Chapter 3
Clarke took a final look at the starlit sky while she was escorted to the Commander's tent. For a moment, her breaths felt strangely slow - as if time itself gave her a well-earned rift in time to prepare. After all, that day had gone extremely fast. Just the day prior was a day no way out of the ordinary - and now there she was, far out of her comfort zone in another clan, missing two friends, preparing to convince none other than the Commander of all thirteen clans to help her. This is a bad idea, she thought to herself, as the guards signalled her to step inside the tent.
She took small steps. And even though she was breathing irregularly; she held her composure, spine straight and head held high. She still hadn't let her eyes fall upon the Commander. The tent was much larger than her own, and the guard escorting her was so tall that she couldn't see anything besides a giant armoured arm beside her. That and the flickering of lights.
The guard halted and took a step back, leaving a wide-eyed Clarke standing in the middle of the tent - facing the wrong way. The guard had turned to his side to face the throne and bow. How was Clarke supposed to know the etiquette?
She gulped, turned quickly, and dropped to her knee, all while staring at the ground.
-
"So. You're Clarke," the Commander said.
Clarke lifted her head at the other woman's voice; it had such a soft edge to it. Clarke finally rested her eyes on the Commander - and for some reason, what struck her was calmness. She had entered the tent nervous, terrified, dropped to her knee in embarrassment, but now her breathing was smooth and she felt her face rest. What a strange notion to feel in such an awestruck situation.
"Yes," Clarke responded, a slight hoarseness to her voice.
"Clarke Kom Skaikru," the Commander nodded, and gestured Clarke to stand up with a flick of her wrist.
"Lexa Kom Trikru," Clarke replied as she stood up. She wanted to prove that even though she apparently didn't know the proper etiquette; at least she knew who her Commander was. "Heda," she finished, as she bowed slightly.
Lexa sat on her wooden throne, one leg crossed over the other, and her arms resting on the throne's sides. Her signature black war paint and red sash were prominently on display, and she bore an analyzing and cold look on her otherwise fair face.
"Well," Lexa began. "Indra briefed me of your situation."
"Does that mean you'll help?" Clarke asked. She figured that the Commander wouldn't agree to meet with her if she didn't have any intention of helping.
"She said you threatened to start a clan war," Lexa continued. Her sentences had many pauses - whether she was annoyed or had a flare for dramatics; Clarke couldn't tell. "Over two men who disappeared just earlier this day. I'm aware Skaikru leads sheltered lives, Clarke, but this is not a way to act."
"I asked for her help. And she barely listened to me."
"I suppose she had her reasons."
Clarke wasn't so calm anymore. She was definitely not there to meet the Commander simply to receive a lecture. "Two of my people were taken on Trikru land by cloaked figures, I'm not going to let that slide."
Lexa cocked her head, before she left her throne and walked towards Clarke.
Clarke's heart fluttered slightly, but quickly stopped as soon as the Commander's footsteps did, a few meters away.
"Leave us," Lexa told her guards, nonchalantly raising her arm. "Take a seat," she then told Clarke, and nodded towards the round dining table that was placed at one side of her tent.
-
Clarke and Lexa now sat alone, a table between them. Clarke's mind wandered to different ideas and conclusions, but ultimately she was puzzled by the Commander's actions. Surely she didn't take time out of her busy schedule to lecture a clan leader on how to behave, Clarke thought to herself.
"Tell me about the cloaked figures," Lexa demanded. Her green eyes bore into Clarke's.
"Indra didn't mention that part?"
"She mentioned that the witness was a hunter. A Skaikru hunter in Trikru woods, you can understand that this doesn't sound promising."
Clarke then realized that Indra didn't just refuse to help out of spite - but that Skaikru were now under question for breaking hunting rules. Not just that, but that both the Trikru leader and now the Commander, had a theory that Skaikru might be trying to trick them. "We might not have a lot of wildlife on our island, but our hunters never hunt elsewhere. The traders fix our food and fur. And now they're missing."
Lexa continued to study Clarke's face. "Tell me about the cloaked figures," she repeated.
And so Clarke told the Commander everything that Raven had told her, in every detail she remembered.
-
Lexa's response was an ever so silent "hmm."
"Do you know who they are?" Clarke's eyes lit up.
"No," Lexa responded, and noticed how Clarke's eyes fell sad again. "But I've heard of similar cases."
"Similar cases? Here? With people being taken?"
Lexa stood up from her chair and walked towards another table in her tent, one with food and drinks on it.
Clarke followed.
Lexa poured a goblet full of dark red wine and handed it to Clarke, then proceeded to pour one for herself.
Clarke felt eager and hopeful yet again, waiting for Lexa to continue speaking. If she wasn't so focused on getting her friends back; her pulse would have risen and given a large beat, feeling the warm wine go down, standing next to the eloquent and surprisingly charming Commander. In fact, her pulse did rise, but she pushed the sensation to the back of her mind - and thought of her missing friends instead.
"I didn't come here for politics. But I heard whispers of clanspeople disappearing in every village I visited. Some of them mentioned hooded men," Lexa explained.
Clarke felt her stomach turn in knots. She thought that some rebellious Trikru members had taken her friends - but hearing about even more people disappearing, who hadn't returned; she didn't realize just how worried she should've been until that moment.
"My plan was to head for Polis tomorrow," Lexa said. "But I think I might extend my stay in Trikru. At least until we have a clear image of the disappearances. I'll make sure Indra understands that you will be cooperating, not plotting."
"Thank you," Clarke replied, her voice relieved.
Lexa stared at her, letting her eyes do the rest of the talking. She was good at that.
-
The two of them eyed each other for some moments - Clarke breaking eye contact more often than Lexa. There was a silence between them, and neither could quite figure out how to fill it. The silence wasn't of an awkward nature though - it was more of that same sense of calmness Clarke had sensed earlier, mixed with a mutual hint of wonder and curiosity. The light in the tent was still flickering, due to an excessive amount of candles spread around - causing a flattering soft glow in the air.
"This wine is really g-" Clarke tried to break the silence.
"We'll start gathering scout parties at first sunlight tomorrow," Lexa broke the silence louder, not breaking off Clarke’s words on purpose.
"Tomorrow? Why not now?" Clarke asked.
"You're personally invested in this, aren't you?" Lexa replied stiffly.
"My people are missing, of course I'm personally invested," Clarke tried her best not to sound too offended.
Lexa sighed. "Looking for cloaked men in the dark of night with no proper time to plan is the worst idea I could think of in this situation."
Clarke didn't dare look her in the eye.
"I suggest you get some sleep, Clarke."
Clarke gave an affirmed sigh, and let her eyes rest on the Commander a good while before she left the tent, in search of her own.