Epilogue: Someday...

With her brow knitted in utter concentration, Clarke dragged the worn down piece of charcoal across the paper once again, the surface already blackened from several failed and erased attempts. This time, Clarke was satisfied with the result and her face relaxed. She took a moment to collect herself and in that time, she stared down at her progress. The sketch depicted Aden in the throes of sword practice, or at least it would once Clarke had finished it. So far, trying to translate the fluidity of his movement, the sense of true momentum from her mind's eye and onto the page was proving to be quite a challenge. Not least because Clarke was certain that the young man grew about an inch every other day, which made it impossible for her to simply memorise how to capture his likeness for it was always changing.

Clarke glanced up from her work to her chosen subject. Aden was in the middle of conducting a sparring lesson with the two seconds who had so far been identified as having the potential to one day become Heda. Two pupils wasn't a bad start for a year, Clarke thought. Now that Lexa's successor no longer needed to be a nightblood, it had thrown the process for finding the next Commander wide open. Now, it was up to each Trikru warrior who took upon the training of a second to judge whether or not the child they mentored possessed any potential for the role. All hopefuls brought to the capital by their mentors were put through a grueling set of physical and mental challenges for assessment. The two now training with their teacher were those who had passed the tests and chosen to stay in the capital. Lexa had been adamant that those who passed the tests could still decline the offer to be trained in the capital and choose instead to resume their life as an ordinary second. Either way, those who stayed were sure to have some experience of being tutored out in the wider world, before they embarked on their training to perhaps one day take command of that world.

Now, Clarke grinned as the pupil Aden was currently sparring with almost got in a lucky backhand against Aden, but the teacher saw it coming just in time and blocked without mercy. Aden had proven himself to be an excellent teacher, kind but firm. Watching him refuse to take things easy on his class reminded Clarke of her father. Jake had been the one to teach her how to play chess growing up, and he'd never let her win a game until she had truly learned how to best him fair and square. Aden seemed to be taking the same approach.

Clarke recollected her thoughts as she realised that Aden's counter attack put him in a similar pose to the one she was trying to depict. Cursing herself for choosing a moving subject, Clarke's eyes darted back down to her drawing pad and she quickly tried to replicate the shape of Aden's hand around his longsword as he held it aloft ready to swing. Her first attempt wasn't at all successful however, and Clarke's brow furrowed once again. She let out a growl of frustration. The noise was rewarded with a quiet snort of amusement from the person sitting to her right.

Clarke sighed and turned away from her work and towards Lexa, eyebrows raised and nostrils flared. "If you're about to say some wise words about patience, I swear-"

Her annoyance was met immediately with an innocent shrug from Lexa that made their arms brush, "I was merely observing your work, Clarke. And enjoying how beautiful you look when you're concentrating on something," Lexa replied, her mouth turned upwards slightly in the ghost of a cheeky smile.

Clarke gave a scoff, for Lexa's response had against her will, made her heart stutter. Clarke had resigned herself to the fact that that was always going to happen, no matter how long the two of them were together, every time Lexa made such a comment or gesture. She did not however, need Lexa to know that.

"Shouldn't you be paying attention to the lesson?" Clarke shot back, "Besides, stop being gross. It's not like you've never watched me sketch before."

"We are only here to pass the time before the meeting are we not?" Lexa argued back, "And I can trust that Aden is doing a fine job without watching him like a bird of prey, Clarke."

"So you're passing the time by eyeing me up instead?"

"Would you prefer that I had already lost interest, niron?" Lexa asked nonchalantly, "It did take me over three months to woo you after all, it's only fair that we try to stretch out the novelty of being together for at least five times as long."

"Great, I have another three months to put up with your sappy nonsense and I'm free?" Clarke said, though she didn't at all mean it. Even so, her refusal to humour Lexa's wit did earn her a pout. Clarke sighed. "Although technically speaking, and don't let this go to your head mind, you did manage to woo me in a much shorter time than three months. It's just that you then un-wooed me rather promptly after that," Clarke said lightly.

Her face fell serious as she noticed the way Lexa's mood shifted at the reference to Mount Weather. Lexa didn't look hurt by the reminder, more shocked that Clarke had so easily made a joke about fullness of her pout had disappeared as Lexa drew her lips into her mouth and she cocked her head slightly, eyes wide.

Clarke realised then that she too had taken herself by surprise, though the surprise was somehow comforting. Clarke knew that humour could be a knee-jerk coping mechanism to difficulty, but she also realised that the ability to look back at something awful and laugh at it was a sign that the past hurt had finally relinquished its hold on you. Clarke wondered briefly when in the past year that shift had occurred.

"Then let me keep making it up to you, Clarke," Lexa whispered into the silence that had fallen over them as they each tried to read the other.

Clarke offered a weak smile and she dropped her hold on her pad and charcoal so that she could reach out and take Lexa's hand between her own. She idly turned Lexa's hand so that it was palm up and Clarke began to trace the odd scar there, the burn from the duel with Ontari now faded and smooth over the hard ridge left by Lexa's sword when she'd grabbed its blade when fighting Roan; echoes from more trying times. "Lexa, you know you already have," she assured softly.

Lexa opened her mouth to respond, her eyes wider still and filled with earnest but she did not get the chance to before a new and unexpected voice responded for her,

"That's disgusting. You're not supposed to be this loved up after a whole year, sort it out."

Clarke's own mouth fell open as she looked up and into the face of Raven. Her dear friend was standing over the couple with her arms crossed. Clarke's mother stood beside her. Their arrival into the sparring circle had gone quite unnoticed.

"Mom? Raven? What on earth?" Clarke stuttered out and she sprang onto her feet and barrelled forward into her mother's already outstretched and waiting arms. Clarke closed her eyes and reveled in the comforting familiarity of her mother's embrace. After a year apart, it was wonderful and she thought she might stay that way for hours. Eventually the hug ended however and Clarke quickly shuffled and gave Raven a briefer hug.

"So you haven't forgotten who we are whilst you've been here, obviously still enjoying the politics after so long?" Raven quipped.

Clarke wrinkled her nose, "Of course I remember you. But I'm surprised you remember saying that," she said.

Raven shrugged, "What can I say. I have perfect drunk and high memory. It's a curse, really."

"You shouldn't tease them Raven," Abby spoke up, "It's wonderful to see that you've made a happy home here."

"Mom" Clarke protested against the sappiness, although Lexa, who had followed Clarke's lead and also picked herself up off of the floor, had other ideas. She stepped forward and offered her arm out in greeting to Abby. The pair clasped forearms a moment.

"A happier home still for your arrival," Lexa spoke as she relinquished her grip on Abby's arm. She turned her attention to Raven; "It is good to see you both. I see that your mission was a success."

Clarke creased her brow at that, unsure of what Lexa meant, but then she studied her friend more closely and was stunned that she'd missed that Raven was sporting an incredibly high-tech prosthetic leg. The frame of it was made out of metal and wires were visible under the shiny plates that mimicked the structure of leg muscles. It looked very cool.

When Arkadia had sent its first official update to Polis and its Ambassador, Clarke had been told of how Raven and a small group, including her mother, had ventured off to the north in search for a way to help fix Raven's leg. That they had managed to complete their goal so effectively made Clarke grin and Raven must have noticed her happiness because she proudly stuck the prosthetic out for Clarke to better inspect,

"Pretty damn badass, huh?" Raven said.

Clarke nodded, "Raven, it's amazing. Where did you find it?"

"In a huge medical facility way up north. ALIE's mansion was basically the start of a huge cookie trail, just as Murphy suspected. We just had to follow the crumbs until we hit the jackpot," Raven explained,

"That's great. Though a big adjustment, I'm sure," Clarke mused,

Raven cocked her head, "Well the nerve damage in my leg was pretty much irreversible, so this seemed like the best option. Plus, it's something else for me to tinker with," Raven answered.

"I swear every time I see her, she's brandishing a screwdriver," Abby laughed out.

"It isn't finished yet! I'm trying to get the adjustments just right so that I'll be able to drive the rover again. Having Monty in the pilot's seat very quickly lost it's shine." Raven said and then she considered Clarke critically. Raven suddenly reached out and grabbed hold of Clarke's left wrist and she raised up Clarke's arm between them. "And this rocks. This is what it needs, some decoration. Then it'll be like a joint effort," she announced.

Raven was referring to the intricate tattoos that ran the length of Clarke's arm. The body art wasn't in the patterned style favoured by the grounders, but a collage of images that Clarke had designed for herself over the past year. At Raven's request, Clarke's mind immediately began to work and she imagined what sort of things she would paint onto Raven's prosthetic. Her brain filled with stars; perhaps a floating astronaut; and of course the origami raven.

"I'd love to draw up a few designs for you. And paint them on once you've decided what you want," Clarke said with a smile. Then her brow creased as the last thing Raven had said caught her attention, "Wait, joint effort? You mean you actually built that yourself?" she asked in amazement.

"Sure, most of it. We found a pretty scratty prototype and I finished it off to spec with what I could find in the facility. Come on, Clarke, you are speaking to Arkadia's new chief of engineering here," Raven pointed out.

"Of course!" Clarke replied, "I suppose the handover from Chancellor Sinclair was quite something."

Raven sniggered. "Mostly 'great responsibility', 'be mature about this', 'don't mess it up', that sort of stuff, yeah," she said, "I just told him that I expected no less of him in his new job and that quickly shut him up."

"How is the camp doing?" Clarke asked, "My last update was five days ago."

Abby gave a warm smile, "Things are good, well from what we've seen. We only arrived back there ourselves two days ago and quickly invited ourselves along to Polis with the Farm council," she responded, "When we arrived, they'd just finished building a new storehouse for the food grown over the year, the stockpiles are looking very healthy."

"That front yard must be getting crowded by now," Clarke mused,

"It is," Raven confirmed, "Which is why my next project is going to be proposing a camp expansion by dismantling the main building and using the material to build individual dwellings. Don't get me wrong, living in the wreck does have a certain familiarity to it, but living like we're still in space is starting to lose its appeal. Especially when it turns out that the couple four doors down from me just had twins," Raven said with a grimace,

"Oh, this is all news to me!" Abby chimed in and Clarke had to smile at the way her mother's eyebrows shot up,

"It's a work in progress," Raven admitted, "But I promise that an extension to the medical bay is definitely part of my plans," she added for good measure.

"A wonderful thought, especially since I returned to Arkadia to find the existing medbay much better staffed," Abby said with a smile and then she turned her attention to Lexa, "Thank you for sending more healers to help. Lincoln told me that they've been irreplaceable over the last year."

"I am glad that the Trikru healers have been a help to the camp." Lexa spoke at last, for she had thus far remained respectfully quiet as Clarke caught up with her friend and mother. "Actually, I've been awaiting your return to discuss with you the extent of my plans regarding the healers," Lexa added, a thoughtful look upon her face.

"Is that so?" Abby asked,

"Yes. Now that you have returned and will no doubt be sharing your considerable skills with my healers, I would suggest that they stay with you in Arkadia for a while longer, before being sent home and replaced by another group," Lexa explained,

"Like a sort of exchange program?" Abby mused, enthusiasm in her voice.

Lexa gave a terse nod and she clasped her hands behind her back so that Clarke knew she really meant business. "The healers should stay until they have learned all they can from you and vice versa, and then they can return to their usual posts, where the knowledge they've gained can be passed on to others. Then, we send a new group of healers from a different area, perhaps even one of the other clans if they are willing, and so on. In the meantime, you should be training some of your own young in the necessary skills," she put forward.

Clarke was amazed. Lexa had sent the healers to aid Polis soon after her second Ascension day, it being one of the biggest priorities to help Arkaida get back onto its feet. But Lexa had neglected to mention to Clarke just how much thought she'd put into the arrangement. Clarke turned to her partner and offered Lexa a proud smile. Lexa responded with a confident tilt of her head, though Clarke could see the way her ears had coloured, Lexa's softness never completely invisible to Clarke even when she was attending to her duties as Commander.

"We should go and get ready for the meeting," Lexa spoke, no doubt to distract their guests from noticing her flustering. Clarke nodded in agreement, though she loathed having to delay properly catching up with her mother and Raven until later in the day.

Her unwillingness to leave left Clarke stuck to the ground a moment and she remained still as Lexa moved forward and made to leave the sparring circle. It was Abby who fell into step beside Lexa first, and Clarke watched as Lexa and her mother immediately fell to discussing Lexa's ideas further, heads bowed close as if they were whispering secrets.

"Well, I've got to hand it to Lexa," Raven piped up once the other two were out of earshot, "She's navigating the whole mother-in-law thing pretty well."

Clarke narrowed her eyes at her friend. "My mom isn't her mother-in-law-"

"Yet?" Raven jumped in.

Clarke groaned, though it was a half-hearted sound for Clarke realised that she had actually intended to tack that word onto her statement herself, quite without hesitation. Her mouth stayed open in a surprised gawp.

"Busted, Griffin. I was going to ask you how things were really going with you two, now that Abby's out of earshot, but I guess I don't need to," Raven teased.

"Amazing," Clarke responded dryly, "Raven Reyes choosing not to be nosey?"

"There's no point when the answer to my question is already obvious," Raven protested, "But for the record, I'm really thrilled for you Clarke. I can tell that you're happy, that you've made a home here. And hell I think you deserve it," she added more seriously.

"Thanks, Raven," Clarke said and she felt genuinely moved by her friend's kind words. "And I'm made-up about your leg, and your promotion. I can't wait to see what you have planned for our clan," she said and she meant it. Still, the mention of their people only served to remind Clarke of the duties she was in danger of neglecting if she stayed talking much longer; "Speaking of which, we should probably catch up to my Mom and Lexa. I need to get ready for the council," she added.

Before Raven could protest and convince Clarke that just a little longer wouldn't hurt, Clarke bent over to retrieve her otherwise forgotten sketchpad and then she began to walk. Raven fell into step beside her, her new limb making it easy for her to keep up with the purposeful pace Clarke set. Just before they left the circle, Clarke halted, turned back, and offered a wave to Aden. The young man returned it enthusiastically, though the distraction gave the girl he was teaching the chance to finally land a blow against Aden's side with the mock spear she was brandishing. Clarke sniggered and offered an apologetic grimace and then she turned and left the circle with Raven in tow.

"So," Raven said as they made their way down the twisting stairs that would lead back into the city, "I get to be a bridesmaid right?"

Clarke groaned, this time with more feeling. "Raven, neither of us has even asked the other yet, you're kind of jumping the gun."

"Fine," Raven seemed to admit defeat, but then she turned her head towards Clarke with a wide grin on her face, "Why don't you, though? I dare you to! Before we leave, so then you can break the news to Abby in person," she suggested. "Or are you waiting for Lexa to do it?"

Clarke considered Raven's last question, though she knew she'd likely regret humouring her. She sighed, "You know, I think I'd be waiting a long time. I don't think she'd ask unless she was already certain that I was ready to hear it. Lexa would feel like she was putting me on the spot," she mused.

"Wait, we are still talking about Lexa aren't we? Like Commander of the whole damn world Lexa?" Raven said.

"She isn't always 'Commander of the whole damn world' you know," Clarke said slyly, and then "Well, except for when she is," she added with a smirk. Raven responded to that by comically wiggling her eyebrows.

Clarke gave a contented sigh as they reached the bottom of the stairs. She glanced forward, to make sure that Lexa and her mother were still out of hearing range before she spoke again; "I guess it is something I'm starting to think about for the near future. So whilst I'll have to politely decline your little dare for now, we'll see," Clarke admitted, though the notion had lodged itself into her brain much more firmly than she'd ever admit, especially not to Raven.

Commander Lexa emerged into the throne room as the guards hefted the doors open to make way for herself and her small entourage. She paced over the red carpet, keeping her head held high, though her expression remained on the welcoming side of passive. Lexa didn't expect the meeting to be anything too noteworthy; it was the fourth such meeting between herself and the joint Skaikru and Trikru farming council, and by now they had lost their novelty somewhat, had become another routine duty to attend to.

Still, the surprise appearance of Abby and Raven gave cause for excitement. Lexa drew in a deep breath and as she approached the dias, she kept herself from smiling as she thought of how happy Clarke had obviously been whilst they were changing for the meeting. She had been practically bouncing on her heels at being reunited with her mother and friend, leaving the handmaidens to chase after her around the bedroom as they tried to braid her hair and buckle the fastenings on the long leather coat that Clarke now wore when conducting official business. Lexa had known it to be futile to try to get Clarke to calm herself, and so she had merely suggested to Clarke that as soon as the meeting was through, it would be nice for them to have a sit down meal and a proper talk with their unexpected house guests.

The Commander cleared her mind of her reminiscing as Lexa climbed the stairs of the dias and reached her throne. She swiveled on her heels and scanned her eyes across the room. Her two honour guards took their places beside her throne, whilst Indra sauntered past to her usual space. Since it was Skaikru business they were attending to, Clarke also moved up onto the plinth rather than take her place on her seat, and she came to stand at Lexa's right; the space usually reserved for Aden these days. Lexa allowed herself a quick glance in Clarke's direction and the pair exchanged what they thought were sneaky smiles. Then, the Commander turned her attention back to the room and she clasped her hands behind her back.

"People of Skaikru and Trikru, I welcome you to my halls and bring the fourth meeting between the Kongeda and the farming council to a start," Lexa began, "If your spokespeople will come forward, we may begin."

With that, Lexa dropped gracefully down onto her throne and she crossed a leg over the other as she waited. Bryan kom Skaikru and Gavriel kom Trikru stepped forward from the small group of people gathered in the room and came to stand at the foot of the dias. Both of them offered a respectful bow of the head to Lexa, which she returned in kind.

"It is good to see you both again," Lexa spoke, keeping her tone light and the atmosphere reasonably casual. She turned her attention to the Skaikru councilman and offered a brief smile, "Bryan, I trust that you and Miller are doing well?" she asked, for she would always remember the time Miller had asked her advice about his relationship with Bryan and was keen to hear how they were doing as a result.

Bryan grinned widely, "We are," he confirmed, "In fact, Nate has just been promoted to Chief Guardsman now that his father has retired, for good this time. And upon her return, Nate made Harper his second in command. I'm proud of him."

Lexa gave a nod, "It is comforting to know that the safety of Arkadia is kept in such capable hands," she said and she was genuinely pleased by the news. Next, Lexa turned her attention to Gavriel. Like Aden, the young man seemed to have grown immensely since the last time he was here. Only where Aden had retained his lankiness, Gavriel was beginning to fill out so that someday soon, his figure could even be considered imposing. "Gavriel, how is your village doing?"

Gavriel took another step forward in his youthful eagerness, the image at odds with his growing stature, "Flourishing, Heda. Chief Reina wished for me to once again extend my thanks to yourself and to Skaikru for the aid in moving our village. The new site is even better than we could have expected. After a year, I believe everyone has settled and we all look forward to the continuation of our joint ventures with Skaikru to further improve our lives there."

Lexa was moved by the young man's words and continuously impressed by the sharp mind he was developing. "A sentiment shared by Skaikru, I am sure, and that brings us nicely to business."

Bryan was holding a large piece of rolled up parchment and now he brandished it in front of him, "Of course, Commander. If I may?"

Lexa made a motion to her guards with a hand and they immediately moved off and set about retrieving a low table from one of the dark corners of the room. Bryan and Gavriel backed up to allow the guards room enough to place to table at the foot of the stairs and then once they had returned to their posts by Lexa's throne, the two councilmen approached the table and Bryan unrolled the parchment over it's surface to reveal a map.

The Commander stood from her throne and descended the stairs to the opposite side of the table. Lexa raised a hand to her chin as she peered down and assessed the map. Her eyes darted over the markings for Arkadia and the village and then she considered the vast areas of land surrounding the two settlements that were keyed as being workable farmland.

"Here are the two newest fields," Bryan pointed to an area of farmland quite far out from the settlements, judging by the scale; a testament to the work put in by both clans over the past year, "They've both tested out as highly fertile grounds. Now we need to consider which crop to plant in them, based on the needs of the two settlements and, of course, the tradability of the surplus produce."

Lexa considered what Bryan had said. The current agreements between Arkadia and the settlement dictated that they took an even percentage of the food grown to use themselves. Any surplus was then traded for other goods that the settlements found themselves in need of. It had worked well so far, and with more fields waiting to be worked, the rewards for their efforts were only likely to grow. "Are there any crops that either settlement still finds itself in need of? That must continue to be your priority," Lexa guided.

Gavriel gave a shrug, "After the success of the latest harvest, our kitchens and storerooms are both quite full. In fact, I don't think I've ever eaten so many potatoes in my whole life as I have these past months," he said with a laugh.

"No wonder you've grown so much," Clarke's voice cut in, for she had opted to descend the stairs and join the small group around the table rather than settle for being an observer. "If I can cut in?" Clarke asked, seemingly as an afterthought.

Lexa motioned her hand to the table in welcome, "I'm sure this council will benefit from what you have to say, Ambassador. Please."

Lexa watched as Clarke took a moment to study the map. Then Clarke looked up and regarded Bryan, "My mother told me that you've just finished constructing a new storeroom, so I take it that Arkadia is as well supplied as the village?" she asked.

Bryan gave a nod in confirmation.

"In that case, I'd suggest playing it safe with one of the new fields. It won't do to get too complacent, so divide it up to make room for growing extra of the most necessary crops. The second field can then be left to take a few risks with, at least for its first harvest," Clarke suggested thoughtfully.

"You've taken the words out of my mouth, Ambassador," Bryan responded, "In fact, the group that went out with Raven returned with a sample of seeds they found at some sort of storage bank. None of them are labelled, though we've managed to identify a few. I wanted to suggest using the second field to see which of the seeds we have not yet identified will take to the climate."

"It seems Raven's team has been successful in many regards," Lexa mused happily,

"They were. And Murphy and Emori didn't return with the rest. Harper told me how they opted to remain in the wilderness, following the trail they found in the hopes of finding other remnants of the pre-war world that might aid us. Well, us and their own pockets" Bryan said.

Lexa gave a nod and silently wished the two scavengers success on their journey. Then, something that Bryan had said previously stuck in her mind and Lexa narrowed her eyes, "If some of the crops will not grow here, it is likely that they require a warmer climate, yes?"

"That's the most likely reason for seeds not to take, yes," Bryan confirmed.

"Then I agree with Ambassador Griffin and yourself. Use the second field to attempt to grow these new seeds. Identify those that won't take. Then, that will give us cause to begin appealing to the other clans to join the farming council. In particular, the southern clans; Broadleaf and Glowing Forest, where temperatures are warmer," Lexa advised.

"Can you imagine getting to try a completely new food?" Gavriel piped up, his lingering childlike enthusiasm getting the better of him again. Then he caught himself and went on with a much more considered tone; "I'm sure the prospect would appeal to the clans with warmer lands. And with the Skaikru's soil testing, over time we can perfect the use of every piece of farmland and make sure that every member of the Kongeda gets its share, either by splitting harvests or trading."

Lexa had to smile at Gavriel's vision, for she shared it. The thought of encouraging every clan to work together at farming and other trades for the betterment of everyone's life was exactly what kept Lexa motivated over what had been a year of meetings similar to this one. Peace certainly came with a more than healthy share of political grind. The thought made Lexa think back to the moment one year ago, when she and Clarke had bid farewell to Abby and to Arkadia. Clarke had hoped out loud then that their time in Polis would be filled with such non-events as diplomatic meetings. So far she had gotten her wish, though that fact had not stopped Clarke from filling the last pages of the sketchpad Abby had given back to her, and several more after that over the months. There was still adventure to be found in the small things, moments to be treasured, like this morning when Clarke had set about capturing Aden's sparring lesson; a testament to how inspiring the young man's success in his new life as teacher was.

Lexa had to shake herself yet again from distracting thoughts and the images conjured in her mind blurred and gave way to the view of the map again. Still, Lexa privately mused at how despite their being much fewer pressing matters on her plate these days than she had grown accustomed to in her years as Heda, it seemed as though her mind wandered more freely and Lexa had to make more of an effort to keep her focus on the task at hand. Lexa supposed that it was because there were so many aspects of her life that made her genuinely elated to think about these days. It was little wonder that her brain made every effort to revisted those precious times, even when it was inconvenient for it to do so.

Lexa cleared her throat and tried to remember where exactly she had left the discussion hanging. "You are right Gavriel. This is exactly the sort of opportunity we need to encourage more of the clans to consider taking part in joint ventures," she finally said.

Gavriel gave a vigorous nod, thankfully none-the-wiser to Lexa's distractible mood.

"Don't run away with it just yet. We still need to try to grow the food ourselves first before we go extending our hands," Clarke warned firmly.

Lexa looked up from the map at Clarke, "Of course, Ambassador," she answered. "It is agreed," she looked to the two councilmen, "One new field to grow extra essential crops for redundancy's sake, one to experiment with the mystery seeds. I look forward to updates on the progress of the next harvest, and perhaps getting to try something new," Lexa stated, settling back into a routine of professionalism at last to bring the meeting to a natural close.

Bryan opened his mouth to respond, but his reply caught in his throat at the sudden sound of a commotion emanating from outside the throne room doors. Lexa's head snapped up in confusion, just in time to watch as the doors were opened by the guards to allow entry to a burly man of indistinct clan, dragging a female prisoner in with him by her arm. Despite the fact that her hands had been bound tightly in front of her body and there was a sack over her head, there was no visible resistance from her and the prisoner allowed herself to be marched blindly forward.

The new arrivals came to a stop just behind Bryan and Gavriel and the two councilmen moved quickly aside to grant Lexa a better view. It took her moments to assess that the man was a bounty hunter. Lexa squared up to her full height and regarded him with a stony stare.

"What is the meaning of this interruption?" she asked icily.

The bounty hunter offered a jerky bow of his head, "Forgive me Commander, for my intrusion, but this should not wait," he said in a gruff voice.

Lexa arched an eyebrow, "Then are you going to remove your prisoner's hood and reveal her identity to me?" she seethed.

The bounty hunter seemed to try to stammer out an apology, but he gave up halfway through the attempt and instead opted to follow Lexa's command. He reached and tore the burlap sack off of the woman's head.

Lexa felt her stomach roll as she took in the appearance of the woman. She was older, of course, it had been about seven years since last Lexa had seen her. But even so, her casual gait was unmistakable, as was the unruly mass of reddish hair atop the woman's head. Lexa narrowed her eyes and suppressed a gasp.

"Captain Luna kom Floukru. Welcome back to Polis," Lexa spoke, though she barely finished her sentence before Indra cut in,

"Commander, I must object to this!" Indra hissed, "There was no bounty upon Luna's head, this man had no right-"

Lexa raised a hand to silence Indra and the General caught herself and fell quiet. Still, Indra had made a valid point. Lexa fixed her eyes upon the bounty hunter again. "General Indra speaks truthfully. Why do you bring Luna before me with no cause to?"

"Well, she's been in hiding, I assumed-" the bounty hunter tried to explain, his voice stuttering. He was interrupted by a loud snort from Luna,

"Don't worry, my old mentor," she said in Indra's direction, "I let this branwoda capture me to gain an audience with the Commander,"

"And how did you convince him to do that?" Lexa interjected.

Luna grimaced, "I might have assured him that since I have indeed alluded you for so many years, then there was a good chance that my sudden reappearance would be enough to warrant a handsome reward to whomever made my return known to yourself," she offered cheekily.

Lexa repressed a smirk and gave a theatrical sigh. "I see," she said and then she motioned her hand idly in the direction of the bounty hunter, "For your efforts in bringing Luna to Polis, you may choose a horse from my own stables. Will that be sufficient payment since your quarry gave no resistance?" she offered.

The bounty hunter bowed his head. "That is satisfactory," he said.

"Very well," Lexa said, "You may take your leave."

Another bow and then the man turned and paced back the way he had come from and exited the throne room. Once they were gone, Lexa moved around the table. She drew her dagger from its sheath on her thigh as she moved and then, once she had reached Luna, she took hold of her old friends wrists and carefully cut her free of her bindings.

"Chof," Luna muttered as she rubbed at her wrists.

"You didn't need to go to all that trouble to gain an audience with me, Luna," Lexa muttered.

Luna gave a shrug, "Just wanted to be sure you'd see me," she said. "I assumed that Titus would have taken measures to make sure that I wouldn't make it to the throne room, were I to show my face in Polis again," she continued and her eyes scanned the room, "Where is the old baldy anyway?"

Lexa cocked her head, "I relieved him of his duties a year ago. He was living a quiet life in the city outskirts last I heard," Lexa explained and it was quite satisfying to watch the way Luna's eyes widened at the revelation, "A lot has changed since you left, old friend."

"I wouldn't have expected anything less of you. Even in the early days of my escape, when I was just starting to found my clan, I could tell that things were going to be different with strik Lexa in charge," Luna responded.

Lexa felt her ears grow warm at Luna's use of that nickname in front of the whole room. It was a nickname given out of friendly teasing rather than spite, and it had stuck well into their teenage years when Lexa had shot up and ended up taller than Luna was herself. Although Lexa had often pointed the fact of her superior height out to Luna, her fellow nightblood had only ever responded with a bark of laughter and the claim that as long as Lexa's arms remained so stringy, she would always be strik Lexa.

The Commander regarded her old friend more softly as the memories conjured made her more acutely aware of just how happy she was to see Luna alive and well. Their competitiveness during their lessons had not stopped a solid friendship, sisterhood even, from developing between them and now Lexa felt as though Luna's return was something of a gift. She felt that at last, the risk she had taken during the conclave had paid off and where Luna should have been killed by her hand, instead she had come back into Lexa's life at a time when it was already so enriched.

Lexa worked her jaw as she worked up to the obvious question that thus far she had put off asking. "Why have you come out of hiding Luna? Why now?" Lexa finally asked.

Luna's face, friendly and open as it ever was, immediately fell serious. "It's a matter best discussed privately," she said.

Lexa felt as goosebumps raised on her arms underneath the sleeves of her long coat at the foreboding in Luna's request. She gave a terse nod and then turned her attention to the delegation. "You have your instructions," she said to Bryan and Gavriel, "Leave us."

The men both offered her a nod and Lexa waited until the room had cleared except for herself, Clarke, the two guards by the throne, and Indra. Once the room had emptied, Indra moved from her spot and joined the others around the table where Bryan's maps were still on display. Lexa wanted to give the General some time to properly greet Luna, for she knew that Indra must be desperate to. Yet the seriousness in Luna's voice communicated that pleasantries were just going to have to wait. Indra knew this too and she remained diligently silent to allow her Commander to direct the proceedings.

"Well?" Lexa prompted immediately.

Luna furrowed her brow and motioned towards Clarke, "Who's this?" she asked,her tone wary.

Lexa gave Clarke a brief smile, "Apologies. Chief Luna kom Floukru, this is Ambassador Clarke Griffin kom Skaikru. My niron. Clarke, this is Luna."

Clarke offered a bright smile and reached her arm out towards Luna, "It is good to get to meet you, Luna," she said,

Luna did not hesitate to follow Clarke's lead and the two briefly clasped forearms in greeting, "Oh, I've been talked about have I?" she teased,

"Only favourably, I promise," Clarke replied.

Luna turned her attention back to Lexa, her brow furrowed. "Forgive me, I have not yet had chance to be updated on current affairs until I can meet with my Ambassador, so I'm rather out of the loop. But may I ask what happened between you and the blacksmith's second? Only I was sure-"

"Costia died," Lexa interrupted lowly, "Four years ago now." Lexa felt herself battling back tears at the unexpected reference to her first love. Her brows knitted as it dawned on her that Luna certainly wasn't exaggerating when she had claimed to be out of the loop. "Luna where have you been all this time if you did not know that?"

Luna pointed towards the table, "May I?" she said and then Lexa watched as Luna reached into a pocket on the inside of her jacket and procured a folded paper from it. Lexa gave a nod in permission and watched as Luna unfolded the paper and laid it across the table. On it was another map. It depicted a strangely shaped mass of land that Lexa thought she might half-remember having saw before in some book or another in her youth.

"That's a map of Europe," Clarke piped up, her voice certain though her words meant little to Lexa. The Commander watched as Clarke eagerly began to study the map. She pointed down at different areas of the land mass, "France, Spain here, that little island there was the UK," she listed off.

Luna nodded in agreement, "You're right, though the UK is a dead zone now, as is much more of the continent. What remains is known singly as 'Europa'. When I sailed across the ocean, I made port here," Luna pointed to the part of the map that Clarke had labelled as 'France'. "And then I was taken to meet with the governing body of Europa here," Luna pointed to another area of the map.

Lexa was aghast. "You sailed to this place and made contact with other people?" she asked, disbelieving.

Luna looked up from the map and offered Lexa a small smile, "Well I was never sure if you'd decide to hunt me down or not. I decided that putting some ocean between us would help me sleep better at night," Luna joked. "But yes, I did meet other people across the sea. And now they wish to make contact with you," she finished more gravely.

Lexa's blood ran cold. She turned to Clarke and found that she was already looking at her, her own mouth agape. Lexa grimaced. "Do you think that these people can be trusted, Luna?"

Luna nodded, "I do. I lived with them for five years, to make certain of their intentions before I brought word back to you. For now, they just wish to open up a dialogue with the Kongeda," she answered.

Lexa stared off past Luna's shoulder as she considered a moment. "Indra, take Luna and see to it that she has a room to sleep in tonight. It might be wise to get your former second caught up on current events, and I am sure the two of you will have plenty to talk about besides," she said.

"As you wish Commander," Indra said and she moved around the table to Luna's side.

Lexa looked at Luna again, "Luna, I will consider the implications of this information and give you a decision tomorrow. In the meantime, please make yourself at home, I'm sure you can recall where everything is."

Luna looked like she might protest being dismissed but she remained silent and gave a bow, "Very well, Commander," she said simply and professionally, as if the gravity of what she'd just laid at Lexa's feet had just hit her, and knocked her usual casual manner out of Luna. She and Indra also left the throne room, leaving Lexa and Clarke alone with the guards.

Lexa glanced back down to the map, her jaw set tight, "Did you know about the other survivors on Earth?" she asked, and she saw Clarke shake her head in her peripheral vision,

"We thought the Earth was unsurvivable. We didn't think anyone was down here," Clarke responded. She gave a long sigh and the sound made Lexa wince.

Lexa looked up from the map to Clarke with an apologetic look upon her face.

"There goes our evening meal, I guess," Clarke muttered.

Lexa tried to smile but she couldn't manage it. They had both known that one day, something would happen that would threaten the peace they had created over the past year. They were well aware that their routine would inevitably be disturbed by some new revelation. But Lexa also knew that neither of them had been expecting such a startling development as the existence of other people on other lands. People that now wanted to reach out to them.

"We were both waiting for something to happen, Clarke, admit it," Lexa voiced her thoughts aloud. She wasn't sure if stating the fact helped or embittered her further though.

Clarke creased her brow and puffed out a breath. She bobbed her head. "Alright," she said, conviction in her voice now, "So now that something has, what are we going to do?"

Now Lexa managed a smile, a bright one. For although she had always been certain that something would one day interrupt their rather blissful life, she had also known that as long as whatever occurred was faced side by side, everything would turn out well. She and Clarke would weather every storm headed towards them together and come out stronger than ever on the other side. They always did.

END.