A Different Landing

Chapter-30

Clarke tied off the knot on her last stitch and sat back on her heels and gave herself a moment to breath. The severely injured had either been treated or had died waiting for treatment. She couldn't save them all, she never could. She had to choose who to treat and who would have to wait for treatment while she was caring for their comrades who were in equally dire straits. This calm without patients in dire need wouldn't last but she had a few precious minutes she could afford herself now that her apprentices had arrived and were helping the injured. Standing, she moved to the building set aside for quarantine built just outside of the walls of TonDC. She'd seen Lexa and a small band of warriors hauling something into the building, though enough time had passed since then for her to treat a perforated lung and impaled side.

Having Lexa there to take charge had allowed her to get straight to treating the injured, which had been a relief and a luxury she was not often afforded. However, letting Lexa carry the future movements of the army on her shoulders alone wasn't acceptable. Even ignoring how it was desperately unfair to her lover on an individual level, Clarke was still a general first and healer second. It was her duty to her people to lead them properly and not let her need to heal the injured get in the way of that. The opportunity to save those that she normally would be unable to because of her duties as a leader was an unexpected luxury but it was time for her to return to command.

Waving away anyone who approached her, she made her way towards the quarantine hut on tired legs. Clarke was enjoying the stretch in her aching limbs and the brief moment where she didn't have to think and plan. The dozens of injured had taken so much out of her, as always. She felt tired and her head was pounding. Everything hurt, the aches of combat, the draining of the adrenaline in her system, the grief from the loss of warriors. It was a bit selfish of her but she found that she was almost numb to the deaths of her men while the death of her horse was hitting her hard. He'd been by her side since she'd become a captain.

Slogging through the torn up ground, she finally made it to the hut and opened the door without bothering to knock. She was far too tired to bother with formality. As she came in, she saw Dax move for the hilt of a knife before recognizing her and relaxing his stance again. He tapped out a quick greeting. She smiled at him, ignoring the rest of the room noticing her.

"Klark?" Lexa questioned from she had been helping the others attach explosives to belts.

Clarke raised her eyebrow at the sight. Glancing around the room, she took in Nut's presence as well as the collection of semi-stable warriors working under the seconds directions. "Lexa, could we talk?"

"Of course," Standing, she brushed her knees off. Turning to the warriors who were looking curiously around, she gave them their orders. "Keep working, I expect progress when I return."

Clarke left the hut. Once they were outside of it, she pulled Lexa into the side of the building behind the water barrels and out of sight from any prying eyes. Burying her head into Lexa's shoulder, she held onto her just breathing her in and reassuring herself that they were both still alive. Lexa gripped onto the back of her jacket, crushing them even further together. Clarke just breathed in, soaking in Lexa's presence before finally forcing herself to release Lexa and pull back. "Lexa, you're planning on going into the mountain then?" She felt her voice closing slightly at the fear that statement gave her.

"We can't give them time to retaliate." Lexa said. Clarke could feel the woman pulling back prepared to defend her decision.

"I know." Clarke stroked the side of Lexa's face with her thumb reassuring the commander that she wouldn't oppose this. "What news do we have from the Indra's team?"