The Tree
Lexa leaped into the air, landing just inches from Nia, and plunged the dagger deep into her back. Nia’s body contorted backwards, a howl of pain and anger convulsing from her lips. She clawed at the blade embedded deep in her upper back as Lexa stumbled towards Clarke.
She slid down on her knees, pulling Clarke close. Lexa cupped her face and ran her thumbs across soft and tired cheeks. “Clarke? Clarke, are you okay?”
Weak hands grasped at Lexa’s arms. “Lexa, what are you doing? Run.”
“Not a chance,” Lexa shook her head firmly. “I’m with you.”
“I can’t save us.”
“It’s okay, Clarke. I’m not letting you go.” Lexa leaned forward, capturing Clarke’s lips in a beautiful kiss. She poured every ounce of her soul into the touch, and Clarke’s lips slid softly against her own, tentatively at first, but soon grew bolder. The grip on her arms tightened, and Clarke found the strength to sit up.
Nia cried and shrieked in the background, but all Lexa could focus on was Clarke. Clarke, whose body tingled against hers. Clarke, who clasped their hands in front of them, threading each finger with Lexa’s. Clarke, whose palms grew hot pressed up against her own.
Lexa broke the kiss when vines crawled up her legs. She looked at their clasped hands, gaping at the yellow glow haloing their embrace. Lexa caught Clarke’s eyes, and Clarke just gave her a firm nod. “It’s okay. Just close your eyes, and kiss me again.”
The vines twisted and pulled, but Lexa did what was requested. She kept her eyes shut, kissing Clarke sweetly. Nia’s howls increased but were soon silenced. And only when she felt her feet set down on solid ground did she break the kiss and look around her.
The clearing was precisely as it was when she first arrived, no sign of Nia, but the tree that laid before Clarke now stood tall above them. And when Lexa took a step back to admire its grandeur, she gasped. Its trunk and branches twisted in a beautiful embrace, not unlike the one she had just found herself in.
“Is that-”
“Sometimes things in this world are better left unanswered. Keeps the mystery alive,” Clarke smirked.
“But what happened?” Lexa marveled. She turned around in a circle examining the unremarkable clearing, trying to find an explanation for what just occurred. Her eyes landed back on Clarke who was looking at her with a soft curiosity. “Who are you? What are you? Who was that?”
Clarke stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Lexa’s neck. She pressed a quick kiss to the tip of Lexa’s nose. “I’ll explain everything later. But for now, just know that we defeated an evil fairy, and I’m still the woman you love.”
“What?” Lexa gaped. Because after all that she just witnessed, the magic, the villain, the glowing hands, the tree, it was the insinuation that Clarke knew how Lexa felt that left her speechless.
“Don’t be so surprised. You aren’t very good at hiding it,” Clarke chuckled. She touched her own nose to Lexa’s, nuzzling it before dipping her chin down and kissing Lexa soundly. It didn’t take long for Lexa to link her arms around Clarke’s back and hold her close. After a few glorious moments, Clarke pulled back just enough to speak. “I love you too.”
