They say you never forget your first. Your first love, your first loss, your first failure or your first success. They apply it to everything. That phrase plagued Clarke Griffin. That's ultimately how she ended up here, in the woods, alone. It had started back on the Ark when her father, Jake, was floated and everything had spiralled out of control since. Jake, Finn, Tondc, Mount Weather and everyone in between and she couldn't forget any of them. All ghosts haunting her dreams and these ghosts were unrelenting. Clarke's last kill had been a mountain lion and it's blood stained her usually blonde hair red. She dragged its corpse towards her usual trading outpost, figuring she could pick up the meat from her previous kill at the same time. When she'd first disappeared into the woods Clarke had considered a more permanent escape from the ghosts but could never quite bring herself to do it, instead opting to let Earth do it for her. So every few days she'd hunt a new predator, wondering if this would be the beast to help her escape from this prison of existence.

Lexa couldn't forget her first either but she wasn't haunted by ghosts of her kills. She may have been a seasoned warrior and the Commander of the 12 Clans but there was only one death that she blamed herself for: Costia. The only crime Costa had ever committed was falling in love with Lexa and it cost her her life. Costia's death led to Lexa blocking out all emotion from her life. Every decision was made with her head rather than her heart, at least until the Sky People arrived. Since then Lexa's head had been at war with her heart. Initially, Lexa had admired Klark kom Skaikru for the risk she took in killing Finn herself. That admiration had quickly turned into something else. Lexa had let her heart take over and spontaneously kissed Clarke. What had she been thinking? She didn't even know if Clarke had felt the same way, yet Clarke had kissed her back at least for a moment before backing away. "I'm not ready to be with anyone." What a fool she must think I am.

"Heda?"

"Yes, Titus."

"Our scouts report that the Ice Nation army is moving south."

"And Queen Nia? Does she move with them?"

"Not yet, Heda."

Not yet. Not yet. That was what Clarke had said after…I truly am a fool.

"Titus, bring me Prince Roan."

"Yes Heda"

What must she think of me? Leaving her and her people at Mount Weather? After we'd…Dammit Clarke. Why can't I be free of you? I'll find a way to show you, but first I need to make you safe.

Clarke couldn't feel any physical pain. She hadn't felt it after the first few miles of being dragged through Grounder territory. It would soon be over. The Ice Queen could have the power of Wanheda, Clarke didn't want it. Clarke felt her captor stop, she could hear multiple voices but couldn't make out the words through the bag covering her head. Her feet hit some stairs as she was dragged forward. The ground had changed, it was harder, like metal. They stopped again. A loud creaking started as she felt them being lifted upwards. Is this an elevator? They seemed to be going upwards for several minutes, far longer than any of the elevators she'd been in on the Ark. Finally, the elevator stopped and once again Clarke was pushed forward to the ground. She felt the bag lift and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light and the figures around her to come into focus. LEXA! The anger at the girl that had betrayed her swelled into an uncontrollable rage. Clarke heard nothing that was said, not even the words that she could feel her own mouth forming. Unable to free her hands she managed to gather enough saliva to project at her target before being dragged away again.

Lexa was left standing in her own throne room alone. She wiped Clarke's spit off her face and headed out to the balcony behind her. She looked out over Polis, her city, a shining beacon in an otherwise desolate world. The girl before her a few moments earlier had looked like Clarke Griffin but she was certainly changed. Lexa's head sunk.

"Oh Clarke, what pain have I caused you?"

Lexa felt her heart shatter. She had thought it might become whole again with Clarke's arrival, not break even further. Lexa's head began a battle once more with her broken heart but there was no contest. Lexa decided she would do whatever it took to save Clarke from the pain that she had helped cause.

Clarke's knees hit the hard floor as she was thrown into the room.

"Great, another cell."

She looked up and noticed the opulence around her. Well opulence compared to most things on Earth anyway. She noticed the large bed covered in furs. Actually it was probably the largest bed Clarke had ever seen. Ahead of her was a balcony. She stumbled over to it, now noticing the pain that her body had been feeling that her subsiding rage and anger had hidden from her. As she looked over the railing she was now aware of just how high she must have travelled in the elevator earlier. Beneath her was a sprawling city surrounded by mountains.

"Welcome to Polis."

Clarke suddenly understood why Lexa had wanted to bring her here a few months earlier. Clarke was so entranced by the city that she didn't notice the footsteps behind her.

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

"Come to claim Wanheda's power now. Lexa?"

"No Clarke, I came to talk."

"Well I don't want to talk, least of all to you."

"Every decision I've made has been for my people, Clarke."

"Well I'm so glad that's worked out for you. Now either kill me or leave me alone."

"I can't do that Clarke."

"You were perfectly happy doing both at the mountain though weren't you."

"So be it Clarke, I'll leave. I'll have some food sent up. You'll stay in here for the time being. If you need anything then tell the guards and they'll send for it."

Lexa turned and headed back to the door, composing herself before exiting. Clarke's anger levelled out once more and she headed over to the bed. A sudden wave of exhaustion overcame her and as she lay on the bed her eyes closed and her ghosts began to haunt her once more.

Lexa sat dazed on her throne. Her advisors and the Ambassadors of the 12 Clans had been arguing for over an hour about everything Sky People, Mount Weather, the reconstruction of Tondc. Lexa had barely heard a word they'd said though. She felt exhausted. She'd barely slept last night after seeing Clarke full of rage. It was destroying her seeing Clarke in that much pain.

"Wanheda cannot be allowed to live."

Lexa's attention to the conversation around her returned.

"She has insulted Heda and the 12 Clans."

"Silence!" Lexa finally spoke. "The Coalition broke an alliance with the Sky People in order to save our people from the mountain. Yet Wanheda destroyed our enemies in the mountain without flinching. She did what we could not despite years of battling with the Mountain Men. Wanheda has spilled no Clan blood. Her imprisonment is her punishment for her disrespect but while she remains in Polis she is under my protection."

The ambassadors began talking amongst themselves once more. Lexa silenced them once more.

"No harm shall come to Wanheda while she is in Polis."

"And what of the Sky People?" One of the ambassadors asked.

"The Sky People pose no threat to us at present. They have been without their figurehead since the mountain, but they will soon regroup. I will be inviting their leader to Polis to discuss a treaty to ensure that peace between us continues. Negotiations will begin a week from now."

Lexa rose from her seat, the ambassadors rose, and she left the throne room. When she arrived in her chambers she took a series of deep breaths. Clarke was safe for now but she knew the Clans, in particular the Ice Nation would grow restless. Her scouts had informed her that the Sky People had returned to Mount Weather and appeared to be scavenging the medical supplies. She was running out of time to reform an alliance with the Sky People and without an alliance she might lose Clarke again.