Lightning Only Strikes Once - Clexa

Chapter 127: A Gift Horse

Clarke bites into the brown square and nearly moans her appreciation.

"Dis wuh," Raven says fervently, spraying crumbs. She swallows and says more clearly. "This one. This is a good wedding cake. I approve."

"Why do you think Clarke and Lexa need a wedding cake, anyway?" Wells asks Raven. "I mean, quite apart from the fact that I don't even think this is really a cake, neither of our people have wedding cake as part of the tradition. That's a tradition from before the bombs fell, and I don't understand why you want to revive it."

Clarke glares at him. This is part of the compromise she agreed to with Raven – the one which means she doesn't have to have a bachelorette party, even one like the kind Lexa's on right now – and she won't let him endanger it by challenging every activity they're being forced to do. They've already pushed back the wedding for Lexa's trip, she doesn't want to push it back further.

"You haven't tried it yet," Raven says, taking another square from the wide-eyed vendor and nearly forcibly shoving it into Wells' mouth. "That's why you don't understand why I want to revive it."

"Wanheda?" Gustus appears next to Clarke, scowling. She hadn't even noticed he'd disappeared. He elected to stay behind from the hunting trip, partly because it was traditionally something done with the person's Fos, and partly to lend Clarke authority and protect her. He trusted Anya to keep Lexa safe in the forest.

Clarke looks up at him. "Is Lexa back?" she asks immediately, face splitting into a hopeful smile. Lexa only left the evening before for the ritual hunting trip and should be gone for days, but after so long apart from her, it makes Clarke anxious to be separated again. She itches to just walk out into the forest and find her. It took all her self-control to remain in the tower last night.

"No," Gustus says. "Roan is."

Clarke stares at him. "Where?"

"The central square," Gustus tells her. "A guard just came from there to let us know. Roan desires to speak to Heda. In her absence -"

"In her absence, I'm in charge," Clarke finishes for him. "So he'll speak to me." She looks back at the elderly vendor and says "Mochof, komfoni. Yu dina os." The woman flushes under her wrinkles and bows creakily.

Clarke turns and strides away as best she can while still leaning extremely heavily on her new walking stick, leaving one of her guard to arrange payment for the food, if he can. So far every time Clarke herself has tried to pay for something she's been refused. She thought at first it was purely from their absolute love and worship of Lexa, until the last one had whispered 'kos Maunde' and she'd realised they were grateful to her as well. Maybe the guard will have better luck paying.

A crowd is gathered around the square – in Polis people always gather around any sign something is about to happen. In the middle Roan stands, tall and proud, his clothing bloodstained, gripping the reins of –

"Snowball," Clarke breathes out, trying to stop herself from beaming at the horse.

"Snowball?" Raven asks, looking confused.

"Snowball," Gustus confirms dourly. "You do not wish to enquire further, trust me."

"Of course I do," Raven replies with a smirk. "I always wish to enquire further."

Gustus looks annoyed – his normal state around Raven. Clarke knows he finds her sense of humour too strange and impertinent, and since the two-day effort of laying bombs on the lake he also thinks she complains too much. In return, Raven views him as a stolid, humourless stick-in-the-mud. Some people just don't get along. Clarke recalls they didn't get along in the other world either, but that was a little more serious.