Our People (the Third Book of the Her Weakness series)

Chapter 133

Lexa's POV

I glance over at the house while Raven and Octavia continue to freak out. I see Clarke looking out of a window with a concerned expression.

She catches my gaze and signs to me, knowing I will not be able to read her lips from this distance. "Is everything okay?"

I nod and give her a reassuring smile. Clarke watches for a moment longer, frowning at Octavia and Raven, who are currently hopping up and down together excitedly and making incoherent noises. It takes them a few minutes to calm down enough to speak.

"Wait really? You're going to pop the question?" Raven asks, her eyes bright with happiness.

I furrow my brows, trying to remember the Skaikru slang that I have been taught. "What?"

"She means you're going to ask her?" Octavia provides.

"Yes I am." I smile shyly.

"Then what are you doing here standing and talking to us? Go!" Raven makes a shooing motion.

"I want to do this right," I admit.

"That sound like you have a plan. Do you have a plan?" Octavia gasps out and squeezes her girlfriend's hand.

"I do," I conform.

They squeal again and I wince, silently mourning my injured eardrums. Luckily they are not as loud this time and when I glance over, Clarke is not looking through the window.

"Tell us!" Raven demands.

I shake my head, a fond smile spreading across my lips when Raven and Octavia immediately start groaning out complaints.

"If you're not telling us then it had better be romantic." Raven says in a warning tone. "If I find out you said something stupid like 'hey I like your last name can I have it' I will punch you in the nose."

"Noted," I laugh.

I do not really understand what her statement means, which just reinforces how I need their assistance.

"There goes your idea on how to propose to me," Octavia teases.

"What? Pfft. Babe, I would totally come up with something amazing." Raven relents quickly under her girlfriend's raised eyebrow. "Fine, it would still have puns and incredible jokes like that but it would be super sweet too. Anyway, Lexa." She points a finger at me. "It's going to be romantic, right?"

"Of course." I nod.

"It had better be so disgustingly cute that it makes me cry when Clarke tells me about it. That and only that will make up for you keeping us in the dark about your apparently romantic plans." Raven says seriously.

"Clarke could tell you I proposed to her while we shoveled horse manure and you would cry." I point out, making Octavia snort.

"Cry from laughter," Raven corrects. "But fine. It's you and Clarke, so of course it will be so sickeningly cute that I get cavities. So why tell us? Are you planning in asking her soon?"

"No," I shake my head. "Towards the end of the trip."

"But that's so far," Octavia whines. "How am I supposed to keep this from Clarke for so long?"

"I can keep your mouth occupied, O." Raven winks. She turns back to me with a more serious expression. "That still doesn't explain why you're telling us. What's up?"

"The sky." I feign innocence and confusion until Raven huffs with annoyance. She rolls her eyes while I 'high five' her girlfriend. "I need you to teach me about Skaikru culture."

"What about it?" Raven prompts.

"Marriage wise, I mean." I explain. "My understanding is that our cultures are vastly different in how we propose."

Octavia's mouth drops open and she nods knowingly. "Oh, yeah. That's a good point. Grounder tradition and Skaikru tradition is vastly different. Okay, first of all to propose you get on one knee."

"Why?" I question. Is there a significance to the gesture or something?

Raven shrugs. "I dunno. It's just the way we do it. There's probably a reason, I just don't know it. But babe, you forgot a very important thing that happens even before the proposal."

"What would that be?"

"Well first of all, she needs a ring. And a parent's approval. Well not really, that's more of a your choice kind of thing but usually Skaikru people ask a parent if they're okay with their kid marrying them."

"Ah, we have a similar tradition. The person who will ask goes to the person their partner is closest to in life and asks for their blessing. And what is this about a ring?" I question.

Their long winded explanation on the significance of rings takes over half an hour before they are satisfied that I understand it. I make a mental note to go to a blacksmith's forge in Sankru. Because of the heat there, their forges are some of the best in the clans. I can make our rings there.

"Mochof (thank you) for that." I give Raven and Octavia a wide smile. "So for the proposal itself, I get on one knee?"

"Yeah," Raven confirms. "Then you say a bunch of sappy words about how much you love her and want to spend the rest of your life with her. Then you ask the question, she says yes, and then you have amazing sex."

Raven laughs as Octavia gently smacks the back of her head. Octavia gives me an apologetic look.

"The sex isn't mandatory or anything." Octavia explains.

"True. But if her proposal is as fluffy and romantic as the Commander thinks it will be, she's definitely getting laid."

I roll my eyes but am amused by her antics. I hear my beautiful girlfriend's voice calling us to dinner but stay for a moment.

"Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Nope," Raven pauses. "Yeah, yeah there is. She's going to say yes, Lexa."

I shift my stance, feeling nervous even though I'm not going to be asking her soon. "You think so?"

"I know so," Octavia answers confidently. "Now come on, let's go eat dinner."

I mull over what they have told me as we walk back to the house. A gentle smile spreads across my face and I can't help hoping that they are right. I hope Clarke says yes.

This is a fluffy, happy ending kind of story so no worries, of course she'll say yes ;) And yeah, I actually do have a plan for the proposal that nearly made me cry when I thought of it so hopefully it'll turn out half as good written out as it is in my head! Thank you all for reading and for your amazing comments! Stay awesome!