A/N: Not much of Lexa, but we'll see more of her in the next chapters.

You know the rules, italic's for sentences supposed to be in another language (Trigedasleng or Italian) and if there are no " " it's somebody's thoughts.

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Chapter 5: A silver blue night

Clarke was given an armour by Liri, a blue and silver armour. She wanted to protest, but Wit anticipated her, "You are one of us and this is an official ceremony, we all wear our Nation's symbol."

Instead of objecting, Clarke closed her mouth, accepting the great honour that was being offered.

Now she's trying to get into said armour. It's elegant, but just a little too complicated for someone who isn't too familiar with battle gear, so Aeryn is helping her, the girl herself wearing a long icy blue dress that matches her eyes. The Ice symbol sits proudly between her shoulder blades and features on the small belt hugging her waist.

White paint adorns her face, forming a different design than the one she carefully traced on Clarke's face. Her eyes are barely touched by the paint, which is mostly restrained to her forehead. There are patterns on her hands as well, which represent her role as a healer in the recent battle.

On Clarke, instead, the paint circles her eyes, expanding to her whole face, complicated lines touching Clarke's chin and ears, marking her as a protector, a warrior.

When Clarke brought up war paint and the odd scars that Ice soldiers wore, Aeryn explained that the Queen is the one who introduced that use. Ice tradition does include war paint, but only for wars fought to protect the Nation against a foreign threat. More commonly, white paint is used in celebrations and official ceremonies.

The ritual scars were an ancient tradition from times of constant conflict, when Ice was always fighting, they proved a warrior's loyalty to his leader. The Queen brought the tradition back as a sign of her soldiers' commitment to her.

"Something else the Queen tainted," Aeryn had said with a sad smile.

Now, as she struggles a little with a piece of Clarke's armour, Aeryn offers a soft smile framed by her blue lip paint.

Clarke is going to tell her just how beautiful she looks, but before she can find her voice Malaya walks into the tent with Faith. Both of them are wearing the same armour Clarke is still trying to put on.

Malaya looks absolutely deadly and positively stunning, the only missing part of the armour is the helm and her hair, free from it, fall in long waves down her back, framing her face beautifully, at contrast with the silver details of the armour.

All four of them are wearing white paint. Faith is vibrating with energy, a proud smile threatening to ruin the solemn expression. The girl keeps looking down at herself, obviously excited about her attire.

"Damn, Clarke, you were born to wear that armour."

Clarke smiles at Faith, still too surprised and grateful about wearing the armour to really care about how it looks on her.

Malaya stays silent and moves closer to Clarke. She reaches out to take the last piece of armour from Aeryn and looks at Clarke for permission, when the girl gives a shy nod she fixes the shoulder piece in place and steps away to give Clarke a once-over before nodding proudly.

The three of them remain silent until Wit peeks into the tent and limps in, smiling at them.

"Ready for the ceremony?"

They all nod, Clarke and Faith visibly nervous.

Aeryn gently holds Clarke's hand as they leave the tent and she only lets go when they reach the pyres.

The sun is just about to set and all the Ice people in the capital are gathered around the pyres, the Moon warriors among them. Together they fought and died, now together they burn their dead and grieve.

Nyx and Liri are waiting for them in front of the biggest pyre and when they get closer Liri offers her torch to Clarke, stepping to the side slightly.

Clarke looks at it confused, then turns to her companions. Malaya and Chayim nod at her, Aeryn and Wit give a little smile, Faith's eyes widen.

Nyx only spares her a solemn look and turns to face the pyre waiting to be lit. She takes a step forward and raises her torch.

Clarke knows what she's going to say only because Ethan explained the ritual to her earlier.

"For Ice they lived and fought," she says loud enough to reach most of the hundreds of people gathered around them.

She then turns around and looks at Clarke expectantly. Clarke frowns a little and is thrown off when Liri, Malaya, Ethan, Chayim and Meike are all nodding their head towards the pyre, urging Clarke to join Nyx.

She hesitates a moment longer, then steps closer to the other rebel and raises her torch. She thinks she might be trembling, but her voice is strong and firm when she speaks the second part of the sentence.

"In peace may they move on."

Nyx gives her a nod of approval before stepping close to the pyre and Clarke knows she has to do the same. They light the pyre together and people follow to light the others.

The sun is setting the sky on fire and the reds and yellows and oranges seem to blend into one burning blaze.

The fire of the pyres reaches high and merges with the flaming sky, like a wide beam for the dead to ascend.

"At sunset the flames of the dead touch the ones above, so it's easier for the spirits to find their way to the freedom of the sky," Clarke remembers Malaya saying.

From where Clarke is watching, so close that she feels the heat burning her face and melting the white paint, is looks just like that.

She tears her eyes from the powerful display only to chance a look at Nyx, who is staring into the flames in a way that must be hurting her eyes and blackening her vision.

She shifts her gaze back to the sky and behind her Aeryn starts singing.

"Mi son svegliato in un paese invaso.

Ho passato un altro giorno in cerca della mia libertà."

Everybody joins in and starts linking hands. Malaya grabs Clarke's right hand and Clarke feels the lyrics leave her mouth, learned in the cold mornings spent in the woods during their journey.

"Ho combattuto, ma non come un soldato senza volontà.

Ho rinunciato alla salvezza in favore del fervore."

Nyx reaches out to take Clarke's other hand.

"Ho combattuto, con tutta la forza della mia coscienza,

con tutta la volontà che non hanno potuto strappare.

Non c'è sacrificio, ma soltanto scelta,

non ho un'armatura, ma posso farne senza."

Nyx turns to Clarke and squeezes her hand to get her attention. She keeps her eyes on Clarke as they sing the next bit to each other.

"Tutto ciò che mi serve è di fianco a me,

è la forza di chi crede, di chi non si arrende."

The fire roars in front of them and soon Clarke feels Malaya tugging them back to stay at a safe distance from the flames reaching for them.

All around people are singing and a simple touch links them all.

"Mi riprendo la mia libertà e non muoio senza.

Combatto perché vivo,

c'è fuoco dentro me."

When the song comes to an end there are a few moments of silence before another one starts in front of some other pyre.

The third song is started by a Moon warrior, it's not from Ice tradition, but everyone seems to know it all the same.

It's in the middle of the fourth song that Clarke notices a figure standing at the edge of the space they cleared for the pyres.

Standing at a respectable distance, Lexa is only recognisable to Clarke because of her red sash.

She doesn't make a move to get closer and doesn't seem to notice Clarke. She just stands there and Clarke knows it's just part of her new understanding of people she was never aware of.

When they stop holding hands, Clarke feels Aeryn's hands come to rest on her shoulder as she lays her head on Nyx, the rebel still not letting go of Clarke's hand.

Clarke looks at them, all of them – Faith is being hugged by Chayim and Wit, Meike is holding Kora, Katarina has an arm around Malaya's waist and even Ethan is leaning slightly on Liri. And Clarke knows, once again, that she has found a family.

She doesn't know when she started to fit into their dynamics, but if someone asked them they'd say they didn't even have to make space for her.

Clarke doesn't know all the songs, but she's positive she will by the next official ceremony.

When she turns back to glance at the edge of the clearing, Lexa is gone.

... ... ... ...

Lexa follows Indra through the streets of the capital in search of the rebel leaders.

From what Indra heard they might have come to a decision and the general urged her Commander to speak with them before the day ends.

They don't find many people in the city and when they ask the few who stayed behind, they are addressed in the direction of the fields north of the capital.

Unaware of the ceremony and with the vague explanation that the rebels were gathered for dinner, they make their way to the clearing and stopp when they see the fire.

Now understanding the occasion, Lexa sends Indra back to the camp, but lingers herself.

She stands far enough from the pyres that she doesn't think anyone could notice her and watches enthralled as the Ice people start singing.

She doesn't know much about Ice traditions before the Queen, but she's quickly learning that her people's assumptions are incredibly wrong.

She isn't able to spot Clarke among the many heads and she wouldn't know to look for her among the armour-clad warriors.

She stays there for a while and leaves after the fourth song ends. She will ask some Ice person about the ceremony later, for now she takes her leave as silently as she came.

She wonders about Ice ceremony to burn the dead. Contradicting their reputation once again, the ceremony seems much more lively than the Trikru one.

... ... ... ...

When the sun is done setting and every pyre has had its song, people start moving out of the clearing to set up dinner back at the camp.

Some stay behind to guard the pyres and say their personal goodbyes. They will take turns throughout the night and no one will go to sleep before the sun rises again.

Here's a rough translation of the song lyrics:

"I woke up in an invaded country,

I spent another day in search of my freedom.

I fought, but not like a soldier without will,
I renounced safety in favour of fervor.

I fought with all the might of my conscience,
with all the will they couldn't take away.

There's no sacrifice, but only choice,
I have no armour, but I can do without.
All I need stands next to me,
it's the strength of those who believe, who don't give in.

I take back my freedom and I don't die without it.

I fight because I live,
there's fire inside me."