A/N: A short story with a supernatural twist. Already posted on AO3, I forgot to put it here... So I'll post nearly all in one go.

Chapter 1

Clarke took in the trees, relishing her first breath of pure, unfiltered air.

Earth. She was on Earth.

Sure, she wished Wells had not felt the need to come with her, but right now she just wanted to savor the moment. She had thought she would be executed a month from now. She was alive. She had thought Earth would forever remain a dream, a hope she saw everyday but would never reach. She was on the ground.

Thoughts of Wells naturally led to thoughts of her father. She smiled sadly. He would have loved it here, she knew. He used to watch documentaries about wildlife with her. He taught her how to read maps, how to recognize many plants and animals from the Old World.

Animals.

She caressed the watch that had been moved to her left wrist while she was unconscious. She did not need to take it off to know what had been roughly engraved in the bracelet almost a century ago.

Do not resist your Call.

She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts. She had always loved the story as a girl, even believed it. A bedtime story invented by her father's grandmother. The same woman who had engraved the watch.

She knew her father had never believed the story. She doubted her grandfather had either.

They still made sure the watch and its warning words would be passed on to the next generation.

ooooooooooo

Lexa pinched the bridge of her nose, exhausted from the constant worry about the Coalition. And about Clarke.

It had already been three months since the young leader of Skaikru had defeated the Mountain, and completely disappeared.

There was a tentative alliance between Trikru and Skaikru – meaning they tolerated seeing one another without the encounter turning into a bloodshed, and occasionally traded goods. But the other clans were divided about the Sky People. Those that were far away from Arkadia did not really care about the new arrivals, some even mentioned a vague interest in their goods and knowledge of medicine. The others, however, pushed for an assault on the perceived threat. After all, they had thoroughly defeated the Mountain in weeks, when it had threatened the Clans for decades.

Which was why she really wished Roan had found Clarke.

A delegation of the Sky people was scheduled to arrive in the afternoon, to discuss a more formal and lasting alliance. Lexa wanted to make Skaikru the Thirteenth Clan of the Coalition, to ensure lasting peace and, selfishly, to make up for abandoning them at the Mountain.

She did not regret that decision. She had saved her people, as was her duty as Heda. And she had never intended to leave the Mountain unpunished for its crimes against her people. Blood must have blood, after all. She had wanted to take care of her injured warriors, learn more about the Maunon from them, and attack as soon as she had crafted a new plan. The dam was already destroyed, she had a few of those tone generators Clarke's mechanic friend had made… In her mind, the Mountain's defeat had been a matter of days – weeks at the most.

How could she have guessed that Clarke would find a way to destroy it completely in a few hours?

Perhaps she should have, she internally berated herself. The girl had always been smart and quick on her feet when dealing with dangerous situations. Often with an appalling lack of care for her own safety, like when they had faced that gorilla Pauna. She had easily spotted places to hide, and used Lexa's sword to trap the beast. But never once had she seemed overly worried for her own life. She had been more worried about Lexa.

She shook her head. It was not the only time she had noticed something strange with Clarke. Compared with the rest of her people, the blonde was surprisingly agile and in tune with the forest. The only other Skaikru that behaved so was Octavia, and she had been tutored by Lincoln almost since her landing. Clarke had not had such guidance – as far as she knew.

She remembered Anya's first reports about the young Skaikru. She had mentioned that one of the goufas had managed to evade her scouts and roam the forest for hours without them finding her again. At first, she had thought the girl was Octavia, likely helped by Lincoln. But after speaking with the girl, she had realized that it had been Clarke. Octavia had mentioned that the blonde had sometimes claimed a need for solitude and left the camp for hours, usually coming back with a skinned rabbit or some other game.

Lexa was almost embarrassed that she had not figured it out sooner. If she had, she might be better at this game of hide and seek the blonde seemed intent to keep playing. Roan was one of the best trackers in the Coalition, and he had not found a single trail.

She had hoped to find Clarke, talk with her, perhaps even apologize. She had never meant her abandonment at the Mountain to be definitive, but Clarke had no way to know that. And she knew the delay would have likely cost the life of several of Clarke's companions. But it had been the best option at the time.

Now, her power was being questioned, and she knew Skaikru would not be accepted easily with only her words. She needed Clarke, who was still the perceived leader even if she had disappeared, to represent her people. And she needed Wanheda to bow before Heda to force the other clans to respect her peace.

Moreover, she knew Abby Griffin, Clarke's mother, was part of the delegation arriving soon. And the woman had disapproved of Lexa since the bombing of TonDC – and probably before that as well. She had hoped that delivering the woman her daughter – preferably unharmed – would soothe the relationship with the Chancellor.

No such luck.

Lexa really hoped Clarke was safe, and that her prolonged disappearance had nothing to do with the Ice Queen. She could not go through that again.