Chapter One
Hours had passed since Lexa had begun her late afternoon training and she was still hard at it in the yard. Clarke crouched nearby hidden from sight watching her with unease. Any spectators had long gone and the sky was lit up with stars. Aiming one last lethal round of kicks at a padded pole, muscles flexing under a sheen of sweat, Lexa finished her training and grabbed her weapons dropping them off in her tent. She tucked a loose strand of hair back into the tangled mess of braids at the back of her head as she walked over to the dining tent where dinner had been prepared for her and set aside by a cook. The night was buzzing with energy and the wait for Lexa to finish eating and go back to her tent was painstakingly long. Clarke grew more anxious by the minute. She had to stop herself from groaning when the Commander went back for seconds. All she needed was for Lexa to relax enough in her tent and then she would strike while she was at her weakest.
Lexa finished her meal and promptly stood, observing her surroundings with a casual glance and ignoring the shadow that had been lurking around her for the vast majority of the day. Nodding courteously at the young maid who had cooked her meal, she made her way back to her tent stopping for a brief moment to dismiss the sentry standing guard before disappearing inside. The guard happily ambled off following the smell of roasted meat. Clarke took the opportunity as soon as it came. Slipping into the Commanders tent was surprisingly easy, no one had seen her. She drew a deep breath and steeled herself as she heard the trickle of water coming from the bath in the next room. Drawing her knife from her belt, she slowly made her way forwards. Steam was flowing from the tub behind an animal hide hanging from a wooden beam. The air was damp around Clarke and the steam was shrouding her view as she crept closer. Her heart hammered against her ribcage with fury and she cringed as she could hear the blood pounding in her ears. Her breathing became ragged as she tried in vain to remain calm. Eyebrows knotting in frustration, a bead of sweat made it’s crooked pathway down through the grime on her face. With legs like led, she shuffled closer to the animal hide. Her hunting knife glinting as she raised it in her hand ready to plunge down into the heart of an unsuspecting Lexa in a desperate plea for forgiveness. To somehow rectify the choices she had made at the mountain.
Clarke felt the warmth spread on the back of her neck before she heard it.
“We meet again Clarke”.
She spun around instinctively, a little too hard, lurching backwards with immense force, knife spinning out of her hand to clatter on the floor. Taking the animal hide with her, she fell back into the tub sending a splash of warm water over the sides and onto the floor finding herself sitting facing a dripping, partially covered Lexa.
Steam rose from Lexa’s skin in the chilled night air as a look of amusement flickered across her face toying with the corners of her mouth. Clarke had managed to completely destroy her bathroom in the space of three seconds. The sight of Clarke, tangled in an animal hide in her bathtub, fully clothed with water everywhere made Lexa feel oddly relieved although she didn’t dare show it. Instead her face was a mask of stern coolness. Green eyes piercing straight through Clarke. Clarke inhaled deeply, the fresh scent of pine and leather assaulting her in a dizzying punch. Slowly, she looked up at Lexa. Her hair fell in wet tangles around her bare shoulders, a towel was loosely pressed to her chest. Accidentally catching Lexa’s gaze she looked down again, feeling Lexa’s eyes bore into her.
“Fuck”, she mumbled bowing her head, embarrassed beyond belief and annoyed at herself for letting Lexa get the upper hand. She hadn’t even noticed Lexa standing behind her the whole time, assuming she was still in the bath. Now she was screwed. Lexa would probably kill her, slowly and painfully.
The silence was deafening as a thick lump formed in Clarkes throat. Finally Lexa spoke.
“So you came all this way, watched me for two weeks and followed me into my tent late at night just to ruin my bath?” Lexa raised an eyebrow.
Clarke swallowed, looking up and catching Lexa’s eyes for the second time. She felt a familiar tug in her chest as she felt herself get lost in an expanse of never ending green. A shiver coursed through her body, raising goose bumps on her arms. Her heart skipped a beat, the green eyes holding her, trapping her, losing her. Lexa’s eyelashes fluttered and Clarke looked away realising her mouth had been open the whole time. Angry at herself for showing such weakness, she scrambled out of the bathtub in haste standing awkwardly in front of an almost naked Lexa, skin glowing. Both of them were now dripping wet.
“Sorry.” Clarke mumbled. Twisting her body to move around Lexa, she slipped on the wet floor and barged straight into her shoulder instead, falling forward. She sucked in a sharp gasp of air and her gut clenched at the contact as she felt Lexa’s toned arm instinctively wrap around her stomach steadying her. Her vision blurred momentarily, mind blank as she grasped her situation. When her eyes focussed and her brain started working again, she retreated from the tent at the speed of light.