Chapter 1 - Learning the Truth

Hey readers! So this is the first time I'm writing a story with the A/B/O dynamics, and I've kind of taken different ideas and put them together, so it might not be exactly what it usually. I also am using the soulmate/soulmark AU for this story. SO each character has a mark that matches someone else's and it means they're soulmates.

This story starts the day after the Mountain is taken down. In this story, the sky people and the grounders work together to take down the Mountain, so this starts the day after and the Mountain was destroyed the night before. The grounders, including Lexa, are still in their camp outside of Camp Jaha.

Clarke and Lexa already know they're soulmates, and that they have one other soulmate, but they decided to wait until the Mountain was destroyed before they pursued anything with each other. Most of the talking has been done between Clarke and Lexa throughout planning the war. The idea of soulmarks that are filled in differently for each person was an idea I heard somewhere and thought was really cool so I incorporated that.

As far as characters go, Anya is still alive because of course. Gustus is dead though. The Nightbloods exist but the entire concept will be redone because I don't want to use the Alie storyline. Anya and Titus are in a group of advisors that Lexa has, along with others. This small group is not official. It's just people Lexa trusts to give her advice.

Trigedasleng is a written language because of course it is. So all Trigedasleng that I don't know will just be in italics. Because it's a written language, sometime when the characters are speaking the names are changed a little to show that that person think of them as a grounder.

So sorry for all this information! It will not be like this for every chapter. I just had a lot of things to clear up before we start. And this chapter is a little wordy, but I promise that won't be the case in every chapter. Octavia is not yet in this chapter, so I will explain her background in the next chapter. I hope you like the first chapter! Thanks for reading! – Sam

Trigger Warning

"Heda! Skaikru leaders are here to speak with you!" a guard yells into Lexa's war tent.

Lexa frowns at the unexpected visitation. Quickly putting on her war coat and pauldron, she makes her way to her throne, "Send them in!"

The tent's entrance is held open as Clarke, Abby, Kane, and Bellamy come in. Over the past few weeks, Lexa had become close with Clarke. The many long nights planning a war bled into the girls learning more about each other personally. It hadn't taken them long to figure out that they shared the same soulmark. The three small squares on Lexa's stomach had always been something that bothered her. She needed to focus on leading her people, not love. Those beliefs were completely disregarded when she met Clarke. She knew immediately the other alpha would play an important role in her life. Two days later, when they discovered they were soulmates, Lexa found out she was correct. Of course, they were in a time of war. A new relationship was not their main focus. They decided to put it aside until they defeated the Mountain Men.

"Skaikru, I was not expecting you until later in the day," Lexa nods to each of them. "The celebration will not start until the sun begins to set."

"It is just us for now," the alpha Abby explains. "We wanted to speak to you about what will happen to us now that our common enemy is gone. Our people are wary about our future."

Lexa nods in understanding, "Do not fear, Chancellor. You and your people have proven your worth. Tomorrow, after the celebrations are over, we will work out an alliance treaty between my coalition and Skaikru. Then, if everything seems to be in order in a few months, I will consider bringing Skaikru into my coalition."

The beta Kane steps forward and holds out his arm, "Mochof, Commander."

Lexa is not surprised by his use of her language. As a beta, Kane has always tried to work out compromises between his people and her own. Lexa grabs hold of his forearm, "Of course. Now, go back to your camp and prepare for much celebration this evening."

The alpha named Bellamy also grabs her forearm before he leaves. Kane and Abby follow the boy out, but Clarke hesitates. Lexa narrows her eyes as she notices Clarke's worried pheromones. Lexa moves to stand in front of her soulmate, "What is it, Clarke?"

Again, Clarke hesitates. Her eyes shift from Lexa to the ground and back again. For the first time, Clarke grabs Lexa's hand. The girls had never touched before, worried that it might hurt their resolve to wait for peace to be together. Lexa tightens her grip on the other alpha's hand and pushes out calming pheromones, hoping to help Clarke settle. It seems to work because Clarke begins to speak, "You… you can't create an alliance with Skaikru… You can't…"

Lexa frowns, unsure where this is coming from, "What do you mean, Clarke? Aren't you pleased? We have defeated our enemy and helped our people. We are in peace now… We can be together… We can find our… our other soulmarked."

Although the two alphas had never spoken about it, it was obvious to them both that they had a third soulmate. It was not uncommon for two alphas to be soulmates without another beta or omega, but their soulmark made it clear that another was meant to be in their relationship. The soulmark was made up of two outlines of squares, and one filled in square. But, Lexa and Clarke each had a different square filled in. The right square was filled on Lexa's; the left on Clarke's. On both, the middle square was just an outline, leading them to believe there was another out there meant to be their soulmate. Soulmates of three or even four people was not uncommon, especially for the grounders.

"I know. I know. That's why I'm telling you this. You have to help me."

"What is it, Clarke?" Lexa moves her hands to cup the alpha's cheeks. Now that they have had contact, Lexa never wants to let go, "I will help you with anything. Tell me what is going on?"

Clarke lets out a shaky breath, "I've seen the way your people treat the omegas. There are even omegas in your army!"

The brunette alpha nods, "Yes, we have many omegas in our armies. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Lexa, haven't you noticed that you've never met a single Skaikru omega?" Clarke exclaims. Lexa ponders that for a second. Now that she is thinking about it, Clarke is correct.

"I've always smelled omega pheromones coming from your camp so I didn't think about it," Lexa frowns. "Why are they only inside the camp?"

"Because they're not allowed to leave," Clarke begins to sound desperate, letting her head fall a bit. "Lexa, the Skaikru treat omegas like dirt. The alphas have always been in control in our people. The betas are treated well, but still not as well as the alphas. Lexa, the omegas have no rights in our people. They treated like slaves!"

Lexa's face contorts into disgust while Clarke speaks. She quickly backs away from the girl. It's quiet for a moment before Lexa whispers, "Why?"

Clarke shakes her head, "I don't know… the alphas… they're egotistical. All they care about is power and control… They hurt the omegas… Lexa, I… I would never, I promise… There are alphas and betas who speak out against it, but most are executed… The only reason I haven't been is because my parents were so important… Lexa please, I promise you I would never hurt an omega…"

Lexa huffs out a breath, pulling Clarke into her arms, "I know… I know you wouldn't… you… you need to tell me more about their treatment."

"The Skaikru alphas have many ways of mistreating their omegas. Omegas born into a family are often physically abused throughout their lives. Omegas born without a family, or omegas whose parents are executed, are sent to live in a section just for omegas. They are given very little supplies, and the alphas and even betas are welcome to come rape them when they want. Once omegas start their heats, things get worse. If an omega is not hidden away in a sealed chamber when their heat arrives, the alphas may do whatever they want with them. Most of the time this results in rape and sometimes unwanted mating. The omegas are always blamed for this and sometimes punished for not hiding during their heat. Skaikru teaches that alphas have no control around omegas in heat, so it is the omega's job protect themselves. Omegas are seen as submissive second class people, barely better than animals. They are taught to obey and never question. They also suffer in other ways, such as not getting as much food as needed most of the time, not being allowed comfort from other omegas during heat, and having less clothing to wear in order for the alphas to be able to look as they please. This was all brought to my attention earlier today by Klark kom Skaikru. Klark is an alpha who, along with a small group of other betas and alphas, thinks this is a disgusting system. They believe things should go the way we run them in my coalition. I wanted you to know what was happening before I took any action."

As Lexa finished her speech, the five advisors in front of her continued to stare in shock. Clarke stands to one side of Lexa, hoping that the advisors would believe that she wanted no part in her people's way. Anya stares harshly at the floor. Clarke knew that Anya would believe her. After the two escaped from Mount Weather together, Anya and Clarke had continued to become close. As Lexa and Clarke planned their war on the Mountain, Anya taught Clarke how to fight. The woman had seen potential in Clarke when the two alphas fought at the dropship, so she took it upon herself to begin Clarke's training. In that time, Anya learned much about who Clarke was, and Clarke knew Anya would believe in her.

Unsurprisingly, it's Indra who speaks first, "We should kill them all."

"Indra, enough," Lexa frowns. "We are not wiping out an entire population of people. We are not committing genocide."

"The clans will never accept an alliance with a people who mistreat their omegas," Anya speaks up calmly. "Omegas are to be cherished. They are just as strong, or stronger, than any beta or alpha there is. The Skaikru are hurting them. The clans will never accept this. I will never accept this."

Lexa knows that Anya is furious. The woman rarely shares her own feelings as Lexa's advisor, preferring to stay objective. Obviously, Anya is extremely angry if she feels the need to tell them what she herself thinks.

"I will not accept this either," Lexa assures them. "You all know I agree with you. But, I refuse to leave behind a legacy of genocide."

"So what is it you want to do instead, Heda?" Rax inquires. Rax is one of the ten close advisors Lexa has. The man was originally training to become the head general of the Podakru, but Lexa found that he served a much better purpose as her advisor. Of the ten close advisors Lexa has, only Titus is not present today.

Lexa lets out a long sigh, "I want to isolate them. I want to bring all of the omegas out and let them live in TonDC. They need time to heal and see how we would treat them. They would be shown our ways. I would also allow any alpha or beta mates to join them. Of course, they would monitored closely. I will not allow them to continue their abuse here, but Klark believes there are some mates that treat the omegas well. I would also allow in the few alphas and betas that agree with Klark and our ways. Klark knows who these respectful people are and will help us to let only them through."

"And what of the others? The Skaikru alphas and betas left behind?" another advisor asks.

Lexa looks from each person to the next as she speaks, "They will be kept in their camp. We will give them time to decide to change themselves, but if they choose not to, we will send in some of our own people to teach them our ways. It may do them good to see the peace we have. They only know us as warriors right now. Maybe if they see the way we treat each other, they will follow our lead."

"And if that doesn't work may we kill them?" Indra huffs out, obviously furious, uncommon for a beta such as herself.

"No, we are not killing them," Lexa shakes her head. "If they continue to refuse our changes, I will consider banishing them to the wastelands. The omegas will stay protected here as all of this goes on."

Anya stands from her seat at the war table, "I think this is a good plan. I agree and support you in this, Heda."

Slowly, the other nine advisors stand and give their support to their Commander. Even though Lexa does not need the support of her advisors, it does give her confidence when she does have it.

Turning to Clarke, Lexa nods, "Send for the Skaikru leaders."

"Commander, I am confused," Abby states as she stands in front of the Commander in her throne. "We were here this morning and now you have summoned us back before the celebrations. Has something happened?"

"Sha, something has happened," Lexa tries her best to keep her composure. "It has been brought before me the ways that you treat your omegas. Or rather, mistreat."

Lexa sees a flash of panic in the Chancellor's eyes before she responds, "We treat the omegas as they deserve. What does this have to do with anything?"

Clarke knows her mother understands what is happening. She can see the way her mother has tensed as she stands off to the left of Lexa. Stepping forward, she addresses her mother herself, "Mom, you know exactly what this has to do with everything. I see how the grounders treat each other. I refuse to be a part of a people who hurt omegas just for being omegas."

"Clarke, how could you do this to us," Bellamy moves towards her. "We're your people!"

"You are hurting the omegas!" Clarke steps forward as well so the two are chest to chest, "You lie to them constantly about how you have no control over yourselves. They are terrified! I will not be a part of this! The Commander has made her decision on the matter already. I suggest you follow it."

"I'm not following shit from her!" Bellamy shouts back.

"That's enough!" Lexa yells as she stands from her chair, "My decisions are final. The Skaikru omegas will be brought to TonDC to live. I already have warriors in your camp beginning the evacuation. The rest of you will be isolated in your camp. Tomorrow morning I will discuss the changes that need to be made by the rest of you. Now, Chancellor, let us go to your camp."

Abby couldn't argue with an alpha as strong as Lexa. Clarke lets out a sigh of relief.