I thought I was alone, but a snapped twig told me otherwise. I knew better than to call out, so I stood there frozen. I checked the trees and the forest in front of me then slowly turned to see what was behind me. I did a quick once over then went back through, looking closer to see any movement. But nothing moved, I turned back around to continue my trek to the stream. I had waited for weeks to be able to go and a broken twig was not gonna stop me.
when I finally arrived it's noon, the water is cool, but not cold, it's refreshing. I look up at the sky, not a cloud in sight, or any birds "odd" I whisper to myself. I quickly undress and hop into the water. "Oh sweet mother Mary you are good to me." I swim and scrub my body, but layers of dirt still remain. "Nothing a little soap won't fix." I had found the soap on a trip I had gone on, nobody knew I had it, we hadn't been able to properly bathe in weeks. In fact, we haven't properly bathed since we left the ark.
I continue to scrub until my skin was raw and all dirt was washed away. I decide to stay in a little longer, "What more is another hour, they've managed to survive without me before". I dip my head under the water and swim to the other side of the stream. I come up gasping for air and wipe my face while I rest on a rock. When I open my eyes, I find myself face to face with a grounder standing on the bank.
Not a word is spoken by the unwanted heathen, but I can tell what he wants; He wants me. He was the one that broke the twig. I push off against the rocks to the middle of the stream, never breaking eye contact. I look to the trees above him, hidden in the branches crouch grounders, arrows drawn. It's silent, no birds chirp, no animal stirs, even the water seems to stand still. My arms begin to ache, I can't move. If I did I'd be shot, and I can't stand where I am, it's too deep.
I'm trying to think of a way to escape when I hear branches snapping and the sweet lull of a voice calling out to me, "Priiinnnceeeeesss, Priiiinceeeessss, where are you?"
The only person who calls me princess like that is... Bellamy. Oh god, not Bellamy, he can't come here, he can't get hurt. The camp needs him, I...I need him. I call out, "Bellamy, I'm at the stream, don't come through the trees! I'm bathing." The grounder nods a silent approval at my attempt to keep Bellamy away.
"Oh princess, when has that ever stopped me?" He pushes past the branches, and I watch his eyes trail from me, to the grounder and widen.
"BELLAMY, I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY!" He swiftly grabs his knife and prepares to fight, "leave Bellamy, I have this under control." Please don't leave, help me, I don't know what to do. But there he remains standing, refusing to move. I don't want you to get hurt. "BELLAMY, LEAVE!" Reluctance crosses his face but he puts away his knife and turns to leave. I glance back to the grounder, still standing and unmoving as he was when I first saw him. I turn back just in time to watch Bellamy get hit square between the shoulders with an arrow.
"BELLAMY!" I scream. This can't happen, he can't die. I swim for the shore, the grounders make no move to stop me. I run to Bellamy's side and feel for a pulse, it's still there, good. The grounder still stands on the other bank, staring a deep penetrating gaze. I run to my bag and clothes, throw on my shirt and pants; The rest get I shove into my bag. I run back to Bellamy and make him stand up. "C'mon, we have to get to camp. I can help you there". I looked back as we walked through the trees, the grounders disappeared.
We limped through the gate, all of his weight on me, the arrow still sticking out of his back. From all sides people ran to us, someone grabbed Bellamy and carried him to the drop ship, others helped me prepare for surgery.
My fingers were shaking, I didn't want to lose the only person who I still cared for. I heated a knife until it was red hot. In one swift movement I pulled out the arrow and cauterized the wound. I made a poultice out of the red seaweed and left him to rest. I walked out of the drop ship, it was dark in there, I didn't realize how much blood I was covered in. I looked at my arms and clothes, both stained a deep red. "No soap can fix this" I ran to a water tank and thrust my arms in. Scrubbing until they were raw and bleeding. Octavia came up to me and put a hand on my shoulder, stopping me from scrubbing "he's going to be okay Clarke. You fixed him up and you're the best doctor I know."
"Is he O? Because I'm scared, I'm scared I'm going to lose him, I'm scared he's going to leave me alone, I'm scared he's going to..."
"...die?"
I was broken, I could feel it. Octavia could sense it, she pulled me in and held me. That was when the tears broke free, streaming freely down my face. It felt like hours before I finally pulled away. "I need to be with him, to make sure he's okay"
The dropship was dark, light coming from the holes in the curtain and the makeshift lamp Monty made for me. Bellamy was still, but his chest moved up and down slowly. His normally tan and strong face looked pale and weak. I pulled up one of the makeshift chairs to his side and sat there. I intertwined my fingers with his and put my head down. I looked up at him and whispered "oh Bell, why didn't you just stay behind the trees? I would've been fine"I wasn't expecting a response. But somehow he managed to whisper In a voice softer than the flap of a butterfly's wings "because you're my princess and I have to protect you."
Tears welled in my eyes, "oh bell, I...i"
"I know, let's talk later, i did just get shot in the back with an arrow."
"Alright bell. You know, I'm gonna have to start calling you princess if I have to keep saving you, and I'll be your knight."
"Not in a million years princess" he whispered before falling back into his slumber, leaving me clutching his hand and wondering why tears were dropping from my face.