Her Loyalties

Chapter Twenty-Four

Lexas POV

Clarke kissed me sweetly, gently. She pulled me close  and I felt her hands curl againt my neck. I hummed in surprise but didn't object. Clarke sighed and I felt my mouth curl up into a half smile. I knew how she felt.

When we finally broke apart Clarke rested her forehead against mine.

"I guess we can't stay apart for long." She joked, her voice hoarse. I nodded breathlessly.

"Are you hungry?" She said after a minute. I suddenly reaslied that I hadn't eaten in a few days. How did I forget to eat?

Clarke saw my sheepish look and smiled.

"I'll get you something." She grinned and let me go. I stayed on her bed as she stood and walked to the door. Just before she left, she looked around. "I'll be right back." 

Clarke left, closing the door behind her. I heard the main door open and close, and then it was silent. 

I leant back on the bed and rested my head on the wall behind me. There was the crackle of paper underneath me and I moved to investigate. Trapped between the bed and the wall, several pieces of paper were shoved into the small space.

Carefully - so I wouldn't rip them - I pulled the papers out and lay them on my lap. They were all drawings, done in black lines, like it had been the only drawing tool available. It looked like charcoal.

Did Clarke draw these? They were beautiful. There was a starry sky, seen through a large window. In the distance, there was a vague outline of earth. This must have been how Clarke saw the earth from the Ark, when it was still in space. I sifted through the others.

A drawing of her mother, one of thick woods that she must have imagined since they didn't look quite like the trees on earth. When I got to the one at the bottom, I frowned, not recognising the person. It was a man, older than us. He looked slightly like Clarke...

The door banged open and I dropped the drawings in surprise. Clarke stared at the papers that were now littered on her bed, a small container in her hands.

"How did you..."

"I found them between the bed and the wall." I hurried to explain. "I didn't mean to pry, I was just...you're such a wonderful artist."

Clarke didn't respond, and her eyes found the drawing of the man I didn't know. Her eyes widened and I saw them fill with tears. Her hands trembled ever so slightly.

"Clarke?" I asked, worried. "What's wrong?"

She set the container on the table and bent to scoop up the drawing. I saw a tear splash onto the floor, and stood. Clarke looked at the drawing for a second, and then turned to me.

"I forgot that I had drawn this." She mumbled.

"Who is it?" I asked. Whoever it was, I assumed they were dead to bring out this reaction in Clarke.

"My dad." Her voice broke and she slumped onto the bed. I sat back down and wrapped an arm round her shoulders.

"Don't talk about him if it makes you upset." I whispered for her benefit as well as mine. It obviously caused her pain to think about him, and I hated to see her upset.

Clarke nodded and then turned her face, leaning her head on my shoulder. We sat for a while as Clarkes tears dripped down and landed on my armour. I didn't know what to say, but apparently just me being there was enough.

"I loved hm so much." Clarke said, her voice hoarse from crying. "So much. But...he...they floated him." She whispered the last part. I frowned.

"Floated?" I asked.

"It's how they executed people on the Ark." She explained. "Dad, he was only trying to help. He tried to release private information to the citizens. But he got caught, and they killed him for it." Clarke cut herself off, and I stroked her face with my fingertips.

"I'm so sorry Clarke." I murmured. I knew the pain of losing a parent, the agonising grief that stayed with you forever.

She nodded and then sat up straight, wiping her eyes furiously.

"I am sorry too Lexa. I did not mean to cry." I smiled at her.

"Clarke, don't apologise. You are strong, and brave. That's why I...care so much about you." She smiled at my words and then reached for the containor on the table.

"Here." She handed it to me. I opened it, and found a collection of nuts and dried meat that they must have stored somewhere. I took a small hanful and then handed it back to Clarke.

"You probably need to eat too." I said. She smiled and took the container. We ate together in companionable silence. When we had finished, Clarke put the containor away in a sturdy looking cupboard.

There was a knock on the door, and then a voice I recognised as Ravens called out.

"Clarke? You in here? People are saying that the commander showed up. Can I come in?"

"Yeah." Clarke responded. The door opened and Raven walked in with her hands over her eyes. She stopped just inside the door.

"What are you doing?" I asked her. Raven grinned widely and took her hands off her face.

"I was just making sure I didn't scar myself. You guys could have been doing anything..." She trailed off as Clarke hit her on the arm. I was pretty sure I knew what she was getting at.

"Raven, if you just came in here to be stupid, get out." Clarke said, glaring at her. Raven sighed and then flopped into the chair.

"No, I came for a reason. People are saying that everyone else is still trapped inside Mount Weather. I want to break them out."

"Me too." Clarke sighed, and I knew she was thinking of the ones she left behind. "I just wish I could have brought them with us."

My head snapped up.

"That's it!" I gasped. "I know how to get them out!" Clarke grabbed my arm.

"Really? How?"

"We need to turn me in."