Beneath the Betrayal

sen

A/N: Flashbacks are in italics.

They rode for miles. Absolutely miles and miles and Clarke ached everywhere. Her ass hurt, her thighs hurt, and the wind that hit her face as they cut through the forest she was certain would leave marks. Her hands were cold from where she gripped the reins so tightly as if they were all that kept her from falling off. Her lips she knew would be blue and even her eyes felt cold. They were sore at the very least and her head was beginning to hurt from the amount of squinting she was doing; a pitiful attempt at protection from the temperate forest.

As they left Ton DC she didn't want to point out how much of an inexperienced rider she was but she did assume Lexa would already know that, seeing as how there weren't any horses in space. Or at least Clarke hoped that Lexa would know that but by the occasional sideways glances she was getting from the Commander told her she was aware that Clarke was uncomfortable with their haste, but Lexa had made it clear they needed to get to Polis as soon as possible.

Polis.

So, she was going to Polis. Clarke didn't really know how to feel about it, if she was honest. She was in another situation again; a perilous one, one she wasn't ready for but somehow she had to be. She had to be ready for this because whatever this was would happen with or without her and as much as she wanted to leave it all behind and forget about it, she couldn't. Maybe Lexa was right. Maybe she was born for this. Perhaps it was her purpose.

Hours passed as Clarke pondered such things. Her brow tightly knit in a firm furrow as different possibilities and scenarios formed and then disappeared just as quickly in her mind, not least of all whether she could trust the woman riding next to her. The fearless Commander. She was kind of blindly following her into this after all, and by default so were her people. Which really she could only half-heartedly say at best. It was going to have to be a convincing argument in Polis for her to take back to Camp Jaha.

Clarke closed her eyes at the mere thought of it. Her mother would be stubborn. Bellamy, Raven.. all of them but really, so was she. Clarke hadn't survived this long, saved her people, got them back to Camp relatively safe and sound on luck alone. She was just as formidable as Lexa, just as resourceful and as much as she didn't want to think about it; she was just as ruthless. Just as deadly. Just as committed to do the unthinkable to keep her people alive.

Clarke adjusted herself a little in her saddle and pushed out a breath. Just as much as she wondered if she should trust Lexa, she knew Lexa would be wondering the exact same thing about her in return. As she should, after all. Just because they'd shared a heated moment didn't mean all was forgotten. Clarke swallowed, furrowed her brow an inch more and felt her heart step up a beat. No, she shouldn't trust her. Not at all.

Eventually they stopped and Clarke had to hide her relief. She slid off her horse and felt the strain in her knees as her feet met the ground. Her back hurt and her head was killing. She hadn't slept in over a day and the cold air was making her skin prickle. She could still taste the alcohol as well, which definitely wasn't helping.

She heard Lexa tell her warriors something in Trigedasleng so she decided to just lean against the side of her horse and suck in some deep breaths, her eyes falling closed for just a few moments.

"Here," she heard Lexa's voice say. "Drink some water."

Clarke opened her eyes and focused on the canteen in front of her. She reached for it without question and took it from Lexa's hand, taking several very long, very deep mouthfuls of the refreshing liquid.

"You are aching."

It almost made Clarke smile. The Commander did like pointing out the obvious, sometimes. She swallowed down another mouthful with a loud gulp and then wiped at the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, her attention then falling squarely on Lexa. She stretched her back and heard it pop in a few places and then she squinted, taking a quick look around. "Where is everyone?"