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With one final CLANG the last mooring cable locks into place. Crew members in charge of the wenches at the bow of the sky vessel wave the all clear to dock workers below. More ropes are thrown out from the deck and tied down in practiced knots to cleats spread out along the dock. As soon as the ship is firmly moored, the gangplank lowers so the crew can disembark. The hatch opens and the crew get to work unloading their cargo.
Captain Blake directs two of his sailors to bring a crate with them and sets off into the market to meet his contact. Raven and Octavia trail behind.
Hidden away at the back of an alley, Finn’s Trade seems to be, at first glance, nothing more than a dingy trader’s office. The wares bought and sold behind it's doors tended to be of the less than legal sort, and it didn’t do to have a visible market presence in case there were Marshals about. The shop is quiet when they first enter, but after a moment, the proprietor himself pops up from behind a countertop.
“Captain Blake! My old friend. My best customer. What can I get for you for you today?”
Bellamy sighs. “Not buying today, Finn. We’ve got a full shipment of fine grade A lightning. Hoping to make a sale.”
Finn’s face falls a bit, but he quickly plasters on a charming smile. “Sure, I know your merchandise is always good. I can take it off your hands.” He’s distracted for a moment by Raven and Octavia near the door. They’re laughing as they peruse a rack of absurd looking wigs, trying on different ones and making silly poses. “For the right price, of course,” Finn adds, turning back to Bellamy.
“You know my price,” Bellamy growls, hardening his stare. “Two hundred. Gold pieces.”
Finn cringes immediately, waving his hands. “No no, I can’t possibly go that high. One five at most.”
Bellamy stares him down. “Two hundred.”
“Come on, you know this stuff is difficult to store, there’s Marshalls sniffing around, I can’t be blowing the bank on this. One-sixty.”
“Two. Hundred.”
“You’re not negotiating with me here, Blake,” Finn chuckles even as sweat begins to bead on his temples. “See I’m changing my number, you have to change yours too. Work with me. One seven-five.”
Bellamy turns to his crew standing by with the crate of lightning. “Monroe, Miller, put the merchandise back on board, we’re not making a sale here.”
Finn jumps forward quickly. “Wait, wait! One-eight-five, final offer.”
Bellamy thinks about this a moment, before sticking his hand out to shake on it. “Okay.” Finn grins, shaking his hand enthusiastically. The captain keeps a bruising hold of Finn’s hand when he tries to pull away. “So, with sales tax that's, let's see… two hundred.”
Finn deflates. “Excellent.” He waves a hand at the crew members. “Put it in the back.”
They stand aside as Monroe and Miller cart the heavy crate into the back room. They’ll spend the next several hours with the rest of the crew unloading and transporting the shipment into Finn’s shop through a back door. Finn nods for Bellamy to join him at his counter so he can ring up the transaction.
Midway through counting out the gold pieces, Finn pauses to make sure the others aren’t nearby. He rests his forearm on the counter so he can lean in close. “Say, Captain, have you heard the latest rumors around the market?”
Bellamy rolls his eyes. “If this is about that fallen star fairytale, you know how i feel about that load of bull—”
“No, no!” Finn jumps to assure him. “I'm talking about the rumor that a new King has been chosen.”
“A new King of Stormhold?” Bellamy raises his eyebrow. He'd heard the old King Thelonious had passed a couple months prior but nothing about a new one. “One of the royal children?”
“Nobody knows who it is. I heard it's someone totally new, not part of the royal family. But they restored the Ruby so they must be legit, right?”
Bellamy scoffs. “That whole ‘Ruby of Fate’ nonsense is about as mythical as fallen stars. Hurry up and finish my purchase, will ya? I got places to be.”
///
The sky docks are a flurry of activity when they return, with crew and dock workers alike moving among crates of lightning. Along with the lightning shipment, empty barrels and food crates are brought from the storage decks through the open hatchway to be refilled. The crew will be busy with deliveries all afternoon before they’ll be free to do whatever they like in the market.
After checking on his crew's progress, Bellamy returns to his ship to drop off his purchases. The whole crew is either on the dock below or transporting goods to and from the market, so he doesn't expect to see anyone. He’s only one step off the gangplank however, when a familiar voice stops him in his tracks.
“Captain Blake…” Lexa Woods lounges comfortably on a pile of rubber covered crates with Clarke curled up beside her, their hands folded together. They’re both grinning at the dumbfounded captain, clearly enjoying themselves.
"Security's a little lax around here, Captain,” Clarke says, raising a teasing eyebrow. “Any old lightning thief could stow aboard."
"What—”
He’s interrupted as Raven and Octavia, bickering over a bag of sweets they purchased, run right into his back.
"Ow, Bell, move," Octavia grumbles, shoving at her brother’s immobile form until she catches sight of their unexpected guests. “Oh my god—” she squeals, instantly dropping her bags. She hurries over to tackle hug them both at the same time. "What are you doing here?"
"We can't visit our dear friends?" Lexa laughs as Octavia pulls away so they can stand.
The way Lexa carefully helps Clarke to her feet, their hands still intertwined, doesn't go unnoticed by Octavia. “I see you two finally got your act together, huh?"
Lexa blushes while Clarke beams, squeezing Lexa's hand.
Raven doesn’t wait for their answer, pushing past Octavia to hug them. "Thought we got rid of you two!"
"Nice to see you too, Raven."
Bellamy moves in last. "Don't you know it's rude to sneak aboard another man's ship?"
"Your crew let us aboard," Clarke argues.
"Who did? Was it Sterling? I know he has a crush on you."
Clarke laughs. "He'll be very disappointed to know why we're here then." She squeezes Lexa's hand again, smiling at her.
Bellamy raises an eyebrow. Beside him, Octavia sucks in a sharp breath and starts slapping Raven's arm excitedly while the engineer tries to fend her off.
"Captain Blake," Lexa starts in a formal tone, straightening her back. "Would you do us the honor of marrying us?"
Octavia's happy squeal almost drowns out Bellamy's answer, but his wide grin is clear enough.
"Oh we are throwing the most kickass party!”
////
The most kickass party took weeks to plan, in Octavia’s opinion, but nobody, especially Clarke and Lexa, wanted to wait that long. The only detail they insisted on was the ceremony be held at midnight, in view of the moon and the stars. All the details they left to Octavia. Bellamy volunteered to get supplies, a long detailed list from his sister in hand.
"If you see my mother in the market, she can help you," Lexa offers. Luna had handled the witch Sydney’s business for years and had friends nearly everywhere. As the sweet and lovely slave girl of a well-known and greatly disliked witch, the market venders she knew were overjoyed to see Luna free. They were all eager to repay her kindness now that she had no master to answer to.
"She looks just like Lexa, you'll recognize her," Clarke assures him.
“And my father will be with her. He’ll be the one looking wide eyed and excited about everything.”
Bellamy rolls his eyes at them and leaves the ship, taking a couple of his sailors with him.
"So you found your mother, then?" Raven asks as they head below to the captain's deck.
"She kind of found me," Lexa says. "It's complicated."
"We've had quite a few adventures since we left," Clarke adds.
Octavia, following behind, pushes at their shoulders good-naturedly. "Well come on, you can't just tease us like that and then not tell us..." She trails off as they enter their cabin and she gets a better look at the back of Lexa's jacket in the light. "What happened?" She plucks at the fabric over Lexa's shoulder where it's obvious there was once quite a large tear, though it's been expertly mended. The jacket is littered with similar spots, only noticeable now that Octavia is really looking.
Lexa feels the touch and knows what Octavia is seeing. "My mother thought I should just get rid of it, but I insisted it be sewn up. It's such a fine jacket and I wanted to keep something that you gave me." She turns and sheepishly pulls her sword from the sheath, mindful of the sharp edge. “And well, since I broke your sword...”
Octavia gasps and Raven whistles low as they examine the broken blade.
“I collected the pieces, but I don’t think it can be salvaged."
"You have had adventures," Octavia says proudly, propping her hands on her hips. "I think you two need to sit down right now and tell us everything."
Clarke takes a seat at the table. "What about the captain?" Lexa pulls another chair around to sit right next to her, studiously ignoring Raven and Octavia's knowing smirks.
"We'll fill him later," Raven promises, sitting heavily and going to unbuckle the brace on her leg. She's been walking all day and her leg is aching.
"Well, the first thing that happened was Lexa was turned into a mouse by a witch..."
///
They spend most of the afternoon catching up. Octavia insists on hearing every detail they can remember of the battle in the Mountain. As expected, she's endlessly smug about the hidden dagger saving Lexa's ass at the last moment, but Lexa can't bring herself to be annoyed. It did save her life and Clarke's by extension, after all.
Hearing about Prince John Murphy’s part in the story launches Octavia and Raven into their own tale of epic sword fighting. By a strange twist of fate, not a day after dropping them off on the western sky port, the Prince had forced his way aboard the Ark while they were docked with a host of soldiers at his back.
“Said he was looking for something and he had it on good authority that it was, or at least had been aboard our ship,” Raven explains. “What he described sounded exactly like that necklace Clarke here used to wear.”
Clarke touches her bare neck reflexively. It's been nearly a month since the Mountain, but it still feels strange to no longer be wearing it.
“Of course we didn't tell him anything,” Octavia says, flipping her hand dismissively. “Even if he was a prince. We're pirates and we do whatever the hell we want.”
Octavia regales them with a detailed account of the massive sword fight between the Prince’s men and the Ark crew. Being pirates and therefore, dirty fighters, they easily dispatched the soldiers. The prince himself had cornered Bellamy below deck in Raven’s cabin (thinking it was the captain’s) to interrogate him.
“We all ran to save Bell,” Octavia leans forward, dropping her voice low, “and I swear to god, it looked like they were about to kiss. They were nose to nose, this close,” she holds her palms nearly touching to demonstrate, “with Bell pinned against Raven’s workbench.”
“Course then the coward grabbed a can of gunpowder off my bench and used it to blow a hole out the side of the ship and escape.” Raven gestures to the bank of windows on the port side where it's obvious the panes have been recently replaced. “Too bad we were docked so he survived the fall.”
“Well, he's definitely gone now… Clarke sort of dropped a bed on top of him.” Lexa doesn't know quite how she feels about Prince John anymore. Technically, he had tried to kill her, but he'd been drugged by some foul poison of the Mountain Men. A drug that made him insane with bloodlust, no more in control of his actions than a puppet. Like Prince Wells, he'd been an unlucky victim in Cage Wallace's warpath.
Also he was sort of her uncle. That was strange to think about.
“He was about to kill you,” Clarke points out. “I couldn't let that happen.”
“I was supposed to be rescuing you.”
“We saved each other, Lexa. Isn't that better?”
Lexa smiles and nods, squeezing Clarke's hand. She thinks she might lean in and kiss Clarke, but Raven loudly clears her throat, spoiling the moment.
“Okay wow, you two are gross. Save the sap for the wedding and finish the story.”
Clarke rolls her eyes and leans in to kiss Lexa's cheek anyway, ignoring Ravens exaggerated gagging. “Deal with it, Reyes.”
Octavia wraps her arms around Raven tightly, planting a sloppy kiss on her neck. “Yeah, deal with it, Reyes. Our kids are getting married they're allowed to be gross and sappy.”
Raven crosses her arms, trying very hard to look above it all, but the red tint to her cheeks gives her away. “Yeah, whatever, just finish the story.”
///
While Lexa's parents stay in the market for the night, Clarke and Lexa take Bellamy up on the offer of his cabin for nostalgia's sake. It's still so familiar, like they never left the Ark at all. Except now instead of sleeping in shifts, they prepare for bed at the same time.
It's late, far later than Lexa is used to and she's already yawning heavily. She turns away to change into sleep clothes, as Clarke fixes the sheets on Bellamy's bed. The dark green silk blouse she takes care to neatly fold, but her undershirt and bra get dumped on top before she moves to her trousers.
Cool fingers touch the bare skin of her back, startling her mid-yawn. She tenses automatically, but Clarke's touch relaxes her almost as quickly. Clarke brushes her curls over one shoulder and presses a kiss to her spine. Lexa closes her eyes, getting lost in the comforting touch
Clarke begins to trace little delicate lines on her back, following each with a kiss. It takes Lexa a moment to notice Clarke's breath is uneven, like she is trying very hard not to cry.
“What is it?” Lexa mumbles, twisting her head around, but she can't properly see Clarke's face in the dark and Lexa notices that Clarke's ever present starlight has dimmed. Then Clarke traces one finger up over Lexa's shoulder, and her sleepy mind clears enough to realize how the paths Clarke is following correspond with the mended tears in her jacket.
The numerous cuts that littered her back after the battle in the Mountain have since healed into pale pink scars and even those will likely fade over time. None of them had even been particularly deep, but recounting the story for Raven and Octavia must have reminded Clarke of those terrifying hours in the Mountain.
“I'm okay,” Lexa says, firmly, reassuringly. “They were only scratches.”
Clarke breathes out a shaky sigh, sliding her hands down and around Lexa's waist until she can press against Lexa's back, feeling her warm and alive, an echo of her heartbeat felt between them. She rests her chin on Lexa's shoulder. “Scratches from protecting me.” Lexa, the silly idiot, had thrown her whole body over Clarke, taking the brunt of a room full of glass crashing down around them. And that was just one small act in a list of stupidly reckless things Lexa had done to save her.
“Yes,” agrees Lexa, resting her hands on Clarke's, holding them in place. “And I would do it again, without a moment's hesitation.”
Clarke tightens her grip, wanting to frown, but Lexa has that firm commanding tone to her voice that brooks no argument. She settles for a teasing growl. “You have a knack for moronic bravery, Commander.”
“You love me, though,” Lexa teases back.
“I do.”
Lexa turns in the cage of Clarke’s arms, threading her hands in golden hair, shimmering with starlight once more. “Save that for tomorrow.” She leans in to kiss Clarke, lazily. Clarke slides her hands up Lexa's back again, but her touch is easy now, no longer anxious.
After a moment Clarke pulls back to rest their foreheads together. “We’re getting married tomorrow.” Starlight flickers brighter—it always seems to shine brighter at night, but Lexa doesn't mind, especially when they're alone.
Lexa smiles, slow and soft, the thought sending a thrill through her body. “We're getting married tomorrow.” She tilts her head so she can kiss Clarke again, but pulls back again as something occurs to her. “We're getting married tomorrow. Aren't we not supposed to see each other the night before the wedding?”
Clarke frowns. “Why not?”
“I don't know, it's like a tradition I guess.”
“We're anything but traditional, Lex.”
“I know, but it's supposed to be bad luck.”
“I don't want to spend the night without you,” Clarke admits, biting her lip. “Do you?”
Lexa thinks about it and immediately balks at the idea. She buries her face in Clarke's neck, her response muffled but fervent. “Never, for the rest of my life.”
Clarke laughs, softly. “Then let's go to bed then, shall we?” She pulls away, but stops to eye Lexa's bare chest with a playfully raised eyebrow. “Or let's get in the bed, at least.”
Lexa flushes. They've seen each other naked plenty of times by now, but Clarke's heated gaze still makes her shiver. She hurries to finish changing before joining Clarke under the sheets. Clarke takes a moment to unwind the braids in Lexa's hair in a practiced manner, before Lexa turns into her arms, quickly eliminating all space between them.
It's a while before they fall into slumber, peaceful and happy.
///
They wake late the next morning to a flurry of activity on the Ark. The crew, of course, had been elated at the news of the impending wedding and none had to be prodded into working on the preparations. And Octavia is clearly enjoying ordering them about, directing them to move this or clean that.
Lexa's parents arrive around midday and there's hearty introductions all around. Gustus Woods takes in Bellamy's tour of the sky vessel with childlike excitement. He’d sailed as a boy and sea vessels were not so different, but a flying ship is not something a respectable banker sees every day.
After a while Luna herds the brides below deck to try on clothing and get ready for the evening's ceremony. By the time dusk approaches, the crew pulls up the mooring lines and the Ark disembarks, rising up through the clouds into a rapidly darkening sky.
Lexa stands in front of a mirror in Bellamy's cabin, worrying the collar of her blouse. She’s been banished here away from Clarke because according to Raven, being around her turns Lexa into too much of a gay disaster to be of any help to anyone.
(Which honestly wasn't entirely fair because it was Clarke who knocked the tray of tools off Ravens workbench when Lexa had come out of the washroom wearing only her new fitted trousers and a bra. Lexa can hardly be blamed for that.)
She has her mother for company, but it's been several hours locked up in this room and it's making her antsy. Having Clarke near usually relaxes her. Now being forcibly separated like this, she doesn't know what to do with herself.
Sighing, Luna stands from the table, bats Lexa's hands away and fixes her collar, smoothing the fabric till it lies flat. "You look absolutely lovely, darling. Stop fidgeting."
Lexa's ears go pink at her mother's praise. She obediently puts her hands in her pockets to stop fussing. The clothes Octavia picked out for her are soft under her fingers (she's starting to realize that everything Octavia owns is top quality) and Luna has done her best to tailor them to Lexa's frame. The white blouse is embroidered with a delicate lace pattern of white thread, giving it a subtle texture. Over that is a forest green waist coat, a dark charcoal necktie and matching trousers. Top it off with a brand new pair of shining leather boots, courtesy of one of Luna’s friends in the market.
Pinned to her breast pocket is the pure white glass flower, salvaged from the witch’s caravan. Lexa is glad to see her mother’s gift again, had mourned its loss since trading it away only to be tricked by Sydney. Now, even though she has her mother in the flesh, she cherishes it like an heirloom.
Lexa paces over to the porthole window. They’re high in the sky now, clouds drifting below the hull as they continue to ascend. The light is fading the higher they rise, stars beginning to appear as bright spots in the dark.
“Won’t be long now,” Luna says, stepping beside Lexa and settling her arm around her shoulders. She feels the barest hint of a tremble in her daughter. “Are you nervous, sweetheart?”
“No,” Lexa says and she's pleased to find it's true. “Just excited, I suppose.”
Luna smiles. “Good.” She steps back, gently urging Lexa to move. “Come sit down and I’ll do your hair.”
While Lexa sits, Luna retrieves a thick tooth comb from Bellamy’s washroom. She starts unbraiding Lexa’s hair and combing out the thick curls, humming a soft lullaby as she works.
“Do you know what you're going to say? For your vows, I mean.”
“I think so,” Lexa says. She's been thinking about it for weeks, since her and Clarke had decided to get married. She considered writing something down, but she wants the words to come in the moment. From her heart, not her head.
Eventually the faint pressure of ascent fades as the ship finds its altitude and levels off. The rumble of the engine quiets to a low, nearly imperceptible hum. Just enough to keep them aloft.
Lexa checks the time. Only an hour left.
Luna sets the comb aside and pats Lexa's shoulders to get her attention. “I'm going to go check on Clarke, okay?”
Lexa nods, wishing she could go with her, but she wants to wait till the ceremony. Luna leaves the room, closing the door softly behind her and Lexa is left alone with her thoughts. There's a constant rhythm of footsteps overhead as the crew move about the deck, getting everything ready. A muffled voice that is probably Bellamy’s shouts out orders, directing the chaos.
Growing bored, she gets up to find something to do. Bellamy has a bookcase full of books, mostly chronicling the history of Stormhold and a few from the other side of the Wall, smuggled over and sold on the black market. She finds one of the books she started her last trip aboard the Ark and settles down in a chair to read.
Soon there's a soft knock on the door and a moment later Lexa's father steps inside. Lexa stands, setting the book aside and letting her father wrap his arms around her. His embrace is familiar and comforting and she’s thankful he could be here.
He steps back, holding her at arm's length. “Everything is ready, all we need are the guests of honor.” Gustus keeps his hands on her shoulders, evaluating her. “Just tell me one thing, sweetheart?” At Lexa’s nod, he continues. “Are you happy?”
Lexa thinks of Clarke and feels the warmth radiating through every inch of her body. She smiles, slow and soft. “If I were any happier, I would glow as bright as Clarke.”
“You are glowing,” Gustus insists, brushing her cheek, tenderly. He hugs her once more before stepping away and offering his arm. “It is time.”
In the hallway, Lexa immediately looks to the other cabin, expecting, hoping to see Clarke, but the door is closed. Her father tugs her gently by the arm and they move to the stairs. Halfway up, Lexa hears the other door open. Lexa ducks her head quickly and through the planks of the staircase, she catches the briefest glimpse of shining blonde hair and a silvery white dress before they ascend out of sight.
////
The entire top deck of the Ark is transformed.
The crew worked hard all day to clear and scrub the deck clean. In place of the scattered lightning equipment and general ship clutter, they've brought benches up from the lower galleys and set them in rows. A roll of carpet, fraying at the edges, covers the aisle leading from the stairwell to a hastily constructed arch just in front of the center mast.
Garlands of fresh flowers trail along the railings, with candles nestled among them, bathing the deck in a warm glow. The sky above is clear and brilliant with stars, while clouds drift slowly just below the hull, creating the illusion that they’re floating atop a sea of clouds.
Octavia and Raven stand on either side of the arch, with the Captain at the center, an open book in his hands. The crew seated on the benches are talking amongst themselves, getting comfortable as they wait, but as a record player starts up and a soft traditional waltz begins to play, they quiet down in anticipation.
Bellamy gestures for the crew to stand, and when all eyes are turned down the aisle toward her, he nods at Lexa to approach.
At the end of the aisle her father turns to draw her into one final hug, murmuring “I’m so proud of you,” in her hair. Then he steps away to the first row where a space has been reserved for him. Lexa moves beside Raven, nodding at her then Octavia and Bellamy before turning to look back down the aisle. She clasps her hands together, trying not to fidget as she waits.
She sees the telltale glow of starlight first and there’s a collective intake of breath as everyone on deck watches the star emerge. Her dress is white and shimmery with short lacy sleeves that leave her arms bare. A rich blue sash around her waist matches the vibrant blue of her eyes, bright enough for Lexa to see even across the deck. Her golden hair is pulled back in a way that seems to give her a halo, made even more prominent by the white light shimmering off her, beautiful and unrestrained.
Luna holds Clarke’s arm firmly to guide her, which is good because it's immediately clear that Clarke is not paying any attention to where her feet fall. Her gaze finds Lexa’s and doesn’t waiver, a beautiful smile on her lips. Lexa feels the pull between them, as tangible as the silver chain that once connected them. She takes a deep, calming breath, willing her hands to stop shaking.
When they reach the end, Luna turns to Clarke as Gustus had and hugs her briefly. She gives Lexa a hug as well with an added kiss to her forehead before moving to stand beside Gustus.
Lexa holds her hands out for Clarke to take. Clarke’s skin is warm from starlight and Lexa feels it instantly spread all over her body, soothing away any nerves.
“You are beautiful,” Lexa murmurs, tenderly.
Clarke squeezes Lexa’s hands. “So are you.”
The clearing of a throat nearby breaks the moment and they turn to see Bellamy smirking lightly. They move into place before him, facing each other with their hands still linked.
Bellamy clears his throat again and raises his voice so everyone can hear. “You may all be seated, thank you.” There’s a mild shuffle as everyone settles themselves on the benches and fall quiet again. “We are here this evening to celebrate and honor the union of our dear friends, Clarke and Lexa, in full view of their friends and family around them, and the stars and the moon above.
“Now, I’m sure you all remember one rainy night nearly two months ago, in the midst of lightning storm, when we came upon them stranded in the clouds. What we mistook for no good dirty lightning theives turned out to be just two very lost travelers in need of assistance.” Bellamy places a hand over his heart, dramatically. “I, in my infinite wisdom and generosity as Captain, decided to help.”
There’s a rumble of laughter from the audience as Raven smacks Bellamy’s arm, hissing, “Stick to the script, Blake.”
Bellamy rolls his eyes and shares an indulgent smile with the brides. “As I was saying...” He continues to talk about their journey, but Lexa is only half listening. She stares into Clarke’s bright eyes, admiring the reflected starlight, glittering like infinite galaxies. She thinks she will never get tired of falling into their depths. Clarke runs her thumbs over Lexa’s knuckles, almost absently and Lexa marvels at how such a simple gesture can send sparks of warmth spreading through her chest.
“I think I speak for the entire crew when I say,” Bellamy says, “that we all came to care for them as if they had always been among us.”
Lexa glances out over the crew hoping her grateful nod will say how appreciative she was that they had so quickly welcomed them.
“During our journey it quickly became clear to me, the love they had for each other. It was beautiful to watch this pure, true love blossom between them. Beautiful, but at the same time, heartbreaking, because although everyone on the outside could see their love for each other clear as the stars in the night sky, they themselves could not.”
This was true, but looking back Lexa doesn’t know how she did not see it. It feels as though she has always been in love with Clarke. That's the virtue of hindsight she supposes, she can examine the workings of her heart in a way that was impossible in the thick of growing emotions.
“However,” Bellamy continues, “as with all great love stories, fate cannot be rushed. These two found their way to each other’s hearts at exactly the pace they were meant to and now they stand before us ready to acknowledge and promise that love for the rest of their lives.” He addresses the brides. “Now, please face each other and speak true the love you have for one another.”
They turn, green finding blue as easily and naturally as if they were made to do so.
Clarke takes a deep breath. “I’ll go first, if that’s alright?”
Lexa nods, squeezing Clarke’s hands reassuringly.
Taking another deep breath, she begins. “My life changed the moment I fell from the sky. Being on Earth was something I dreamed about for ages, but being here for real is more incredible than I could ever have imagined. And that’s all because moments after I landed, I was hit by a magical flying moron.” She lets out a laugh when Lexa rolls her eyes, good naturedly.
“Lexa, you’ve saved my life more times than I can count, you’re so strong and steady, a solid and constant presence. I don’t think I would have ever made it very far without you. Just the pleasure of knowing the warmth of your skin, the beauty in your smile, the love in your heart, takes my breath away.
“I promise as long as my starlight shines, it shines only for you. I love you more than the moon and the sky and all of the stars combined, and I know I could search the furthest reaches of the universe and not find a love greater than this. I trust you to care for my heart. It is and forever will be yours.”
Clarke smiles, happy to have gotten through her speech without crying. Tears are shining at the edges of her blue eyes, but Lexa knows they’re borne of joy. Lexa's heart is so full it feels ready to burst. Her own eyes are brimming but she wills the tears not to fall long enough to speak.
“Clarke,” Lexa swallows, thickly. “You and I come from two different worlds, sky and ground, and yet destiny caused our lives to collide. My life was dull before I met you, and then a shooting star went streaking through the sky and I was dazzled. You light up my life, not just with your beautiful starlight but with everything you are. Your strength and courage, your curiosity and your fierce loyalty. Your beautiful blue eyes are the only oceans I need. Your shining blonde hair, the only sun. And your precious heart, the only home.
You challenge and inspire me to be better. You make me believe I can take on the world and win, as long as I have you by my side. I know now that love is not weakness because with you I feel strong. I didn’t think it was possible to feel a love this grand, but every day my love for you only grows deeper. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Clarke releases one of Lexa’s hands and a moment later Lexa feels warm fingers on her cheek, brushing tears she hadn’t known had fallen. Lexa brings her hand up to hold Clarke’s and press her lips to the palm. Clarke mouths I love you, and Lexa has to resist the urge to kiss her.
Beside them, Bellamy sniffles and tries to discreetly wipe his eyes. “That was beautiful, wow.” He clears his throat several times, before continuing his officiate. “And now, I’ll ask you both to declare your intent to be bound to one another.” He turns to Clarke first. “Clarke, do you take Lexa to be your wife, to live with her in marriage, to love her, comfort her, honor and be true to her, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”
Her smile is blinding. “I do.”
Bellamy turns to Lexa and repeats the same vow. Lexa’s voice is nearly gone in the tide of her emotions, but she manages the words loud enough for Clarke to hear. “I do.”
“Then, mindful of the declarations you have made and the loving vows you have spoken from the heart, with the authority vested in me as Captain of this vessel, and with great joy, I pronounce you married.” He smiles and tips his head with a flourish. “You may kiss the bride.”
Clarke is nearly vibrating with joy as she steps in, gripping Lexa’s hand so tightly she must be hurting her, but Lexa is gripping hers back just as much. Their lips just graze at first and Lexa can feel Clarke’s smile. She adjusts, her nose brushing over Clarke’s before they find each other's lips again, secure and sweet. They may have kissed a hundred times, but this, standing before all their friends, their family, and all of the endless night sky above them, having poured their hearts out only to fill them even fuller, this kiss feels like a beginning.
A beginning of the rest of their lives.
The crew is on their feet, cheering and applauding. Lexa has to consciously pull back from Clarke, because she feels that otherwise she could go on kissing Clarke forever and nothing could stop her. She grins, can’t resist pecking one more kiss against Clarke’s lips and another, before they turn to join in on the celebration breaking out on deck.
Octavia’s voice is easily the loudest of them all. “They’re married, bitches!” and the crew roars in response.
///
As dawn approaches, the sky begins to lighten, a vibrant strip of pink on the horizon signaling the impending rise of the sun. Overhead though, the stars are still shining brightly and Lexa has to wonder if they're still out for Clarke. She's shining beside Lexa now, starlight unchecked, looking the most relaxed Lexa has ever seen her.
“I've never seen so many stars still shining this late,” Lexa comments, absently.
“My sisters are celebrating,” Clarke murmurs. “I can hear them.”
“They are happy for you.” Lexa tightens her arm around Clarke, tilting her head to press a kiss against Clarke's temple. Clarke hums and presses closer, burying her head in the crook of Lexa's neck.
“For us,” Clarke corrects, poking Lexa in the ribs. “They approve of you by the way. They've seen all that you've done for me, and they trust you to protect me.”
Lexa smiles, feeling warm from more than just the bootleg moonshine.
From where they're curled up on a bench beside the starboard railing, they watch the last of the party die down. A few crew members are still dancing, still refilling their mugs with drink, still talking and laughing, but most have either gone below or passed out on deck. Lexa’s parents retired to bed hours ago, though how they thought they would get any sleep with the ruckus on deck, Lexa didn’t know.
Bellamy wanders over, stumbling a bit over his own feet and dragging a chair behind him. He sets the chair up nearby and sits on it backwards so he can rest his forearms on the back. “Hey, Lexa, hey,” he says, leaning forward and threatening to topple his chair over. In his hand he holds a bottle that sloshes as he gestures at her.
He’s completely smashed and Lexa doesn’t feel very sober herself, but she’s aware enough to stick her foot out to anchor his chair before it falls. Clarke giggles into her neck. “Captain?”
“D’ya remember when we first met? That first night—day… that we met? D’ya remember what you said?”
The alcohol is making her brain fuzzy. She thinks back nearly two months, to a rain drenched night, stranded in the clouds in the middle of a lightning storm, getting captured by pirates and locked up in a drafty cabin all night. Locked up with Clarke, they’d had their first genuine conversation and Lexa marked that night as the moment she started to fall for Clarke.
“Um,” Lexa says, frowning. “I think so? I—”
“You said,” Bellamy interrupts, leaning forward and nearly tipping his chair again, despite Lexa’s boot. “You said that Clarke was your wife, d’ya remember that? You said,” Bellamy straightens up and adopts a faux stern face to mimic Lexa, “my name is Lexa Woods and this is my wife, Clarke. I thought you were lying, but lookit now, it's true!”
Lexa laughs out loud because she does remember blurting that out in a desperate attempt to keep Clarke safe and it had only served to embarrass them both later. Clarke squeezes Lexa’s waist tighter, her starlight stuttering brighter at Bellamy’s words.
“Wife,” she whispers into Lexa's neck. They were really married now. Well Luna had mentioned something about the necessity of signing official documents when they reached the Capital, but in their hearts they were married. When Lexa goes to claim her throne she will have Clarke, her wife by her side and that makes all the difference.
Lexa leans down to kiss her, mouthing the word against Clarke's lips. She gets lost in it until a wolf whistle courtesy of Octavia breaks them apart. She's supporting an apparently fast asleep Raven over to the bench beside Lexa. Raven startles awake when Octavia drops her down.
“This isn't our bed, O,” Raven complains.
Octavia pulls a chair up next to Bellamy and sits. “Lexa's parents are in our cabin, Rae, remember?” She gently pushes Bell so he's more upright, dozing with his forehead resting on his arms. Somehow Octavia is still full of energy despite dancing and drinking more than anyone.
Raven yawns wide and leans back, dropping her head against the railing. Lexa yawns too, suddenly aware of how tired she is. She lays her head down on Clarke's shoulder.
“This was truly a wonderful party, Octavia,” Clarke sighs, stroking Lexa's hair. “It was everything we wanted.”
Lexa nods, closing her eyes. “I can only hope my—” she breaks off into a wide yawn. “My coronation party is half as enjoyable...”
Octavia starts to wave off the praise before realizing what Lexa said. “Hold up, your coronation?”
“Yes,” she nods, absently. “My mother says it'll be quite the affair. You're all invited of course—”
Clarke gives her a little shake. “Lexa, you haven't told them about that yet.”
“I haven't?”
Octavia leans forward, excited now. “What coronation?”
“Who's getting coronated?” Raven says, lifting her head and blinking.
“I am I guess,” Lexa says, readjusting her head on Clarke's shoulder. She fumbles with the buttons on her blouse for a moment—she lost her tie and waistcoat a while ago—before managing to unbutton the top two. The long silver chain around her neck is simple and temporary but attached is a large dark red ruby. “I touched this stone and that means I'm going to be King.”
“Whaaaat,” Octavia says, mildly outraged. “Were you even gonna tell us you’re like fucking royalty now?”
“I was going to tell you before we left…” Lexa insists weakly, fiddling with the stone.
“Lexa didn’t want to make a big deal yet,” Clarke explains, patting Lexa’s head to soothe her. “We just wanted a simple party with our friends, not some big Royal Affair. That’s kind of the reason we wanted to get married so soon. Once Lexa is coronated, everything is going to change. They would never have let the King of Stormhold get married on a sky vessel with a bunch of pirates.”
Octavia crosses her arms. “I suppose I get that. None of us would have treated you any different though. Except Bellamy maybe.”
“Oh yeah, the fucking history nerd,” Raven snorts. She kicks at Bellamy’s chair, startling him out of his doze. “Hey nerd.”
“Who—wha—?” He glares at Raven. “What's the big idea?”
“Thought you'd like to know you're drooling in front of the future King of Stormhold.”
“The—what? Where—?” Bellamy looks around, bewildered until he sees the stone in Lexa's hand. It takes his sleepy mind a moment of looking between the stone and Lexa before he makes the necessary mental connection. He scrambles up, nearly tripping over his chair in his haste to see it closer. “Holy shit, is that the Ruby? Where did you find that?”
Octavia is looking at it closer too. “It looks like the necklace Clarke used to wear.”
“That's because it is that necklace. Or the stone is at least,” Clarke says, reaching up to support Lexa's hand with her own, keeping the stone steady for the others to see.
Lexa rubs her thumb over the Ruby thoughtfully, admiring the way Clarke's starlight reflects off it's surface. “I guess I managed not to touch it before the Mountain. Or,” she glances at Clarke, “maybe I finally proved my worth.”
“It was destiny,” Bellamy declares, with all the conviction an utterly drink pirate can muster. “Fate.” He stands up, swaying a bit, and raises his bottle. “I would like to propose a toast.” Nobody else has drinks to toast with, but Bellamy doesn't seem to notice. “To fate! And really...really good moonshine…” He takes a long drink from the bottle, draining it. Then he promptly topples to the floor and passes out.
Octavia nudges her brother with her foot, unimpressed. “For a Pirate Captain, he's kind of a lightweight.”
The soft music still drifting across the deck fades out as the song ends and a familiar waltz begins. Lexa recognizes it from their first dance together more than a month ago, and now from their walk down the aisle. She sits up, feeling more awake and holds her hand out to her wife.
“Will you dance with me, my love?”
Clarke smiles, taking Lexa's hand and allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. “Always.”
They're alone on the deck, the last remaining crew finally sitting (or lying) down and drifting off to sleep. The waltz position is easy to step into now, with practice and comfortable familiarity between them. Lexa settles her arm around Clarke's back, while Clarke rests hers around Lexa's shoulders. Their free hands thread together and they move as one, no longer needing to watch their feet or even think about the steps.
High up in the clouds, beneath the vast unending sky, they dance in slow lazy circles transported into their own little world. When they touch down on land again they will go at last to the Capital. Lexa will be put through the trials and deliberations needed to prepare her to take the crown. They will face new challenges, possibly new threats, new dangers. Their lives will change completely, again.
For now though, they have the simplicity of this dance and the security of each other, together for the rest of their lives. And that is enough.