A/N: As promised, another Lexa POV chapter – it's bizarrely fun rummaging around in what I imagine to be the Commander's brain, trying to figure out what she's thinking all the time. She's way more mysterious than Clarke! Anywho, hope you enjoy the result :)

Chapter 4

The tension in the room was pretty high already. Lexa couldn't suppress a momentary admiration for Octavia's courage; it was surely courage and her connection with Lincoln that had led her to enter a room full of Trikru warriors a full minute before the rest of the Skaikru delegation would arrive.

Lexa hoped they would arrive soon. It would not do for the Commander and her warriors to be made to wait on them; there was only so much grace Lexa could allow herself to mete out.

But eventually their clunking footsteps could be heard descending the steps into the banquet hall, Clarke, of course, in the lead, followed by Abby, Raven, Bellamy and finally Marcus.

Even their seating arrangements confirm Clarke's position; it is she who takes their centre seat, she who sits across from me. Surely she must be their de facto leader.

"Please accept this gift, Commander," Marcus began once they had all filed into position, holding out a flat glass bottle of clear liquid. "We drink this at special occasions. I believe this qualifies." There was a sort of hesitantly hopeful half smile on his face as he spoke. Lexa nodded to Gustus, instructing him to receive it for her. She could feel the wariness radiating from her guard as he looked at Marcus, his unsmiling distrust knocking some of the hope from the half smile.

"Thank you, Marcus of the Sky People," Lexa said after a short inspection of the bottle that Gustus had passed to her. She made sure to meet Marcus' eye as he had met hers, hoping to show that she received the gesture in the spirit it was offered.

"You're welcome, Lexa, kom Trikru," he spoke haltingly but with a clear intent. "Just don't drink too much of it." Lexa couldn't help but think that his gift and his and Clarke's attempts at Trigedasleng must surely bode well.

"Clarke," Lexa spoke again after a moment's consideration, weighing what she knew and suspected of the Skaikru hierarchy. "Let us drink together."

"It would be my pleasure," the blonde Skaigada replied, her blue eyes dropping for a curious moment before fixing resolutely on Lexa's own.

Careful, Lexa warned herself, dropping the gaze so that she could pour the drink into the goblets Gustus had set beside her. Having settled herself she looked up again, passing one goblet to Clarke and keeping one for herself.

"Heda, allow me," came Gustus' low rumble from her left as she'd known it would. She watched the uneasiness flickering on Clarke's face and the faces of all the Skaikru as she allowed her guard to take the goblet from her and hoped it was merely the effect of the inevitable tension in the room. There was a definite pulse of relief in Lexa's stomach as Gustus returned the goblet to her, apparently satisfied.

"Tonight we celebrate our newfound peace," she began, her tone and volume measured just enough to ring resoundingly around the room as she let her gaze wander across the Skaikru and Trikru before her. "Tomorrow we plan our war." She paused, fixing her eyes now on Clarke, hoping again that Clarke would meet her expectations. "To those we've lost and to those we shall soon find."

Just as she'd hoped, Clarke raised her glass to meet the toast, holding Lexa's gaze for a moment before they both, in unison, raised their glasses to drink.

An explosion of sound erupted from Gustus a split second before the goblet could reach Lexa's lips. She turned, horror-struck at the convulsions suddenly racking his body as he coughed and spluttered, unable to breathe and collapsing backwards towards the wall. Lexa glanced back across the table, taking in the shock on Clarke's face and on the faces of those around her, before she turned back to Gustus, quickly abandoning her goblet on the table, fear and anger warring in her chest as she saw her most trusted and loyal warrior being brought low by a poison. Mayhem broke out, the sound of scraping tables and shuffling feet fighting to be heard over the pounding of her heartbeat and her relief as Nyko appeared at Gustus' side, his eyes and hands moving expertly across the huge man's frame.

"It's poison," Nyko confirmed, his eyes meeting Lexa's for just a moment.

"Indra!" Lexa barked and her general nodded, drawing her sword and rounding on the Skaikru.

"It was the Sky People!" Indra bellowed and in a matter of seconds, the general and her warriors had the Skaikru surrounded and cornered.

"This wasn't us!" Clarke's voice drew Lexa's attention for a moment and she glanced up to see the blonde Skaigada pushing against Bellamy's protective arm, desperation driving her. "You have to know this wasn't us." The image of Clarke's shocked face at Gustus' collapse flashed in her mind, but Lexa couldn't process that right now.

"Do not let him die!" she roared at Nyko, forcing herself to trust in him to care for Gustus so she could concentrate on how to handle the Skaikru.

"Everybody out," Indra ordered in Trigedasleng before addressing a couple of her closer warriors. "Search them."

Lexa glanced back, watching as two of Indra's men lifted Gustus between them, carrying his limp body from the room as Nyko picked up the poisoned bottle of drink.

"No- No-" Lexa snapped around furiously as Clarke's voice penetrated her consciousness again. The Sky Girl dared to struggle as Indra's warriors searched her, trying to force her way forward to Lexa. "No- We didn't do this!" she insisted, but all Lexa could feel was deep fury and raging, frustrated disappointment. She had no doubt in that moment that Clarke and all her people were perfectly as capable of feigning shock as they had been at feigning their desire for this alliance.

"Gustus warned me about you," she hissed, "but I didn't listen."

"Lexa, please..."

How dare she beg? How dare she ask for mercy now?

"Tell me something, Clarke," she said, having almost managed to regain control of her voice, almost containing the snarl that longed to burst from her. "When you plunged the knife into the heart of the boy you loved, did you not wish that it was mine?" She watched Clarke's face, watched the moment when the blonde realised she was unable to deny it.

"Heda," came the voice of one of Indra's warriors, Anto. Lexa looked up and saw him holding a small metal cylinder, raising it to his nose and sniffing it. "This was in her coat." It was at this point Lexa realised that it was Raven that Anto had been searching.

But of course.

"That's not mine," Raven protested, looking around as if expecting to be believed. "I'm telling you, that's not mine. He put it there when he searched me." Her voice rose, accusation layered into it as her desperation grew. Lexa felt the fury boil and condense in her stomach as she looked from Raven, to the metal cylinder Anto had handed her, and finally to Clarke who was shaking her head, as if still trying to convince Lexa of their innocence.

"No Sky Person leaves this room," Lexa ordered, unable to keep the rage from her voice as she looked around at her warriors before she swept from the room, ignoring Clarke's pleading look and dashing up the stairs, out into the village centre.

He had better still be alive, she thought to herself, almost shaking with anger at the Skaikru and at herself as she strode across the square towards the healer's hut. If Gustus died it would be her fault for having risked his life and her trust on these people who had given her so little reason to take that risk. The fact that she knew deep down that she had definitely registered the deep blue of Clarke's eyes and the miraculous gold of her hair, did not make Lexa any less furious with herself.

"How is he?" she demanded as she entered Nyko's hut, somewhat relieved to discover that she had mastered her voice again. Gustus was lying on a cot, apparently unconscious but evidently still breathing as Nyko bustled around him.

"The poison is settling in his chest, I haven't been able to identify it from the bottle yet-"

"This was found on one of the Sky People," she said, thrusting the metal cylinder Anto had found into the healer's hand. "Does that help?"

Nyko lifted the cylinder quickly to his nose, his face screwing up reflexively as he sniffed.

"Vikand? Vikand!" The relief was clear in his sudden wide smile. "He will be fine, Heda," Nyko assured her, the relaxing of his voice and the certainty in his eyes being just enough to slow the racing of Lexa's pulse as the healer immediately began to rummage in a crate beside him. "This poison is simple, an extract of vikand root, and I have plenty of antidote for that. He will be as he was in less than an hour, definitely no more than two."

Lexa watched as he extracted a small bottle from the crate, unstoppered it and poured a small quantity into Gustus' mouth, gently massaging his throat to make him swallow. The healer sighed in satisfaction as he turned to smile his reassurance at her again. She took a breath, making sure she had control.

"Thank you, Nyko," she said, her voice quiet and calm and well-regulated again. She gripped his arm for a moment and he met her gaze. "Inform me of any changes."

"Yes, Heda," he said with a small bow, and she turned, making her way from his hut and heading straight for the privacy of her own.

Gustus will be fine.

Lexa breathed deep of that fact as she closed the door of her hut behind her, sinking into the solitude of her chambers, pacing the long room slowly to help her think.

Gustus will be fine but now I need to decide what to do with the Skaikru.

She sighed, knowing full well what Indra and Gustus would advise, knowing that their advice greatly appealed to the roaring, angry animal that clawed inside her chest at the thought of how close she'd come to losing her most trusted warrior. But now that her immediate fear of losing him had been eased, she knew that fearful, rageful vengeance was not the mark of the clear-headed Commander that she had set herself up to be.

Wisdom, compassion and strength, she reminded herself and took a deep breath, mentally taking a step back from the situation.

She thought about what she knew: she knew that the poison had been found on Raven, she knew that Raven had always been the most unhappy about the fact that Finn had been made to pay for his crime.

I know that Clarke had looked worriedly at Raven when they were being searched…perhaps afraid that Raven would try something like this? And I know that Clarke made herself vulnerable to Trikru when we camped last night, and that she-

Stop thinking about Clarke!

She shook her head minutely, clenching her fists for a second as she determined not to let the dangerous influence of those thoughts hold any sway.

I do know that Marcus was willing to give his own life to attempt a peace.

She sighed.

I cannot believe that Marcus would have had anything to do with this.

…And… And, truly, I do not think that Clarke would, either. I believe that she may have wished to stab me instead of Finn in the heights of emotion, but this was a pre-planned, cold-blooded attempt at murder. Clarke is too intelligent to do this; she knows that I am the reason the Skaikru are not all already dead.

But if so, then she showed considerable lack of discernment when she chose Raven as one of her attendants.

Lexa clenched her jaw, pushing the blonde Skaigada from her mind.

Even assuming innocence in... in the Skaikru leaders, this shows that an alliance with them is not stable. If their people are not willing to follow their laws, then I cannot again risk my people any further than I already have.

She paused, weighing unpleasant options in her mind. She was the ruthless, strong and powerful Heda, yes, but she did not like killing without reason. She did not want to order the deaths of people she truly believed to be innocent and not dangerous.

"Let us leave peacefully, then. We did not arrive here with any wish to drive you out, only to find somewhere to exist. If here is not that place, let us leave so we can find it."

Marcus' words from before an alliance was ever mentioned rang in her mind suddenly.

So be it.

She refused to acknowledge the tiny, pathetic, mewling voice that whimpered its disappointment that banishing Skaikru from her lands would also therefore banish one particular blue-eyed, golden-haired Skaigada.

Having made her decision, she rummaged through her packs for some food. They had, after all, been about to eat before Raven's attack and her stomach was growling.

Gustus will be disappointed if I haven't eaten.

She snuffed a twitch of a half smile at herself with the realisation that he would also be disappointed if she ate something he hadn't checked for poisons, especially given recent events, but Lexa was certain that neither Raven nor anybody else would have had access to the rations she kept in her own pack.

Just as she had finished satisfying her stomach, there was a sharp rap at the door.

"Heda," came a young voice she didn't recognise. "Nyko has sent me to tell you that Gustus is awake."

Lexa went to the door and opened it to find a boy of about 12 summers stood before her, nervousness clear on his face.

"Thank you," she said, meeting his eye and nodding. As often happened in such encounters, the boy blushed and bowed very deeply. Lexa was well practised at not revealing her amusement.

She made her way back to the healer's hut, keen to see Gustus and assure herself that he really was alright.

"Heda," Nyko greeted her as she walked through the door. "He is quite well, if a little dehydrated." Lexa nodded, taking another step into the hut, picking up a water skin and thrusting it at Gustus.

"Thank you, Nyko," she said to the healer. "You have my gratitude. Gustus, drink," she ordered her guard. "I want you well and able to witness the death of the girl who tried to kill you."

"The Skaikru tried to kill you, Heda," Gustus growled before obediently taking a drink.

"No, Gustus, I believe only Raven did." She saw him pause, his eyes flicking to hers, and knew he was going to ask after the fate of the rest of Skaikru. "Raven alone will answer for the blood she tried to take, but what little trust I had in all the Skaikru has been broken; our alliance will end and they will be banished." He took another swallow of water, looking mostly mollified, if not completely satisfied.

"Thank you, Heda," he said, clearing his throat and pushing himself up from the cot. "I am well now. I am ready to witness your justice at your command."

Lexa glanced at Nyko to check the truth of this, and the healer nodded his assent.

"Good," she said brusquely, turning on her heel. "Then the time for justice is now."

She left the hut and made her way towards Indra, whose guards were watching over the building holding the Skaikru.

"Indra," she called to her general.

"Heda."

"Take some of your warriors and bring Raven to me; today she will answer for her crimes in blood."

"Yes, Heda," the general nodded, inclining her head slightly, but she carried on with fire in her eyes. "What of the other Skaikru? I beg you, Heda, let me bring them all up here to meet with justice for the destruction they have wrought on our people."

"No, Indra," Lexa said firmly, forcing her will into her general. "I will not stoop to vengeance; I will not stoop to massacring those who truly seek peace. Blood will have blood, but then I will allow the Skaikru to leave. You may be the one to deliver the message: they have until Raven's death to leave our territory. If they are still here then, then their blood will be spilled wherever we find them."

Indra swallowed, evidently not thrilled by this outcome, but she nodded.

"Yes, Heda."

Lexa watched her go and found herself hoping that the Skaikru had enough sense to run while they had the chance.

"I take no joy in this, Raven," Lexa said honestly as she approached the girl tied to the post in the centre of the village square. "But this time, justice will be done."

"I didn't do it," Raven repeated her lie for the hundredth time as fear made her body shake and her voice crack. "How is that justice?"

Lexa did not relish this form of punishment as some did, although she recognised its effectiveness and necessity. She could not quite keep the distaste from her face as she slowly drew her blade across Raven's arm, drawing the first blood as was her right, and drawing the first scream of pain from the girl's throat. She could feel the eyes of the villagers around her fixed on her and hoped that those who had felt cheated of justice from Finn would find whatever catharsis they needed here, let Raven's painful death have as much meaning as possible.

She stood back and watched as Indra took her turn, glad at last to see some satisfaction on her general's face after all her grief. Lexa did not relish this for herself, but she recognised its value.

Several minutes passed, Raven's cries continuing to rend the air as the people of Tondc worked justice upon her. Lexa stayed where she was but allowed her mind to drift slightly, not wishing to soak in the girl's pain as some did. So it was that she was unaware of the commotion that was brewing behind her until a loud, clear, recognisably throaty voice called:

"Stop!"

All eyes turned to the undeniably impressive figure of Clarke where she stood, her passageway barred by two guards, demanding their attention.

"Let her pass!" Lexa ordered almost before she'd registered her own intention to say it. The guards immediately lowered their spears and Clarke strode passed them, all-but charging up to Lexa with Bellamy, Abby and Kane in her wake, Lincoln and Octavia hanging behind.

"One of your people tried to kill you, Lexa, not one of mine." The fiery, righteous certainty in Clarke's eyes made Lexa's pulse quicken.

"You should've run," Indra growled as the Skaikru approached.

"I can prove it," Clarke carried on, looking around and taking the flat glass bottle from Nyko who had appeared beside her. Lexa's eyes darted from him to the bottle and to Clarke who was rapidly unstoppering the bottle and raising it to her lips. Lexa only just managed to contain the small gasp of confusion that rose in her chest as Clarke began to chug down mouthful after mouthful of the same clear liquid that had just poisoned Gustus.

"Explain," she demanded, feeling fury at herself pool in her stomach again as she realised she had been wrong, quite possibly deceived by one of her own people.

"The poison wasn't in the bottle," Clarke said, her certainty mingling now with relief at being heard. "It was in the cup."

Silence rang for a moment and Lexa realised that the explanation made sense.

"A trick, Heda," Gustus' low voice spoke in Trigedasleng behind her. "Do not be fooled."

But how. How can this be a Skaikru trick? That is the same bottle; Nyko had the bottle and it was he that gave it to Clarke. He would not side with Skaikru over me.

"It was you." It was Bellamy's voice that cut the silence this time and Lexa realised with some incredulity that he was looking at Gustus. "He tested the cup. He searched Raven."

"Gustus would never harm me," Lexa stopped him, entirely certain of the truth of her statement.

"You weren't the target," Bellamy replied quickly, certainly. "The alliance was."

Lexa felt all her blood freeze as the real and valid possibility that Bellamy could be right settled in her mind. If Gustus thought that an alliance with the Skaikru would put Lexa's life directly in danger, which he had suggested that he did, then there were no limits to the lengths to which he might go to prevent it.

"We didn't do this," Clarke murmured, that surety still burning in her eyes, "and you know it."

Lexa tried to draw as inconspicuous a deep breath as was possible before turning to Gustus, the person she trusted most in the world.

"You have been accused, Gustus," she said, meeting his eyes and hoping that he would have an explanation and a denial. "Speak true," she ordered, forcing her voice to hold, to maintain its strength.

The big man took a breath, his gaze rising away from hers for just a moment before he looked her in the eye.

"This alliance would cost you your life, Heda." He spoke the words simply and calmly in his soft, low voice, but to Lexa it felt like a fist to the stomach, knocking the wind from her. "I could not let that happen."

It was as if there was a whining, buzzing noise in Lexa's ears as she tried to process this, tried to run every scenario in her head in an attempt to find a course of action that would not lead to Gustus being tied to the tree with blades being drawn across his skin.

But she knew, knew with the same certainty that Clarke had declared Raven innocent: Gustus must meet his fate here and there was nothing Lexa could do to stop it.

"This treachery will cost you yours," she said, forcing the words from her mouth, holding his gaze just long enough to see the fractionally miniscule nod of approval that he gave her. "Put him on the tree," she ordered, slipping into Trigedasleng and holding herself together fiercely as she trained her eyes back on her former guard and closest ally, watching him as he continued to almost imperceptibly nod his proud approval, watching him as he surrendered himself to the warriors who quickly surrounded him.

Her throat felt choked and blocked as they tore Gustus' armour from him, pinning his unprotected body to the tree and tying him there. The fearful murmurings in the crowd hushed and all eyes flicked to Lexa, for it must be she who began this rite.

She stepped forwards, her eyes raising slightly to meet the familiar dark brown ones of the man in front of her. She watched him take a deep breath and then nod firmly. Lexa could not bring herself to speak, but simply stepped forwards, raising her blade to again take the first blood. She wished that someone, some version of Clarke would appear to cry 'Stop!', but knew really that this time there would be no end until Gustus' spirit had left this life.

She drew her blade along his arm, closing her eyes for a moment in revulsion of this act but quickly gathering herself and stepping back again. She felt pride for him as Gustus held his silence, no cry of pain or shudder of fear escaping him. He simply looked at her, his eyes telling her as clearly as any words could that he was proud of her. She stepped back, allowing Indra to make the next cut, but this time her mind could not wander. She kept her eyes on Gustus, doing all she could to honour him and the sacrifice he was willingly making for her, forcing herself to watch as every blade and every drop of spilt blood weakened him slightly more.

After what seemed like an eternity of pain and blood, the last villager had made their cut and it was time for the final blade, time for Lexa to end it all. Slowly, she walked forwards, keeping her eyes trained on Gustus as she forced oxygen into her lungs, searching for every drop of strength and courage and determination that the Spirit of Heda in her could lend her. Gustus' weary, bloodshot eyes followed her with an effort and she paused, trying to gather herself.

"Be strong," he managed to whisper past the blood dripping from his mouth. Lexa could feel the hammering of her heart only increase as he burned his encouragement into her with his eyes, willing her on as she took another deep breath and drew her sword, the sharp grating sound of the metal against its sheath ringing in the silence.

Carefully, she took her stance, lining up her blade and clinging to her determination. She could feel pain and grief like she had not known in years welling up in her chest, trying to burn its way out of her eyes, but she knew she needed to do this. Gustus wanted her to do this.

"Your fight is over." The words came from her mouth as if someone else had said them, her voice holding on to a level of calm that she did not feel. She shifted her grip on her sword, raised her stance and pushed forward, the keen blade of her sword entering Gustus' chest with ease, piercing his heart. She held his gaze as a mumbled sigh of mixed pain and relief escaped his lips, his eyes staying focused on her for another second before suddenly he was gone, the life fled from his eyes and his head slumped down against his chest.

He's dead.

Lexa couldn't stop the catch in her breath as she pulled her sword from him, feeling the hollow place inside her chest grow and flourish in the pain roiling through her. She swallowed, taking a moment to compose her features and to be certain she had control of herself before turning and raising her eyes to meet Clarke's. The Skygirl's blue eyes were fixed on her, heavy laden with compassion and understanding and, as Lexa held her gaze steadily, a small creeping sense of fear.

She sees now that this is what it is to be a leader; she sees that a leader cannot afford to love.

A/N: As always, thanks so much for reading! Leave a review and let me know what you think :)