Jomp em op en yu jomp ai op.
Clarke had been walking for days, just letting her feet carry her, until she was forced to a stop, a body blocking the way. “Clarke?” A familiar voice asked, pulling her from her haze.
“Lexa?” Clarke blinked, her heart clenching. “Uh..what are you doing out here?” She asked, not knowing exactly where they were.
Lexa let out a small chuckle, biting her lip gently. “Clarke, you are but a few hundred yards from the gates of Polis, isn’t it logical for me to be close by?”
Clarke nodded slightly, her brow furrowing. “Oh, Polis…yeah.” She muttered, took a glance at the grounder, feeling sad instead of angry like she had thought she would. “I..should get going.”
“Wait, why don’t you stay, it will be dark soon.” The brunette spoke, her hand slightly raised as though she had thought about grabbing the blonde’s arm.
Clarke sighed softly, taking in her surroundings before looking at the brunette’s face, seeing nothing but concern written on every feature. “Okay, I’ll stay, but just for the night.”
The night had turned into a few days and a few days into a week by which time, Clarke and Lexa had had time to sit down and discuss just what had happened on the mountain, leaving Clarke feeling slightly better.
During the days, Lexa would be busy with her duties as Commander, leaving Clarke to roam the city. The blonde found Polis quite beautiful, very different from the grounder villages she had seen. The buildings were large, likely left over from before the war, some how most of them were in great shape.
Most days she found herself sketching the various sights there were in the city, including the two tallest buildings, one being a guard tower, the other a water tower, the name of the original city long weathered away.
That afternoon was no different, she perched herself in the highest tree and tried to fit in the entire city, only to have her vision of half of it cut off by other buildings. “Damn it..” Clarke muttered, sliding from the tree with grace.
She glanced around, trying to find a better vantage point, when her gaze settled on the water tower and with a grin she set off toward it. Once she reached the tall building, she realized that she might have an issue with getting up it.
There were guards on the very top and one at the bottom of the ladder. “Is there anyway I can get to the top?” She asked, only to be met with silence.
After a few failed attempts, Clarke gave up and wandered back to Lexa’s home, settling herself in the Commander’s usual spot, a small smile on her lips as she started to draw.
Hours passed before Lexa arrived, a fond look upon her face as she walked into the living area and saw Clarke asleep in her chair, sketch pad perched precariously on her knees.
Lexa approached the sleeping girl, glancing at the sketch book, only to see her own face looking back at her, her features were calm, but somehow Clarke had captured the emotion in her eyes.
With a small shake of her head, she shook Clarke’s shoulder gently, smiling as the girl woke up. “I apologize for taking so long today, I hoped you would find some way to entertain yourself and yet here you are, sleeping in my favorite chair.”
Clarke’s cheeks went pink as she hastily shut her sketch book, looking up at the brunette. “Well I was going to sketch the city, but none of the trees were tall enough and when I went to the water tower the guard wouldn’t answer me, let alone let me up and so I came home and I guess I drifted off while drawing.”
Lexa’s chest warmed when the blonde called the dwelling her home, making her smile slightly. “I guess I’ll have to have a word with the guards, make sure they know that you are allowed anywhere you please.”
Clarke smiled softly, biting her lip as their eyes connected, sapphire and topaz shining in the low light of the fire. “You really don’t have to, I understand if that’s like an off limits place.”
Lexa shook her head, moving away from the blonde to settle on the other chair, removing her shoes, leaving them by the hearth. “It’s not truly off limits, we normally just use it as a second guard tower, so civilians rarely venture that way.”
Clarke nodded, setting her things to the side to stoke the fire, mostly to keep her hands busy. “Oh, okay, well then if you really don’t mind talking to them, I suppose there’s no reason for me to argue.”
Lexa hummed her agreement, leaning back in the chair to relax. “Other than the inconvenience, how was your day?”
“It was good, this place is so beautiful, I could stay here for forever and never get tired of it, it’s so different from the villages, from anything I’ve ever seen.” She said, a grin on her face.
Lexa listened to the blonde go one about the various things she found unique and beautiful in Polis, her heart thrumming happily. She had never expected Clarke to be this comfortable in the capital, but found that it suited her just fine.
“Anyway, enough of my rambling, how was your day, did anything exciting happen?” Clarke asked, watching the Commander with curious eyes.
“My day was just fine, we talked about plans for expanding the city wall, nothing exciting to report.” Lexa chuckled, shrugging her shoulders. This had become a routine of theirs, sharing their experiences of the day.
“Maybe you could come explore with me tomorrow, watch me draw, I know that doesn’t sound too exciting, but it’s gotta be better than sitting around talking plans all day.” Clarke offered, tucking a lock of golden hair behind her ear.
The Commander chuckled lowly, finding herself touched that Clarke wanted to try to entertain her. “I have a few things to attend to in the morning, but how about we meet at the water tower at noon, okay?”
“Sounds like a plan.” The blonde grinned at her and got up from her chair, arms stretched over her head. “We should get some sleep, you especially.”
Lexa rolled her eyes and stood up, nodding slightly. “Whatever you say, Sky Princess.” She smirked, watching Clarke blush.
The two parted ways in the small hall, their rooms across from each other. Lexa changed into her sleep shirt, staring at the dark ceiling until the hushed city lulled her to sleep.
Sometime in the middle of the night, screams came echoing through the small house, making Lexa bolt up right in her bedroll, rushing across the hall to check on Clarke. The blonde seemed to be having a nightmare, thrashing against the blankets with tears streaming down her face. “Clarke, it’s okay, it’s just a dream.”
Clarke jolted awake, clinging to Lexa’s arms, her chest heaving as she took in huge gulps of air. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you..”
“Hush, you have nothing to apologize for.” Lexa murmured, absentmindedly rubbing her hands up and down Clarke’s arms, trying to soothe the blonde.
After a few moments, Clarke’s breathing was under control and her cheeks we dry once more. When Lexa got up to move, Clarke’s hand reached out, grasping her wrist. “Would you..stay with me?”
Lexa could feel her cheeks burn red, grateful the darkness hid her blush. “Of course.” She murmured, sliding into the bedroll with the blonde, pulling her close.
They stayed like that until morning, Lexa waking to the first rays of light that filtered in through the old windows. Her face was buried in a mess of blonde hair which smelled of lavender, making her cheeks warm once more. She eased her way out of the bedroll, being careful not to wake her companion.
Once she was in her own room, she got ready for the day, banishing thoughts of the previous night to the back of her head, there were things she had to attend to. After she had finished, she peeked in on the still slumbering blonde and headed out.
Clarke woke a few hours later, glancing at her father’s watch with tired eyes. She had about an hour and a half before she was due to meet Lexa, which gave her just enough time to get ready and pack them something to eat.
Once everything was settled and Clarke had her satchel filled with goodies for the both of them, she headed out toward the water tower. The guards from the previous day where posted again, making her sigh.
“Hello again, may I go to the top?” She asked, only to be met with a stony glare.
“You’re the one who went running to the Commander.” He sneered, stepping toward her.
“Excuse me, I did no such thing, I just asked about the tower.” Clarke replied, standing her ground, even when the man pulled his knife on her.
A growl floated through the air before Lexa appeared, somehow managing to squeeze between Clarke and the blade. “Jomp em op en yu jomp ai op.” She snarled, watching the guard back down.
Clarke watched as Lexa stepped forward, murmuring something the blonde couldn’t hear, before the guard ran off. “Uhm..” Clarke tilted her head, watching Lexa.
The Commander watched the guard’s silhouette disappear into the city, before taking a calming breath, turning to face Clarke. “I told him, that if he attacks you, he is attacking me.” She explained.
A blush crept up Clarke’s neck as she bit her lip. “Why don’t we go for a walk.” She offered, smiling shyly.