Lexa's eyebrows raised at the shock of meeting an Azgeda warrior who didn't seem hostile from the start. She was about to ask what it was this girl wanted before her eyes landed upon the pauldron that the dark-haired girl wore on her shoulder and the symbol that was mounted upon her forehead. Lexa's face settled into a scowl. "You are their new Commander."

Ontari nodded slowly, and Lexa's scowl deepened. "How? You are not one of the natblidas."

"But I am," Ontari protested. "Nia hid me away from the Flamekeeper whenever he came to our territory to search for nightbloods. She trained me herself, in the hopes that someday, I would be able to take the throne."

"And now you have," Lexa snarled, "so why are you here? Have you come to take my head and bring it back to your queen?"

"Of course not. You have to understand that I never wanted any of this. There was a time when I worshipped Nia, just like everyone else. I thought she could do no wrong. That was, until I saw you. Then, I realized what a tyrant I was following and how much I was missing out on every time that I was hidden away from you."

"And what brought you to this realization?" Lexa narrowed her eye. "That your own queen was not the one that you should be following?"

Ontari swallowed thickly, as if she was unsure whether or not she should answer truthfully. "It was when…when Nia chopped off Costia's head and had it delivered to you in the hopes of getting a rise out of you and shattering the coalition that you had been forming. You came to visit Nia the next day, and we were all prepared for war, thinking for sure that you would want to kill us all, but you only offered peace. You offered us a spot in the coalition, doing what was best for your people, rather than getting your own revenge, and that's when I knew that you were a much stronger leader than Nia could ever hope to be."

Lexa nodded then, able to read the truth in the young girl's eyes. She knew what it was like to be forced into a position that you never wanted, to be taught to believe things that weren't true. "So, how is it? Back in Polis."

"I'm guessing you want the honest answer?"

Lexa nodded, and Ontari bit her lip. "Nia has completely taken over. She allows me to bear the title and the throne, but it is quite clear to the people who is in charge. She was going to kill the nightbloods, but I convinced her to let me use them as servants; I promise I never hurt them. Indra was thrown in the stockade, along with your mentor, and Gustus…Gustus has been killed for speaking out against the queen in public and trying to gather a rebellion against her."

Lexa nodded brusquely, trying her best to keep her absolute fury and torment from her eyes. Gustus was one of her most trusted generals, and she was going to be sure to get vengeance for him. "So, I need to go back and overthrow her."

Ontari nodded again. "Where were you, Heda? Why did you let her take over the throne?"

Lexa shared a quick glance with Clarke, who hadn't spoken throughout the entire exchange. "I was with the Skaikru. I would have died in the explosion were it not for Clarke here."

Ontari finally turned her attention to the other girl. "You saved the Commander?"

"Yes," Clarke admitted.

"You have my gratitude, along with all of her faithful people's." Ontari dipped her head before turning back to Lexa. "Is that how you lost your eye? In the explosion?"

Lexa slowly shook her head. "No. I was defending a friend that I had made there, and this awful boy named Bellamy had me chained up in their dropship because I had taken matters into my own hands. He was going to kill me when he found out that I was the Commander, and I would probably be dead right now, if Clarke hadn't saved me again."

"So, what are you two doing out here?" Ontari asked. "Why haven't you come back to your people now that you are healed?"

"I've been training her to fight with one eye," Clarke said, "although I'm not the best opponent. She doesn't have much trouble beating me even blindfolded."

Ontari cocked her head in confusion, so Lexa explained it for her. "She ties a shirt around my head so that I cannot see."

Understanding dawned in the younger girl's eyes, and she nodded. "I can train with you, if you'd like. Nia trained me to fight as well as she does, so fighting me will be as close as you'll get to fighting her."

"That would be perfect," Lexa said.

"Great. When do we start?"

"Now," Clarke answered for her girlfriend. "The sooner, the better."

When the three of them got down to the beach, Lexa unsheathed a sword, while Ontari did the same, and Lexa tried not to laugh when she saw a pair of blue eyes widen considerably from the sidelines. "Whoa. You're using swords?"

"We are trained warriors, Clarke," Lexa said with a smile. "You think that we train with sticks?"

"Right." Clarke nodded.

Ontari looked to Lexa in question, and the older girl nodded, bracing her sword as Ontari charged at her, the sound of metal clanging upon metal breaking up the gentle sound of the waves. Lexa slid her sword down to stab at Ontari's stomach, but the other girl jumped back just in time. The Azgeda warrior made a lunge towards Lexa's blind side, but Lexa turned with her, blocking her hit. Their fight went on for much longer than Clarke and Lexa's ever had, and Lexa could tell that Ontari was surprised that she could fight so well. However, Lexa was Heda, and fighting was her strong suit.

In the face of all of the reasons she didn't want to be Heda, this reminded her of why she did. She loved being a warrior, but she also loved being the most superior warrior. The battlefield was her element, and there was nothing that she loved more than an opponent that was worthy of providing a challenge for her. Ontari did just that.

Lexa parried and twirled and stabbed and jabbed, completely lost to her surroundings as she made sure to keep Ontari in her line of sight at all times, and she hadn't felt this alive in quite some time.

After almost an hour had passed, Lexa finally landed a blow to the side of Ontari's head, slowing it considerably when she realized that she was going to hit so that her sword just barely nicked the skin. Ontari looked up at her with a wide smile. "Well done, Heda. I am so honored to have gotten to fight against you, even if I could not win."

"You held your own against her, though." Clarke was clearly impressed. "You should be able to whoop her ass when she's blindfolded."

"You want me to fight her when she is blindfolded?" Ontari looked surprised.

"If she can beat you wearing a blindfold, then she should easily be able to beat the Queen with sight." Clarke pulled a strip of black fabric from the pocket of her jacket.

Lexa made her way over to Clarke and stood in front of her, and it was clear to her that Ontari was amazed by the way the Commander already trusted her enough to give her the advantage. She would show Ontari though. It wasn't like this was the first time that Lexa had ever fought with a blindfold. Clarke tied the material tightly around Lexa's head, and then the brunette's world was dark.

"Speak," Lexa commanded Ontari, not wanting to have to be guided by Clarke in front of the other warrior.

"I'm right here, Heda." Lexa made her way over to the sound of the other girl's voice and paused in front of her, grabbing her sword again. She couldn't tell what Ontari was thinking right now, but she knew that she was going to need a verbal signal to start this time. She figured that she might as well be the one to give it.

"Ready?"

"Go," Ontari said.

Lexa could hear Ontari's sword swishing towards her side, and she quickly brought her sword up to meet it. Ontari was a lot nimbler on her feet than Clarke was, though, and it was a lot harder to hear her footfalls in the sand. Plus, her sword made less sound, as she caught onto what Lexa was doing within seconds. It was hard for Lexa to judge Ontari's position, and she found herself playing defense for most of the fight until the other girl was poking her in the stomach five minutes later, bringing around the end of their first fight.

"You are much quieter than Clarke," Lexa remarked, "which is just what I need. Nia will not be loud, and it will help me to be able to hear her movements as well, just in case she is able to get on my blind side."

There was a moment of silence, and then Ontari said, "Oops. What I meant to say was yes, you're right."

Lexa chuckled at the fact that Ontari had so clearly nodded in response. "Shall we go again?"

"Of course," the other girl responded.

Lexa and Ontari fought for many hours, and the older brunette found herself wondering what it was that Clarke might be doing. She knew that the blonde wouldn't have left the sidelines, but still, she missed the sight of her girlfriend already. She shook her head to focus as she started yet another round of sparring, and she had to admit that she was getting much better. She was able to hear Ontari's movements a lot better, and she was also getting used to the Azgeda warrior's fighting techniques, allowing Lexa to predict what her next move might be.

When they finally decided to call it quits for the day, Lexa had only beaten Ontari once, but she was still incredibly happy that she had gotten the chance to go up against someone who was so good. Lexa then turned to the general direction where she knew Clarke was sitting, and the blonde stood, making extra noise so that Lexa would know where she was. The Commander easily made her way over to Clarke, feeling happy, and clumsily grabbed onto her shoulders to place a kiss upon her lips. Ontari gave a small gasp of surprise, but neither girl cared, getting lost in the kiss.

"Uh, Clarke," Ontari said, and suddenly Clarke stiffened as she seemingly looked at whatever it was that Ontari had called her attention to.

"That's the Ark!" she exclaimed. "They're not dead. They're coming down to earth."

"What? Where?" Lexa spun around, peeling at her blindfold.

"Lexa, honey, calm down." Clarke began to untie the tight knot. Lexa anxiously waited for her sight to be given back to her, and her green eye widened when the black was pulled away. A ship was coming down in streaks of fire, looking exactly as it had when Clarke's own ship came down, except this ship was much bigger. The rest of the Sky People were coming down to the ground, and while it was an amazing sight, Lexa wondered whether it would turn out to be a good thing or a bad thing.

"My mom could be on that ship," Clarke realized. "She could be alive. I have to find her."

"Clarke, your Ark is landing quite far away. You can't go after it at night when the Ice Queen has the throne," Lexa said.

"All the more reason for me to go. She could kill my people, Lexa."

"She's right," Ontari said. "Your people have guns, and Queen Nia fears them. She will probably want to ally herself with them."

"I can't let them ally with her," Clarke argued.

Lexa grabbed her girlfriend's hands in her own. "Listen, Clarke. The minute that we defeat the queen, we will search for your people, okay?"

Clarke calmed down considerably at Lexa's assurances, and she nodded. "Sorry, I—you're right, I should stay here with you."

"This isn't about me, Clarke. You know that."

"I know, but I don't want to leave you. I used to think that my sole duty was to my people, but now you're more important, and I don't want to give them the opportunity to keep me away from you."

Lexa felt her heart swell at the comment, knowing that she would do the same, as she leaned in for a kiss. She tried to convey all of her feelings in the way that she tugged on Clarke's lip. She was the Commander, but she would put Clarke first. She would always put Clarke first.

Lexa didn't know how much time had passed when Ontari cleared her throat. "So, um, the Commander and the Sky Girl, huh?"

"The Skaikru are not all bad, Ontari," Lexa said. "There was a time in which I thought that I would never love again. I was wrong."

"I think it's great that you love Clarke. Will she become our future Hedatu?"

Lexa blushed scarlet at the thought of binding her soul to Clarke's, living the rest of their lives by the other's side. No Commander had ever been bound to another before, and no Commander had ever bore children. Lexa intended to be the first to do both, and there was no one that she'd rather be with than this blonde who had stolen her heart.

"I hope so," Lexa answered.

That evening, Clarke and Lexa showed Ontari to their makeshift camp in the woods where the three of them ate and got further acquainted with each other. Then, Lexa found herself on a walk with Clarke, the blonde girl claiming that she needed some time alone with Lexa before they went to sleep, which Ontari was completely understanding of.

"What are we doing out here?" Lexa asked after several minutes of walking in silence, hands clasped between them.

"I really just wanted to spend some time alone with you," Clarke answered truthfully. "I mean, Ontari's sweet and all, and it'll be great having her around to help you get ready to fight the Ice Queen, but I'll miss it just being you and me, you know?"

Lexa felt herself nodding before she could even think through the question. "Of course. We can take walks every night, if you like."

"I would love that," Clarke said with a smile.

As they walked on, Clarke's smile fell away and was replaced by a frown that said she was thinking really hard about something. Lexa gently squeezed her hand, turning to fully face the other girl with an inquisitive green eye. Clarke understood Lexa's silent question right away, averting her eyes in embarrassment, but Lexa still said nothing, waiting for Clarke to decide for herself whether or not she wanted to inform Lexa what she had been thinking of.

Finally, she looked back up to meet the green eye that hadn't left her face, ever patient. "There were some things that Ontari said that I didn't exactly follow. Who's Costia?"

"Costia was the only woman I ever loved," Lexa answered simply. "Before you, of course. We started, I guess dating would be the Skaikru term for it, a couple of years before I became Commander, and in my second year of leadership, when I had only two clans left to welcome into my coalition, I had traveled to the Desert Clan to convince them to join, and Costia stayed in Polis. When I returned, I was greeted with news of her being kidnapped by the Ice Nation. I wanted to go out and look for her right away, but my generals convinced me to rest; they promised that we would set out first thing the next morning. I was awoken by my lover's head being delivered to my bed."

"And you didn't take revenge on the Ice Queen?" Clarke asked incredulously. "You just let it go?"

Lexa let out a long sigh. "That was the first time I hated being the Commander. I had to allow her to join the coalition, or all of my work would've been for nothing."

"I'm sorry," Clarke said quietly, allowing the sounds of the night to take up residence between them again. "What does Hedatu mean?"

Now, it was Lexa's turn to avert her eye, blushing like crazy. "It means that you would be bound to me and rule as my second-in-command. Should anything happen to me, you would take the throne, and should I have to journey to another clan, you would rule in my stead."

"You mean, we would get married? We would be tied to each other as lovers for the rest of our lives?"

"Technically, yes." Lexa wished that she weren't so embarrassed right now. The Commander didn't get embarrassed. "But Hedatu is more of a title. It is more about the fact that you—"

"Are the Commander's wife," Clarke finished for her, even though that had not at all been what Lexa had been about to say. "You said you hoped I would be Hedatu, which means that you want me to be your wife."

Lexa wished that she could roll her eye or something, but she found that she couldn't help her grin when she caught sight of the wide smile that was adorning Clarke's own face. "Yes, I suppose that I do."

"I want to be your wife, too," Clarke said immediately. "I love you, Lexa."

"I love you as well, Clarke." Lexa wished that she could stay out here in the forest with Clarke forever, smiling wider than ever with the light of the stars sparkling in their happy eyes. Lexa loved the forest, and she loved Clarke, and she knew that she wanted to have more times like these even after she returned to Polis.

"I wish there were more glowing plants out here," Clarke said after a few minutes. "I would very much like to give you a flower crown."

"Flower crowns are for children, Clarke," Lexa teased.

Clarke stuck out her tongue. "Says the girl who loves flower crowns."

"I do not," Lexa said in mock outrage.

"Whatever you say."

"There are only glowing plants in the territory of the Glowing Forest Clan, where you landed," Lexa finally said.

"I thought we landed in Trikru territory," Clarke said with a confused frown.

"Mostly, but you also got a bit of Glowing Forest territory, too."

"Maybe we can become Glowing Forest Clan members," Clarke said with a playful twinkle in her eyes.

"It would be nice," Lexa mused, "although I recall a conversation in which you recently seemed quite interested in returning to Polis to be Heda and Hedatu."

Clarke's face took on a seriousness that Lexa had not thought she would see in this previously jocular conversation. Lexa cocked her head at the other girl when she shook her head. "I just want to be Clarke and Lexa."

The brunette looked at her girlfriend with a wide smile as she squeezed her hand. Those were the only people that she ever wanted she and the blonde walking beside her to be.

As time marched on, Lexa got increasingly better. She was able to beat Ontari about half of the time while blindfolded, having gotten used to her fighting style, and she barely let Ontari get a win when she could see. That was why she shouldn't have been surprised when the younger girl finally said, "You're ready. We should head back first thing tomorrow."

"What?" Lexa asked, somewhat shocked.

"We've been training for a week, and you're ready," Ontari stated. "You can fight Nia."

Lexa didn't know why she was so shocked by this news. "A little more practice can't hurt."

"Listen, Lexa, we don't have time. Nia is a terrible leader. She's cruel to all of your people, and she kills anyone who openly admits that they're still loyal to you. She has Anya because she thinks your mentor knows where you are, but what happens when she gets tired of waiting?"

Lexa raised her chin. "I apologize. You're right."

"Not to mention we have no idea how she has reacted to Clarke's people coming to the ground. Then, of course, there's Titus." Ontari averted her eyes. "I didn't want to tell you before, but you're gonna find out anyway."

"He sided with the Ice Queen," Lexa said without missing a beat.

"Yes," Ontari admitted. "He said he would be glad to have a Commander who wasn't weak."

"He is the weak one," Lexa spat. "I know that now, and he will be executed for his actions."

"A fitting punishment," Ontari agreed.

Lexa was about to say more when she felt Clarke come up behind her and put a hand on her left shoulder, immediately calming her. She turned so that she could see the blonde, and she could read in blue eyes that Clarke had heard every word of the conversation. "Titus deserves to rot in hell, I agree, but we can worry about him after we've defeated the Ice Queen. What's your plan to get us into Polis?"

Lexa was a little embarrassed that she hadn't thought of that. Even if Ontari was welcomed back and even if Nia allowed Clarke into her city, there was no way that she would let Lexa past the gates. "Yes, Clarke's right. You can't exactly just walk in like a hero after running away."

Ontari's brows furrowed in confusion. "I didn't run away. I left, yes, but only because Queen Nia told me to. I was the one tasked with finding you so that the Commander's spirit could be properly passed on to me. So, I'll take you two in as prisoners, and Nia's arrogance should allow me to bring you into the throne room, where you can issue your challenge. If she refuses, I'll back you. I'll put the idea in Nia's head that it will be easy to beat you and that she should just take you out herself in front of everyone. Make an example out of you."

"I will not be made defenseless in front of your queen." Lexa was already bristling at the thought. She had allowed herself to be tied up once before, and she had lost an eye for it. She would not make the same mistake again.

"I'll tie your hands, but loose enough that it's easy for you to get free," Ontari promised before scuffing the ground awkwardly with her boot. "I will have to put bags over your heads, though."

Lexa just shrugged with a slight smirk, used to having no sight sometimes. Besides, Ontari would be guiding her. It would be easy. Clarke elbowed her in the ribs, clearly about to ask Ontari if that was really necessary, but Lexa already knew why it was for the blonde. "I understand that the bag will serve to keep Clarke in the dark about the location of the capital, but why must I wear it? I know the city inside and out."

"Standard protocol for prisoners for our people." Ontari shrugged. "It is to keep you from seeing the queen before she is ready to be seen or something like that."

Lexa laughed when Ontari rolled her eyes. "She is certainly quite the character, isn't she?"

Clarke and Ontari laughed along, but none of them wanted to mention that their jovial moods were just to keep their minds off of the fact that Lexa might not be alive this time tomorrow.

During their evening walk, Lexa was in an exuberant mood, determined to spend what might be their last walk together being as happy as she could. Clarke seemed to have the same idea, each one grinning widely as they walked, hands clasped gently in between them, telling stories about when they were younger.

"So, I looked everywhere for it the next day, but I couldn't find it, and Wells told me that he had accidentally broken it. You have to understand that this chess set was my favorite thing in the world when I was eight. It was electronic, so I could play against the machine when I was by myself, and I had spent a lot of time doing just that, so I could get better. I was so mad at him that week that I didn't say a word to him."

"But you obviously made up." Lexa had heard many stories about this Wells, and she wished that she'd had the chance to meet him.

"Well, it turns out that he didn't actually break it. He only said that so he could have the set and practice with it himself because he was afraid that I was going to get better than him if I used it too much. After a week, though, I caught him playing with the chess set in his room."

"And you were furious?" Lexa asked, thinking about an adorable little Clarke, mad at her best friend for stealing her chess set.

Clarke's cheeks tinged a faint shade of pink. "Actually, no. I was so happy it wasn't broken that I just gave him a hug and took it back."

Lexa's heart melted at this new image of an even more adorable, sweet little Clarke. It reminded her of a story of herself. "When I was maybe six, Anya was teaching me to be a warrior, of course, and I thought warrior training was fun, but one day, she set me up against Costia. I found her to be pretty even then, although I didn't understand my feelings at that age, and I didn't understand why I had to fight her, of all people. I had never had a problem sparring before, but this time, I didn't want to fight her, so when Anya gave me the signal to go, I just went over and hugged her."

"That is honestly the cutest thing I've ever heard," Clarke said, her head no doubt swimming with images of baby warrior Lexa choosing to hug Costia instead of fight her. "What did Costia do?"

"She hugged me back, of course. She wasn't as serious about being a warrior as I was, and I wonder if maybe she wouldn't have been if she hadn't looked up to her mother so much."

"So, you did want to be a warrior," Clarke noted.

"Yes, I always have, and I know now that I could never fit in with people who fight with guns," Lexa admitted with a smile. "I much prefer swords and daggers."

"So what did Anya think of you and Costia's hugfest?" Clarke asked.

Lexa laughed at the memory. "She was not happy. She forced us to clean out the horse stalls for a week." Clarke wrinkled her nose in disgust, causing Lexa's laugh to ring out again. "It was not as bad as it sounds." Clarke gave her a skeptical look. "Okay, maybe it was, but it was how Costia and I became friends, and I would not be the person that I am now if it were not for her. She helped to keep Lexa alive, even when it was crammed down my throat that I was to only be Heda."

"I'm sorry that your people treated you that way. I won't ever let them do it again."

"It is alright. If I were not Heda, I would not have met you," Lexa said sincerely. "I would sacrifice every part of myself for the chance to spend even a day with you."

Clarke squeezed Lexa's hand fiercely. "You can spend every day with me."

Lexa nodded, extremely grateful that she actually had that chance because there was nothing better than Clarke in this entire world. Lexa was sure of it; she had lived here for 21 years. "It's not too late, Clarke. We could leave tonight. We can run away and never turn back, just the two of us, for the rest of our days."

Clarke gave the only answer that Lexa would ever expect from her. "You and I both know we can't do that."

Lexa did.

"I know. But it is nice to dream sometimes."

So this is as far as I got when I was originally writing the story. I'd planned for Clarke to ask what they would do, just the two of them, which leads to a lot of kissing and a sex scene between the two of them, and then they would fall asleep under the stars.

The next morning, they rejoin Ontari and enact her plan. They get past the guards easy enough, but when Clarke and Lexa are brought to the queen, she orders them to be locked away. Lexa then issues her challenge, to fight the queen for to win back her position as commander. The queen points out that Ontari is the commander now, but Lexa says that everyone knows who's really in charge here. The queen refuses, so Ontari steps in and laughs with her, telling her she can easily take Lexa down and why not make an example out of her? It would certainly lead to more respect. The queen agrees.

The fight is long and isn't easy. There are several times when Lexa is almost bested, as the queen is better than Ontari, but Lexa wins by calling on her skills she picked up during all of her sparring sessions with Ontari. She kills the Ice Queen and gets victory for herself and her people. Clarke runs out to congratulate her, and the two of them share a passionate kiss on the battlefield. Anya, Indra, and other prisoners are released from the stockade, and Anya is so proud of Lexa for handling everything and besting the queen. Ontari is allowed to join the other nightbloods and will now train alongside the rest of them, should the time arise for her to be commander. Lexa says she would deserve it.

The Sky People that Clarke came down with are given a place to stay in Polis for the time being while scouts are sent out to find the pieces of the Ark and bring in any other survivors. The Skaikru is to become the thirteenth clan. Bellamy and Titus are both executed for their actions.

I then probably would have included an epilogue of Clarke being reunited with her mom, and Clarke bringing Abby to Polis for the first time. Abby sees the beauty of the city and meets Lexa. She's skeptical at first, worried the commander is using her daughter, but within moments, she can easily see the love Lexa holds for Clarke and the camaraderie that's already developed between her and Clarke's friends (Raven, Octavia, Jasper, Monty, etc). Happy ending for all.

I'm sorry I didn't follow through with the story when I was first writing it and just finish it, but I'm happy to be providing you all with the end of the story! Thank you for reading and sticking with it, even after years of hiatus, and I hope to someday encounter all of you through my writing again, whether it be this fandom or another!