Summary:
What if Bellamy and Octavia were never on the Ark, but grew up on Earth. In order for Clarke to keep her people safe, she needs to learn to work together with the chief of Trikru. None other than Bellamy Blake himself. A Bellarke story (Slowburn).
This is a story about how things would have unfolded (in my head) if Bellamy and Octavia were grounders and never were on the dropship.
Note:
This is my second fanfiction, so I'm hoping that I can use the things I learned during writing the first one (which I'll also continue writing). I'm not sure yet about how long this story will be, so I'll just see where it will lead. I do know that it will be focusing on Bellarke and that it will be a slow burn, because relationships obviously don't develop in a day. Also, this will be that kind of story where enemies grow to love one another since I'm smitten for that kind of stuff. ^^
I hope you guys enjoy this story! Feedback is very much appreciated (positive or negative, a girl can only learn from them)!
Chapter 1
Clarke looked down at her hands. They were covered with blood. Blood that only minutes ago was still flowing thick and scarlet in his veins and was now sticking to her hands. She did not know since when, but the thick red liquid didn't bother her anymore since she had seen it too much in recent weeks.
On the table before her lay Nelson. His eyes were fixed and vacant. He was gone. To be honest, she didn't really know the boy. It was easier is she didn't know them. After all the losses there were no more emotions for the dead. It was easier for her to not think of them as people at all.
"Clarke."
She looked up at Roma who was on the other side of the table and had pronounced her name with despair.
Clarke took a cloth that lay at the end of the table and drew it over Nelson's body, covering it up
"I'm sorry Roma," was the only thing she said, after which Roma seemed to lose all the power in her legs and collapsed next to the table. Screaming sobs filled the medic bay only interrupted by her need to draw breath.
Clarke knew how to treat physical wounds, but she tried to avoid the mentally once since she wasn't good at finding the right words to help a grieving person. So Clarke did what she thought was best, leaving Roma to grieve on her own and to let her tell her goodbyes.
Once outside the Med Bay, she was greeted by the sun. It was almost an ironic concept that the sun was shining on the day that another kid had lost its life. After cleaning her hands and getting rid of the blood she walked around the Med Bay until she reached her own little place where she escaped too when she needed to relax or arrange her thoughts. It wasn't really a lot, but it was hidden off from the rest of the camp.
Clarke placed herself on the ground. She could feel the wetness of the grass starting to seep through the fabric of her pants, but she didn't really care. She crossed her legs before her and placed her hands on the grass, letting her fingers run through the long and unkempt, meadow grass waving and rustling in the breeze. The air was filled with the sound of children talking and working, but if she blocked out those sounds she could hear the whisper of the little aspen leaves dancing in the slight breeze that toyed with her golden hair. Her ears faintly distinguished the echoing sounds of forest animals far away, and the birds' sweet songs. She took a deep breath; the scent of pine mingled with the breeze. The forest seemed alive, filled with history and secrets.
She was grateful to be here right now and to be able to experience everything earth had to offer, but she was still debating if it was a blessing or curse to be sent to the ground.
It had been almost two months now since the moment that they had landed on earth. She could still feel the betrayal of her Mom when she thought about how she drugged her to make sure she was on that dropship. All of them, all 100 of them had been experiments. People they didn't need and could use for their own survival. Clarke couldn't understand what could be so bad that they had to send a hundred of them to earth. Well, actually she did know. Her dad. He was floated for the exact reason why they were here. During moments like this, she missed her dad the most. He had always been her go-to person. If she needed a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on, then he would be there for her. Clarke signed. Right now she only had herself. From the moment they had landed on earth and found out that it was livable everyone had looked at her for guidance since she was one of the oldest and had taken the lead in deciding if they should open the dropship or not.
She had never been the leading type, but she soon figured that the kids needed a person to make discissions and to guide them to survive. Clarke just hadn't expected that it would be this hard. From the first moment, earth had tested their will to survive. They had discovered that it would be impossible to get to Mount Weather to get the food they needed. But looking back, that hadn't been the worst thing they had discovered. The worst thing was when they had learned that there were still people living on Earth, the Grounders. Two people had to give their lives for them to find out that the Grounders existed. Since then everything had been about protecting themselves from them. Clarke had instructed the older boys to build a wall around the camp and she was pretty proud of the result. The order was given to let nobody outside of the camp aside from the hunting party. Nelson had been on the hunting party that had left early this morning. He was the seventh person to be killed by the grounders.
Her eyes skimmed the forest. Although the Grounders had only attacked people that left the camp, she knew that they were keeping an eye on them. For all she knew, one of them could be watching her sitting here right now. The thought brought chills on her arms. Just the idea that they were trapped here made her question the future.
The peace and quiet of Clarke and her thoughts were interrupted by Finn.
"Clarke. You need to come."
Although Clarke had been trying to avoid Finn, the urgency in his voice made her jump up.
"What's wrong?"
"They are here. In front of the gate."
This made Clarke go in full alert mode, and she started running towards the gate. Once she arrived there, a crowd had already gathered.
"Let me trough," she commanded as she made her way through the crowd. She climbed the ladder that gave access to the guarding post that was used to keep an eye on the outer side of the gate.
Clarke looks at the four grounders in front of the gate, her heart starting to hammer in her chest, but she keeps her stare casual and with no hint of fear. Three men and a woman, sitting on top of horses. Up until now, nobody had seen a Grounder from up-close. They had always killed from a distance, by arrow or spear. Right now she wished that she hadn't seen them. They looked like the warriors you read about in horror stories. Their armor existed of leather, fur, and bones. Weapons hung on their side or back and one was wearing a mouthpiece that was made from an animal skull. All their faces were covered with dark paint, giving them an even more sinister look. Clarke knew that they would become the single reason for nightmares with the children this night.
"What do you want?" she yelled at them, wanting to know the reason that they were here. Part of her was hoping they were here just for some stupid reason, but another part was telling her that this wasn't a good sign and that this was the beginning of a war they weren't going to win.
"Chon ste your chief?" It was the Grounder at the front that spoke. An athletic guy with a large tattoo covering the left side of his face.
Clarke just stared at him, not understanding what he was saying. She understood the words your chief but
those two words before it could mean anything, so she just kept quiet.
One of the grounders in the back of the four came forward. He had a more tanned skin and was more muscular than the one that had spoken.
"Who is your leader?"
She couldn't hide her surprise when discovering that they spoke English and the camp seemed to be as surprised because Clarke could hear kids whispering to one another.
"Why do you want to know that?" Clarke asked coldly. She wanted to find out why it was important to them to find out who their leader was before she put herself out there.
"Our chief gave us the mission to bring the chief of your clan to him," the same muscular guy explained.
"What do you want with our leader?" she asked, wanting to know what they wanted to do with her.
"We can't tell you that."
Of course, they couldn't. If not for the clear tension and seriousness of this, she would have rolled her eyes.
Clarke wanted to protest against that weak answer but was interrupted by someone who went to stand next to her and took the word.
"If we give you our leader, will you stop killing our people?"
And this was the moment she couldn't hide her emotions because pure shocked covered her face. The boy in front of her turned his face to give her his typical mischievous smile. Murphy. The boy who had been going against her from the start, trying to gain control over the camp. The only reason she didn't give him the position of leading the camp was because if he made the discussions, then everyone would be dead within one month. He was the embodiment of someone who only thought about himself and couldn't bother with another person.
Clarke looked back at the grounders, waiting for their answer to Murphy's question, knowing that the answer would probably change the outcome of her life.
"If you give us your leader we will stop killing your people for now."
They were lying. Clarke just felt it, but it seemed that Murphy was just walking right into their lie because he placed himself behind Clarke, placing both his hands on her shoulders.
"Well then. You can have her."
Fear traveled in her veins. She couldn't believe that all this time she had been able to survive and it all was going to end because of someone like Murphy.
"No"
The loud voice came from the crowd and both her and Murphy turned around to see Finn standing in the crowd, walking towards the ladder.
"Murphy! What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked as soon as he joined them on the deck.
"What I'm doing? Trying to save our people." His tone was so cold that it sends chills down Clarke's spine. This boy was delusional.
"Saving your people? By getting the one person who has done everything to keep us alive killed?"
Clarke was thankful towards Finn. Even after the things she had said to him the last two weeks, he was still looking out for her. She hadn't expected him to come and help her. Not after his girlfriend had landed on earth two weeks ago. She still felt hurt by the fact that he had used her, never telling her that he had a girlfriend on the ark. But right now she was grateful towards him.
"What is one life if it means that we can save ninety?"
Clarke's heart skipped a beat when she heard some kids cheering for Murphy after he said that. She knew that if the camp was agreeing with Murphy, she was lost for.
"Murphy just stop this. We need her." Finn's voice was becoming desperate. He seemed to understand how this was not going to end well.
"No Finn. You need her. WE need a safe place to live. A place where we're not attacked by Grounders when we step outside of the gate." Murphy now faced the crowd. Everyone had gathered at the gate because a big crowd was now standing beneath them.
"Everyone!" He yelled to get their attention. "Since the moment we landed, things have been difficult. This week only, four of our people were killed by Grounders. Just a few minutes ago Nelson gave his life because he was attacked by a Grounder while searching for food for us. Do you guys want to keep living like this? If we give Clarke to them they promise that they won't kill us. We will be able to live peacefully. We will be able to walk in the forest without having to fear for a spear impaling our guts." He took a short break from his speech, while he let his eyes glide over the crowd that was now starting the yell "Give her to them!".
Clarke felt all hope disappear. She felt betrayed. It hurt her more than she would admit. She had done everything to make sure they survived and this was how they repaid her for it.
"I'm not letting you hand her over Murphy!"
Finn shot forward, his fist ready to hit Murphy right in the jaw. Unfortunately, Finn never reached Murphy. The two guards that were keeping watch had grabbed Finn and were holding him back. Murphy let out a laugh, clearly enjoying the fact that his plan had worked and that the camp seemed to support him in his grab for leadership.
"Looks like your time has come Clarke. Let's not keep the grounders waiting."
Clarke clenched her jaws, but she didn't fight or protested against Murphy when he pusher her towards the ladder. She had accepted the situation, knowing that there was nothing more to do. On her way to the gate, she crossed Monty and Jasper, who gave her an apologetic look. She didn't blame them. In this situation, they had to think about their own safety so that meant following the crowd and going with Murphy's discission. She gave them a small smile to signal them that she understood.
As soon as she was standing before the gate they started opening it. Murphy was now holding her in her neck, pushing her forward when the gates were open.
She held halt in front of the first Grounder, the one with the tattoo covering his face. Although she wanted to look at the grounder, her attention was grabbed by the animal he was sitting on. A big chestnut horse. She had heard stories about horses and how people rode them, but now that she stood before one she only realized what a magnificent animal it was. The horse was slender-limbed, but with strong muscles underneath his silky coat. His strong feet were pounding the ground, sending little waves of dust into the air.
Her attention was pulled away from the horse when the grounder jumped from its back.
"Hand her over," he commanded, holding out his hand in which he was holding a rope.
Murphy pushed her one more time, forcing her to take a step in the direction of the Grounder. As soon as she stood before the Grounder, he grabbed her wrists and started tying her hands together. She could feel how the rope cut into her wrists as he pulled the rope too tight, but she wasn't going to show the pain it caused. Even if she was going to die, she wasn't going to give anybody the pleasure of showing her weak side.
"You won't kill anyone. Right?"
The grounder just nodded as he tied the other end of the rope to the side of the saddle that lay on the horse. With this, the transaction ended because the Grounder crawled back onto his horse, turned it around and started walking back into the woods. Clarke was pulled by the rope and was forced to follow. She could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes, but blinked a few times to get them away. She was not going to show fear or defeat.
Behind her she could hear Finn's voice, screaming for her, but Clarke blocked out the sound. Knowing that he was still fighting for her would make it all worse.
Clarke didn't know how long they had been walking, but her feet and wrists were killing her. It was hard to keep up with the horses. Every time she lost her pace, the rope would be pulled as they just kept going, and she would collide with the ground. The tight rope chaffed at her wrists and the skin beneath had started to turn red with a crimson ooze at the surface.
The Grounders had stayed quiet, not talking to one another. Clarke figured they weren't ones to keep a casual conversation going while traveling.
The night was starting to fall. The bright blue sky that could be seen through the leaves was being transformed into an ocean of blackness. Shimmering stars started to illuminate the moonless, jet black sky as if to remind her that even in darkness there was still light. The air was still and heavy, thick clouds covering the sky. A cool breeze swept through the forest and in the distance, she could hear an owl.
When it looked like even the shadows had been swallowed by the darkness of the night, the Grounders stopped. One of them said something that Clarke couldn't understand and the others seemed to agree. They all jumped from their horses. The muscular one came towards her and untied her from the horse. Now that she was close to him she could see that he was actually kind of handsome. He got that brown skin Adonis look going on with dark eyes that would make a girl go weak in the knees. Clarke, however, wasn't in the position to let her mind wander in that direction.
"Follow me."
Clarke did as she was told and followed him as he led her around the horses towards a small opening between some trees. The woman of the group was starting a fire in the middle of the opening.
"You stay here." The handsome Grounder pointed out to a tree at the side of the opening, and he started to tie the rope around the tree, only giving her a small window of movement.
Clarke sat down against the tree and held her hands close to her chest so that the tension on the rope was minimal.
"Are they too tight?"
Clarke looked up to the Grounder. He wasn't looking concerned or something, but the question gave the feeling these people might care, even if it was just a little.
She nodded and the grounder reached for her wrists, loosening the bounds just a little, but it made a huge difference for Clarke. The rope wasn't cutting into her flesh anymore.
"Thank you," she said.
"Don't thank me. One wrong move and I tighten them even more than they were."
With that he left her alone, joining the woman who had started the fire. She let herself lean against the tree. She was tired. She could feel a blackness come over her. Like a blanket, but not a blanket of warmth, but one of coldness that made her shiver. But somehow it made her eyes feel heavier and heavier. She finally closed her eyes, sending her into a dreamless sleep.
Clarke is woken from her heavy slumber and the first thing she becomes aware of is the coolness of the air and its loamy fragrance. The ground is cold and wet beneath her and her clothes feel damp. Half in wonder if she's dreaming she sits up. It is the rawness of her wrists that gives her the reality check that she's not dreaming. Clarke looked around. It's still night but something is going on that made her wake up. She hears a voice. Not the whispering kind of voice, but a voice that was filled with panic and worry. Her eyes find the grounders not too far away from her, next to the campfire. One of them is laying down, the other tree surrounding him. It's the woman s voice she has been hearing. She's calling someone's name. Clarke looks back at the person on the ground and only now notices that the woman's hands are tinted red. He's wounded, thought Clarke, serves him right. One less grounder to kill her. Clarke keeps looking as she can see how the breathing of the wounded man was speeding up, telling her that he was in a lot of pain. She couldn't see where he was wounded or how bad it was since it seemed to be on his side she had no vision of. The grounders clearly had no idea what to do, since they just kept talking to him.
You're not going to help, she told herself. She let out a sign. Who was she kidding? She was a medic, so if she saw a wounded man she was going to try to treat him.
"I can help," she said loud enough for the grounders to hear. It was the handsome one that turned around to look at her.
"I'm a doctor at my camp. If you bring me to him, I'll try to save him."
The man stood up and walked towards her, kneeling in front of her.
"You are a doctor?" He looked at her as if he wasn't believing a single word she was saying. She almost felt insulted by it.
"I am. Four of the people you guys tried to kill, I saved."
His brow rose, and he looked over his shoulder as the wounded man made some agonizing noises.
"Look. You can keep me here, tied around a tree and let him die or you can give that man a fighting chance and let me take a look at him. You know very well that he will die if you just let him be. Only let me take a look. Let me see if I can do something about it."
The grounder seemed to debate about the two choices, but to Clarke's relief, he untied her from the tree. As she followed him and the man came into full view, she saw the damage that had been done. His left side was just one big flesh wound and blood kept pouring out of it. It wasn't a pretty sight, but Clarke couldn't see any organs like bowels, so that was a good sign.
"What happened?" she asked out of curiosity.
"He was attacked by a boar. The beat slashed his side."
Clarke couldn't imagine in how much pain the man had to be.
"Why is she untied?" It was the woman of the group that spoke, her despair making place for anger at seeing her untied from the tree.
"She's a doctor. Maybe she can help. Can you do something?"
Clarke looked back at the man who was starting to lose the color in his face because of the blood that he was losing.
"I can, but you'll need to take these ropes away," she said as she held her hands up.
"No. I'm not letting that sky girl touch my husband."
Husband and wife. Clarke figured.
"He's bleeding to dead Tiga. Just have her take a look. If she kills him, then the chief will punish her for it."
Clarke already regretted offering her help, but there was no way back now. The woman names Tiga moved back a little so that Clarke had access to the wound. It was the man that had untied her that undid her of the rope.
Clarke didn't let herself get the time to enjoy her free wrists because she knelt next to the man, tearing away the fabric of his shirt from the wound, to give her a better view on the wound. The blood was coming from a vein that was torn.
Her eyes skimmed her surroundings, looking for something to use.
"Your sword," she said to the grounder that had untied her. He just looked at her in disbelief. Right. She was still a prisoner so giving a sword to her was not something they would do.
"Okay, don't give me the sword, but then I need you to put your sword into the fire until it glows up. I need to burn his vein shut otherwise he'll just keep bleeding. Once the vein is closed we can just cover the wound. He will still be in pain, but he'll make the rest of the way to wherever we're going."
To her surprise, this seemed to convince him because he pulled his sword out of its sheet and held it into the fire. Clarke pushed her fingers against the vein while waiting for the sword to warm up. Once it had an orange color she signaled that the sword was hot enough.
"Hold him down," she said to Tiga and the grounder with the tattoo ", it will hurt like hell, but only for a second."
They both did as she told and Clarke signaled the other one to come and sit next to her with the sword. Since he clearly still didn't feel like giving her the sword, she placed her hand around his wrist, guiding the glowing sword towards the wound. As soon as the sword hit the flesh a sizzling sound filled the air together with the smell of burned flesh. The wounded man yelled it out and tried to move beneath the sword, but the two grounders pinned him down, just like Clarke had asked. After some seconds Clarke removed the sword and to her relief, the bleeding had stopped. Al tree of the other grounders looked at the wound and then back at her.
"You did it." It was the handsome grounder that spoke, the one that had given her the chance to save his life.
"Didn't I tell you that I'm a doctor?" She wasn't going to be full of herself, but she was proud that she probably had saved the grounder. Maybe she could use it as leverage for when she would face their chief.
"Yeah, you did."
To her own surprise, she gave him a smile. "Just keep the wound covered for now. Make sure it does not get infected. I can close the wound up and treat it further once I have access to supplies."
Tiga just looked at her. Not knowing to thank her for saving her husbands life or hate her for the fact that she owned her husband's life to a prisoner. At the end, she just gave a small nod towards Clarke and went to get some cloths to use as a bandage.
Clarke turned her attention back to the kind grounder, holding her hands up towards him.
"I guess you'll have to tie me up again."
He couldn't hide the amusement he felt from seeing her directness. He started to put the rope back around her wrists, and she could feel the thick material against her raw skin. To her relief, he gave her wrists some space to move.
"Can I ask you something sky girl?"
"Fire away."
"What is your name?"
Clarke was surprised by such a personal question. She was a prisoner, so what did it matter what her name was, asked Clarke herself. She did answer though.
"Clarke."
"Well, thank you for saving my friend's life, Clarke from Skycrew."
Again she caught herself for giving him a little smile. He led her back to the tree, and she was back in her spot.
"What's your name?" Maybe this question was too straight forward, but she felt like this man was someone she would be able to trust. He maybe looked like he would kill someone without a second glance, but she also had the feeling that he had a kind heart.
"Lincoln."
With that he walked back to his fellow grounders, leaving her behind on her own for the rest of the cold night.
