"I'm not going in."
Bellamy turned around to look at Clarke. Not quite believing why she's saying that. "Ok... If you need forgiveness, I'll give that to you. You're forgiven!" He couldn't lose here so he laid every feeling he had for her into his voice but as soon as he said it he knew he couldn't change her mind.
"Take care of them for me." Tears glistened in her eyes as she was about to turn around.
"Clarke!" She wheeled around quickly desperation seeking onto her face. "I'm seeing their faces every day and it's just gonna remind me of what I did to get them here..."
"What we did! You don't have to do this alone." He was not going to let her go, he had to live with the same guilt so they could go through this together. Clarke looked back at Camp Jaha with finality, knowing that she won't come back to see it change over the years. She won't see her Mother, her friends Raven, Octavia, Jasper and Monty, she won't see Bellamy. But it was for the best, so they could live in peace and freedom. "I bear it so they don't have to."
"Where are you gonna go?"
"I don't know."
Clarke wrapped her arms around Bellamy tightly and kissed him on the cheek as final goodbye. "May we meet again." Without looking back she turned her back on the life she learned to know and love. The people she loved most. Every step took her into an unknown future but she knew she had to do it. As she was once told: a leader needs to be strong and bare the guilt so others can live without it.
"May we meet again."
10 years later
The Commander held her fist high into the air signalling her scouts to stop behind her and took off her skull mask. They stayed just behind the tree line but were still able to look down into the valley where people worked on cutting down all of the trees. It was a long time ago she last saw this place and she couldn't remember Camp Jaha being that massive. Almost half of the place was littered with small houses and tents already, intruding deeply into their territory. Now that the sky-people had more weapons there was no chance the forest-clan could fight them off on their own. That's why they send for her, the commander of all clans.
"They're disregarding our agreement. Teck, when did this start?"
The leader of the forest-clan kneeled down beside here looking down at the sky-people and taking off his mask as well. "They began three moons ago. We hoped they would stop, but they didn't. We called on you to get help from the other clans, commander."
"I see."
She stood up abruptly and made her way back into the forest, she had seen enough. Teck and his men followed close by as she followed the small path they came from back to the clearing where they left their horses. They were a group of ten including herself so she saw no problem to act right now. Climbing onto her horse she gathered her men around her.
"We're going to talk to the leader of the sky-people first. There must be a solution without a fight."
Three of the men grunted disapprovingly obviously wanting to hurt the trespassers but no one said a word against her decision. Sometimes being the commander had its perks although she swore to herself a long time ago never to be a leader again. But it was not her choice to make. Putting on her mask again she started into the direction of Camp Jaha.
Bellamy sat in the control centre of the camp planning the next improvements with Marcus. He became the second in command after Jaha left and Marcus became Chancellor. A lot changed in the last years. Many people from all over the area joined their community and they had no major fight with other grounders in almost 10 years. Their population grew steadily so they quickly had to expand their settlement and thanks to Raven they had electricity in almost every part of the camp by now. The remains of the Ark station still was the midpoint of everything and kind of resembled a town hall.
"Bellamy, do you really think it's a good idea to expand further into the valley? You know it's grounder territory." Marcus said as he pinched the bridge of his nose exhausted. He never fully recovered from the accident in the grounder village a decade ago.
"The land on the other side of the ark isn't as good as the valley and you know that. The grounders didn't show up as we first started building our houses in here so why should they show up now...?"
"Chancellor!" One of the guards stormed into the room clutching his gun tightly to his chest. "There's a group of Ten Grounders approaching camp quickly, sir!"
Marcus sighed and glanced over at Bellamy with a look that said 'I told you so'. Grabbing his gun from beside him Bellamy stood up and ordered the guard to bring him to the grounders. Marcus was in no condition to handle things like that. Bellamy almost took over everything, only listening to Marcus' decisions because he had to. Luckily they got along most of the time.
As Bellamy stepped outside of the Ark the group of grounders stopped right in front of him and a woman jumped off of her horse followed by one of her warriors. Judging by her clothing and her mask she was the commander. Obviously it wasn't Lexa anymore seeing that the woman's structure was more build and less petite. The other man stepped forward beside her.
"The commander wishes to speak to the leader of the sky people." He announces gruffly not showing any emotion which was typical for most grounders.
"That would be me." Bellamy spoke directed to the woman not addressing the buff looking man standing beside her. As he said that he saw her shoulders slightly stiffening but soon she stood as relaxed as before.
The commander stepped forward looking directly at Bellamy though her eyes were hidden in the shadows of the mask.
"Bellamy of the sky people. You are disregarding the agreement of our borders. We came here to discuss that issue." Her voice was without emotion as well and yet it sounded kind of strangled. Bellamy's eyes widened in shock as he recognized the undertone in her voice. A voice he didn't hear in forever although it changed a lot over the years. Her voice sounded hollow underneath her imperious tone. But it was still her.
Clarke.
Clarke Griffin was standing right in front of him as the commander of the grounders.
