WHAT REALLY HAPPENED ON THAT LEDGE She was a warrior, one with her blade, she was the commander, bringer of death. She was a vengeful ghost as she made her way through the enemy lines, using the darkness and shadows as cover. She moved swiftly, relentlessly from one Mountain Man to another, aiming for throats, legs, arms, not even bothering to kill them but wounding them beyond recovery. All around her bullets flew through the pitch black sky, she could not see them but she heard them. Left and right she saw her warriors get hit in their attempt to protect her, their Heda but she needed no protection, she was the Commander reincarnated, she was born for this, she would survive and if not, her spirit would leave her body and find another. Death was not the end so she did not fear it, did not fear the immediate threat in front of her, the threats hidden in the shadows around her. She was one with the blade and would not stop until she made them feel her wrath. Her blood was boiling as she reached the trees from where the bullets kept coming. A growl formed in her chest as she raised her sword in the air only to slash a man's throat in one swift movement without pausing, her eyes already finding her next kill, the next coward who hid behind his gun. He had no chance, did not even see her coming, did not see his impending death coming by the hand of death itself. She moved soundlessly through the trees, finding one target after the next. Warm blood covered the hilt of her sword but she never lost her grip, hot, sticky rivers of blood dripped down her hands, drops of it stuck to her face, dripped down her eyes, making it harder to see with each kill. She did not need her eyes to kill though, she felt every heartbeat that needed to stop, beating with hers. She could locate every traitorous murderer with the guidance of her intuition. She was dancing, with the enemy, with death itself and it felt miraculous, she felt alive. Suddenly the shooting stopped and for a second she considered whether they were victorious, whether they had deprived those bastards of their unworthy existence. The sudden quiet of the night was deafening as she stood there in the middle of a pitch black forest, holding her breath, waiting what was to come. She expected a deafening roar of her people, of her warriors but none came. "Stop" a deep voice said into the night, ringing loud and clear without raising his voice "I am here to make a deal with your commander". She heard the voice and found her body turning toward the sound, back to the clearing above the door they had so desperately been trying to open. It felt like hours since she had been standing next to Clarke, since she had been able to look into the sea-blue eyes that she so desperately hoped to see again. There was movement to her right and she found her bodyguards making their way over to her from the shadows, immediately flanking her from both sides. She stood there for a second that seemed to last hours, contemplating whether this was a trap, whether this Mountain Man was to be trusted. Her gut said no but her head told her to at least listen. She could always end his life should his deal turn out to be either preposterous or insincere. With her guards by her side she made her way over to the man who stood in the middle of the clearing, his hands raised into the air, surrounded by her men who all had their swords aimed at him, he seemed unconcerned though and that made her feel nervous, why was he here, what kind of deal was he about to offer her? A million questions raced through her mind as she confidently made her way toward the man, making sure she kept her expression in check, stoic, emotionless. She wondered whether Clarke would see the turmoil reflect in her eyes, the uncertainty that her warriors would not because they did not want to see. All they wanted to see was strength, she was their Heda, their strength and motivation. "Commander" the man started with a nod the moment she stopped in front of him, close enough to see his lip twitch despite his calm demeanour, yet far enough away for him to be unable to lift a finger to hurt her before his body would be run through by at least ten swords. The first of which would be hers. "Commander" he said again "President Cage has sent me here to strike a deal between our people". She cocked an eyebrow but said nothing as she waited for him to continue. "President cage offers to let your people go, all of your people and promises that your people have nothing to fear from the Mountain ever again" he said, emphasizing the words your people twice. For a long moment she merely stood there, her entire body ablaze as she heard him speak, wondering whether she really did understand what he had said correctly, hoping that she was not. "What do you mean with your people" Lexa asked, keeping her voice in check while her insides roiled. "Your people Commander, the people of the ground, they are on their way to be released as we speak, we have no need of them". She understood, they really did not need them anymore, not with the Sky People within their grasp. She understood his words, the offer brought to her by this messenger of the man that called himself the president of the mountain. She wished she did not understand, hoping that his words did not mean exactly what they meant. She felt her heart break while her chest collapsed inside of her, leaving her breathless as hopelessness took over her soul. She wanted to kill the man with the arrogant smirk, needed to wipe it off by running her sword through his heart, making it stop, making his blood flow out of his mortal wound. She wanted to see him fall to the ground, his eyes wide in shock at the pain, at the finality as life rapidly flowed from his body, soaking the ground where his body would perish and be eaten by the wolves that same night. She asked, hoping, wishing feverishly that she was wrong "what of the Sky People". He shook his head "they are not your people, you and your people, the people of the ground, every single one of them, must leave the mountainside and you will never have to fear us again". She stood and looked up at the sky and fought back the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her for she could not afford to be emotional. Clarke had been right when she had confronted her, she had felt for Gustus, she still mourned over Costia, she had abhorred the thought of letting 250 people die in Tondc. Clarke had seen right through her with those eyes that reminded her of Summer days spent at the lake near where she had grown up. She wondered if she would ever see those eyes again after that night because the decision had been made the moment he had made the offer. Sacrificing the few to save the many. That was not a decision, it was a matter of acceptance, acknowledging that those few would die and that the blood would be on her hands. In her mind though, they did not matter, the only blood that would be on her hands that would matter was Clarke's. She wished she could kiss her one more time, gaze upon her in daylight one last minute, see the way her hair lit up under the relentless sun, the freckles that covered the bridge of her nose. She wished for many things but wishes were meaningless in times of war. "What is your decision Commande" the soldier asked once more. She hated herself more than anything she could think of right in that moment, she wanted to lift her sword and run it through her own chest, wanted to go down on her knees and beg for Clarke to be included in the deal. Invisible tears were running down her cheeks like violent rivers while her soul bled in agony. She had to fight the bile that rose up in her throat and forced the words out of her mouth in a growl. "We are taking the deal".