Chapter 3

Bellamy woke her up at an hour so early, Clarke was sure it could still be considered night. It would seem that the Rebel King was many things, but a liar was not amongst them. After rousing her with a quick shove to the shoulder, he left a small bucket of water beside her bed. Clarke eyed it warily as she pushed herself up from the warmth of her bed. It couldn't compare with her four poster bed back at Ark castle, laden with goose-feather pillows and woolen sheets. But, it was warm and she had fallen into a dreamless sleep the second she lay down on it. No doubt tonight she would toss and turn with worry and fear.

"I'm not going to dump it on you princess, I just thought you'd be accustomed to washing in the morning. It'll be your last chance before we leave, so make the most of it." he said gruffly, his voice filled with poorly disguised tiredness. She gave him a small nod in thanks and he left.
She pulled on her boots, wincing as the boot slid over her swollen ankle. They could hardly expect her to walk on it could they? From what little she'd seen so far, they probably wouldn't care.
She turned to the bucket, and caught a glimpse of her reflection in the water. Her blonde hair had fallen out of it's elegant plait, and now hung around her face. Her lip was slightly swollen from where Murphy had hit her, there was a small poppy bruise on her forehead, and the scar on her chin had begun to scab over. It was an ugly rusting brown colour, and she felt a curious urge to pick it off, but knew better.
She had never looked this terrible in her life. What use was her turning up at the King's court if nobody recognised her? She had little to no experience of scars and wounds- would her face be healed by the time they reached the city? Would she even reach the city?

With a heavy sigh she began to wash yesterdays dirt from her face, careful to avoid causing her features any more damage. She quickly fixed her hair, and reached down to straighten her skirts, only to remember there were none- just the comfortable men's clothes that Octavia had left her. But now that her head was not muddled by exhaustion and fear, she realised they were not men's clothes at all.
The plain white shirt was cut in such away that it did not strain across her breast, nor hang awkwardly loose at the waist. The breeches too, fit snugly against her hips, curving in at the waist. These were always meant to be worn by a woman. The thought was an odd one.

Without delaying the inevitable any further, she stepped out of the cabin. The sky had turned a rich purple, dawn bleeding red and pinks into the heavens. The full moon still hung low in the sky. She spotted Octavia's silhouette by the horses and walked there. Is she had to pick an ally amongst these enemies, she'd take her chances with her.
She walked towards them, and Octavia gave her a curt nod. She was not alone, four other men stood around them. Clarke stood beside them, shivering in the early morning cold. Red sky at night shepherds delight, red sky at morning, shepherd's warning...

Bellamy walked towards them, carrying several saddle bags over his shoulder. He threw them to the ground, and the other men picked them up and began fastening them to the horses. Clarke recognised two of them- Jasper, the kind faced boy who said too much, and Murphy with anger in his eyes and venom in his voice. Clarke knew men like him. Men who joined the Ark Guard, not out of a sense of honour or duty, but out of the prospect of blood.
Clare hoped the blood he craved wasn't hers.

Bellamy cleared his throat in an effort to gather their attention. It worked.
"Gentlemen... and ladies," He said with a wink at her. Clarke rolled her eyes. "We still have one order of business to attend to before we head out." He clapped his hands once, and Clarke gave a sharp gasp as two scruffy boys dragged out a very beaten Kane. He had a large swollen black eye, a split lip and his leg stuck out at an odd angle. Clarke fought the urge to look away.

"What do we do with him?" Bellamy said, folding his arms and looking at Kane the way you'd look at a stray dog. Keep him or kill him?
"We kill him." Murphy said with a shrug. "Any other way ends with him running back to his Lord and us being killed." He unsheathed an old-looking sword and aimed it at Kane's throat. Clarke stared at him aghast.
"You don't get to decide who lives and dies," Clarke said appalled, "Only God has that right."
Bellamy turned his eyes to the heavens.
"Well Princess, God couldn't be here on such short notice, so we'll have to do. He's in no position to come with us, unfortunately," Bellamy said, his voice anything but remorseful, "Now, if you can think of a better alternative to killing him, please share."
Clarke thought for a moment.

"Keep him here, until his wounds are healed, then send him back to Ark. Let him make up some excuse for his absence. He knows that if he does something that would compromise this... noble quest, you would kill me. If you were to kill him, my mother would grow suspicious. The best knight in the country killed by a gang of common theives and bandits? It wouldn't make sense." She said calmly, proud of how sound her plan was. Of course none of it was true. Kane was by no means the best knight in the Kingdom, he was slow, old and fought with an honour that won you respect but not the fight. How he had survived the battle yesterday was beyond her. Her mother would not be surprised in the least if he had fallen.
But they didn't need to know that.

Bellamy nodded thoughtfully, his brow furrowed in concentration as he weighed his options. He seemed to reach a conclusion.
"Those in favour of killing him say 'aye'!" He shouted. Only two voices answered, Murphy and another tall man, who stood beside Bellamy. His second, Clarke thought.
"Those in favour of letting him live out of the mercy of our hearts?" He said, a twinge of humour in his voice. Octavia, Jasper, another boy and Bellamy all raised their hands and cheered "Aye". Clarke let out the breath she was holding and she saw Kane's shoulders slump in relief. Bellamy nodded at the two boys struggling with Kane's weight, and they started dragging him away again. Clarke expected there to be retaliation from Murphy, but he just shrugged his shoulders and mounted his horse. The other followed suit.

Jasper led her own horse, Exodus, towards her, and helped her mount. She smiled at him in gratitude, and he blushed. The other boy hit him across the back of the head with a laugh. Once they were all ready, Clarke left on her journey to the city once more.

Not blindfolded this time, Clarke was able to appreciate the beauty of the woods and marshland that they traveled through. The City road ran through farmland and fields of corn. For obvious reasons, Bellamy wanted to keep off the road, and led them through the Ground Forest. The trees were huge and their swooping branches created a ceiling of leaves and bracken over their head. Clarke could imagine how beautiful this track must be during the summer, how the ceiling of nature would turn the June sunlight green, and how one would never be alone with birdsong and the sound of woodland creatures living their short lives to the fullest. Of course now, the ground was covered with a rainbow of brown and yellow leaves, and the only sound accompanying them was the sound of horses hooves and the occasional cry of a crow. Her fingers were already numb with the icy cold. This winter would be a harsh one.

She had slowly found out the names of their company, though only Jasper had introduced himself, shortly after they had begun their journey. Miller was the tall man who had voted for Kane's death He was named after his father's profession, and Clarke had assumed correct in that he was Bellamy's second. Bellamy had consulted him three times on the journey already; on what path, where they would camp, and would it be worth their time stopping at an inn that they'd pass in three day's time. Clarke didn't know if it was because Bellamy was unsure of himself or if he valued another person's opinion. She decided on the latter, despite how strange it seemed. Wanting a second opinion on decisions would imply that he was a wise leader, which was a bizarre concept , but on the other hand, Bellamy being unsure of himself was an impossibility.

Monty was the other boy, who stuck to jasper like he was a limb. Clarke had only known them for less than a day, and she already thought of them as one person. He and Jasper had been charged with "Disturbing the peace and breaking curfew" which had earned them a life sentence, Jasper told her. Shortly after they escaped they joined Bellamy's group. They considered each other brothers.
Octavia didn't need to tell Clarke her story and past, Clarke could see it for herself. She was Bellamy's younger sister, and followed him wherever he led without question. Despite the circumstances, Clarke envied her. She had no one she could trust like that.

Morning turned to afternoon, which then turned to evening. The sky was like fire, and Clarke felt that her fingers were about to fall off with cold. Her back was stiff and sore with riding, and her ankle throbbed steadily the whole day through. She was thoroughly miserable. She heard someone riding beside her, but didn't bother turning to look. What was the point? All she'd get was a jab about being privileged and would be called princess no doubt, since everybody had taken to calling her that.
She heard something fly through the air, and land on her lap gently. She stirred her self and found a pair of gloves, already slipping off her thighs. She grabbed them quickly, prying her hands from the reins, and slid them over her chilled fingers. They were still warm, someone had been wearing them only seconds before, and were far too big for her. She didn't care, and let out a slight sigh of pleasure as she felt the relief. She heard a soft laugh beside her and turned to see Bellamy looking at her bemused.

"It's funny how the smallest things are so cherished when you have nothing Princess, isn't it?"
"Everything is waiting for me in the city." She said haughtily and then turned her head, to meet his laughing eyes.
"Thank you for the gloves."
If he was shocked at her acknowledgment he didn't show it, just gave her a small nod. They rode in silence for several more minutes, and then Clarke felt the need to break it for an unknown reason.
"I would have survived without them, you know. It would take more that cold hands to break a Griffin."

Her words did not have the desired effect, as he let out another round of laughter. Why was everything she did so funny to him?
"You nobles, are all the same thinking that your name has anything to do with your spirit. Your family name has nothing to do with who you are, as all of us here have proven many times. Being a Griffin does not make you inherently strong, nor will becoming a Jaha make you powerful. You are in control of your own destiny, not your family line, and whatever strengths and weaknesses you have are your own not your blood's."
He sounded as though he were not speaking about her anymore, as if he were trying to convince himself of something. He shook the dark expression from his face and turned to her speaking lightly.
"It would be in your best interest to be quiet until we leave these woods Princess. Bandit's are not the only thing to fear, here." He urged his horse into a trot and rode ahead, leaving Clarke alone with her own thoughts.

Clarke noticed as they rode into the night, that she was never left to ride on her own. There was always someone a few paces away from her. For protection or for prevention of her escape, she did not know.
Her eyes blinked blearily, as she struggled to keep herself upright in the saddle. Her now warm hands, gave her just enough comfort to feel that she could sleep. She saw the flame of a torch out of the corner of her eye and sighed. The watchman, come to greet them into the Castle walls...

She leapt up, suddenly awake. They were in the middle of the forest, there was no watchman, there should be no torch. She searched wildly for an explanation, and saw that Bellamy and Miller were on high alert too. Bellamy held up a hand, stopping the company, and they all turned their heads, eyes wide with fear and something else... determination?
After a short period of nothing but their panting breaths, a wild howl pierced the air. An animal?, Clarke mused, but the sound was followed by a hundred torches charging them.
"Grounders!" Someone yelled, and suddenly they all broke into a gallop, turning off the woodland path, and into the trees. Clarke wasn't sure what they were running from until an arrow, flew by her head, and for the second time in two days, she felt fear of death spreading through her body.

A/N: Back again! Hope you enjoyed this update, the journey has begun! Can anyone guess who'll be making an appearance in the next chapter? More Bellarke scenes on the way, so stay tuned!