Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from The 100 - just Kiari and Kraven.
I couldn't resist another fandom. Enjoy!
One | Kiari, the Great Wanderer
She could smell it in the air. She could feel the change of breeze the more she travelled south. Clarke Griffin couldn't tell you how long she had been on her own for, but it was enough to know she could feel a change in the environment and its elements.
Clarke had lost count of how many nights she had spent alone in the woods before she reached a rather gorgeous clearing of the brightest green grass. It had also been a couple of days since she had eaten a decent meal of any kind. Her body was exhausted from the lack of sleep each night; always making sure one eye was open just in case.
The Grounders were no longer to be trusted and there were other clans out there in which Clarke had no idea what their customs were like. She had to keep up her guard if she wanted to make it to her destination alive.
Not that she knew where she was going. The world was a large place and Clarke remembered it looking much smaller from her view in the skybox just a few months prior. Blinking, she looked up at the clear blue skies and let out a long sigh. She decided to take the opportunity to stroll in the tall grass, her fingers feeling every blade as she walked towards the middle. She could hear a rush of a waterfall in the distance and relaxed a bit knowing she had a fresh source of water.
Clarke had spent the warm afternoon laying on the rocks, watching the birds fly above her as the sun bathed her. It was a weird feeling for her - letting her guard down for a brief moment just to grasp the unfamiliar feeling of what the word 'relax' meant. She had to admit she was enjoying it.
Her aching heart and guilt that ran deep within her always seeped through the tears she would cry every single night. She cried for those she had lost. She ached for those that lost their lives too early, even if wasn't always by her own hand - or her People.
Mount Weather needed to be taken down and Clarke had every good intention in her body to make sure the innocent would be protected. She had made a deal with the Commander and together, with their people, they were determined to see it through as they had planned. Everyone was skeptical about trusting Lexa but they knew if Clarke could trust her then they didn't really feel the need to argue.
Granted, Clarke was partially responsible for not warning Tondc and her People that it was a target for a missile so the blood of the innocent were on her hands. She had no time to dwell on the judgement that poured out in some of her People because they had a war that needed to be fought and conquered.
She focused on following Lexa's lead, on Lexa's training, on Lexa's ability to stay calm in any given situation. Her stoic face and harsh green eyes never blinked once when she chanted "Jus drein jus duan!" to get her warriors riled up for a big fight. It was inspiring and Clarke had found herself under the spell of the chant.
Clarke had no time to dwell on the fact that she had been burned by the one person she put most of her trust into. The moment Lexa pulled the Commander mask on outside the doors of Mount Weather and revealed that she had made a deal with the enemy and rescued her own People, Clarke could literally feel her heart break in pieces. She wasn't above pleading for Lexa to just help her. There was still time and they could do so much damage to Mount Weather if they could continue on with part of the plan.
"I'm sorry, Clarke."
Lexa's voice kept echoing in her head. There were so many things Clarke could not escape that constantly whirled around inside of her mind. Green eyes flashing in a look that could be seen as slight regret when Lexa turned on her alliance.
The look of weakness when Lexa made the move to kiss her in the privacy of her own tent. The way Lexa's hand wrapped around the back of her neck and pulled her in, breathed her in. The way Lexa allowed herself to be soft and gentle and accepting when Clarke gently turned her down. They were in the middle of a war. Clarke wanted nothing more than to get lost in passion or love - especially with someone who was strong and gorgeous as the Commander - but she had to think with her head and not her heart.
"I do care Clarke, but I made this decision with my head and not my heart." Lexa forced out, her eyes never straying from the blonde in front of her.
"Please, don't do this." Clarke was desperate. Desperate to protect her friends, her family. Desperate to believe that Lexa betraying her was all a nightmare she'd wake up from. Desperate to forget that her heart was currently laying within the battlefield, completely useless.
"I'm sorry, Clarke." Conviction reached the Commander's voice.
All Clarke could do was stare and grasp onto how all of everything was going so so wrong.
"May we meet again." Lexa's soft departure made Clarke break even more and she watched the girl that took her trust, her heart; and walk away without looking back, the whole Grounder army right behind her.
"May we meet again?" A voice sounded right beside Clarke, as she jerked awake and sat up, knife out of her pocket in no time. "Whoa! I'm unarmed!" The young woman squeaked out, fear evident all over her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
Clarke swallowed, breathing hard. She fell asleep while being basked in the sun and now it was getting dark. "No, I'm sorry." She shoved her homemade knife back into her boot then took in the young woman about her own age. She was wearing a bearskin jacket and a pair of tight black cargo-like pants. "Where am I?"
The woman smiled widely and climbed up on a higher rock, pointing over towards a cliff where the waterfall was located. "Polis is just past that cliff. The walk down isn't a safe one at night."
Clarke jumped up so fast and studied the horizon where the sun was starting to set. "Polis? As in the capital?"
"Yes." The girl nodded then looked at Clarke strangely. "You're not from another clan are you? You don't dress like any other clan member I've met." She reached out and ran her fingers over the blue coat Clarke had been wearing since she landed - crashed - onto Earth. Then those green eyes widened briefly before a smile broke out. "Skaikru?"
Clarke sighed but nodded. "Yes, Sky People. I've wandered a long long way from my camp."
"Very long!" The girl bounced a bit and pulled her coat tighter against her body. "So we may as well make a camp here and then I can show you around Polis tomorrow! The Commander tells amazing tales of a Sky Princess that she had the pleasure of fighting beside."
Clarke stood in shock at the information she had just been told. Lexa made it. Lexa made it and thought of her enough to tell tales. "Did- did the Commander give this Sky Princess a name?"
"Klark kom Skaikru." The green-eyed girl smiled widely. "She was a brave warrior that fought with her heart and courage. She most likely died in battle with the Mountain Men when Commander Leksa freed her warriors and left the Skaikru for dead."
It wasn't said in a harsh tone but in a firm tone which made Clarke flinch and her heart beat wildly against her ribcage. "They didn't die. Not all of them."
"Did the Sky Princess make it? Did you fight?" The eager questions were coming out with such genuine interest.
Clarke smiled a little and sat down on the rock she fell asleep on earlier that day. "What's your name?"
"Kiari." The girl nodded and sat down across from the blonde in front of her. It was the first time she had studied the foreign girl in front of her. She could see Clarke looked older than her actual age. She noticed the small scars on her face and chapped lips that looked cracked from dehydration. "Are you a warrior for your people?" She asked again, less eager and more concerned.
"I fought, Kiari. I fought a long battle and it was hard." Clarke nodded, tears brimming her eyes but just as she tried to wipe them away, she felt a warm hand land on top of hers.
"I'm sorry for the people you've lost." Kiari whispered sincerely.
Tears fell and for some strange reason, Clarke took the comfort that the stranger was offering and let out weeks of frustration and sadness.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed but Clarke found herself waking up once again on that rock. She stared up at the sky where the stars were so bright, she thought she could see every single one. A fire crackled a few feet away from her and there was a cup of water sitting on the rock beside her.
"You look sad when you sleep." Kiari whispered from across the other side of the fire. "What troubles you?"
"So much." Clarke snorted and sat up, clearing the sleep from her eyes. She noticed the sun was starting to make its appearance once again. "Did you sleep at all?"
"I will get sleep once we reach Polis. It's a peaceful place out here but you can never be too careful with the wild animals." The brunette shrugged.
At the mention of Polis, Clarke took a sip of her drink and was ready to get the day started.
"Maybe you should take this opportunity to bathe? I mean, I'm no Skaikru expert but hygiene needs to be a priority at some point, right?" Kiara smirked and Clarke couldn't help but nod and chuckle.
Clarke felt Kiari grab her wrist and shook her head no as she went to strip her clothes to jump into the cold stream. "Follow me." She dragged her down a few feet and into a small valley where a couple of hot springs were scattered about.
After a much needed bath, Clarke had accepted the girl's help in brushing out all of the tangles in her hair before Kiari took it upon herself to braid it, tight little braids intricately placed so they wouldn't loosen as fast as normal braids would.
"Commander speaks highly of Skaikru. Did you know her?" Kiara finally asked after nearly an hour of silence as they walked down the mountain side. She allowed Clarke to take in the beauty of the view. A wide ocean was just in the distance and the city of Polis could be seen from where they were.
Clarke finally nodded after a long swallow. "Yes, I knew Lexa." She breathed the name out loud for the first time in weeks. She could feel green eyes bore into her with a curious glare. "We were- we fought side by side a few times."
Kiari's mouth twitched and her tongue itched to ask a million more questions but she slowed in her step before she asked a question she wasn't really going to ask. "Who are you?"
"Kiari!" A voice boomed from below and both women looked down with wide eyes. "Honon?" The tall burly man yelled at the sight of Clarke, an arrow aiming up towards them.
"No, she's not a prisoner!" Kiari yelled back and rolled her eyes. "Put your toys away, Kraven! She's harmless."
"Who are you?" Kraven, the man covered in battle scars and tattoos, growled possessively as they approached him slowly.
Clarke could feel her pulse quicken because what made it a good idea to come to a place where most of the people hated her People and saw them as invaders. "Beja," Clarke swallowed when Kiari swung around and looked at her, "Ai laik Klark kom Skaikru," she raised an eyebrow, "en ai gaf gouthru klir."
"Sky Princess?" Kiari slapped the girl with a slight scowl but more out of admiration. "You allowed me to talk about you and your people and Commander-"
"You speak of Heda?" Kraven hissed but allowed the two women to walk in front of him. If the blonde was truly the Sky Princess then Heda would want to see her as soon as possible.
"Not a bad word." Kiari nearly pouted and a couple of hours later, they were standing at the gates of Polis.
Clarke disconnected herself from the girl and the guard as she took in the village that laid behind the tall walls of the capital. There was a huge statue of an eagle in front of the gate where others gathered around and talked freely. A large vendor market greeted her as people laughed and children played safely on the side paths. Large wooden huts surrounded the open market area where horses were tied up and fed as their owners did their business.
Clarke felt like she was being transported into a history book she had read in class while living on the Ark. Wooded walkways were the only thing missing from the description - and the clothes. No one was dressed like a warrior. They all had neat and pressed linen shirts on with animal coats and a thicker material for pants.
"Earth to Clarke." Kiara whispered as she noticed they were being stared at.
"Skaikru!" Kraven beat a fist on his chest as he hollered out. "Klark kom Skaikru!"
Gasps could be heard throughout the market area and then a bolt of cheers were being shouted in her name. Her name was being chanted as if she were a Goddess that had fallen from the sky - for a lack of better words.
"Klark!"
"Klark!"
"Klark!"
Chanting could be heard for miles and soon the sandy pathways were filled with more and more people.
"I don't get it. Why are they chanting my name?" Clarke whispered in Kiari's ear.
"You defeated the Mountain Men, Clarke. You didn't run from your battle and you won. I told you, Heda speaks very highly of you. She assumes you're dead but she knows that you led your people into an impossible battle yet still won." Kiari bumped Clarke lightly with her hip before she gleefully joined in the chanting.
Finally it all died down and the people were going back to their shopping or daily activities. Clarke was given a new outfit to wear from a local clothes vendor, in honour of being brave. She changed into black denim-like pants and a grey tank top with a light black bearskin coat for the cool nights.
"Where can I find Heda?" She asked Kiari as they walked down a pathway in the middle of the village.
"Probably down at the Warrior Quarters." Kiara pointed down a dark rock path and stopped. "I'm not supposed to be going anywhere near there but I'm sure Kraven will forgive me just this once."