Our Journey (the Fourth Book in the Her Weakness series)

Chapter 35

Clarke's POV

The rock formation we have stopped at is a stone circle. It's not big, like that one we learned about in history called stone hinge or something. Stonehenge, that's it. We stay back, not wanting to disturb it in case the ground underneath the heavy stones will give way.

The stones themselves aren't really big, but the circle is... I don't know a good form of measurement for this. Maybe two or three Lexas laying down for the diameter. The stones are more tall than wide and stick up from the ground at a height slightly higher than me. Most of them, at least. Some along the right side are smaller, a few being about half the size of the others.

The stones are all roughly shaped, an odd mixture between looking both natural and slightly altered by mankind. They look like Old Earth headstones for graves almost, just not as perfectly chiseled and shaped. They're more rough around the edges.

There's one random rock that's more like a fat boulder, more rounded and less headstone-like. I wonder if it has some kind of significance, or if it's position does. Maybe the builders got lazy and decided it was good enough, or maybe it was the first one they laid and then decided that it weighed too much and brought differently shaped rocks.

On the outside of the rocks, there's bits of green poking out of the cracks in the rocks. Not quite grass or anything like that, but enough for it to be noticeable that in some areas inside of the circle, there isn't any green. Maybe people have been walking inside the circle or something.

Along one side of it, to the right of the boulder one if you're facing it from outside the circle, there are some stones that are buried in the ground. They look like they're part of a bigger rock. Man, no wonder historians are fascinated by these stone circles. I've only spent like ten minutes here an on incredibly curious.

"This is so cool. Why was it built?" Raven asks curiously.

"No one is sure." Lexa shrugs. "Perhaps for rituals, perhaps for a gathering place, maybe it was bored teenagers."

"Ha! I'm so proud, Lexa made a joke!" Octavia says, high fiving a faintly amused Lexa.

"Not a very good one." Raven points out.

"But a joke nonetheless." Octavia retorts, sticking out her tongue at Raven.

"Real mature, babe. There are better things that tongue could be doing." Raven says, waggling her eyebrows ridiculously.

Octavia bursts into laughter and Raven soon follows.

I exchange a half-bemused, half-bewildered look with Lexa, who shrugs. She doesn't really know what happened either.

I squeeze Lexa's hand and we study the stone circle more. I try to commit it to memory since I accidentally left my camera back with my horse. Eh, I'll know for next time. Oh well.

We head back soon after Octavia and Raven finally stop laughing, but they still joke and crack each other up on the way back. I shake my head fondly.

"We will just go a little further, then we will rest for the night." Lexa promises.

I nod in understanding and lean in to kiss her before we get back on our horses. If Lexa's surprised by my move, she doesn't show it. She hums happily against my lips and pulls me closer by my hips. I pull back only when I'm out of breath. I give her one last quick peck before Lexa softly smiles at me and heads over to her horse.

***

The next day, Lexa keeps promising we'll be staying at a nicer place. The rocky surface we slept on last night wasn't comfortable by any stretch of the imagination, so we're all a bit grumpy. Some of us just hide it better.

Lexa keeps refusing to tell us where we're stopping and even directs Ryder, who's at the front. She tells him where to go, so even he doesn't know. Now I'm really curious.

We make a few twists and turns, but I'm thinking the road is taking is closer to the city we'll eventually end up on than wherever we'll be staying. We don't turn off onto a cobblestone path until the sun has nearly completed it's path across the sky.

I look at the horizon curiously, wondering what's in store for us. We make some more turns as the cobblestone pathway breaks off towards what I assume is the direction of smaller towns. There's one last twist in the road and when we get over a hill, my breath catches in my throat.

A castle. We're going to be staying at a dreading castle?

"Yes, we are." Lexa confirms, and that's when I realize I spoke aloud.

Granted, the castle is run down. Only part of one wall of the main castle is still standing, while most of the outer walls are still there, just crumbling or in various states of disrepair. It's beautiful nonetheless.

There's even a moat, or something that used to be a moat. There isn't water in it anymore, which makes sense because I doubt this place has been used in centuries. Over the moat is a bridge, with what looks to be maybe the original framework underneath. The pathway, though, on the top is all new. There's a wooden fence along the edges so you or your horse don't accidentally fall off.

"Alright, this is a two horse at a time bridge. It is very old. More than that and it may collapse under you. Lincoln, you will have to go alone with your horse." Lexa says.

Lincoln nods. Ryder and Nix cross first, and get all the way into the castle, underneath the arch that's still standing somehow. Lincoln crosses next and it feels like we're all holding our breaths to see if he makes it with the wagon and thank the Gods, he does.

Octavia and Raven cross next and I can hear Raven's whoop all the way across the bridge when they get all the way over.

"Holy crap! This place is awesome!"

Lexa and I chuckle and head over with our horses, excited about seeing everything.

"Was it a good surprise?" Lexa asks.

"It was an amazing surprise. I love castles." I say.

Next chapter, more of the castle! Then, they go to the city! Now as creative as I can be sometimes, I did base the stone circle and the run down castle off of places that actually exist (that sadly I haven't been to). The stone circle is based off of the Drombeg stone circle in Ireland and the castle is based off of Corfe castle, which I just looked up and man, I was close by there on my trip :/ I love castles, so there'll probably be more of those coming up! If that's something you humans interested in, of course! :)

Also, I have finally gotten around to starting to post pictures of my trip to England on Instagram if you want to follow me there (the_sarcastic_nerd1). Which I have actually started using because my roommate for college follows me on there... I still don't even have a profile picture. And wow, that sounds like a shames self insert, but all that's on there is pictures I've taken of my dogs and places I've been and stuff. Just in case you're curious about it, I've kept this train wreck of a paragraph! Anyway! That was long! Thank you all for reading and for your lovely comments! Stay awesome!