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“Clarke,” The Commander called to the blonde, “come with me. We must ride.”
The blonde looked up at Lexa, confused. They weren't leaving for Arkadia today, yet here was the Commander dressed ready to go on some sort of adventure. Slowly, Clarke rose from her seat, leaving a charcoal drawing on the table in front of her. She was drawing a picture of Lexa sitting on her ornate throne. It wasn't much yet, but it would be.
“Where are we headed?” She asked as they headed out of Lexa’s domain toward where the horses were kept.
“You will see,” Lexa told her with a small smile. “Aden! Have you prepared for the journey?”
The blonde boy was standing by the doors waiting for the two of them. He seemed to perk up at Lexa’s voice and grinned at the mention of the trip.
“Sha, Heda!” He responded, sounding excited.
Lexa crossed her arms, “do not speak like that around them. They will not be pleased.”
Aden rolled his eyes and his voice changed to a more heavily accented one, “you will not speak that bastardized language in this house.” He said with a mocking tone. “You will speak properly.”
Lexa couldn't help but grin at him and she even snickered a little. “Precisely.”
“I still don't know where we're going,” Clarke pointed out.
“Do not worry, it is safe,” Aden replied with a smile. “Come on! I want to be there before lunch!”
The boy didn't bother waiting, he just took off in the direction of the stables. Lexa tore after him, smiling like a child and even laughing along the way.
“Hey! Wait up!” Clarke hollered before breaking into a sprint behind them.
When Clarke caught up, she was panting and leaning against the stable walls. “Jesus Christ, I’m out of shape.” She muttered.
Lexa walked over to her, handing her the reins to a horse. “You will have time to catch your breath later, we must ride now. Lest Aden takes off again.”
Clarke looked up to the boy who was sitting on his horse. He seemed to be bouncing up and down, eager to get moving apparently.
“Alright, help me up.”
With some assistance, Clarke sat up on the horse and the trio had taken off. Clarke didn't know how long they had been riding when Lexa started taking her horse off the trail. Both Aden and Lexa seemed to know where they were going. Clarke followed them quietly until she saw that they were headed towards a huge hunk of stone covered by plants.
“Uh, why are we at a wall?” She called out.
“It is not a wall, Wanheda,” Aden told her.
Once they hit the wall, Lexa jumped down from her horse and began to feel across the stone. Moments later, she slipped through the ivy, making Clarke scream a little, before popping her head out.
“I see they have updated their camouflage,” Lexa commented, ignoring Clarke shriek. “This way.” She pulled back the ivy curtain and let Aden lead the way.
Clarke was a bit skeptical about the whole thing. She did not like walking through some dark cave. She heard Lexa mount up again and start walking right next to her. Clarke felt Lexa place her hand gently over her own, calming the blonde slightly.
“Do not worry Clarke,” Lexa told her. “We are perfectly safe.”
Somehow those words seemed to calm Clarke enough. The three continued in silence until Clarke noticed a light at the end of the tunnel.
“We better not be dead,” Clarke mumbled.
“Excuse me?”
“Haven't you heard about the light at the end of the tunnel that everyone sees when they die?” Clarke asked her.
“No,” Lexa told her.
“Nevermind then,” Clarke responded.
“Baba probably would understand her,” Clarke heard Aden say.
Lexa made no reply, she just shifted. Clarke assumed that she had shrugged, but it was hard to see in the dark.
When the reached the other side of the tunnel, Clarke could hear running water, much like a river. Then there was laughing, and squealing. It sounded like they were coming up on a village.
The group rode through the tunnel opening, brushing away the ivy as it fell over them, and Clarke was treated with an interesting sight.
The group stood in a massive valley, surrounded by mountains and well protected from the looks of it. Off to one side was a roaring waterfall with children playing in the pool below. Cottages dotted the landscape, but none compared to the massive stone house that seemed to be built into the mountainside.
“Clarke,” Lexa told her with a small grin, “welcome to my village.”
Roars of approval sounded as the Commander and Aden rode through the streets. Flowers were thrown and it seemed to be a massive celebration. Clarke tried to hang back, but Lexa made sure she rode with the group. After all, she was Wanheda.
When they arrived at the stone fortress, the three dismounted and Lexa handed their horses over to a teenage boy. While they handed over their horses, the village went quiet.
Clarke turned to see two women walk out of the stone house. The dark haired woman was carrying two infants, presumably twins, while the blonde woman had a toddler sitting on her shoulders. Behind them, a two other children followed, holding onto the fabric of their clothes.
It was obvious that these women were in charge of this hidden village, and they were either widely feared or widely respected… or both.
When they approached the group, Lexa and Aden both fell to their knees. “My Lord Ra’s al Ghul,” they said, looking at the ground. Clarke awkwardly followed, getting on her knees and averting her gaze from the women.
“Alexandria, Aden, it has been some time,” one of the women said in a heavily accented voice. It was similar to the one Aden made earlier. “Quite a few months if I remember correctly.”
“Yes, my lord,” the two said.
“Alright, brats,” the blonde finally said with a smile. “Come give your mom and I a hug!”
Quicker than a lightening bolt, Aden and Lexa leaped up and wrapped the two women in awkward hugs. Lexa wrapped her arms around the dark haired woman while Aden practically jumped on the blonde. After greeting the taller woman, Lexa went to jump on the other woman with Aden.
“To enthusiastic!” The blonde cried, when Aden and Lexa practically jumped on her.
“You did tell them to give us hugs, beloved,” the other said with a smile. She adjusted her hold on the babies in her arms before continuing. “Alexandria, take the boys, will you?”
Lexa quickly obeyed and took the infants from the woman. “Yes, Mama,” she said and she juggled the happy baby boys in her arms. It made Clarke grin a little. Who knew Lexa was so good with babies?
“Wait-” Clarke said, “these are your parents?” Clarke remembered Lexa speaking very highly of her parents. She said that they were great warriors who trained her before sending her to Polis.
“Oh! Is this Clarke Griffin of the Sky People?” The blonde asked as the other woman pulled Aden into her arms for a hug. “She doesn't look like a princess, Lex. I should know, I married one.”
“Sara, stop criticizing,” the dark haired woman said quickly. She then turned to Clarke (who had stood up), “I am Nyssa, Alexandria’s mother. That is Sara.”
“I'm hungry!” Aden said, while hanging in Sara’s arms. His feet barely brushed against the ground and he seemed pretty content to hang there.
“Hi hungry, I’m Dad!” Sara told him, while grinning at her terrible joke.
“Baba,” all the children groaned.
“Uh, nice to meet you?” Clarke replied. “Is shake your hands, but you look like you have your hands full.” She figured the safest bet right now was to respond to the woman with a pun of her own. She didn't seem like the normal Grounders that she came into contact with. This Sara remind Clarke of her people.
“I like her,” Sara declared, grinning.
“Baba,” Lexa mumbled, “please stop.”
“Not a chance, kid.” Sara said with a grin. “Come on in, blondie. It's nice to have another blonde around. You won't believe all the blonde jokes I gotta put up with here.”
“What are blonde jokes?” Lexa asked her mother. Both she and Aden looked up at the woman.
“I have no idea,” Nyssa responded. “At this point, I do not even try to understand what she is saying.”
“Can we eat yet?”
“So let me get this straight-” Clarke started off.
“Were not!” Sara hollered from the other room.
“Sara Lance!” Nyssa called in a warning tone that made even Clarke shiver.
“She walked right into that one, babe,” Sara commented, coming back to the room with a teapot and some cups.
“You're about to walk into Mama’s fist to your face, Baba, if you keep up with your bad jokes,” Lexa commented, taking a cup of tea.
“Nah, she has her hands full,” Sara told her. “Besides, she likes my face too much… and everything on it,” the woman grinned and stuck her tongue out. “Now my stomach, that's probably fair game.”
“Anyway,” Clarke interrupted, getting them back on track, “you two are Lexa’s biological moms?”
“Yes,” Nyssa answered, leaning back in her chair.
“I'm Dad, though,” Sara told her, taking a seat on the table right by her wife. “It's an old joke that's just stuck.” She explained before Clarke could ask.
“So who carried who?” Clarke asked, leaning on the table. It was a rather ornate table, hand carved, beautifully stained. It looked like it never saw the nuclear fall out. Granted, many things in the stone house looked like they hadn't seen a nuclear fallout. Obviously these women had money or connections or something.
“I birthed Alexandria,” Nyssa answered, “also I birthed Roman, Mara, and the twins.”
“I had Aden and Dove,” Sara told Clarke with a smile. “Nyssa has had most of our munchkins. It's pretty rare if I'm the one who gets knocked up. And when it does, it's nine months of hell for everyone.”
“Knocked up?” Lexa and Aden both asked.
“Another word for pregnant,” Clarke supplied.
The two nodded in understanding.
“So is Lexa your oldest?” Clarke asked them. Lexa and Aden grinned off to the side and started snickering.
Sara’s smile widened and even Nyssa smirked. “Not even close,” Sara told her. “She’s… shit, Lex what number are you?”
“Nineteen,” Lexa told them quickly.
“I'm twenty!” Aden added with a smile. “What's for lunch?”
Clarke’s jaw dropped. These women hardly looked that old and they had 20, no, 25 children! Her eyes flicked between Nyssa and Sara, trying to comprehend what she just heard. In all reality, Lexa looked entirely too old to have them as her parents. Something weird was happening and Clarke was very confused.
“I really like this one!” Sara declared while laughing. “Oh her reaction is gold! Damn I wish I had a camera! This is priceless!”
“You had a similar reaction when I first told you I was with child,” Nyssa told her wife quickly.
“I had a smooth recovery though,” Sara replied, leaning over to the woman and kissing her temple.
“You did,” she conceded.
“When was this?” Lexa asked, now curious. She rarely was able to hear stories from her mothers.
“Back with baby number one, kiddo. Long before you were even planned.” Sara told her. “When she said she was pregnant, I just said the first thing that popped into my head.”
“Which was?” Lexa asked.
“Hi Pregnant, I'm Dad!” Sara replied cheerfully. The joke make Clarke bust out laughing and everyone else groan.
“Was I planned?” Aden asked them when the laughter died down. He had gotten out of his seat in search of food and returned with jerky if some kind. His little brother, Roman, also had jerky in his hands. Clarke hadn't even noticed the kids leaving… though, she was probably too busy laughing.
“No buddy, you were definitely an accident. A happy accident, but still an accident.” Sara told him honestly. “Hey! Where did you get those?”
Aden shrugged, “at least I was a good accident.”
“Under the ice,” Roman answered in Aden’s place. “I'm hungry.”
“I could eat,” Lexa added thoughtfully.
“Hungry!” Dove and Mara shouted in unison.
As if on cue, the twins started getting fussy. The older women looked at each other and then sighed.
“You feed the twins,” Sara mumbled, “I got lunch.”
“Yay!” All the children shouted. Even Lexa grinned and cheered.
Lunch at Lexa’s home was a terrifying event. The kitchen, if it could be called that, was in absolute chaos. Sara was barking out orders left and right while Lexa and the other children were throwing things to her.
Clarke stayed out of it, not wanting to get caught in some sort of food crossfire. She watched the youngest child, Mara, as she dutifully separated good produce from bad produce. The bad was thrown in a bin while the good was thrown to Dove, the next youngest child. Dove chopped vegetables with Roman and they worked it like an assembly line. Aden was creating some sort of concoction off to the side and dipping pieces of partially cooked meat into it, deciding whether or not he liked it. Then Lexa was mashing up whatever the younger kids cut up, and putting it in a huge pot and creating a concoction of her own.
“Aden, sauce check!” Sara called out. She was adding some strange powder to the meat they were going to eat.
“Good to go, Baba!” Aden called out, holding up his bowl.
“Aden, butter!” Lexa said from her massive pot.
“Got it!” The blonde said quickly, hopping off to get a slab of butter. He returned quickly with a massive block of butter for Lexa to use.
“Do we need carrots?” Roman asked the blonde woman.
“Yup,” Sara answered, “I've got the water on, so any of those potatoes that Lexa doesn't use will go there.”
At the mention of her name, Lexa jerked her head up, “should I leave some for you?” She asked.
Sara walked over to Lexa. She peered into the bowl and nodded, “you're good kid, just go put that on the fire and tend to it. Aden, get the sauce on the table, the meat will be done real quick. Anyone want corn?”
“Corn!” The kids cried out.
“I always want corn,” Lexa said, carrying her pot to the fire.
Sara rolled her eyes, “hey Princess! Go get the corn. It's in the room behind you!”
Clarke quickly followed Sara’s instruction and found the room with the corn. It was a completely stone room with ice blocks all around, keeping the room at a cold temperature. She grabbed an armload of corn and left the cold room, back into the chaos.
“Alright princess, shuck that corn for me, will ya?” Sara asked her while she busied herself by dumping in various vegetables into her stew pot.
“Incoming!” Came a shout and Sara pushed Clarke out of the way of the fire. A second later, a massive pile of chopped carrots landed into the water. It made a large splash and the water could have easily burned anyone in the area, if there was anyone.
Sara jumped back to the bowl and began to stir, “I need one more bowl of carrots, half bowl of celery and a quarter bowl of onion and we should be good!”
“I got the celery!” Aden said, “ouch! Never mind!”
Clarke looked up to see that the boy was hit with a clergy stalk. Despite being three years old, Mara had good aim.
“You, shuck corn,” Sara ordered while going back to the meat. She put item a stone slab that was over the fire to let it cook more. “If you're gonna eat, you're gonna work too.”
“Shuck?”
“Peel the corn, princess,” Sara joked to her. “Here, like this.” She expertly peeled the leafy coverings off the corn, but did not detach them, she just pulled them down. She then pulled out the hair from inside and put the leafy covering back over the corn. “Once you finish, put them in water for a minute or two and then put them on the fire.”
Clarke nodded and began to shuck the corn like Sara showed her. After doing her third one, Lexa came over and helped Clarke. “You must be quick in this kitchen,” Lexa told her with a smile while she expertly shucked the corn.
“And nimble so you don't get hit with projectile celery,” Clarke commented while doing her little chore. “Is cooking always like this?”
“Only when Baba is in charge. Baba likes to make cooking fun.” Lexa explained, “now bring these to the water and let them sit for a moment before putting it on the fire.”
“Baba?” Clarke asked, gathering her corn.
“It is an old word for Papa in some other language. Mama and Baba are the only few who know it now,” Lexa explained. “I must return to my potatoes.”
A delicious aroma started to fill the kitchen. Clarke felt her mouth watering as she inhaled the scent. This may be the most chaotic kitchen Clarke had ever been in, but damn did the meal smell good.
After some time, plates were put at the table and Sara ran off. Nyssa had walked back into the kitchen, shook her head and went to sit down at the table with the twins. Clarke caught a quick glimpse of the three and noticed that the boys were fast asleep on their mother’s chest and even Nyssa looked tired.
“Brace yourselves,” Lexa warned Clarke.
“Why?”
She quickly learned why when a bell sounded. On cue, a stampede of people came running to the dining room door. Clarke recognized some of the people as workers she saw that morning. They all had lined up outside with bowls in hand, ready to eat. Without hesitating, the kids served the workers what was in the massive stew pot. By the time everyone ate their fill, Sara returned to partially filled stew back to the fire to keep warm.
“That's impressive,” Clarke muttered as she watched Sara. The stew pot was absolutely massive and she was able to pick it up with ease.
“Baba is very strong,” Lexa mumbled back. “Neither Anya or I inherited that trait.”
“Anya?” Clarke asked quietly.
“Anya is my sister. She is number 17.” Lexa told her like it was common knowledge.
“Bullshit.”
“Hopefully not in the house. Mama will be very displeased.”
“That's not what I meant, Lexa! Next you're going to tell me that Gustus was your older brother or something!”
“No of course not. But Lincoln is my twin brother.”
Clarke’s jaw dropped, causing Lexa to grin a little and cover her mouth with her hand. “I am just joking, Clarke. My twin lives here.” Lexa told her. Just as Lexa finished her statement, a taller tanned male walked into the house, grinning from ear to ear.
“A little bird informed me that the young Heda was present,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
“Did the bird find you asleep in the hay, or having a nice romp in it?” Lexa asked him with a smug look on her face.
“Take a guess,” the young man told her, plucking a piece of hay from his clothes and placing it between his teeth.
Lexa rolled her eyes, “Clarke, this is my brother. He takes after our Baba.”
“Aleksei al Ghul, pleasure to meet you.” The tanned young man said with a smile. He had black hair that was long at the top and tied back in a wolf tail, while the sides were shaved. “I am the more superior sibling.”
“And yet, I am Heda,” Lexa snarked.
“I had no desire to take part in the Conclave. Besides, Heda is far too much work.”
“Oh good, you found my lazy good for nothing son!” Sara called walking over to the three. “Lazy good for nothing son, this is the Sky Princess we've been hearing about. Her name is Clarke. Don't flirt with her or Lex will most likely chop your dick off.”
“I am good for something!” Aleksei protested.
“Standing around and looking pretty maybe,” Sara replied.
“He takes after Sara,” Nyssa piped up.
“Wow. Rude babe. I'm useful!” Sara protested in the same whiny tone her son used.
“Mostly standing around and looking pretty,” Nyssa told the group without even looking at them. “And the occasional heavy lifting.”
“Damn right! Check out these guns!” Sara declared, flexing her rather impressive arm muscles. The children all groaned but Clarke was really impressed by the blonde’s arms.
The group of children eventually gathered around the table and loaded up their plates with the meat Sara had cooked, corn, and mashed potatoes. Clarke had to admit that the meal looked amazing.
“What brings you back, Alexandria?” Aleksei asked while reading his meal.
“There is trouble with the coalition. I seek advice,” Lexa answers honestly.
“There will always be trouble, child.” Nyssa told her from her position on a very comfy looking couch. She was still lounging with two very sleepy babies on her chest. “Is the 'Queen’ giving you trouble again?”
Lexa grinned, “I have solved that problem. They will no longer be an issue.”
Sara nodded, “good, I didn't really feel like sending that one out on a mission.” The blonde explained, pointing at Aleksei. “He would probably muck it up.”
The young man looked up at his mother, well father in this case, and glared at her. “I am perfectly capable of doing a mission and not messing up.”
“So the chicken incident was intentional,” Lexa commented with a sly grin.
“One time! One time I mess up and no one ever lets me forget it! I was ten! Ten!” The man complained.
“I was in Polis at ten, training to be Heda.” Lexa told him.
“You take after mama,” he grumbled.
“Who do I take after?” Aden asked happily.
“Your mother, thank God for that.” Sara said with a smile. “I'm still not sure why your mother is with me after all these years. I certainly live up to my hair color.”
“I do need what you call eye candy.” Nyssa told her, “also I need someone to do the heavy lifting.”
“You use me for my body.”
“And do you mind it?”
Sara grinned at her, “not one bit.” the two shared some flirty look that made pretty much everyone look uncomfortable. Clarke didn't mind. She thought it was cute how the women were still very much in love with each other, even after having 25 kids.
“Pray tell, what is your problem?” Nyssa asked her daughter.
“There is unrest with the Sky People and the Clans. I believe they plan an attack on my our people.” Lexa told them while stabbing at her meat.
“My scouts tell me that there is great unrest in Arkadia,” Aleksei commented. “They do not like you army outside their walls, Lexa. They vote for a new Chancellor as we speak and they have added a man named Pike to their ballots. He seeks to kill or army and your people.”
That was news to Lexa. “I must return to Polis at once.” The Commander decided.
“Wait a second, kid.” Sara said, getting up. “It isn't safe for you. I get you're the commander and all, but you're still our daughter and we can't lose you.”
“Aden is more than ready to take my place.” Lexa argues.
“I would rather not, though.” Aden said quickly. “That would mean Roman would have to come to Polis.”
“What do you mean?” Clarke asked the group.
Sara looked over to the blonde. “After the Conclave began, the title of Commander has fallen to one of our kids without fail. There have only been four Commanders that are not of our bloodline. The Commander who started the Conclave, the Commander before him, the Commander before that, and Becca,” She explained. “Becca was the first commander. She was the one who created the Nightbloods. The Nightbloods are the only ones who can become the Commander. Nyssa and I were the first and second Nightbloods that she created. Since then, we've passed the gene on to our kids. Some get it, like Lexa, and some don't.”
“Like Anya…” Clarke mumbled, remembering how Anya was apparently Lexa’s sister and how she had normal people blood.
“Correct” Nyssa told her. “The Conclave has only been around for the past seventy years or so. Before that, there was a clear line of succession.”
“Like a monarchy?”
“It was more like an Oligarchy,” Nyssa replied. “Each of the Nightbloods had a specific task. For Sara, it was training in combat.”
“And Nyssa taught all the political jargon. The three tenants of the commander are based on Nyssa’s teachings. Nyssa was the right hand to Becca.”
“She was the Keeper of the Flame.” Lexa supplied quickly. “She held Titus’s role before ascending to the role of the Commander.”
“You were the Commander!?”
“We both were.” Sara answered with a casual shrug. “After Becca died, Nyssa took over just long enough for the two of us to establish some sort of order and a system of government. Then, well…”
“My reign was long enough to establish order among the people who had survived. Then I fell pregnant and Sara assumed the mantle of the Commander.” Nyssa explained to her. “Our people became known as the People of the Forest. Or Trikru as they call themselves.” The second commander sneered as she spoke the last bit.
“You say Trikru like it's a bad thing.” Clarke pointed out.
“Trigedasleng was originally made for battle. Nyssa and I developed it as a mixture of the languages that we knew so that we could call commands on the field without others being able to understand what we are saying.” Sara told her. “It was meant to be slang. Not the primary language of the New World.”
Off to the side, Lexa grinned. “These two are credited with the creation of the Language and many aspects of our way of life. As much as the do not like it.”
The two rolled their eyes but said nothing.
Clarke was fascinated though. “Wait, so you two literally shaped the Grounder culture?”
“They are practically Goddesses,” Aleksei said with a grin that matched his twin. "There is a statue of them in Polis."
“Shut yer yap, brats!” Sara told them while pointing a spoon at them as threateningly as she could. “And who came up with the word Grounder, that's the dumbest thing I've heard.”
Clarke flushed and looked away. She couldn't quite remember who coined the term, but no one questioned it. In her defense, they were all a bunch of delinquents.
“We would be more than willing to write out the events following The Fallout, if you would like, Clarke.” Nyssa told the blonde teen.
Clarke couldn't help but notice how Nyssa pronounced her name the same way that Lexa did. She couldn't help but notice that Lexa had the same mannerisms as Nyssa. She was her mother’s daughter for sure.
“I would like that. The members of the Ark would like to hear what happened since The Fallout.” Clarke responded. “What was the Old World like?”
The children all looked at Clarke and then to their parents, curious about what they would say. Apparently they spoke very little about the Old World.
“It was different.” Nyssa answered. “There were hundreds of cities, larger than Polis now, but larger and even busier. Buildings taller than the Polis tower, were clustered together.”
“When the buildings fell after the bombs, it's a wonder that any of the buildings in Gotham managed to survive.” Sara said casually.
“Gotham?” Clarke asked her.
“Yup. Gotham City, home of Batman.” Sara told her. “Nyssa and I had… business, in the city when the bombs went off.”
“What was that like?” Clarke asked, very interested.
“That is none of your business,” Nyssa snapped with a vicious tongue. It definitely reminded her of Lexa.
Clarke recoiled, realizing she crossed some boundary.
“I believe I will retire to my study. When you are ready, Alexandria, join me and we will speak of strategy.” Nyssa said quickly, gathering up the twins and headed away.
“Yes, My Lord Ra’s.” Lexa answered quickly.
Everyone watched Nyssa leave and quickly went about busying themselves. Aleksei was able to coax the kids into finishing their meals before putting the plates on the kitchen counter to be washed later. When the kitchen was clean, he ushered the littler ones, including Aden out of the house for some fun and games. Despite being 'useless,’ Aleksei was very good at defusing bad situations.
Lexa remained behind for a moment before a sharp look from Sara sent the mighty Commander scurrying up the steps to talk business. Then it was Clarke and Sara.
“Walk with me, Blondie.” Sara said, standing up.
Clarke quickly followed the older blonde.
The two walked in silence for a while. Sara walked along the outskirts of the massive village. It gave Clarke time to look at Lexa’s home. The people here seemed well off, even better in comparison to some of the people of Polis. The buildings were more structured, but they didn't have the same style as the Old World. As Clarke observed, she could see that there were outposts carved into the stone of the mountain. There were outposts surrounding the village, and two people manning each one. Towers all around the town, with rope bridges to connect one to another.
“The defense of my people is important,” Sara said when she noticed that Clarke was staring at all the outposts.
“I can see that. You seem really well protected in this valley.”
Sara snorted, “this is no valley. This is a crater.”
“What?!” But suddenly it made sense. How the jagged walls of the mountain protected the village just perfectly! They were sitting inside a massive crater! “How?!”
“This is where one of the nukes landed. It was a smaller one, but it left this big ass crater.” Sara told her. “Come on. We're climbing.”
Clarke's eyes looked to the massive set of stone steps carved into the rock and her heart dropped. That was a lot of steps. “Okay…” she mumbled out.
They two were silent as they climbed. All that could be heard was Clarke’s heavy panting as she continued her long torturous trek up the mountain. Sara didn't seem affected by it, but Clarke guessed that she had hidden superpowers or something. Maybe Superman bestowed some of his powers on her, or something.
“So. I imagine you have a lot of questions. The kids did too. We try not to talk about the Old World around them. It makes things difficult.” Sara said when they reached the top.
“Why?” Clarke huffed out while in the tripod position.
Sara sighed, “a number of reasons really. We try to give them a talk before they eventually go off to Polis but, we don't tell them too much. Just enough.”
Clarke nodded. “Okay…”
When she stood up, she looked at the older blonde. Sara was staring back down at the village with some hint of pride in her gaze. Clarke looked down at the village and she was impressed. From where they stood, the village below looked almost like a bustling city. The massive stone fortress that was Nyssa and Sara’s house was easily seen. The more she looked at the village, the more obvious it was that it was built inside a massive crater.
“So why a nuke crater?” Clarke asked.
Sara grinned, “because none of the other survivors, in the early years, were able to go near nukes without suffering immense pain. Only the Nightbloods had the ability to go near them without suffering health problems. So it became our safe haven.”
“Wait, so this village is Nightbloods?” Clarke asked her.
“Many people here have the Nightblood,” Sara told her. “It used to be that the Commander was voted in by the other Nightbloods in Gotham, or Polis as it was renamed. Only the Nightbloods could vote and the winner was Commander. The rest of the Nightbloods continued doing their job and running the show. We had a set term of six years and a max of two terms, but we had rules about how the Commander should be. Nyssa’s reign, while short, shaped the world into what it is now. I didn't rule very long either, just one term. My main purpose was to give the Nightbloods a nice place to retire after their service. Kind of like how the President had a pension and extra stuff after their gig was up. So that's why Nanda Blidat was born.”
“Nanda Blidat?”
“That's the name of the village. It's a throwback to our youth, if you will.” Sara explained, taking a seat on the steps. “Nyssa was bred to be an assassin. She was the Heir to the League of Assassins, an organization as old as humanity itself. Probably. She saved my life and for a time I was also an assassin. Long story short, we fell in love, I ran away, she chased me, I realized I couldn't live without her, I went back with her, then died, she was sad, had a relationship with my sister, that same sister brought me back to life and gave me superpowers and they kind of broke up, then Nyssa got imprisoned, busted out and dismantled the patriarchy and we lived happily ever after. Until the bombs that is.”
“Wait. Your wife was in a relationship with your sister?” Clarke asked her.
“That's more interesting than the fact that I was brought back to life?” Sara asked her. “And that I have superpowers?”
“Uh. No?” Clarke asked. In all reality the whole thing was weird, but she wanted to know how the getting in a relationship with your dead wife’s girlfriend happened.
“Yes, Nyssa and Laurel had a thing before she passed away. Not going to lie, I wish I could have seen it. Nyssa hates bringing it up and Laurel never told me much. But we did sort of bond while talking about how good she is with her finger and how loud she is when she cums.”
“Huh,” Clarke mumbled. “How much is Lexa like her?”
Sara roared with laughter. She fell on her back and was literally rolling around laughing her ass off. When she recovered, she wiped a few tears from her eyes and looked at Clarke. “Oh she better keep you.” The blonde told Clarke with a laugh.
The younger blonde smiled shyly and her face was bright red. “So what about the superpowers and stuff?”
Sara grinned. “That whole thing is part of the reason why we were in Gotham the day of the bombs.” Sara told her. “Have you read the Bible?”
Clarke shook her head. “Books were very rare on the Ark. Very few people had access to them. I've had people read stories from the Bible to me, though.”
“Ever hear the story of Lazarus?” Clarke nodded. “Well the reason we were in Gotham was because fucking Batman, or Bruce fucking Wayne, made a Lazarus Pit in his fucking Batcave! The dumbass set out to destroy the pits only to realize they were needed to keep balance and shit on earth. So he made one to make sure Ra’s al Ghul didn't get access to it. This was when Nyssa and I were younger, obviously. But he didn't tell us until we had finally married, settled down with kids and we were retired from being superheroes.”
“And?”
“And he was dying of cancer and he needed someone to protect the pit. When Nyssa was part of the League, she was the Keeper of the Pits. Even after dismantling the League, she was the Keeper of the Pits. So we were duty bound to figure out what to do with it.”
“What is a Lazarus Pit?” Clarke asked, realizing she had no idea what it was.
“Heals injuries and brings people back to life. It's how Laurel brought me back to life and how I have super strength.” Sara told her. “So when the bombs hit, we were in the cave figuring out what to do when we were thrown in the pit. When we popped out, everyone was dead, but we survived thanks to the pit altering genetics and allowing us to survive a nuclear fallout… we headed into Gotham to see what happened, saw Becca fall from the sky and the rest was history.”
Clarke nodded, “what happened to the pit?”
“It's in the fortress. We built it over the pit to protect it. It's how we've kept our youthful appearance.”
“You've been young this whole time?” Clarke asked.
“We've had no choice. At first it was because we needed to raise our kids to take over as Keepers of the Pits, but after the bombs… Well… we had to start over.”
Clarke looked at Sara in confusion for a moment, then it hit her. Sara and Nyssa lost children in The Fallout. That was why Nyssa was so emotional when talking about it.
“Come on,” Sara told Clarke, getting to her feet.
The younger blonde followed Sara quietly as the elder walked along a well worn path. It was almost like she walked it frequently. They walked in silence for a few minutes until they reached an open field. Sticking up from the grass were many wooden crosses with names written on them.
“This is where we bury those who have passed,” Sara told her quietly.
She lead Clarke through the maze of crosses until they came to a cross that said Cindy “Sin” Lance . Over it was the number zero and below it was her lifespan.
“Sin was adopted. Nyssa and I finalized the paperwork just before she turned 18. It was a birthday present. She was our first kid. She died in The Fallout with her sister, brother, and cousin.” Sara pointed out their respective crosses as she spoke. The names Laurel Miranda Lance, Quentin James Lance, And Damian Wayne could be read on the crosses even 100 years later. “Laurel was our firstborn. Nyssa had her. I had Q. Laurel was a lot like Nyssa, but she looked like me. Quentin was my son through and through. He looked nothing like Nyssa but he had her eyes.”
Clarke nodded, “I'm sorry for your loss.”
“They're in a better place now,” Sara responded, shoving her hands in her pockets. “We have mourned them at this point and accepted their death as something we could never control. Amina was conceived a few years after their death, much to our surprise. Nyssa conceived partway through her term as Commander, so she quickly stepped down and I took the lead.”
Sara led Clarke down the line of crosses where she could read the name of Amina Becca Lance. She had the number three over her name. “Amina eventually became the Commander when she was twenty three. She partook in the second Conclave. Since then, Nyssa and I have made sure that each Commander comes from our bloodline.”
“The second Conclave?” Clarke asked her.
“The first Conclave, as we know it now, was done by a bloodthirsty fellow who knew he was never going to be voted into the position, so he killed all the other Nightbloods in their sleep, including the Commander, so that he could claim the title himself. He was the Flamekeeper at the time and he declared that any children found with Nightblood would be brought to Polis where they would learn to fight and how to be the Commander under his tutelage. When the the retired Nightbloods learned of what happened, we decided it best that we only send one from our village, or else many more would die.”
“So your children were sent.” Clarke deduced.
“While one ruled as Commander, their sibling trained to be the Commander under them. While that happened, the rest of the siblings trained in Nanda Blidat until the Commander retired or was killed. Those who remained behind, served Nyssa and I. We would… take care of any potential issues that the Commander had. Missions were sent out and the League of Assassins was reborn, but with slightly different rules.” Sara told her.
“That's why you stayed young. So you could have kids.” Sara nodded to her. “How long will you keep this up?”
“Until our fight is over.” Sara informed her.
“What fight?”
Sara looked at her and smiled, “don't worry yourself with that. It is for the Commander to know. Let's head back.”
Clarke nodded and followed Sara back. As they walked through the crosses, Clarke noticed one name pop out. Anya Larisa Lance. Any doubt about Anya's relation to Lexa died very quickly after that.
They hurried down into town to see Lexa and Aden sitting on top of their horses.
“Come, Clarke, we must return to Polis.” They had rounded up Clarke’s horse as well.
“Right,” Clarke muttered, scurrying over to the mighty steed. She managed to swing up on her own, much to her pleasure.
“It was good to see you,” Nyssa told the small groups. “And it was a pleasure to meet you, Clarke of Arkadia.”
“You too,” Clarke responded. “When all the chaos dies down, maybe we can come back.”
Sara grinned at her, “I'll hold you to it!”
The group smiled and headed off.
“Make sure you bring my workaholic of a daughter when you come back, Blondie!” Sara shouted at the group.
Clarke laughed but quietly vowed to bring Lexa home again.
Clarke rode through the forest with panic bubbling in her chest. She had convinced Titus to keep quiet about Lexa’s death until the morning. He let Clarke take her body away for the night, but he promised he would send soldiers out if Lexa was not back by dawn. It meant that Clarke didn't have much time.
The blonde enlisted in Aden’s help to get Lexa back to Sara and Nyssa. They raced through Nanda Blidat as fast as they could, with Clarke clutching at Lexa’s slowly decaying body. When they raced up to the fortress, Sara and Nyssa were already waiting outside for them.
“Sh-she’s been shot!” Clarke cried, tears streaming down her face. “I t-tried to stop the bleeding b-but there was so much!” She sobbed.
Sara wasted no time pulling Lexa’s limp form Clarke’s horse. “Nyssa?”
“Take her,” Nyssa hissed in a language that Clarke didn't know. “Aden. Bed, now. Bring Clarke.”
“I have to have her back by dawn!” Clarke protested quickly.
“You shall.” Nyssa answered. She looked toward the door of their fortress and frowned. “Under normal circumstances, Clarke Griffin, I would have never allowed this.”
“I didn't know what to do…” Clarke whispered to her, sliding down from her, well, Lexa’s horse. “Sara told me what the pits do and I thought it could help. The Coalition is about to be in shambles and Aden is just so young…”
“Aden is also here…” Aden commended in a quiet voice. “And he is ready if he must be.”
“You may be ready, Aden, but Roman is not.” Nyssa informed the boy. “Now, bed, both of you. You will return to Polis before dawn.”
Aden took Clarke's hand and quietly lead her to the fortress and up the stairs toward the family’s living quarters. Clarke did her best to keep her footsteps light like Aden did, but it was difficult. She managed to keep herself from sobbing openly, so she had that going for her.
The stone hallways were lit with massive torches that lined the walls. They let off a soft glow which soothed Clarke a little, but not much. Aden led Clarke to a room and pushed the door open.
“This is Lexa's. It was Lexa and Anya’s before, but it's just Lexa's now.” Aden told her. “She should have clothes in the drawers. Mama and Baba will get us when Lexa is Lexa again. It may take time. Everyone reacts to the pit differently, which is part of why they don't like to use it.”
“Thank you, Aden,” Clarke croaked. “See you tomorrow?”
“I guess. It will still be dark though. I don't count it as tomorrow until I wake up and the sun is up.” That made Clarke smile a little. “She will be fine, Clarke. You did well. Now rest.”
The blonde nodded. Aden left her and Clarke dug through Lexa’s clothes to find something to wear. When she found a simple nightgown, she stripped completely and pulled the gown over her head before crawling into the bed that smelled like her lover, and passing out.
Clarke felt like she hadn't gotten any sleep when she was rudely shaken awake.
“Go away!” The blonde grumbled, burying back under the furs.
“Well if you would really like me too,” a hoarse but familiar voice said.
Instantly Clarke sat up to see Lexa wearing a thin white nightgown. “Lexa?” She whispered, tears coming to her eyes.
“Come now, Clarke, we must return to Polis. My fight is not yet over.”
Clarke cried out happily and threw herself at Lexa. The Commander didn't even stumble, she just pulled Clarke into a hug. Clarke's hands tangled in Lexa’s hair and pulled her down for a passionate kiss.
“Don't you ever leave me again,” Clarke growled at her.
“I would never dream of it.”
From the doorway, Sara and Nyssa watched the scene with a smile.
“Do you think she will be able to do it?” Nyssa asked her blonde lover.
“She's our kid, if she can't do it, I'm disowning her.” Sara replied with a grin.
Nyssa smiled and kissed Sara on the cheek. “Then I look forward to finally being able to grow old with you.”
Sara leaned her head in Nyssa’s shoulder, “I won't be this hot when I get old…”
“If your mother is any indication, I believe you will age quite well, beloved,” Nyssa told her in a flirtatious tone.
“You checked out my mother?” Sara asked her loudly, interrupting Clarke and Lexa’s moment.
“I regret nothing,” Nyssa replied, walking away. Sara followed her, now badgering Nyssa about checking out her mother.
Clarke and Lexa watched the women leave, both with puzzled looks on their face.
“Polis?” Clarke asked Lexa.
“Polis.” Lexa confirmed. “Together?”
Clarke smiled. “Together.”