Clarke was stood anxious beside me. Her stance was tall and strong at my side. Her expression was one of control. Calm and collected. Conveying all signs of a leader. But her agitation was visible in her consistent shifting. Her nervousness shone in her eyes which had turned midnight blue with her stress. Clearly she wasn't used to the hard wait before battle. The silence of her people was unnerving her.
I remained still, though her earlier pacing had caused an unusual nerve in me too. I told myself it was sympathetic uneasiness. I was only nervous because Clarke was. And though the strange connection worried me it was far from surprising. My budding feelings for the sky princess were complicated at best. And a hinderance at most. I had learned to leave them curious and mostly unsated. And they would remain so until after we had won this battle and reclaimed what was ours from the mountain. When she was no longer an essential ally still seen as an enemy by my most of people. When it wouldn't be viewed as a complete betrayal. That was when I would fully address the problem.
My eyes stayed on the mountain while she came to a stop beside me and I forced my own uneasiness down. I had to stay calm and in control. Now was the time for strength. With my people all watching their heda for instruction I could not be anything less.
"It's taking too long" Clarke said finally voicing her impatience as she stilled herself entirely.
I kept my eyes on the door, letting them move periodically only to scout the trees around it. I understood she was nervous. Clarke was not born for this. She had not grown to be a warrior like me. War unsettled her. I knew standing here waiting was causing her to worry. She needed me to reassure her. And I needed to stop her walking off alone to see for herself what the wait was.
"It takes as long as it takes" I told her gruffly, eyes moving over the mountain door again.
In the corner of my eye I saw her watch me back carefully. Her short nod said she would be calm but when I peered back at her those eyes told me otherwise. She was still in distress for the silence we stood in. I found myself reacting pityingly to her emotion. I wanted to soothe her of it.
"What are your plans?" I asked her to distract her from her nerves, "When this is all over?"
Clarke stared ahead at the mountain door with me, "I have no idea" she mumbled back.
"Well, what do you want?" I tried, curious to know and eager to get her to speak true with me.
I looked back at her and was unsurprised to see her expression was one heavy with thought. It made me curious for her answer. Made me impatient for it. Whatever her response I would give it to her. Once this was over she would have earned that much from me.
Clarke's eyes fell from the door to the warriors posted just in front of her. Her brow dipped with her thoughts.
"Nothing" she said blankly and glanced back at me, "My people back. I can't think past today"
I nodded, pleased that she was putting her people before her personal wants. That was a true mark of a leader.
I thought to my own answer and it surprised me how selfish it was in comparison to clarke's.
"You should come with me to the capital" I told her meeting her eyes when they snapped back to me in surprise. I moved over my quick embarrassment and gave an excuse for my bluntness, "Polis will change the way you think about us"
Clarke looked back at me gently, as if she saw straight through me.
"You already have" came her soft reply.
I looked back at her staring at me. She had a deep look in her eyes as she watched me. A remembering hue. Especially when they dipped down my face. I shared a tiny smile with her. My mind was reeling with our kiss too.
Shots went up in the woods around us suddenly. I lifted my head and scanned the trees ahead of us. The warriors whispered around me, all trying to pinpoint where the firing came from. It was too muted to be close by.
Linkon rushed to clarke's side, breathing heavy as if he had run to us.
"It's coming from the dam" he told clarke.
"They know we're going for the power" she replied, voice layered in worry again.
"They know we're going for the door" I corrected turning to face it. I kept my eyes trained on it now. I wouldn't let my guard slip this time.
The young skaigada beside me lifted her head. In the corner of my eye I saw her smiling in reassurance to clarke.
"Raven will get it done" she told her leader seriously, "She's one of us"
I felt clarke become less tense beside me and it made me annoyed for not thinking to give her the same comfort the other girl had. I swallowed down the rising emotion in me and redirected it in focus on the mountain.
"As soon as those lights go off, you push that button" The skai guard was saying to clarke behind me.
I turned my head back to see him nod down to clarke's hand. He pointed at the light on the device she held. I frowned at it myself. Their technology confused me but if they were certain it would work, then I had to believe it would.
"We'll do the rest" Linkon promised deadly.
She nodded and I saw her grip the device tighter in her hand before she stepped back to begin pacing again. My eyes followed her a moment before I pulled them back to the mountain door. I kept thinking about what would happen if it opened suddenly and bullets flew at us. Even behind the defence of the rocks we would be cut down too easily.
My mind kept throwing me these concerns as I waited. I waded through all of them and made plans regarding how I would act if any situation came up. I found it calming thinking battle strategies.
Slowly my stress fell and I was able to think freely enough to notice Clarke had stopped pacing. I looked back to where I had last seen her and my breath caught seeing her stood speaking with her people at the tree line. If the door opened now I could not protect her from being fired upon.
"Clarke!" I called out in an ordering voice.
She looked up immediately and saw my summons. She whispered something more to her people and then rushed back.
"Did the scouts come back?" she asked furrowing her brow in confusion for my ordering her back.
I struggled with what to tell her. I couldn't say I had ordered her back just to make sure she stayed close.
"Did your device change at all?" I asked instead, blowing over her concern to make mine the more important. She looked down at it in her palm and sighed aggravated.
"No" She scuffed the ground with her boot and glared down at it.
"Have faith, Clarke" Linkon told her gently, "Your people know what they're doing"
She nodded at him. I turned to her too, "As do mine" I promised her strongly.
She cast me a quick smile and returned her eyes to the device. I moved closer and gave Linkon a look to move back. He bowed his head to me and moved from clarke's side to allow me privacy with her.
I paused hesitantly as she stared down at her device. I wanted to tell her it would be okay. I wanted to assure her that we had this covered. We would not fail. I believed that. I wanted her to believe it too.
"You need to start believing this will work" I told her with a gentle look when she tipped her head back at me, "This was your plan, Clarke. Have faith in it"
"I'm just thinking about what happens when it all goes wrong" she mumbled looking away from me when I stared back at her. I touched her arm in a feeble notion to calm her worry.
"It won't go wrong. I trust you"
She shook her head, "But Bellamy hasn't been in contact. We don't know if your people are even alive. And mine..." Clarke blew out a stressed breath and looked back to me, "What if we do this, get in there, and there's nobody to save?"
I locked eyes with her. I never hesitated my answer.
"Then we kill the mountain men" was my cold reply, "All of them. Jus drein jus draun"
Clarke's eyes looked at me as if in doubt to her own ability to see that happen. I looked back to say she must. She nodded and looked away defeated. I took another step closer and brushed my fingers over hers curled around the device.
"Clarke, your plan will-"
Clarke gasped suddenly and pushed her hand away from mine. She held it up for me to see instead. I looked down to the device. At the lights that had changed color. I didn't understand what it meant.
"She did it!" Clarke's voice cried relief as she grinned to me.
Linkon was back at her side in a flash. He looked down at the device himself and then up at the mountain door. His eyes gleamed with readiness.
"One minute starting now" the sky guard spoke up, nodding for clarke to be ready to press the button. She pulled a bracelet out of her pocket and looked at it nodding.
Clarke looked thoughtfully down at the device after and then raised it in her hand to me. I looked back at her confused.
"For those we've lost" she said offering to share this victory with me.
I swallowed. I wasn't sure it was allowed. The gods cursed us for using skaikru's guns. What would happen if I took up this weapon with her?
One look back at the determination in her eyes had me forgetting about the gods' wrath.
"And those we'll soon find" I told her back, taking hold of her hand. Her skin felt warm beneath mine. It calmed the nerves rising in me. It told me this was right. It reassured me we would win this.
Clarke raised her arm and together we pointed the device towards the mountain. My heart was in my throat as I let my thumb press down with hers over the button that would begin this battle for our people.
The button went down but nothing happened. No explosion. No shouts. No bullets. Just nothing.
The mountain remained silent and unyielding ahead of us.
"What's wrong?" I asked, panicking a little at our failure as she pressed the button again, worried it had been me to break the device, "Why isn't it working?!"
Clarke pulled her hand free of mine and shook the device in her hand, frantically pressing the button. She stopped after a couple more attempts and stared at the mountain thinking. Realisation dawned on her features quickly after.
"They're jamming us" Clarke growled and moved around the rocks shielding her, "I have to get closer"
She raised her arm and pressed the button again. Lights shot down at her from the ridge above the mountain. Shooting echoed as they continued to rain down on us, pinging and ricocheting off the rocks and trees they hit.
Instinctively I ducked. As did most of my people. But not Linkon. He ran forward and grabbed clarke by the waist. Swiftly he lifted her off her feet and yanked her back from the open, forcing her down beside me again. When she was safe between us I looked back at my warriors.
I ordered them to go flank the maunon shooting us and watched them look back at me with fear in their eyes. I barked at them to go and they nodded and ran towards the woods, some of them falling dead from the shooters in the process.
Beside me clarke was breathing heavily. A worried dread that she was injured had me casting her a quick glance before returning my attention to the ridge. She didn't look harmed. She just looked hopeless.
"If I can get there, I can trigger it manually" The skai guard told clarke crouching low behind us. She stared back at him and shook her head.
"No! You can't get there" she told him strongly denying him.
She couldn't see we didn't have any other options here. But I couldn't tell her that. He was her people. It was not my place to command her to let him go. Even right now with us being shot at.
The skai guard argued back and when she relented I quickly ordered a shield wall to take him to the door. Clarke handed him the device and watched with me as the small square of warriors built a steel block around him.
Clarke looked down to the bracelet in her palm,
"Thirty seconds!" she called out as they began walking.
I watched them tense, watching the bullets hit the metal plates around our people as they carried slowly towards the door. The firing became heavier the closer they got. The Maunon's aims became more direct and focused. Eventually a stray bullet here hit one warrior and he fell in pain. Another followed when the wall broke. And another. One by one my people fell until the shield collapsed entirely.
I looked back to clarke staring in shock and loss for the man who had died in sacrifice. I saw her eyes dart about the dirt and bloody bodies to find the device. I knew she would run out at any moment to go find it. I grabbed her arm.
"We'll find another way in" I told her.
"There is no other way in!" she cried back, "You know that!"
I struggled to know what to tell her. She was right after all. We had no hope now.
"We don't need one"
Our eyes pulled over her shoulder to where linkon sat stretching an arrow out to the warrior opposite him. They set it alight and he stood to take aim. I saw hope reignite briefly in clarke's eyes. I felt it stir in me too. If he could set fire to the bomb nothing could stop our advance.
The air felt tense again as the shooting became even heavier on our rocky defense. Linkon took a deep breath and stood quick into an archer's stance. He drew the string right back. I saw his arms hold his position without shaking. With that stability he would not miss.
"Ten seconds!" clarke gasped checking her bracelet again.
The arrow head swayed with his locking of aim. His fingers curled tighter around the string. His expression dipped in complete concentration. And all awhile our ten seconds were quickly fading.
I held my breath the moment Linkon loosed the arrow and I stared obsessively as it shot towards the mountain door. It hit directly against the explosives clarke's people had set against the door. Just as our time ran out.
A red burst of colour and a muted hiss then a massive tremble shook the ground with the bomb's explosion.
It'd worked.
I looked back at clarke's relieved smile and felt myself smiling too. Then I remembered it wasn't over yet.
I looked up at the maunon still shooting at us and glared.
"We need to get to that ridge and take out the shooters" I said staring along the line of them. There were a lot. And my scouts hadn't been able to take them down at all.
Linkon threw his bow down and started to rush off to handle it himself.
"No!" I growled and reached over to pull him back, "You stay with Clarke!" I ordered him angrily, desperate to keep her protected "When the shooting stops, you get that door open"
Clarke leant forward as I turned to lead a party up to the ridge. I saw her look at me, worry in her eyes. She didn't want me to leave her. It caused my heart to swell for reasons I couldn't understand.
I will return, I promised her silently as I looked back to my guards behind us. They watched me ready.
"Gonot!" I ordered them standing to lead them.
I could feel her watching my back every step of the way and it only made me more determined to get this done. In a burst of haste I gripped my sword and took a run towards the woods, my guards straight on my heels.
Ryder came to my side the second we broke free of the army.
"You trust this plan, heda?" he asked as we ran through the trees.
I nodded back and pushed myself faster.
"You do not?" I questioned looking back at the warriors sprinting after us.
Ryder held a smile when we split around a tree.
"My sword will be wet with Maunon blood" he grinned returning to my side, "I trust any plan that promises me that"
I felt myself smile briefly back before I focused on our climb to the ridge. He would get his blood. We all would.
"There, Heda!"
Ryder growled out and pointed to the space ahead of us where my remaining scouts were taking shelter behind some rocks and trees beneath the cliff line. Maunon were stood by another bunker door shooting their guns into the trees. More lined the ridge shooting down at my army.
I glared at them. They would all die.
"Ryder, take two warriors and circle them," Ryder nodded and left quickly. I turned to my archers, "Hailee, take Dale and climb those trees. Shoot anything that moves. The rest of you will regroup with our scouts and rush the maunon together"
"Sha, Heda" They chorused and each began moving into position.
I stopped Talia on her move past me and told her to remove her armour.
She looked to it confused, "Heda?"
"They are expecting the commander," I told her glancing back to where the maunon continued shooting, "You will wear my armour and distract them from my approach"
Talia bowed at the honour and immediately unbuckled her armour. I pulled my own shoulder guard off and tucked it over her body, pulling the red sash straight. I stood back after and deemed her suitable in playing my double. Thanks to their spies the maunon knew what the commander looked like now. But in this dark and through their masks I doubted they would look too closely at Talia's face. I was counting on them to see the sash and assume she was me.
"You must be quick" I told her glancing away to the warriors already in position, "Their aim will be directly on you"
She nodded, "Sha, Heda"
I left her then and crept my way through the trees, moving quicker and lighter now without my armour on. The maunon were still shooting, foolishly gunning down anything that moved. I could tell from their position by their bunker that they were not fighters. They would not be coordinated. If my people could get close enough they could take them in seconds.
I slipped around the bunker, ears and eyes open for any movement. The woods were silent save the echoing of the guns in front. I walked on and sheathed my sword to climb the wall to the bunker.
A maunon was laying on his belly on the grass roof. A long looking gun was set up and rested against his shoulder. A radio crackled and buzzed by his elbow.
I crept silently towards him and pulled my knife.
He died quickly without noise.
I approached the ledge after killing the man and looked down at the other maunon below me. They had stopped shooting when they realised there was nothing visible to shoot. I studied their different locations. Most were clustered in a group by the door, too scared to dare leave the safety of the bunker. A few stood alone shooting on the ridge. I counted their number and then signalled my archers.
Arrows flew forward and startled the men. Immediately they began firing again. I peered ahead at the trees and nodded to Ryder. He let loose a loud war cry and suddenly the wood line charged forward to the bunker. The maunon panicked and fired their guns at my people. The radio behind me screamed with their voices shouting to one another.
I watched as Hailee and Dale shot two down. One died immediately while the other fell and clutched screaming at the hole in his suit. Ryder and his group were still charging, many of my people fell from them with wounds. My eyes turned from them crying out at their pain.
I knew the maunon had found my decoy when their fire drew to one place. And I gave my people another signal, telling them to fan out around Talia. The maunon shouted excitedly all of a sudden. A few below even began to walk forward to shoot. Just as I'd planned.
I drew my sword and signalled talia to run away from Ryders group. The maunon's attention split and I took the opportunity of their distraction to leap down into their group.
My deliberate fall landed me into two of them, knocking them into their people and causing more to fall to the ground. My sword was slashing the rest in seconds, taking them down before they could grasp what was happening. Screams and blood covered me with my ferocious attack.
My people swiftly met me, slaying the remaining resistance quickly. When it was done I stood back to catch my breath and reclaimed my armour from Talia.
"Mochof, Talia" I told her grateful for her bravery. She bowed to me and turned to accept her armour off a warrior who had gone back to the trees to retrieve it.
My eyes crept over my people. To the wounded. To the dead. My heart raged seeing so many hurt.
"Heda!"
Ryder's voice was high with fear suddenly. My eyes snapped to his charging forward to me, thunder in his expression, and I didn't understand why until I felt something cold and metal touch my temple.
I froze at the maunon's deep breaths and silently cursed my lapse in focus.
"Drop the sword" he told me, pressing the gun closer.
I refused with a jump when the gun exploded loud next to my ear. A deafening ring shook through my head as I watched a warrior who had began to run to me fall down dead. The gun clicked after and returned to my head.
"Drop the sword" the maunon repeated.
I threw it down and he kicked it further from my reach.
"Tell your archers to come out"
I nodded to Ryder and he gave the order. Hailee and Dale dropped from the trees and threw their bows down at the maunon's command.
"Good!" He praised us, "See, you people can speak my language. Now, the commander here is gonna take a walk with me"
My people moved forward at his words and the gun pressed harder against my head. He wrapped his arm around my throat and pushed down to choke me when they remained moving closer. The gun left my head at their persistence and I heard a growl leave his lips as he aimed it at them.
"Stap daun!" I ordered them, scared he would shoot them if they came any closer.
The maunon watched them back up and the gun returned to my head. Ryder's eyes touched on the knife at my belt and my hand secretly going for it. He moved his head an inch to say no. He could see the man better than I could. He knew it wouldn't help us now.
I moved my hand away again. I would time this better.
"The rest of you are going to walk back to the trees and you're going to stay there. Understand?"
Ryder glared at the man, "Heda, I jak op em daun?"
The gun ground against my head with Ryder's question. The maunon didn't like not knowing what we said.
"Do as he says" I barked the command at them in Gonnasleng.
They began moving back at my order, eyes locked hatefully on the man behind me. The arm around my throat disappeared and a pressure wrapped my arm instead as he yanked me around. I turn and looked down at him hatefully. I was surprised to see him without a suit on. His people needed them to breathe and yet here he stood without one.
Which meant they had started their killing of Clarke's people.
He smiled at my silent rage.
"Wonderful, isn't it?" he questioned gleefully, "It's miraculous what those sky people can offer us. Which is what I want to talk to you about, commander"
He pushed me forward, walking backwards with a hand on my shoulder as he directed me to walk around the bunker. He had his gun pressed firmly to my head in case my people tried to attack him.
"I came to offer you a deal" he told me as he turned and slowly walked us forward, "My president believes you'll hear me out. And you should. It would benefit your people greatly"
I glared at his words and continued to let myself be pushed forwards by him. My hands clenched angrily at my sides. If he had any honour he would fight me like a man. And I would win.
But he isn't a man, I thought hatefully, He is maumon.
"And what is this deal your leader is too afraid to come make himself?" I spat angrily. I turned my head back to him when he failed to speak straight away.
The mountain man grinned at my impatience, "We'll give you your people back. All of them. In return you and your army will leave"
I stared at him in disbelief. I knew it would not be that easy. And yet I found myself considering it.
"And skaikru?" I asked, noticing he had conveniently missed them out.
The mountain man shook his head. His smile was ice cold when he sneered back at me.
"They are not your people"
He stopped us by the same wall I had climbed before and turned me about to face him. His gun raised to point at my head while he waited for me to give an answer.
My head told me to take it. Here I had the chance to be a saviour to my people. To save them all without spilling another drop of blood. Another deal like this would not come again.
But my heart thought of Clarke.
She would never forgive me. To betray her this way would break her heart. And it would not stop her attempt to enter the mountain. I knew she would die without my help. And I would not allow that.
The maunon was still watching me. As if he believed I was considering taking his offer. He even started to smile. It angered me enough to make my decision.
"If you're waiting for my answer you may have it" He stared back at me waiting and I glared, "No"
He laughed out,
"C'mon, commander! Think about it. You want your people back. Mine don't want to die. It's a fair deal"
"Fair to all besides Skaikru!" I growled at him.
He laughed back at me.
"What do you care? You were at war with them only two weeks ago" He smiled with my silence and took a step forward to me, "They slaughtered a hell of a lot of your people. And they'll continue to do that. What I offer would rid you of Skaikru for good. Your people can stick to your lands, mine will stay here in ours. In peace. All of us"
I didn't believe him. Clarke's people were not killers. Not really. They wanted peace. Even the elders of their kru. And right now I believed and trusted their intentions more than I did the maunon.
I strode forward to him and glared down at him. His hand brought the gun up to my head again in warning but I wasn't scared.
"Gyun au jok yu!" I snarled at him.
The maunon looked calmly back at me. Then his face twisted in rage as he slammed the gun into my face. I felt blood fill my mouth with my lip splitting beneath the attack but I refused to make noise for the pain. I would not be so weak to let him believe he had hurt me.
"Now that was rude" he told me wiping my blood off his hand. He stared curiously at its dark color and rubbed it between his fingers before he looked back to me "Is that your final answer?"
I stayed silent and held my head high. I would not waver in this.
He shook his head at me and moved the gun. He adjusted his aim into the centre of my forehead. My heart bounced but I refused to look scared. I would die brave. And then my sprit would find the commander who would slaughter his people. I vowed it to the gods.
"You could have saved your people a lot of pain, Commander. And now.." He sighed tiredly and then gave me a smirk, "Now we're going to kill them all"
His thumb brushed over the top of the gun. It pulled a small lever back to click and his smile widened. I saw his finger pull down on the trigger and I fought the urge in myself to flinch. My thoughts held strong with my decision to refuse him. I was not afraid to die. I knew my spirit would continue to protect my people.
My heart raced in my chest when fear for my people turned into something else. My thoughts span fast into a blur of gold and warm lips and skin that smelt like spring and blue eyes that could see so easily into my soul. I fixed my focus on them as the gun pressed harder into my head.
Clarke, I thought sadly of her again as I stared him down.
"Carl Emerson!" A voice cried out before he could pull the trigger.
His head snapped back over his shoulder to the figure leaving the trees behind him. My heart shook seeing Clarke stride forward to him, gun raised and eyes set meanly on the man holding me captive. The maunon took a step to the side, taking with him the gun. I took the moment to snatch my knife from my belt.
I knocked the gun aside and stabbed him low in the chest with an angry yell. He screamed out and swung the gun up, but I punched his arm aside again, making his shot take the ground instead. I growled at him after and twisted his arm, breaking it at the elbow so that he dropped the weapon. Then I punched harshly into his chest. Causing the knife to knock and him to scream louder.
He fell to his knees panting. His eyes turned wide up at me as Clarke left the tree line and came to my side. They widened even more in disbelief at her.
I watched Clarke raise her gun and turned my head to see her eyes glare at the man that wanted to kill her people. He raised his hands in beg but she wasn't going to be merciful.
Clarke bent to the gasping man and unclipped his radio from his shoulder. She raised it to her mouth to speak into it.
"This is Clarke Griffin" she announced coldly as she set her aim on him, "I'm here with Carl Emerson. And I have a message for your leader"
Emerson choked up at her and made to take the radio back. I kicked him back down and stamped my boot over his chest to stop him trying to stand again. I looked back to her after. Clarke avoided looking at me. Her eyes rested entirely on his bleeding while she waited for an answer.
There was a few seconds silence and then radio crackled in her hand,
"Hello Clarke," A man's voice sneered to her, "It's nice to finally speak with you again. I see you've got more balls than I originally thought"
"I wish I could say the same" she snarled back at the speaker, "I have a message for you"
The radio was quiet. Her eyes touched back on mine a moment. Scared almost. And then their leader answered her.
"I'm listening"
Clarke held the radio out to Emerson and pointed the gun at him to say something. He swallowed and choked up a panicked sentence.
"Don't listen to her, sir! She's a crazy bitch! And they-"
A loud bang echoed around us when Clarke pulled the trigger on her gun. I jumped in surprise at the man falling back with a bullet buried deep inside his skull. I watched him fall back bleeding into the grass. His eyes stared up motionless at the stars as his final breath left him. I watched them dull and fill with blood running from the wound.
I stared back at Clarke. Shocked. Frightened, even. Never had I imagined to see her do that again. I'd believed the last Maunon she'd killed would be her last kill entirely.
From the shake in her arm and the glaze in her eyes, I could see she was thinking the same thing.
"That was one man" she told the maunon leader coldly, voice strong despite her obvious shock, "How many more will you risk to stop us?"
She threw the radio away then and turned to me. Her eyes took me in a second and then she was walking forward.
I stumbled a step back at her angry look for me and I held my hands up in surrender. I understood what she must have seen. What it must have looked like seeing me listen to Emmerson's offer. I had to explain myself to her.
"Clarke, wait. I can expl-"
Clarke touched my jacket, fingers curling around the sword belt crossing over my chest. She shoved me back until I felt my back collide with the bunker wall. I grunted, winded, and looked down at her. I didn't know how to calm her. She was mad at me. I understood that. But I didn't know how to make her understand what she'd just seen.
"Beja!" I pleaded, "Let me explain, Clarke"
Her eyes blew icily into me a moment and then she was falling against me, lips kissing me hard. I jumped in surprise and immediately held her tight and kissed her back just as urgent. I understood her anger now. It was not for watching me deal with Emmerson. But for her nearly losing me.
My chest swelled and shook knowing she had been scared for me. And I kissed her knowing that I had felt the same. She was not mine and yet I had been so scared I had been about to leave her alone in this world.
"Don't do that again!" she growled hotly against my mouth.
I smiled back despite myself and stroked her cheek gently.
"I could say the same to you, Clarke" I returned and her lips stilled. With difficulty I moved my head back and met her guilty eyes with a heavy sigh before I looked seriously down at her, "I told you to wait. You were supposed to have stayed with my army. Where I knew you were safe"
"And you were supposed to have come back!" She cried back at me. I felt the cold slap of the bunker wall hit my back when she shoved me away from her, "Instead you were about to sell my people out!"
Now she was angry. I looked back at her calmly.
"Clearly you got lost in translation. I told him no" I locked eyes with her and gave her a sincere look, "I would never betray you, Clarke"
Clarke stared at me thoughtfully and then she nodded. Accepting my promise without question.
She stood further back from me and approached the dead man. Her eyes took in his broken body. She seemed upset but when I tried to comfort her she pulled herself away from my hands and knelt to retrieve my knife from his chest.
Clarke's eyes glared at Emmerson as she wiped the blade clean on his shirt. She frowned at it after and tapped it against her hand.
"You weren't trying to kill him" she remarked looking at the wound. She knew from its depth and location that it wouldn't have been immediately fatal.
"I thought you might use him" I explained, "And that I might avenge my people's deaths with his slower one"
Clarke nodded and stood before me again. Her eyes glanced across the blood on my face before she handed me my knife back. Her expression flickered back and forth between relief and concern and then she looked at me calmly.
"We have a war to win" she told me strongly.
Clarke edged around me. Her steps were strong but her shaking hands gave her fear away. I struggled to know what to say to her. She felt something for the kill. But I wouldn't have. To comfort her would be patronising. To her and myself. And yet I could not stop this urge in me to try and make her feel better.
"Clarke.."
She turned and waited for me to stand in front of her. I searched her eyes for a hint of what to do. When I found none I risked pushing my arms around her.
Clarke tensed beneath my touch but soon melted into me. I closed my eyes feeling her arms snake around my back. I felt her breath on my neck as she tucked her head into my shoulder. I felt her hands hold me tightly, as if she might be torn away any moment. I tucked a hand against her neck and held her tightly in return.
"Don jova, Clarke" I whispered to her, "We are in this together. And I will not leave you until this is over. I promise you"
Clarke lifted her head back, her eyes were watering when she met my gaze. She looked so afraid. But for what, I couldn't be entirely sure.
She held my eyes a moment longer and then she stretched up.
I bowed my head to meet her lips and kissed her tenderly back. My heart was hurting in my chest. As if it already was losing her.
I pulled Clarke closer, afraid that any space between us would encourage more to keep her away. A voice inside my head warned me against acting this way. It reminded me how she had said she was not ready. It said this could not mean what I hoped it meant. But I ignored it. My heart trusted clarke. And knowing I could die today set aside any worries of future consequences. Sadly it allowed me to take what I wanted.
Clarke's body tucked easily into mine with my tugging her forward. Eager almost. I welcomed it. If this was the last moment I got to share with her I wanted it filled with her. After all, this may be the last time I was allowed to be selfish.
I felt her shake against me before she pulled herself away. Her head brushed against mine. Her breaths gasped gently over my lips. I smiled sadly and nudged my nose against her, opening my eyes to the tingling feeling of her lips hovering over mine.
Her hand gripped mine tight with my look and her expression was fierce again. This time I believed it to be real.
"Let's go get our people"