a smart leader." Lexa said and Clarke detected a hint of sarcasm which made her grit her teeth.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Clarke snapped and Lexa's lips quirked into a half-smile which completely caught the girl off guard.

She'd never seen Lexa smile. Well...maybe she had once but it felt like a lifetime ago now. It felt like years although it had only been mere months. When everyone in Mt Weather had been alive..when Lexa had kissed her. Although even then her smile had been fleeting as Clarke told her the harsh reality of how she felt. Or at least, how she didn't feel.

"You get sidetracked pretty easily. That's a bad trait for a leader to have." Lexa commented and Clarke blinked, realising she hadn't spoken or responded to her own slight outburst. She shook her head.
"Look. Do you want me to help you or not? Because if I don't, then those wounds are going to get infected. And honestly? I couldn't care less whether you live or die." The words were harsh and were said with the intention of impact but Lexa didn't flinch which disappointed Clarke slightly.

"You make a fair offer Wanheda. One which I will gladly accept." She said and Clarke heard a few more mutterings of disapproval from the Grounders.

"Commander. Do you think this is wise?" A grounder wielding a bow said, his arms folded as he surveyed Clarke. Lexa just waved her hand at him dismissively.
"We're coming up for the river soon. We can make camp there and I strongly suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself." The Commander said and his eyes widened minutely and his nostrils flared.
"But if she-"
"If she tries anything then you'll be the first one I call. After I slit her throat."
Clarke couldn't help but flinch, feeling herself shiver at the seriousness of the threat. The Grounder backed down after that, talking with a tall, thin woman with tattoos lacing her arms. Her body looked weak but her eyes vicious as she glared at Clarke every so often which made her look down again. She didn't look back up again until they'd reached the river.

It wasn't difficult to tell when they were close. Mostly the sound of the running water had helped and the humidity in the air also.
Lexa gestured for the Grounders to settle and Clarke was glad, her legs ached from all the walking and she was still coughing up most of the ash from the fire. Her lungs hurt and she had to take a few deep breaths when they finally stopped.
"She's pathetic." A Grounder woman spat, deliberately speaking Clarke's tongue so she could understand the insult. Her ears pricked and she bit her lip to hold back her retort as she looked away. The woman just chuckled and continued to pitch a temporary tent, clearly bored with Clarke already.

"You'd do well to steer clear of confrontation with her. Or anyone for that matter." Lexa said and Clarke turned around to look at her. She obviously hadn't bothered to change judging by her still bloodied clothes but her face did look a little cleaner. Or maybe the blonde-haired girl was just imagining it. She rolled her eyes all the same.
"I don't need you telling me what to-"
"Hush." Lexa silenced her with one word and Clarke's eyes widened. She hadn't been expecting that sort of response.
Once again, Lexa smiled. She seemed to be doing that more and more recently and Clarke didn't know whether to feel secure or concerned.

The conversation seemed to take on a different tone and Lexa couldn't help but notice Clarke's offence at being silenced. The Commander sighed, realising she'd spoken out of term and she took both of Clarke's hands in her own.
"My apologies Wanheda. Sometimes I forget we are in an empire of our own and that I mustn't speak so out of term."
Clarke froze, feeling Lexa's hands warmly against hers, not quite understanding her words. She felt herself blush softly and she tried to clear her throat, focusing on her own confusion rather than the gesture.

"What do you mean Lexa?" She asked, feeling her fingers twitch slightly against the other girl's palms.
"Empire of our own?"
"We are from two very different backgrounds Clarke. It'd be wrong for me to tell you what to do because you don't live by our rules. So, what I'm trying to say is, I don't want to force you to help me. I want to ask you. Clarke Kom Skaikru. Please...help me." Lexa's voice grew weaker at the end and for just a short moment, Clarke saw vulnerability in her eyes. It was gone in an instant but it was definitely there.

For the longest time Clarke didn't know what to say, too overwhelmed to speak, especially with Lexa still gripping her hands softly.
"I..." She began but shook her head, pulling her hands away from Lexa reluctantly.
"I'll do it." She said, feeling her head clear a little.
"After all, you're the only Commander with any sense. If you died I..."
"Wouldn't be far behind right?" Lexa finished her sentence for her, knowing full well that no other Commander would keep Clarke alive.

The blonde-haired girl nodded slowly and Lexa sighed, about to speak before Clarke cut her off.
"It's fine. Now come on, those wounds will get infected if you don't get them tended to." She said and Lexa looked hesitant but nodded, heading down towards the river. Clarke followed at a fair distance behind, still shaking the blush from her face and hating herself every minute for it.