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In retrospect, Clarke should have anticipated that the "Ice Nation" would be mostly comprised of cold elements.
Lexa's gift of furs and thick coverings had never been more welcome.
They were moving in hopes of diplomacy. The Ice Nation, while part of the Alliance, had been ostracized. In light of their new leadership, Clarke suggested they try to bridge the gap.
However, their train of warriors, ten men and all the horses, had separated from them in a snowstorm, and Lexa and Clarke were alone with only the back on their backs.
"I see a cave," Lexa called through the beating of the snow. "Follow me."
It was small, but dry. Lexa rustled through her pack and took out her bedroll, using it to block the narrow entrance to the cave as best she could. The sudden lack of wind chill made Clarke sigh in relief.
"When the storm ends, we will head to the Ice Queen's city. My men will know to join us there."
Clarke nodded, her body trembling from the chill. She reached into her own pack, drawing out the furs she had for a bedroll.
"Come here," she said. "We should conserve heat."
Lexa didn't argue, simply strode over and lay down within the furs.
Clarke threw the blanket over them, moving close to preserve what heat they could.
"I should have anticipated a storm," Lexa muttered. "It was foolish to simply wander into this territory."
Clarke smiled slightly at Lexa's grumbling tone, chuckling. After a few moments of silence, she found herself nodding off to sleep.
She was awoken later, how much later, she didn't know, but a faint sound of clicking.
The first thing she noticed was that she was alone in the furs. The second was that Lexa was peering out the opening of the cave.
"What are you doing?" Clarke demanded, sitting up.
The Commander turned around. "I should keep watch," she said stiffly. "My men might be looking for us. Go back to sleep."
"God damn it, Lexa, even if they are, they wouldn't be able to see through the snow. Get over here."
Lexa paused, shaking her head. "I should stay here."
"What are you talking about? You're going to freeze to death."
The Commander looked down, her body shivering. "I," she began, hesitating. "It would not be wise to be near you right now." Clarke frowned, waiting for her to explain. "I... I had a dream. About... About you. Us."
"Oh," Clarke whispered, pausing. "Lexa, I don't care about that right now. You're freezing. Get over here before you die."
The brunette hesitated for a moment before nodding, walking stilly over and sheathing herself in the furs.
Clarke flinched at how cold she was.
"Take off your armor," she ordered, already doing the same. "You're going to get hypothermia if you don't warm up soon."
Lexa--Commander of the Grounders, and leader of the Coalition--blushed as she removed her shoulder guard and the tough outer shirt she wore. "You will tell no one of this," she ordered as she resituated herself.
Clarke smirked slightly but nodded, drawing the furs tightly around their bodies. She reached around and began to run her hands quickly over the Grounder's, trying to warm the digits. "How are you toes?" she asked. "You should take off your boots."
Lexa rolled her eyes but reached between them and removed the shoes, opening the furs for a moment to throw them out. Clarke immediately weaved their legs together, trying to instill as much heat into the extremities as possible.
They lay like that a moment, Clarke's head tucked gently under Lexa's chin, her breath warming her collarbone. They didn't speak for at least an hour, until their bodies were the same temperature.
"Tell me about your dream," Clarke said, her told measured, but with an undercurrent of mischief.
Lexa grit her teeth before muttering, "It was nothing."
Clarke didn't respond for a few minutes, her silence giving Lexa a moment to calm down and get used to the intimate position they were in.
When she spoke, it was quiet. "Lexa... Do you still..." She trailed off, as if unsure of how to word her meaning.
"Yes," Lexa whispered.
Another gap in the conversation, punctuated by Clarke gently rubbing their feet together. It was originally an effort to warm Lexa's toes, but Clarke didn't seem to realize she was still doing it.
"I don't know if I'm ready," the blonde whispered, her lips moving against Lexa's chest, her breath spreading across the skin there. Their combined forces made the Commander shiver slightly. Clarke moved away, propping herself on her elbow and looking and the brunette deeply.
"I will wait for you" Lexa wanted to say. Instead, she nodded. Like in the tent when the words had pierced her first. Followed by "not yet", which did nothing but twist the blade of hope in her stomach.
"I don't know if I'll ever be ready," Clarke continued. Her feet's ministrations halted. Lexa glanced down, as if she could look through the furs, in confusion, then returned her gaze to Clarke's.
"I will not force you to do what you cannot," she said gently.
Clarke shook her head, biting her lip. Behind her eyes, a conflict was stirring. "I mean," she began. "There's never going to be a right time. I'm never going to be like I was before. Before Finn, the war. Tondc. I've changed."
Her eyes grew wet, and Lexa reached a finger out to catch a tear before it could fall, retracting her hand swiftly once she realized what she'd done. "What are you saying, Clarke?"
"I'm saying," she said, sliding her leg upwards and shifting her body until she was straddling the brunette. "I want this. And I know you won't push me into anything I can't handle. But I want this. Want you. So I'm going to take a leap. I'm going to trust you to make sure I don't break."
Lexa shivered, both from the words and the chill that was seeping in from the displaced furs, pooled around Clarke's back as she sat up atop Lexa's hips.
The Commander smiled slightly, then her features melted into a smirk. She pushed her knees and hips upward, throwing the girl forward. Clarke only just managed to catch herself, throwing her arms out on either side of Lexa's head.
"I'll do my best," she vowed, running her hands along Clarke's arms before reaching back and pulling the furs around them again. "For now I will do my best to keep you from dying of cold."
Clarke laughed, rolling off Lexa before snuggling into her side. "God, I almost don't want to leave this cave."
"Storms tend to run long, here," Lexa pointed out, smiling slightly. "We have time."