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It was late the next day by the time they arrived where Lexa was camped. It wasn't anywhere Clarke had ever been to. A beautiful lake stood off to the left, sand stretching around it before giving way to tall thick grass and trees. An oasis of sorts, it seemed.

"Why isn't she in Tondc?"

They were the first words she'd spoken since telling the group of grounders to take her to their commander. They'd stopped for about two hours of rest and a light meal but Clarke had only nodded or grunted in response.

It was no wonder that when she finally did speak, they all stared at her in disbelief.

Clarke only rolled her eyes at this, dismounting her horse and tying him up to a tree as she waited for an answer to be given to her.

"Unsafe." Nyko only spoke the one word before motioning towards the tent that Indra was posted in front of. The woman could only scowl at Clarke as the blonde squared her shoulders, keeping her jaw firm as she walked through the flaps of the tent.

She was expecting to see her bleeding to death on a bed, feverish and begging to be put out of her misery. She was expecting for the Commander to lock eyes with her just so Clarke could spin around and leave, leaving her last dying breaths to be had alone. It was what she deserved. Right? Right...

So when Clarke walked through the tent, the anger coursing through her veins only intensified at the sight before her. Lexa was sitting at her desk, sharpening her dagger. The bag the blonde had been carrying in a death grip ended up slipping from her hands to the floor with a loud thud.

Lexa stopped the downwards strike of the blade, slowly turning in her chair. Blue orbs met wide green ones, watching as the brunette rose from her chair in such a harsh manner that she knocked it to the ground.

"Clarke."

"I thought you were dying." The blonde ground out, taking a menacing step forward that only left her even angrier at the sight of seeing Lexa hold her ground.

"You sound as if it was what you were hoping, not wondering, Clarke."

The words were spoken in a hushed whisper, not wishing for the others to hear them. But unluckily for her, Clarke didn't give a damn.

"Stop saying my name, Commander. Nyko told me you requested me and I was hoping that you had been injured. I wanted to see you as helpless as I was." She spat with a venom that sent even Lexa reeling slightly back, her neck tensing.

"I understand your anger. It is well founded but there is more to the story than you realize."

Those words were what broke the camel's back for Clarke, the blonde charging forward towards the young Commander.

"Don't you dare think that you understand my anger. Don't you dare try to comprehend the pain that I am feeling in this moment. You were the one who betrayed me, Lexa. You made me lose myself on that mountain. We could have all made it out safe had you not decided to be the biggest bitch in the universe and abandon me. You left me to die."

At the mentions of death, something akin to hurt flashed in Lexa's usually unreadable eyes. She took a step forward but that wasn't what Clarke wanted.

Before she could stop herself, a crack pierced through the air, Lexa's head shooting to the side as red immediately began to show upon her tan skin. In any other circumstance, Clarke was sure to show immediate remorse but not now. Not after what Lexa had done. The anger had began to whittle away at her for too long to think of what she actually felt.

"You led me to trust you. I accepted what I felt for you after we kissed. I knew it had been there. Growing. No... Festering. And I knew I couldn't be with anyone. Not yet because we still had work to do. And then you left. You threw everything away, my people and their lives to save your own ass."

Lexa didn't do anything, didn't offer up any words in return nor did she advance towards Clarke. The only move she made was to back up a slight few inches and sit on the edge of her bed.

"You did all of that and for what, Commander? Only to get ambushed by a Queen that killed the woman you loved in cold blood. Sounds like I've got a guardian angel looking out for me, after all."

Clarke knew the words would sting and that's what she wanted. She wanted Lexa to feel as if her heart was being ripped from her chest, like she couldn't breathe and that the ground was slowly beginning to swallow her whole.

"Dante told us the deal he made with you. I should have known you couldn't be trusted."

"Are you finished, Clarke?"

There it was again, the hushed whisper haunting her ears once more as the desire to strike the already weak girl in front of her boiled to the surface. Luckily this time she managed to hold back.

"Just give me one good reason why you did it."

"I already told you, I chose my head over my heart. Just like you did when you took down the maunon."

Clarke took a step back, disbelief washing across her face from the exchange. She had only told the Grounders that had accompanied her to Lexa's campground about the mountain and they hadn't even had a chance to speak to their Commander. Someone else must have known. Word had spread like wildfire of what she'd done, apparently. Of course it had. Misdeeds always were the first to be spread, no matter what the culture.

"Because you gave me no other choice! You left me and I had no choice but to kill them. I-…" Her resolve broke momentarily. "Give me a reason that makes me understand what you did. What you made me do to them. All of the men and women and… Children. You made me a murderer."

"Were you not one before?" Lexa responded, the words coming out as more of a question even though they both knew it was a statement. Clarke had killed before and those of the mountain would not be the last.

1…

Clarke began to turn around, her right foot planting into the earth as she started to move away from the woman that caused so many chaotic feelings inside of her. How could she hate someone and not even hate them at all in the same instance?

"Clarke, where are you going?"

2…

The blonde ignored her, the screaming filling her ears and the smell of flesh working its way into her nose. She wouldn't give Lexa the satisfaction of an answer. She came her to give Lexa the same gift she'd been given. Maybe they were both better off alone.

3…

"Dante knew."

It was funny, really. She had been able to go five hundred paces away from her camp and not even think once of turning back around but she couldn't even go three without slowly turning on her heel to look at the girl who was now sharing space with her, having moved to close the distance without Clarke even realizing it.

"He knew about my weakness."

Clarke scoffed, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You don't have a weakness, Commander. Only love is weakness."

The next words came out in a whisper that if Clarke hadn't been as close to Lexa as she was, she wouldn't have heard them. Even so, it had taken all the amounts of concentration she had to completely hear what was said.

"I know."

Before Clarke could even think about what that meant, her mouth opened to speak but Lexa shook her head, effectively silencing her.

"He had a sniper trained on you the whole time. If I hadn't left with my men, he would have put a bullet in your head."

Clarke took a step back, the words ricocheting through her like the shot that had never been taken would have had Lexa decided to not leave, take her people and go.

"Dante knew how strong we were together. He knew what I had known the moment I met you and he used it to meet his ends. I could not let you die, Clarke. Not by my hand."

Guilt swept through her stomach like a flood, shaking Clarke to the core as she tried to wrap her mind around the thought of what Lexa had done. As instantly as it had come, however, it soon left. The weight of the gun could still be felt even in her empty hand.

"You're lying…"

"I have no reason to lie, Clarke. Your assassination could have led to the end of the war against them. But I told him I would retreat if they spared your life. I don't believe they thought you had a chance without me. They gave me my people as a bargain that I wouldn't return."

The animosity that Clarke had been feeling slowly began to leave her body, only leaving her confused and tired. Deep down she knew she didn't hate Lexa, only herself. She hated herself for doing exactly what Lexa had done. She'd thought with her head and not her heart. She'd killed so many people, all for the sake of a few.

Fresh tears bubbled to the surface, eyes glossy and round as she struggled to come to terms with what the other girl was trying to divulge to her.

"You said you thought with your head and not your heart… You told me—"

"I did. And I don't regret it. The Ice Queen learned that I had refused to fight and saw that as a sign of weakness. Chose to strike and strike well she did."

"I could have died…" She breathed out, the hand that had been twitching at her side coming up to rub her face.

"And yet you live."

The words hung in the air as the crackling of a fire could be heard, the men outside talking amongst themselves and being respectful of their Heda by not listening in on the conversation the two were having, no matter how interesting it was. Indra and Nyko were close but knew not to disturb the duo, no matter how much they wanted to check in on things.

It felt like hours before Clarke could work up the courage to speak when it was only a few moments. When she finally did take in the draw of breath to utter out something, anything to say to Lexa, only then did she notice the bright red stain on the other girl's top.

Her brow furrowed, Clarke taking a step forward as her hand left her face to start to reach out, as if she was going to touch where the blood was leaking from. At the motion, Lexa looked down, hand coming down to touch against the ever-growing stain. When she pulled her hand back it was soaked with her own blood.

A staggering step was taken forward before Lexa fell to her knees, blood soon dripping out of her mouth. Her eyes locked with Clarke's, the confusion spreading on her face as well as a mixture of pain.

Clarke shot forward, immediately bringing hands towards Lexa to grab her but she was too late. Lexa's eyes were rolling back into her head as her body crumpled backwards, Clarke only managing to scoot a palm underneath the back of her head so as to avoid a concussion.

Only then did Clarke realize what Lexa had meant earlier.

You don't have a weakness, Commander. Only love is weakness.

I know.

Her stomach lurched at the implication as she scrambled to pick up Lexa in her arms, the blood now soaking her own shirt.

"Nyko!" She screamed, waiting only mere seconds before he and Indra came charging in.

"What did you do, natrona?" Indra all but hissed at her as she made a motion to gather up Lexa in her arms but Clarke wouldn't budge despite being just called a traitor.

"She… I don't…" Clarke stuttered, not knowing what to say or think but Indra was too impatient to let her ramble for long as she tried once more to make a grab for the Commander but Clarke held her protectively against her chest as Nyko began to examine her wound, having torn her shirt in two.

"Speak words, Skai girl."

"It is her wound, Indra. Something is not right when she breathes. We need to fetch the Healer from Polis. Now." Nyko offered for Indra in an attempt to get the woman to calm down which as everyone knew, was hard to do once the older woman got started.

Clarke's head snapped up from where it had been looking down at Lexa's unnaturally still body. She knew what that meant. Lexa's lung was collapsing. Nyko began to lift Lexa's body from Clarke's arms to move her to her bed, Clarke then springing into action as she dove for her bag.

The sudden action caused Indra to draw her sword. Clarke held up her bag, pulling out a syringe. She'd seen her mom do this a thousand times. Okay, maybe not a thousand times but enough to know what not to do.

"I can help. Let me help her." She uttered out, making a move for the bed to which Indra blocked her path. Nyko clicked his tongue, Indra grunting but not budging. Clarke's eyes pleaded with the woman, full of tears. "Please."

"Indra. Move or be moved." Nyko bellowed, the words sending Indra moving to the leave the tent with a huff.

"You need to get my mom."

Indra turned at the words, eyes looking like fire. Normally Clarke would have taken a step back but all she could do was take a step forward with determination.

"She needs medical supplies. Supplies that I'm sure they don't have in Polis. Please. Send someone for her. Tell her that I have sent for her. Tell her everything is koala tea."

If it had been any other time, she would have explained the meaning behind the words. The joke that had originated on the Ark back when she was younger that soon turned into their safe word. But now was not the time and despite the confused looks, Indra seemed to agree to her request before backing out of the tent.

Moving back to look at the girl on the bed, Clarke sat down next to her, noting how Nyko was taking her pulse.

"Heda is weak."

Clarke looked down at the Commander, tears washing down her cheeks as she grabbed at the syringe, inspecting the needle with her meticulous artist's eye. It looked to be the right size for what she was about to do. Leaning down slightly, Clarke went to press a kiss to the girl's forehead but then decided it would probably be a sign of disrespect to do so at the moment so she pulled back.

With pleading eyes, Clarke looked up at Nyko, his words sinking into her skin as she remembered exactly what Lexa had been trying to say to her.

"I know."

And with that, Clarke jammed the needle down into Lexa's torso.