Her Loyalties

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Lexas POV

I turned away, letting Clarke and her mother have their moment. I watched as the doctor carefully took a look at Charlottes ankle. Charlotte winced as he gently pressed on her foot, and I instictively stepped forward to help.

Charlotte noticed my advance and flinched back, scared. I froze as she looked up at me with fearful eyes, not wanting to scare her.

"Clarke." She whimpered, and Clarke detached herself from her mother and came over. I watched in disbelief as Charlotte accepted Clarke and held her hand. Obviously, this child had trust issues, and Clarke had earned that trust by helping her ankle.

I smiled at the sight of Clarke, consoling a helpless child. Clarke looked up as if feeling my gaze, and Charlotte did too.

"Who is she?" Charlotte asked, so low I nearly didn't hear her.

"That's Lexa." Clarke whispered back. "You can trust her, she won't ever hurt her." Charlotte peered at me.

"Why is she even here?" She said.

"Because..." Clarke hesitated. "...she's my friend." Charlotte gave her a look that said she saw right through her.

"I think she's more than that."

Clarke looked back up to me and I shrugged. Charlotte rolled her eyes and then turned her attention back to the doctor as he started speaking.

"You'll be fine." He said. "We just need to get some sort of cast on it." Charlotte nodded happily and the doctor left to go get things to make a cast.

I felt someone lay a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Abby. She looked guilty.

"Can I talk to you?" She asked, and I nodded. Clarke watched anxiously as I followed her mother just out of the tent. 

"How can I help you?" I asked. Abby shook her head.

"I don't need your help." She said. "I want to apologise for treating you badly. I see now that you are good for Clarke, and you make her happy." I nodded.

"Thank you."

"Just, take care of her for me?"

"Of course." I reassured her. "I wouldn't do anything less." Abby nodded and then turned to go back into the medical tent.

I hesitated, unsure if I was allowed back in. There was nowhere else I could go, so I pulled back the 'front door' and entered the tent again. Charlotte had disappeared, and it was only Clarke in the main tent.

"Lexa, are you okay?" She asked. "What did my mum say?" I shook my head and smiled.

"Nothing bad. She wanted to say sorry, and asked me to take care of you." Clarke sighed and then pulled me into a hug.

"Thank you." She said, her head on my shoulder.

"What for?" I asked, and I felt Clarke shrug.

"I don't know." She laughed. "But I felt like I had to say it." I smiled, and then leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"I knew it!" Charlotte announced, hobbling into the room. Clarke and I jumped apart and Charlotte laughed. "Clarke, do you like my cast?"

Her cast was made out of, well actually I couldn't tell what it was made of. But Clarke smiled and reached out a hand to help Charlotte walk.

"Looks great." She said, and a smile lit up Charlottes face. She seemd to be deep in thought, and eventually she pulled Clarke away and whispered in her ear. Whatever she said seemed to surprise Clarke, but she agreed with Charlottes words.

Charlotte let her go and Clarke went straight over to her mother, who had just appeared from wherever she went too. I only caught a few words of what they said, not enough for me to know what was going on. After a minute, Abby nodded grudgingly and then left. Clarke then came over to me.

"I have news." She said, and I raised my eyebrows. Clarke sounded a lot more excited than usual. "Charlotte just asked if she could stay with us, since she has connections to no one else here. Mums gone to get us a compartment."

"So, all three of us will have like a house together?" I wasn't sure how I felt about this, it felt too much like a family, especially since we had only met Charlotte this morning.

"Yeah." Clarke said, and then her expression faltered at the expression on my face. "But we...uh...don't have too...if you..."

"Clarke." I rested a hand on the side of her face. "I'm fine with it." To be honest, I was lying. But I could tell Clarke wanted this, and I wanted to make her happy.

"Oh, great." Clarke smiled widely and at that moment Abby came back.

"Compartment 307." She told Clarke, who nodded happily. Clarke leading, Charlotte and I followed her out of the medical tent and back into the Ark. On the way, Charlotte stumbled and I reflexively shot out a hand to make sure she didn't fall.

Charlotte tentatively smiled at me, and rebalanced herself. Once we finally made it to compartment 307, I hesitated to let Charlotte in before me. Just then, I realised that I hadn't seen Anya or Delphi in a while.

"Clarke." I called. "I'm going to find my guards. I'll be back soon." Clarke nodded.

"See you soon, hodnes. (love)" She winked at me and it was all I could do not to laugh. I wave at Charlotte before I turned back the way I had come.

I was around halfway back to the main door of the Ark, when I suddenly felt hands grab me from behind. I twisted, and caught a glimpse of Finns face before my vision disappeared. I could feel that someone had shoved a bag or something over my head.

Twisting, I hit out blindly and heard a satisfying curse that meant I had hit my target. But more hands grabbed me, and I was helpless against the many opponents. I cursed the gaurds for making me hand over my weapons.

"Take her in here." Someone ordered, and I was let go. I stumbled and fell on my face into the hard ground. Something pulled my wrists and ankles, and I realised that I was being tied up. 

The bag was ripped roughly of my face and Finn was standing right infront of me. I struggled, but the knots aroun my wrists and ankles were too well done.

"Let me go." I snarled at Finn, who shook his head.

"You're going to stay here for a while." He said.