Under the Stars
18+ MINORS DNI
Pairing: Commander Lexa x fem!reader
Word count: 13.2K
Warnings: Porn with (a lot of) plot, [Plot warnings] torture, knife play, blood, killing, Lexa is soft with Y/N [porn warnings] biting, fingering, oral, tribbing
Summary: Clarke trades Y/N to the Commander in exchange for Finn in hopes that she can convince the Commander to welcome Skaikru into the Coalition. Y/N and the Commander have very different ideas on where love belongs in life, but the Commander soon finds out that you can't hide feelings. What lengths will the Commander go to in order to make sure that Y/N stays by her side?
A/N: Another one where I got sort of carried away by the plot hehe. Not everything follows the show plot 100%, but I think you'll forgive me for that. For this one, I also want to tag recourses: for the Trigedasleng, I used a translator I found on Reddit by u/abrupt_fox (https://lingojam.com/%28Un%29officialTrigedaslengTranslator). I apologize if I didn't tag or source properly, I've never done that on Tumblr before, so I'm not sure if I did it right.
Mentions: @jackiefromgreenland
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When I was a kid, I dreamed of seeing the ground. The view of Earth from space has never been beautiful, but I always knew in my heart that the opposite would be true. Looking at the stars from down there is probably the most beautiful thing that the Grounders could ever witness. And now, being under them, I know that I was right.
But riding through these trees right now, I hate Clarke. She and I have never particularly gotten along, but we were never on each other’s bad sides, either. Until now, that is. Even after I unknowingly did her a favor and flirted with Raven and got her attention off of Finn for a bit, she’s still throwing me a rotten bone.
I ride behind her in the line as a bunch of Grounders lead us and a few other people from Arkadia to Polis where Clarke has decided to make a deal; a few of our missing kids… for me.
The way she says it, I’m the best negotiator. She remembers me winning every time we did debate in school, and Calrke apparently thinks that I’m the best chance we have of getting all of the kids back. She trades me for Finn, of course, and then it’s my job to convince this Commander that we deserve to have the rest of the kids back.
And there’s a lot of pressure on me. Right now, Clarke is leading Arkadia after she was backed by all the 100 when our parents came down. But Pike is chomping at her heels, claiming that a kid can’t lead. Clarke thinks this is her last chance to prove she’s a good leader and get Pike off her back for good. How that leads to me staying in Polis to negotiate instead of her is beyond me.
It’s only a few hours from Arkadia to Polis on horseback, and we’re making quick time. Clarke glances back at me every once in a while, and each time I return her gaze with a glare. Until we’re almost there, then she pulls on her horse’s reins and slows until she’s riding next to me.
“Y/N, please,” she says quietly, trying to speak in private. “You have to understand why this is the best course of action.”
“You’re our leader, Clarke.” I whisper back. “You should be the one to negotiate with this Commander.”
“As leader of Arkadia, I’m needed there. But I have complete faith that you can get the rest of our friends out safely.”
“Yeah,” I scoff. “‘Our friends’. More like your friends. Remind me who is at stake again? Oh, yeah, that’s right. Bellamy, Octavia, Wells, Raven, and Finn. Your friends, not mine. None of those people have ever even spoken to me, let alone pretended to be my friend. Not to mention the kid you’re getting in exchange for me is your little boy toy.”
“Y/N,” Clarke hisses, but I wave her off and kick my horse in his sides to speed him up. In a few steps I overtake Clarke and finish the ride in the front with the Grounders.
I might not want to be here, but entering Polis is pretty impressive. There are tons of Grounders running around, kids and adults alike. There are even elderly Grounders every once in a while. I keep my eyes open and watching as we make our way through the city, and the Grounders here do the same. Clearly, they are not fans of ours.
The main thing that pulls my attention is the large building in the not-so-far off distance. It’s taller than any tree I’ve ever seen, and it takes my breath away. The Grounders lead us right to it, and one of them is nice enough to help me off my horse while a second one leads the horse away. I take a few steps towards the building and look up in awe.
“Not so bad, is it?” Clarke asks, coming to stand next to me.
“Don’t talk to me, Clarke.” I say, walking toward the doors without looking at her.
A Grounder guard opens the door for me as I approach, a few of the Grounder guides from the way here following me. One of them steps ahead of me and leads me pretty high up the building. He stops me outside a large door and we wait for the other people in our party. Clarke leads the charge up the stairs after a few minutes of waiting, her mother and Kane following her.
“Let’s get this done.” Clarke says, nodding to the Grounder that was first up the stairs. He nods and opens the door for us.
Inside the main room are a bunch of Grounders on either side of the room, watching us. In front of us is a large window with destroyed curtains overlooking the way we just came from. Right in front of the window is a large chair, or throne if you will, made of wood and metal weapons. But the person sitting in the throne is what makes me pause.
There’s a young woman sitting there, maybe only a few years older than me. She’s got long brown hair and piercing eyes, some sort of ornament ordaining her forehead. She’s got one leg crossed over the other, her hands on the arm rests, and her face is stern. Clarke walks ahead of me and approaches the woman.
“Commander.” She says, shocking me. This woman is the Commander? She’s so damn young, I thought she might be an apprentice or something. The Commander rises from her throne and takes a few steps forward.
“Clarke kom Skaikru. Have you brought your trade?”
“I have.” Clarke turns her body and holds her arm out to me. The Commander’s eyes move slowly from looking at Clarke to looking at me. Her face doesn’t change. She looks to her right and nods. A Grounder guard disappears through a door and returns a moment later with Finn. He looks around frantically, only calming down when he lays his eyes on Clarke. I watch as Clarke exhales, her mouth twitching up slightly. The Commander looks behind me and nods. Two guards then come and take me by my arms.
“Hey!” I shout struggling against their grip. “Let go of me!”
“Y/N, it’s okay, don’t struggle,” Clarke says, but I kick out in her direction.
“Don’t you fucking talk to me, Clarke, you’re why I’m here! You’re bullshit, your leadership is bullshit, your so-called friendship is bullshit!” I scream at her as the guards drag me backwards and out the door we entered. “Clarke, get me out of here! Clarke? Clarke!!” I scream at her as the door closes before my eyes. The guards drag me down one flight of stairs and through the doors of another room, throwing me to the ground once we’re inside. They take a few steps back to stand by the door, arms crossed. I look around the room, but the only way out is through a window behind me. Maybe I’ll be ready for a swan dive in the future, but I’m not that desperate yet.
I scramble up from the floor and look around frantically. This is a fairly nice bedroom, large with a bed, a desk, and the balcony looking outside. I look back to the guards and march up to them.
“Let me out.” I demand. “I shouldn’t be in here. I came here willingly, I’m going to stay here willingly, but I shouldn’t be trapped inside this room!” The guards don’t move. One of them glances down at me for a split second before looking ahead. I growl in frustration and walk over to the open balcony. I grip the railing and lean, looking down. I hear shuffling behind me and look to see the guards moving towards me. I hold my hand out to stop them. “It’s fine. I’m not going to jump, you idiots.” I slide down to the floor of the balcony and stick my legs through the bars of the railing, letting them hang in the open air. The sun visibly moves through the sky before I see tiny figures exiting the building far below me. I doubt anyone down there can see me, but I stick up my middle finger to them, just in case. The group gets on some horses and ride away. I let my head fall against the railing, defeated.
Some time later, after the sun dips below the horizon, the door opens. I hear the guards shuffling out of the way, some murmuring, and then the door closing. I take my time bringing my legs back through the bars to stand up. I lean over to brush off my pants before turning around. The room is empty except for the Commander. Her guards are nowhere in sight. She holds her hands behind her back, her head slightly tilted.
“I know why I was brought here.” I tell her, taking a few steps inside the room. “I came willingly. There’s no reason to lock me in here.”
“You have to understand the precautions we must take.” She responds. “You’re with the Sky People. We can’t trust you.”
“Then what are we doing here?” I throw my hands in the air. “If you can’t trust me, then there’s no way you’re going to release the other kids that Clarke wants.”
“Because unlike most of my leaders, I believe that good things can come from a relationship with Skaikru.” The Commander takes a few steps forward until she is past me and out on the balcony. I turn to watch her as she places her hands on the railing of the balcony. “All of this belongs to me. Not to rule, but to be responsible for. It’s my job to be the mother, the negotiator, the queen. And whether you like it or not, you and the other Skaikru are now on my land. Either you are under my protection, or we will root you out like a disease.”
“We just want to survive, Commander.” I say, walking over to stand next to her. “I realize that we might be seen as privileged to you Grounders, but there’s nothing that we can do about that. It was our ancestors, not us, that went into the sky. It should all be a level playing field now.”
“But it isn’t.” The Commander turns to look at me. “We have been down here for hundreds of years, fighting for our lives and trying to find a peaceful way to live together. We’ve achieved it, but barely. That peace is always close to cracking. Adding in Skaikru is… difficult to say the least.”
“Then why even try?” I ask. “Why not just send your armies to decimate us and go on with your fragile peace?”
“Because I think we would be better off if we combined resources, not destroyed them.” The Commander looks at me curiously, as if she’s trying to break down my psyche. Then she turns back into the room and heads toward the door. When I don’t follow her, she turns back to me. “Come on. There are some people you should talk to.”
I follow the Commander back up the stairs into her throne room, now empty. She leads me through the door that Finn had come out of earlier, and we descend down a few flights of stairs by a narrow staircase. It ends with a door that she opens easily. Through the door is just one large room, cut in half with iron bars. On the other side of the room, the other kids from Arkadia are sprawled out. Raven sees us first, bouncing from her sitting position at the back of the room to the bars.
“Y/N!” She says. The other three kids look up. When they realize I’m in the room, they approach the bars. I walk over slowly, cautiously.
“How’re you guys holding up?” I ask, almost caring.
“Where’s Finn?” Raven asks. It takes everything in me to not roll my eyes. When Raven came down from space and saw Finn and Clarke together, I believed she might forget about him. Oh, how stupid I had been.
“Gone.” I tell her. “He left with Clarke.” Raven’s face drops.
“What?” She murmurs.
“When are you going to give it up, Raven?” Octavia does me a favor by rolling her eyes herself. “He obviously is over you. He’s moving on to better and blonder things.”
“Shut up, Octavia.” Raven spits at her. “He loves me, I know he does.”
“Why are you here?” Bellamy jerks his chin at me. “Why’d she leave you?”
“Because Clarke thinks she’s the best negotiator.” Wells answers for me. “She always won our debates in school. Probably thinks Y/N has the best chance to get us out of here.”
“Bingo.” I say quietly, quickly pointing at him.
“We’re screwed, then.” Octavia scoffs. “This bitch hates us.”
“Actually, I just hate you.” I narrow my eyes at her. “I just strongly dislike everyone else.” I look around at the other three behind the bars. “With that being said, I’m still going to try my best to get you home. Okay? Trust me on that.”
“Yeah, trust you, okay.” Octavia shakes her head and backs away from the iron. “Like that’s ever going to happen.”
“What a bitch,” I mumble, turning towards the Commander. She’s standing by the door, her hands still behind her back, staring directly at me. I turn back to Raven, Bellamy, and Wells. “I swear to you guys, I’m going to do everything I can to get you out of here.”
“Do you think you’ll be able to?” Wells asks.
“I’m not sure,” I admit. “But that’s the benefit of being a prisoner on this side of the cell. I can do a lot more than you can to try.” I nod at them and back away, walking back toward the Commander. Before I can go through the door, she stops me.
“You have more time with them.” She says quietly. “All the time you need.”
“If you give me any more time,” I whisper quietly, “I’ll break those bars and strangle those kids.” I push past her and race up the stairs two at a time.
I don’t stop until I reach the room the guards had dragged me to. I pace the room, angry. A few moments later, the Commander comes in, quietly shutting the door behind her. Then she stands in front of it, her hands still clasped behind her back.
“Listen, Commander, I know that Clarke left me here to get those kids released by coming up with a solution to our border problem. And I’ll do it. Under one condition.”
“And that is?” The Commander raises her eyebrow.
“If somehow I’m able to help with this and you feel it’s best to release the kids, you won’t send me back.” The Commander looks shocked that I would say that. “I’ve never fit in there. I never had any friends on the Ark, and that didn’t change once we were down here. Those kids you’ve got, Clarke, they don’t care about me. Clarke gave me this job because I’m expendable, not because she trusts me.” I stop pacing and walk to the balcony. I can hear the sound of the Commander’s boots as she walks over to me. “When I heard that the 100 were being sent to the ground, I was a little excited. I thought maybe I could start over.” I lean over the railing and sigh, hanging my head. “I guess I never knew how stupid I could be.”
“If starting over is what you want, then prove it.” The Commander says. “Help me find a way to bring peace with Skaikru to my people. And I will grant you the freedom you want.” I lift my head to look at her.
“Really?” I ask.
“Yes. Help me help Skaikru, and I can get you out.” I hold the Commander’s gaze for a minute. Then I nod.
“I’ll do it.”
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The next morning, the Commander herself comes to get me from my room. She invites me to eat breakfast with her before we start planning. My stomach growls at the mention of food, as if it thinks I have a choice to say no. She leads me up to the throne room and to the right side of the room, opposite to where she’s holding the other Ark kids. Inside is a large table with a map on it, miniatures scattered around. She leads me over to a smaller table by a window.
“Please, have a seat.” She says, gesturing to the spot closest to the door. As soon as we sit, someone comes in from another door and sets two small plates in front of us, a cooked rabbit on each one. Another Grounder comes in and sets cups of water in front of us.
“Thank you,” I say, nodding to the Grounders. They look at me, unsure. The younger one, the one who brought the cups and must be around eight, decides to smile at me. I smile back at him. Then the older Grounder herds him away, back out of the door they came through. I turn my attention back to the Commander. “So how are we going to create peace?”
“Easy, easy,” she says, holding her hand out. “Eat first. Battle plan later.”
“Well, I hope it’s not an actual battle.” I chuckle, picking some meat off the carcass. “That’s what I’m hoping to avoid.”
“Yes, you are right.” The Commander says with a nod. “We are trying to avoid a battle.” She also takes a piece of meat and sticks it in her mouth, chewing methodically while looking at me. “Tell me why you were sent here.”
“Well, I guess Clarke thought I’d have the best chance of negotiating with you.” I shrug, sticking a piece of meat in my mouth.
“No, not here in Polis,” The Commander chuckles, pushing meat against her teeth through her smile. “I mean on the ground. You came down with the other kids. Clarke has told me that the kids who came down first committed crimes on the Ark.” The Commander holds my gaze, her smirk big. “What did you do to get sent down here?” I sigh and lean back in my chair. I reach out for my glass and take a sip before I answer.
“I stole drugs. That’s a huge no-no on the Ark. But…” I sigh again and make very forceful eye contact with my water. I lower my voice as a memory flashes in my mind. “She was dying, and Abby, Clarke’s mom, wouldn’t do anything to help her.”
“Who was dying?” The Commander pressed. “Your sister?”
“No,” I shake my head. “We weren’t allowed siblings on the Ark. That’s illegal, too. It’s why Octavia is here. She’s a second born.”
“Okay. Then who was she?”
“My first love.” I whisper. “Kyra. Her fever was so high that she wasn’t even hot anymore. Abby could have helped her if she’d only given Kyra the medicine.” I rub my forehead aggressively, the memory of Kyra’s face burned into my mind. “I almost made it to her. I was literally at the open door to Kyra’s room when the guards caught me. They took the medicine from me and gave it back to Abby.” I sniffle, rubbing my nose with my finger. “The last time I saw her, she was weakly crying for me as they dragged me away.” My hands now go to my eyes, wiping away tears that have started to fall before I can stop them. “She died three days later. I never saw her again.”
The Commander sits in silence, watching me as I try to compose myself. She doesn’t try to impose, she doesn’t try to rush me, she just waits for me to be ready. But the tears won’t stop falling. I can’t clear my face fast enough. The Commander gets up from her seat and comes over, kneeling in front of me. She brings up her hand and moves mine away from my face, replacing it with a piece of cloth to soak up the water running from my eyes. After a minute she gets up, but leaves me with the cloth, and sits back down in her seat.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, but the Commander shakes her head.
“Do not apologize for your tears. Only the weak apologize for their tears.”
“Yes, Commander.” I nod, keeping the cloth to my eyes. I take a few more minutes while she eats to make sure my face is dry, then I try to hand the cloth back to her. She holds up her hand, shaking her head.
“Keep it. If you feel tears again, you’ll always have one.”
“Thank you.” I say, placing the cloth on the table and picking off another piece of the rabbit. I flick my eyes upward to the Commander. “What about you?”
“What about me?” The Commander asks.
“Have you ever been in love?” I watch the Commander stiffen at my question. I quickly bring my eyes back down to my food and make myself smaller. “I apologize, Commander. Please forgive my question, I overstepped.”
“No.” The Commander says, a little too quickly. “It’s alright.” She clears her throat and takes a sip of water. “I have been. But it was a mistake. A weakness. One I will never repeat.”
“That’s sad,” I whisper without thinking. I quickly look up to see the Commander staring at me. My eyes grow wide. “I’m sorry, Commander, I just… I just meant that… I just think that…”
“Spit it out, Skaikru.” The Commander says, her voice quiet and monotone. “Speak what is on your mind.”
“I have a problem with that,” I chuckle nervously, picking at the rabbit. “Speaking my mind when I shouldn’t, and keeping quiet when I should be speaking up.” I take a large breath. “I think this is one of those times when I should keep quiet.”
“I would prefer it if you didn’t.” I bring my eyes back up to the Commanders. It seems as if she hasn’t stopped looking at me. “In here, with me, I’d like it if you always speak your mind. A difference of opinion is helpful when searching for a solution.” She gestures to me with a hand. “So please. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“It’s just…” I sigh, placing a piece of rabbit in my mouth and chewing a few times before swallowing. “Love isn’t a weakness. Love is a strength. Love is kind, love is compassionate. Love is the reason we live.” I gesture to the rabbit on my plate. “And a deep love is what sets us apart from animals like this rabbit.”
“How can you believe that, after what happened to you?” The Commander’s question isn’t harsh or accusatory. She tilts her head, asking the question genuinely.
“Because the time I spent with Kyra was the best in my life.” I tell her, holding her gaze. “Her warmth, her smile, her laugh. Kyra gave me this feeling in my stomach unlike any other.” I smile despite myself, thinking of the good memories I have of Kyra. “Love can save your life, Commander.”
“In my experience, it can get you killed.” The Commander’s stern look tells me I’m not changing her mind. “It sounds like that’s true in yours as well.”
“Loving Kyra didn’t get me killed,” I shake my head. “Or almost, as the circumstances stand. No, loving Kyra didn’t almost get me killed. Loving Kyra taught me how to live.” The Commander studies me for a moment. Then she gets up, clasps her hands behind her back, and moves to the larger table in the middle of the room. I pick up the cloth from the table that the Commander had given me and follow her.
I stop at the table and watch as the Commander slowly circles the table. She stares at the miniatures as she does. When she reaches where I am, I feel her presence behind me and the wind as she passes. She stops on my other side and nods to the table.
“What do you see here?” She asks. I lean over the table and take a closer look at the table.
“I see a map of the 12 clans, plus Arkadia. Since you don’t have thousands of these miniatures, I assume that the amount you do have here indicates populations. Which is why,” I point to the northernmost miniatures, “Azgeda has the most on the table.”
“Hmm.” The Commander nods, looking on. “Anything else?”
“Well, it’s clear that you can crush us without even trying. My question is why you haven’t.”
“We aren’t here to debate why I haven’t ordered the attack.” The Commander looks up at me. “We’re here to try and prevent that.”
“Commander, I don’t know much about you Grounders, but you had pretty much every Clan united with Trikru to create the Coalition, isn’t that right?”
“Except Azgeda.” She says.
“Right, except Azgeda.” I take another look at the map. “If the goal is to bring Skaikru into the coalition, you’re going to have the easiest time convincing everyone else before Azgeda. So, what if you went around to every Clan, hear them out about their concerns in inviting Skaikru into the coalition, and see if there is anything you can give in return for their support in accepting Skaikru into the coalition.”
“And if they don’t want anything?”
“Then you threaten to take something.” I look at the Commander. “I doubt you’ll have to do that with any Clan except Azgeda. But you should go to Azgeda last. They’ll be the hardest to convince, so having the other Clans supporting you will make it easier to bargain with them.”
The Commander studies me again, and I can see the gears turning in her head. Then she nods and heads toward the door we’d entered earlier.
“Good work, Y/N kom Skaikru. Go back to your room and get dressed in our clothes. You’re coming with me.”
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The Commander had left clothes for me in my room, long pants, a long sleeved shirt, knee high boots, and a cloak, all black. I change, tossing my Skaikru clothes in a pile at the foot of the bed. The Commander has left guards outside my room to escort me down when I’m finished, and they sandwich me as we head down the stairs.
The Commander waits outside, the reins of a horse in each of her hands. I walk over to the one on my left, black as night with a fleck of white on its forehead. It lowers its head and snorts, nuzzling my head. I let out a laugh and scratch the horse’s snout.
“Her name is Osleya. In our language it means Champion.”
“A fitting name.” I smile as the horse shoves her nose into my hand. The Commander hands me the reins. I take them, a little surprised. The Commander pulls at the reins of the other horse, a horse as pure as snow. “This is Gona. It means Warrior.”
“Sounds like a good name for you, buddy.” I smile, offering my hand to him as well. He sticks his neck out and flutters his lips on my hand. I look at the reins that the Commander has given me. “It seems I have the wrong horse, Commander. I believe the Heda should be riding the horse called Champion.”
“We pay attention to signs down here,” the Commander shakes her head. “Osleya chose you. It means good things.” The Commander gives me a little head tilt before mounting Gona. Before I can follow suit on Osleya, the doors of Polis slam open and a large, hulking Grounder storms out. He stalks over to me and aggressively rips Osleya’s reins from my hands, causing her to whinny, back up, and rear.
“Heda!” The Grounder calls to the Commander. “Dison Skaikru na nou ste allowed gon hos of yu gapa!” (This Skaikru can’t be allowed to ride your horse!)
“Silence, Colu.” The Commander waves her hand. “She was chosen. Leave us. We have a long journey ahead.” The Grounder looks at me angrily before handing me back the reins and stomping away. Osleya calms down immediately.
“What was that?” I ask as the horse closes the distance between us and nuzzles my head.
“Nothing to worry about.” The Commander nods. “Colu is just a little stick in the old traditions.”
“What tradition am I breaking?” I ask, patting Osleya’s neck as I put my foot in her stirrup and pull myself onto her saddle. The Commander turns Gona around and kicks him into a walk. I do the same, pulling Osleya up next to the Commander. She looks down at the horse I’m riding and smiles.
“Osleya has been my horse since I became Heda. She chose me, and my people took that as a sign.” The Commander smiles down toward the black mare. “The Champion and the Commander. A perfect fit.”
“So I did steal your horse.” I raise an eyebrow at her. The Commander slides her smile to my direction.
“Technically, sure. But she did choose you. And that takes precedence over her past riders.” I lean forward and look into Osleya’s eye. The horse turns her head to look back, and I almost believe that Osleya is telling me that she’s mine now. I sit back up and look at the road ahead.
The plan is to go down to Yujleda, the Broadleaf Clan, first. We secure their support fairly easily. The Commander seems to think it has something to do with how I played with their children, although their condition is that Skaikru get rid of all their old world weapons. Guns, grenades, all of that needs to be tossed. The Commander asks my opinion and I tell her that it’s a good idea. With that sorted, we move on through the Louwoda Kliron, the Ouskejon Kru, the Boudalan, the Trishanakru, the Delfikru, and the Podakru territories without much struggle. They all agreed to back the Commander after promises of more weapons and trade abilities. It takes us about four weeks to make it through all those territories, and I spend most of the time at the Commander’s side. We ride together, eat together, and spend a lot of time with each other. Now we’re on our way back through Trikru territory in order to get up to the Floukru and Sangedakru territories.
Most of the Grounder guards have split into groups to set up camp or go hunting. I take the time to completely brush out Osleya, feed her, and walk her to the stream a few yards south of camp for some water. Once she’s tied back up, I go and search for the Commander.
I find her about a mile east of camp with her bodyguard, Indra. They’re practicing with the Commander's swords, something she does every night. I try to walk up as quietly as I can and take a seat on a large, moss covered log to watch. I tuck one leg under me and pull the other leg up to my chest, hugging my knee.
After a few hours of watching them beat the crap out of each other they stop, coming together to speak to each other quietly. After a moment Indra looks over at me, then nods at the Commander. Indra sheaths her swords and starts walking back toward the camp. I watch her go, then turn my attention back to the Commander.
I’m immediately taken aback. Now that the Commander wasn’t constantly moving around Indra, I got a good look at her. Her armor is off and her shirt is tied up around her breasts. Her hair is tied back and her skin is slick with sweat. She bends down to pick up her armor and boots before walking over to me.
“Do you know how to fight?” She asks me. I shake my head.
“Not like you. I can maybe throw a punch here and there, but these swords?” I waggle a finger at her weapons. “Absolutely not.”
“Do you want to try?”
“With actual swords?” I laugh. “You can’t be serious. You’ll kill me.”
“No, I won’t.” She says matter-of-factly. “I could never hurt you.” The Commander offers her hand to me. I look at it for a moment, hesitating. Then I nod and take her hand, sliding off of the log. Once on the ground, the Commander hands me one of her swords, hilt first. I take it in my right hand and hold it up. The Commander comes to stand behind me and wraps her arms around me, taking my hands in hers. She places my hands where they’re supposed to be on the sword. “Hold the blade like this.” She gently nudges my feet with hers to place them in a better stance. “And hold your body like this.”
“Okay,” I whisper, nodding. I shift my weight so I’m a little lighter on my feet based on the stance the Commander put me in. “How’s that?”
“That’s good,” the Commander whispers into my ear. I can hear the smile in her voice. “You’re a natural, Y/N.”
“You know, I find it kind of unfair that Clarke told you my name, but I don’t know yours.” I continue to whisper, turning my head slightly.
“She didn’t.” The Commander responds. “That Skaikru girl in my cell said it pretty loudly.”
“So will you tell me yours?”
“Maybe if you do well in our lesson.” The Commander chuckles. “Now, you always want to hold your weapon like this when you aren’t attacking…”
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The Commander spends two hours training me in basic sword combat. By the end, I’m moving pretty well and have a good grasp on the basics. When she decides we’re done, the Commander grabs her water sack and takes a drink, then she offers it to me. I take it and take a long sip, some of the water dripping from the sides of my mouth. I lower the skin and hand it back to the Commander. She takes the skin from me and reaches up with her other hand to wipe the excess water from my chin. My eyes flick up to the Commander’s quickly. She holds my gaze for a moment before removing her hand from my chin and looking away.
“You should head back to camp.” She says.
“I can wait for you,”
“No, that’s okay.” The Commander shakes her head. “I’m going to stay for a little longer. Go back to camp. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Okay.” I nod and turn towards camp. As I hop onto the log, the Commander calls to me.
“Y/N!” I turn to look at her. The light of the rising moon hits her skin in just a way that it looks like she’s glowing, causing my breath to catch in my throat. “My name? It’s Lexa.”
“Lexa,” her name flows past my lips as if I were meant to say it. “It’s nice to meet you.” I nod to her, and she smiles. I wave, and Lexa doesn’t hesitate to wave back. I hop off the log on the other side and head back to camp.
The walk back is long and dark. But it’s peaceful. I let my hands run through the foliage, enjoying the feel of each individual plant. We didn’t have plants like this on the Ark, obviously, but we weren’t even allowed to touch the one tree we had. I’m so busy appreciating the trees that I don’t hear them.
Suddenly, I have a bag over my head and I’m being dragged backwards. A hand flies to my mouth over the bag, so my scream is muffled. After a few feet I’m hauled onto the back of a horse. The person initially hauling me starts to bind my hands, then they throw one of my legs over the horse and someone else grabs my hands and throws them around the head of the person in front of me on the horse.
Then the horse takes off. It runs fast through the woods, the person in front of me nudging it every few seconds. I don’t know how long we ride, but eventually he slows down and the horse starts walking.
“Who are you?” I ask through the bag. The person doesn’t answer. “Where are you taking me?” Again, they don’t answer. I raise my arms and try to choke the person in front of me. They pull on the horse’s reins, causing it to rear. I go backwards, and I can only assume that the person in front of me lets go of the reins, because I go tumbling to the ground, the other person on top of me. They scramble to get out from between my binds and get on top of me, a hand at my throat. I gasp for breath, but their squeezing hand combined with the bag over my head makes it difficult.
“Shut the fuck up and be good.” A man growls into my ear. “Stop fighting. You’re slated to die, but not today, and not by my hand. So shut up and come nicely.” I don’t say anything. I can’t. After a few more moments he releases my throat. “Get up.” He pulls me up by my binds and whistles. I hear the soft noises of hooves trotting over to us. The Grounder picks me up and puts me on the back of the horse. I feel him climbing up, maneuvering his head so that my arms are around his body again.
Time passes me by, but I don’t have the ability to tell how long it is that we’re on the horse. It’s at least a few days. The Grounder stops twice to sleep, but the bag is never removed from my head. Eventually, I start to hear voices. They grow louder and louder until they’re all around me. Then the horse stops, and the Grounder riding in front of me hops from the horse, dragging me down with him. I fall to the ground, dirt scraping against my palms. The Grounder grabs a fistful of bag and my hair and drags me a ways before throwing me down in the first again. Before I can sit up, the bag is ripped off my head and I’m jerked up by my hair to look ahead of me.
It’s barely morning, the sun not yet rising above the trees. In front of me is a blonde woman with a tattoo on the side of her face. She’s sitting on a throne, Her back straight and her face plain. I reach up, my hands still bound, and try to claw at the person gripping my hair. There are soft laughs all around as I twist desperately in the Grounder’s grasp.
“Y/N kom… Arkadia.” The woman says, chewing her words as if they’re a tough piece of meat. “You are a hard one to get a hold of.”
“Who are you?” I ask. The woman smirks.
“So Lexa didn’t tell you anything about me. Probably for the best. You might be more malleable than I expected.”
“Who are you?” I ask again, a little more forceful this time.
“I am Nia, Queen of Azgeda. And tell me, who are you, Y/N of the Sky People? Why has our dear Commander taken you under her wing, hm?” The Queen of Azgeda gets up from her throne and walks over to me. She takes my chin in her hand and makes me look at her. “Why does Lexa want to keep you close?”
“Don’t tell me you actually think I know anything about what the Commander wants.” I tell her. “She’s the Commander. I’m just a lowly Skaikru, someone my own people aren’t even concerned about.” I barely finish my sentence before the Queen brings her hand down on my face. The force of the smack knocks me down to the ground, the Grounder holding my hair ripping out strands from my skull. I look up at the Queen, fire in my eyes. The Queen looks down at me, then lets out a short laugh.
“Trying to melt the Ice Nation, are you, triklama (squirrel)?”
“If I have to.” I say through gritted teeth.
“I’d like to see you try.” Nia smirks. She looks up to the Grounder that had been holding me by my hair. “Roan. Tie her up out here. I’ll come for her later.”
“Yes, my Queen.” The Grounder behind me, Roan, says. He grabs me by the back of my shirt and yanks me to my feet, leading me toward the stage where the Queen’s throne is. Off to the side is a wooden post with a metal circlet near the top. Roan throws me to the ground next to the post before he ties a rope to my bindings, connecting them to the metal circlet on the top of the post. There’s almost nowhere for me to go, so I slump against the post.
The Queen has me on the post for two whole days in the hot sun with no protection, no food, and no water. By the late afternoon, I’m sunburned and dehydrated. The only reason I’m still sitting upright is because the rope is forcing me to. I can barely look up when I hear footsteps approaching me.
“Bring the post!” The Queen calls. I hear movement in front of me, including the loud, obnoxious sounds of something hitting something else fairly hard. After a few minutes, the Queen calls out again. “Bring the girl!” A pair of footsteps stomp loudly towards me and I hear the sound of metal hitting wood, and a few moments later I fall to the ground, not having enough strength in my body to hold myself up.
“Don’t show weakness.” I recognize Roan’s voice whispering to me. “Hold your head up and this will be easier for you.” He grabs onto my bindings and hauls me to my feet. He has to practically drag me to the pole where he ties me up again, but this time the rope is short enough that I’m standing at the pole. I hang my head, tired and hungry, too weak to look up. I hear footsteps approaching and then see some boots on the ground in front of me. A hand grabs my chin and forces me to look up into the face of the Azgeda Queen.
“Tell me why Lexa is dragging you around with her.” She says. “What do you know?”
“I don’t know anything…” I say weakly. “I’m just Skaikru, remember?” The Queen brings her hand down on my face again, the sting souring through my nerves. The next time my chin rises, the Queen is holding it steady with a knife, sharpened to the nines. Once my head is raised she drags the knife out from under my skin and then drags it across my cheek, drawing blood.
“You’re lying to me.” The Queen whispers in a sing-songy tone. She places the knife on the front part of my left shoulder and pushes, cutting through my shirt and skin. Then she drags it diagonally across my chest, cutting over my sternum and right breast. Once the knife is right over my right nipple she picks it up again and raises it between us, my blood glistening on the blade. Her tone switches back to an evil, devilish one as her face grows stone cold. “Why are you visiting the Clans with our Commander?”
“I’m a prisoner.” I say. “The Commander is probably keeping me around as leverage for my people to stay away from Polis while she’s away.”
“Ahh,” the Queen raises her eyebrows and nods, straightening up and taking a few steps back. “Yeah, our Commander is very smart that way. Keeping you with her as a prisoner does make a lot of sense.” The Queen taps the bloody knife against her chin in thought. “Except…” she looks back at me and points the knife at me. “You said a few days ago that your own people aren’t very concerned with you. So you’re not a very high profile prisoner, are you? Certainly not as high profile as, say, Clarke Griffen?”
“Certainly not.” I say. “Clarke leads the Skaikru. No one is as high profile as her.”
“It seems like everyone might be more high profile than you, Y/N of the Sky People.” The Queen observes. “But I highly doubt that our Commander would bring you on such an important mission as this.” She looks down the sight of the knife at me. “Convincing the Clans to agree to let Skaikru join the coalition. Now that’s going to be a feat.”
“I don’t know anything about that.” I try to shake my head, but I can’t. The Queen scoffs, and before I can blink, her knife is in my side. I scream and look down, the knife hilt-deep in my side. The Queen walks over, puts one hand on the back of my neck, and grasps the hilt with the other, shoving the knife even deeper into my stomach. She leans in so her lips are right next to my ear.
“Do you know anything now?” She whispers. Before I can answer, an arrow hits the ground to my right, threading the needle through the small gap between my body and the body of the Azgeda queen. Slowly, the Azgeda queen pulls away from me, taking the knife with her. I let out a scream as the knife slices my flesh a second time, relief flooding through me as soon as the blade is free. The Queen turns toward the origin of the arrow, holding the knife in front of her. I look up to see Lexa standing on a rock at the edge of the center circle, Indra next to her holding a bow. Indra lowers the bow as Lexa raises her sword.
“Let her go, Nia.” Lexa commands, her voice steady but scared. The smile on the Queen’s face grows to spread over her entire face.
“Commander!” The Queen calls. “Good of you to join us this time! You’ll be able to see first hand what I do to the people you admire.”
“This isn’t going to be like last time, Nia. You will release Y/N kom Skaikru, or you will die. And I will kill anyone that stands in my way until your people remember that I am their Commander, not you.”
“Have you forgotten your lesson already, Lexa?” The Queen starts to walk closer to me, keeping the knife trained on Lexa. “I might have to repeat it.” The Azgeda queen stands behind me, the pole between us, and she grabs my hair to pull my head up. Then she holds the knife to my throat, pressing the tip of the blade into my skin. I feel my blood trickling down my neck. Above us, Lexa visibly stiffens. She jumps from the rock into the circle with us. I hear the clink of metal and Roan steps into my view, his sword up. The Queen holds out a hand to stop him.
“Fight me, Nia.” Lexa’s voice is dripping with fire, rage, and fear. “Or I will cut you down without a sword in your hand like the coward you are.”
“But I need a little more time with Y/N.” The Queen twists the tip of the knife a little deeper into my skin. “My son will fight for me.” At those words, Roan leaps forward and his sword clashes with Lexa’s with a reverberating clang. The Queen quickly comes to stand in front of me, blocking my view of Roan and Lexa. “How have you captured our Commander’s heart so, triklama?” The Queen takes the knife and cuts open my shirt from the neck down. Then she slides the knife over my stomach using the flat edge.
“Might as well kill me,” I tell her, the metallic taste of blood finding its way into my mouth. “Because Lexa is going to kill your son, and then she’s going to kill you.”
“But see, that’s the question, isn’t it?” The smile on the Queen’s face is unnatural. She brings the knife up to the top of my sternum, presses the tip down, and slides the knife down my body. “Why would she kill the Queen of the Asgeda Nation and her heir… for you?”
“I don’t know!” I say through gritted teeth, pain rocketing through my ribcage. “Do you really think the Commander would tell me anything of value?”
“Nia!” Lexa calls out. The Queen rolls her eyes and turns around slowly. I catch a glimpse of Lexa as she turns, her sword in her hand, covered in blood, and a murderous look in her eye. I glance down and see Roan dead at her feet.
“No!” The Queen yells loudly. One of the Asgeda warriors runs out and hands her a sword of her own. The Queen immediately rushes Lexa, swinging her sword. The Queen is no match for the Commander, though, as her emotions are high and she isn’t thinking logically. Lexa dodges the Queen’s swing and brings her sword straight through the Queen’s stomach. The older woman stops mid run, dropping to the sword and falling to the ground. Lexa stands over the dead Queen’s body and raises her sword and voice.
“Azgeda!” She yells. “Your Queen is dead! Your heir is dead! I am your Commander! You will bow to me! Stand behind me, or be exiled from our lands!” Immediately a swarm of Ice Nation warriors move to stand behind Lexa. She watches them with a stern look before nodding her approval. “Dismissed!” As soon as she dismisses the warriors, Lexa rushes to me, cutting me down from the pole and catching me as I fall. “Y/N!” She says, her tone breathy and worried. She runs a hand over my torso, tears in her eyes. “Stay with me, Y/N, please.”
“Lexa,” I murmur, trying to keep from blacking out.
“No, don’t talk. You’re going to be okay, I promise you that.” The last thing I see is Lexa, a tear falling from her face, silently begging me to stay with her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I wake up looking at a ton of canvas with a searing pain in my side. I take a quick, deep, inhale of breath as I sit up, my hand going to my side. There’s a blanket of pelts covering me, and I’m alone in a large tent. I throw the pelts off of me and swing my legs over the side of the cot, trying to stand. As I try to straighten my legs I crumple, and fall back on the bed.
“Y/N!” I turn my head and see Lexa coming through the entrance to the tent. She’s dressed in plain clothes and without her armor for once. She throws down her bow and a rabbit and rushes to my bedside. “You shouldn’t be up yet.”
“I’m fine, Lexa,” I say, but I can barely get the words out without needing to pause and take a breath.
“You don’t look fine,” Lexa whispers, gently maneuvering me to lay back on the bed. I don’t fight her too much as she pulls the covers over me.
“You’re right, I’m not.” I say, pulling the furs to my chin. “What happened? How long have I been laying here? What’s going on with Azgeda?”
“I think you should rest, Y/N,” she says quietly, but I shake my head.
“Please, Lexa, just tell me what happened.” She looks in my eyes, searching. Then she sighs and sits on the bed next to me, her hand resting on my leg.
“After I got you down from that post, you blacked out. I brought you here, to the village I grew up in, as it was the closest, and sent my fastest rider to get Abby. She came and got you taken care of. But you’ve been out of it for a few weeks.”
“I’ll be okay, though?” I ask.
“You’ll be perfect.” Lexa smiles. “As for Azgeda, about half of their warriors are moving to other Clans. The other half is electing a new leader within the next few weeks. I need to be there to oversee that. They’d also like you to come if you’re feeling up for it. They want to honor you as an apology for what Nia did.”
“I’ll be up for it.” I nod. “If you want me to go with you, I will go with you.”
“I would really enjoy your company, Y/N.”
“Then it’s settled. I’ll get you up and about, starting tomorrow,” she adds, seeing me move to take the furs off. “Rest today, and tomorrow I’ll get you out of the bed and moving around.” I nod and settle back into the bed. There’s silence between the two of us for a few minutes. I tilt my head to look at Lexa’s face.
“Hey, is something else on your mind?” I ask. Lexa looks over at me, studying me. Then she sighs.
“Y/N, when I came to Azgeda to get you, I was seething.” She speaks quietly, but with great conviction. “I’ve only been angry like that at one other time in my life.” Lexa looks down at her hand on my leg, then quickly takes it away. “When I first became Commander, Nia kidnapped my first love. Her name was Costia, and she was tortured because the Ice Queen thought she would know my secrets. She ended up dying because I couldn’t get to her quickly enough.”
“Lexa, I’m sorry,” I whisper, reaching out for her. She hesitates, but she takes my hand. I squeeze it to comfort her. “That must have been so painful.”
“Yeah,” she sighs, absent-mindedly running her thumb along my hand. “I loved her more than anything, and Nia took her from me in just a matter of moments. And I didn’t realize that I would feel the same way about you being gone until you were. Gone, that is.” I stay quiet as I let my mind digest her words. Lexa looks down at me and then immediately tries to get up. I squeeze tighter on her hand and pull, bringing her back to the bed.
“Lexa, look at me,” I say quietly. She hesitates, but she looks from my hand, up my arm, and finally stops at my face. I lower my voice even more. “Love isn’t a weakness, Lexa. It’s a strength. It gives you something to fight for.”
“Y/N,” Lexa shakes her head, but I squeeze her hand again.
“You created the Coalition to protect your people. All of your people. You did that because you love them. Loving one person is just a different kind of strength.” Lexa holds my gaze, and I can see her thinking.
“I’m scared to love you,” she mumbles almost incoherently. I take a moment to pull myself into a sitting position to get closer to her. I reach out with my free hand and cup her cheek, swiping my finger across her cheek.
“I know you are,” I whisper back. “But you don’t have to be afraid with me. I’m not going anywhere, Lexa. You killed Nia, and now you have all the time in the world to train me to protect myself so that I’m not completely useless when you’re not there.” Lexa nods slowly.
“And Indra.” She whispers. “She’ll find you some amazing bodyguards.” I laugh, and that makes Lexa smile.
“Alright, get out of here.” I say, letting my hand run down her neck and chest. “Let me rest. Then tomorrow, we can start my training.”
“With just some walking.” Lexa says, lifting my hand to her lips and placing a kiss on my fingers before standing from the bed. “I’ll give you a tour of my home village.”
“Sounds lovely.” I grab the furs and pull them over me as I lay down again. “I look forward to it.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Over the next several weeks, Lexa and I spend every moment together. In the beginning she walks me around her village, telling me stories of her time here before she was claimed as a Natblida. Then, after I can stand and walk on my own, she starts to very slowly teach me the basics of combat. I like using daggers and the staff most, which Lexa likes. We practice the moves she teaches me side by side, laughing the whole time.
At night Lexa sleeps in my bed with me, but she’s barely touched me. I mean, she wraps her arms around me and we snuggle, but we haven’t slept together. I think about it sometimes when we’re training or when I’m laying awake in bed. It’s slow, and I know Lexa needs her own pace, but I worry a little that she’s just not that into me.
Two months after I wake up, I’m riding with Lexa and a small command up to Troit, the Ice Nation’s capitol, to oversee their election of their new King or Queen. I ride next to Lexa, quietly listening to her talk about how the Clans came to be after the bombs fell. It’s almost a week of riding in the day, training into the night, and cold nights. When we reach Troit, the Ice Nation attempts to split us up and give Lexa her own tent, but they backtrack pretty quickly when Lexa threatens to chop their balls off. She takes my hand and leads me to the gigantic tent.
“I’ve got a surprise for you,” she says once we’re inside the tent, turning to face me. “So don’t get comfortable in here. I’ve got to pick up a few things, and then we’re heading out.” She tugs on my hand and pulls me close. “I know there’s been some distance. I think I know what it’s about, and this ride will fix that.” Lexa reaches up and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Can you trust me?”
“Of course, Lexa.” I nod, offering her a smile. I can’t be mad at her. “Do we need the horses? I can brush them off while you’re… doing whatever it is that you need to do.”
“That would be great.” Lexa smiles back and leans in, placing a soft, gentle kiss on my cheek. I smile and squeeze her hand before heading out of the tent.
I take my time brushing off Osleya and Gona, going to the well to get some water to cool them off. Once they’re clean, fed, and watered, I’ve got some extra time waiting for Lexa, so I start to braid Osleya’s mane. I’ve finished her mane and tail and am finishing up braiding Gona’s tail when Lexa comes back.
“How cute,” she says, gently placing her bundle of things on the ground.
“I had some extra time,” I shrug. “It might not be very manly for a stallion, but I think it makes him look good.”
“He does look good.” Lexa says, coming to stand next to me. I tie off his tail and turn to her.
“Are you ready to go?”
“What about his mane?” She asks, looking over at it. “We can’t leave him unfinished.” Lexa grabs my hand and brings me to Gona’s head. She leaves me near his withers while she starts at his ears. I start braiding, occasionally glancing over at Lexa with a smile. Once Gona is fully braided, I go to mount up. Lexa bends down and holds out her hands, waiting for me to use her as a boost. I look down at her and have to catch my breath. Lexa is looking up at me as if I’m the only thing she sees. I bite my lip as I lift my leg and Lexa grabs it, hoisting me onto Osleya’s back.
Lexa takes a few minutes to put the things that she brought with her onto Gona’s rear before getting on his back. Then we head out of Troit and into the forest.
Lexa leads us far into the forest, and it’s late afternoon by the time she stops the horses. She’s found a truly beautiful spot on a cliff overlooking a large crater. She dismounts and comes over to Osleya, holding out a hand for me. I take it and hop off my horse, tripping a little. Lexa doesn’t hesitate in catching me.
“Be careful,” she says. “You’re too beautiful to be injured.”
“Lexa,” I let out a little laugh, looking into her eyes for a moment before diverting my gaze. “That’s sweet.”
“Thank you.” Lexa leans in and kisses my cheek. “Give me a minute to set this up, okay? Don’t look.” I nod and turn to pet Oselya’s neck. She walks around, and I can hear her setting things up. After a few minutes, I feel Lexa’s arms around my waist and her head on my shoulder. “Okay, come on.” She tugs gently on my waist, and I allow her to lead me to the cliff. She’s laid out a nicely woven blanket and a few wooden plates with food. There are also two things wrapped in more woven blankets. The entire scene is wrapped in a sky that continues to grow darker and stars shining brighter.
“Lexa, this is really cute.” I say, looking back at her. “This is a lot, you didn’t have to do all this.”
“Yes, I did.” She insists, walking out from behind me and taking a seat. She points to the spot across from her. “That’s yours, Y/N.” She teases me. I smirk and take the spot, popping a piece of apple into my mouth.
“So what’s all this, Lex?” I ask, raising my eyebrows at the wrapped things. Lexa reaches over and grabs the smaller block, handing it to me.
“Open it.” She says. I take the blanket and throw it open. Inside are two daggers, the hilts made from bone and etched with words in Trigedasleng, gold inlay in where the hilt meets the blade.
“Lexa,” I gasp, taking one of the blades in my hands. “These are gorgeous.”
“I’m getting you some sheaths made, they just weren’t ready.” Lexa says sheepishly. I reach out and take her hand.
“They’re perfect, Lex.” I assure her. “They don’t need the sheaths to make them perfect.”
“I mean, they do.” Lexa laughs. “They aren’t very useful if you don’t have anywhere to hold them.” She flicks her eyes up to me. “I like it when you call me Lex.” She whispers.
“I’m glad you like it.” I whisper back. Lexa smiles, and I see her eyes flick down to my lips for a split second before they pop back up. When she notices me looking, she looks at the second wrapped thing. She reaches over and grabs it, handing it to me.
“This one next.”
“Alright.” I take the blanket off to reveal a wooden staff, etched with even more words in Trigedasleng. The middle is thinner than the ends for where my hand needs to sit, and that part in general is longer than it usually is, with black fabric tied around the ends, leaving just enough room for my hand. “Lexa…”
“I made the staff myself, etching the words into it took forever, and the fabric I cut from my favorite shirt, but… Do you like it?” I look up to see a worried look on Lexa’s face. I set the staff down and push the plates out of the way so I can scoot closer to her. I take her face gently in my hands.
“Lexa, I love it.” I say. “They’re the best gifts I’ve ever received.” Her eyes flick down again, and they stay longer this time. When she looks at me again, she doesn’t look away. We stare at each other for a few seconds before she leans in and kisses me. She’s soft and unsure at first, but when my grip tightens slightly on her face, she gets more aggressive. She presses her lips more forcefully against mine and inches closer, putting her hand on my waist. I slide my hand down her face and arm, grabbing onto her wrist and pulling her on top of me as I lay down on the ground. Lexa throws a leg over me and uses her hands to pin mine above my head.
“This is okay with you?” She asks quietly. I’m almost speechless as she looks down at me, her long brown hair falling from her face.
“Absolutely,” I say breathlessly. “More than okay.” Lexa smiles and leans down, her lips connecting to the skin on my neck. I lean my head back, exposing the skin on my neck even more to her. Lexa seems to enjoy this, maneuvering her hands so my hands are trapped with just one of hers, moving her now free hand to grab my neck and move my head even more.
Lexa attaches her lips so hard to my neck I thought for a moment she was going to suck out my carotid. But it feels so good, and I let out a loud moan. Lexa lets go of my neck and slides her hand down my body, grabbing desperately at my breast. I moan again and arch my back, pushing my breast into her hand.
“Lex,” I moan, twisting my body to try and get my hands free from her grasp. “Please… oh, that feels so good…” Lexa pulls down my shirt from the neck and cups my bare breast in her hand, massaging the tissue, her palm rubbing on my nipple. I raise my leg and brush my knee up against Lexa’s inner thigh, causing her to bite down on my skin. I let out a loud gasp and jerk slightly. Lexa lets go of my neck and hands and uses the ground to push away from me.
“I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” She asks quietly, concerned. I reach up and take her face in my hands again, directing her to look at me.
“You could never hurt me, Lex.” I tell her. “Never, ever. That was all pleasure, I promise.” I pull her face back down to mine and kiss her. She doesn’t take any more convincing and kisses me back. Lexa rests herself on her legs and pulls her shirt over her head, tossing it to the side. My heart races as her breasts press against my body, and all I wish for is for my shirt to be gone, too.
My wish comes true quickly, as Lexa pulls me up by the neckline of my shirt to rip it off me. She tosses my shirt next to hers and presses me back to the ground, her chest pressed against mine. My hardened nipples brush against her ribcage as she lowers her body onto mine. Her hand finds its way back to my breast and I moan into our kiss.
“Y/N, I need to take off your pants,” Lexa says through labored breathing. She doesn’t even wait for me to respond before her hands unbutton and unzip my pants. Her hand dips inside of them and runs over my slit, greedy and wanting. I buck my hips, begging her for more. She struggles a little against the denim, so I lift my hips and strip them off my legs, afterwards returning my hands to her hips. Lexa doesn’t waste any time inserting a finger inside of me, sliding down to her last knuckle. She doesn’t come across any resistance, as I’m wetter than I’ve ever been.
“More,” I beg her, sliding my hands up her back and coming up on her shoulders. “I need more of you.”
“Granted.” She says as she inserts a second finger inside of me, curling inside of me to hit a spot that no one has reached before.
“Lex!” I cry, digging my nails into her shoulders. Lexa jams her fingers even deeper inside me then I knew they could go, feverishly pumping in and out of me. I break our kiss and drag her further on top of me, pressing my forehead into the crook of her shoulder. Lexa takes the opportunity to find the spot where my neck connects to my jaw and sucks at it, flicking her tongue over the spot.
Lexa stops pumping her fingers inside of me, using her thumb to rub my clit. She somehow knows just the right amount of pressure to get me to the edge without throwing me over. I cling even more tightly to Lexa and nuzzle into her neck, my mouth open but unable to make any noise. Lexa releases my neck and kisses towards my ear, nibbling on my earlobes before whispering sweet things into my ear.
“You’re so wet, Y/N,” she whispers, her thumb caressing my nerves. “And the way you say my name takes me to the stars!”
“Lex,” I bend my head up to say her name directly toward her ear. “Lex, your fingers fit perfectly inside me, I love how you fuck me!” Lexa grabs my earlobe with her teeth and growls, curling her fingers inside of me. I gasp and bring my hips up. Lexa increases the rate at which she circles my clit and I feel myself building. The volume of my moans start to increase and I thread my fingers through Lexa’s hair. “Lex,” my voice is breathy and eager, and I try my best to continue saying her name through my pants of pleasure. My chest rises without falling, gasps getting caught in my throat.
Lexa lets out a loud exhale as I release on her fingers, some of my release sliding past her digits and dripping onto the blanket beneath us. I quake underneath her, grinding my hips into her fingers to ride out my high. I slide my hands down her back and place them on the ground for support and gently push myself up. Lexa tries to take her fingers out of me to help me up, but I reach a hand out to stop her, sitting the rest of the way up with her fingers still inside me.
“I need you inside me, Lex,” I whisper, straddling her and leaning down to whisper into her ear, wrapping my arms around her neck. I place kisses along her jaw to her lips, then place a kiss on her lips. Lexa’s free hand grips my hip and pulls me closer, my hips grinding on her fingers. I pull back a little to look at her, and I see the entire galaxy sparkling in her eyes. She looks up at me, and I see longing, desperation, and… love. I smile. I reach down and unbutton her pants. Lexa’s eyes flicker down for just a moment, but when they come back up to meet mine, I see excitement, too.
I take that look as an invitation and raise myself off of her fingers, my slick sticking to her. Lexa excitedly kicks her pants off and pulls me on top of her, grabbing my face with both hands to kiss me and bringing her legs up on either side of my body. I lower myself onto her and move my hands down her body, spreading her legs apart. Then I drag my body down hers, trailing kisses down Lexa’s body as her breathing starts to get heavier. I hold Lexa’s legs open as I dip my head.
As soon as my tongue slides between her folds, the moans come out of Lexa’s mouth. She slides her hands onto my head and grips my hair between her fingers. She pushes my head down as she pushes her hips into my lips. I dig my nails into the insides of her thighs and drag the flat edge of my tongue over Lexa’s clit. When Lexa starts to grind her pussy on me I take a hand and insert two fingers inside her.
“Y/N…!” Lexa gasps, head rolling back. “Don’t stop!” She spreads her legs farther apart, providing a wider area for me. In response, I add a third finger inside her to really stretch her out. Lexa gasps again as I start to pump my fingers fast. My tongue swirls around her clit as I can feel it swell on my tongue. I moan into her pussy as I feel her arousal coat my lips and chin, curling my fingers inside of Lexa to feel her nerves from the inside.
Without warning, Lexa screams, tightening her grip on my hair and releasing herself all over my face. I take my fingers out of her and open my mouth, covering her entire pussy with my lips and sliding my tongue up and down her folds.
Lexa is quick to pull me back on top of her, sitting up and dragging me into position with her strong arms. She places me on her thigh and digs her own thigh into my pussy before placing her lips on mine.
Lexa takes command moving our bodies on each other, my pussy dragging along her thigh. The feeling of my slick on her thigh is bursting my brain as Lexa pushes her tongue past my lips to dance with mine. I taste her aggressively, entangling my fingers in her hair. I grind my hips into her thigh in a desperate attempt to be as close to her as I possibly can get.
“Y/N,” Lexa gasps into our kiss and squirts all over my thigh. Her release on my skin makes me hot and I start to grind harder and faster. I break apart from Lexa and gasp as I release on her thigh, Lexa coming in and kissing my bottom lip as I shake on her leg.
As my orgasm comes to an end, my heart rate starts to come down, and my breathing slows, I hold Lexa’s face. Her hands fall on my waist and she smiles at me, a smile that reaches her eyes. “You’re beautiful, Y/N,” she whispers, her fingers tracing small, short lines across my back.
“This isn’t the last time we do this,” I whisper back to her. “It can’t be. You might not be ready to love anyone, but I am. And I want you, Lexa.”
“I am ready.” She insists. “I realized it when you were taken by Azgeda. And I promised myself that if I was able to get you back, I was never going to let you go again.” A smile spreads across my face and I lean down and kiss her again, soft, gentle, and mindful. Lexa and I gently fall back to the ground and stay in each other’s arms for hours.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Three Months Later
Lexa’s P.O.V.
I stand in front of Clarke, Finn, and Abby in my throne room, staring at them with my warpaint over my eyes. After a few seconds, Irgi steps through the door to my right, followed by the four Skaikru people I had been holding hostage. Irgi leads them to Clarke and undoes their restraints.
“You’ve been accepted by the Clans as the thirteenth Clan.” I say, looking directly at Clarke. “You will be expected to live by the same rules as the rest of the Clans, including forfeiting all guns in favor of swords, staffs, and bow and arrows. Irgi and Indra will be traveling back to Arkadia with you, as well as a group of our warriors, to make sure these weapons are not hidden and are indeed disposed of.”
“That isn’t fair,” Clarke shakes her head, taking a step forward. “None of us know-”
“The Clans aren’t familiar with your weapons, and you are becoming one with us, not the other way around.” I stare Clarke down. “You will have to learn to use our weapons. Do not be a problem, and you will have decades to learn.” I turn to the four Skaikru I released. “Here are your people. It would be best if you take them and leave.” I turn to Abby. “Your new age medicine will eventually run out. If you would like to learn our medicine for when you no longer have the things from space to rely on, feel free to come back to Polis and learn from our medicine workers.”
“Thank you,” Abby says, nodding. “I most certainly will.” I nod and turn to head back to my throne, take a seat, and stare at the group with nothing in my eyes.
“Time for you to go.” I wave my hand toward the door. The group starts to leave, but Clarke stops after a few steps and turns back to me.
“Hold on… what about Y/N? Where is she?”
“She’s gone.” I say simply. Clarke opens her mouth to speak, but closes it pretty quickly and exits my throne room quickly, the door shoving heavily behind her.
I wait for a few hours after Skaikru leaves Polis before I leave as well, saddling up Gona and tearing off through the trees. I gallop all the way through the forest back to my home village, pulling Gona to a stop in the middle of the village. I hop off his back and walk towards a large tent, the villagers calling out to me as I walk past. I smile and wave at all of them, but I’m walking with a purpose.
About halfway to my intended tent, the flap opens and out steps the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. She’s leading a few of the village children out of our tent; they come to her for stories about space. When the last of the kids scurry away, the woman looks up. She sees me and smiles with her teeth, running towards me. I open my arms and she jumps in them. I wrap my arms around her ass and twirl her as our lips meet. I set her down and give her a few more quick pecks before pulling away to look in her eyes.
“Y/N,” I say, my heart beating rapidly with excitement. “My love. I’ve missed you while I’ve been away.”
“I’ve missed you too, Lex.” She whispers, wrapping her arms around me tightly and laying her head on my chest. “I hate it when I can’t be with you.”
“Skaikru has left.” I assure her. “You can come back to Polis with me anytime.”
“Let’s think about that tomorrow.” She says, looking up at me. “Tonight, just be with me.” I nod and let Y/N lead me to our tent, warmth filling my body as Y/N teaches me that it’s okay to love.
