Chapter 5: "The Chief, the King & Queen"

With the young grounder girl, Maple, in the lead, Clarke and her team noticed they were only several meters from reaching the East Forest boundary. The way they were able to tell this was in seeing a dozen warriors standing guard.

Potomac, Delphi, Lucas, and Glass, who all had their firearms drawn out, lifted them higher when they saw the warriors. They also grew closer to the Queen.

"Easy," Clarke said under her breath. She wanted a non-hostile environment when she met the leader of the East Forest clan. If her team didn't loosen up a bit, that wasn't going to happen. And she needed things to be calm when she spoke with Chief Neola; it was the only way to make a treaty.

Clarke's team slightly listened. Their weapons came down a bit, but they still stayed fairly close to her.

Clarke lifted her head a little higher, determined to make a fierce first impression on the new chief and her clan. She had no (visible) weapon on her, showing she was fearless. Some might think of her foolish to meeting with the enemy without a weapon, too, but she hoped the chief focused on the 'fearless' part.

Once they were a meter away from the warriors, Clarke came to a stop, as did her team. She looked at every single one of them dead in the eye. She didn't say a thing, allowing them to make the first move.

Finally, after several moments, one of the warriors took a step forward.

Clarke felt her team move the slightest inch closer to her. Their weapons stayed where they were, though.

"Queen Clarke?" asked the warrior, looking straight at her.

"Yes."

"Upon entering our land, do you promise to keep to my chief's request?"

"What would that be?"

"No king."

Without a beat and hesitation, Clarke nodded. "There's no king with me."

The warrior looked at the rest of her team. "Are these warriors the only ones you brought with you?"

"They are my guard. They have been with me the entire journey. Ask your girl," she said as she motioned towards the grounder girl who had made her way inside the boundary.

Clarke was smart. She knew how to word her responses, just in case.

The warrior nodded. "Follow me. The Chief will meet with you." He turned without another word and headed inside the boundary.

Clarke began to follow, her crew staying close.

A little more than fifteen minutes later, Clarke and her team saw the chief. She was standing amongst other warriors who had their swords drawn.

Clarke kept her head high and didn't allow the leader to intimidate her. Since the time Clarke had landed on Earth, she had met many leaders, presidents, chiefs, commanders, and chancellors. And out of all of them, this chief wasn't amongst the top ten who scared her—not in the slightest.

This chief looked to be in her mid 30s. She had short, jet-black hair, dark tanned skin, and tattoos all over her face. She looked tough, but not scary.

As Clarke and her team came close enough, she gave a greeting with a nod of her head. During her time in this forest, Clarke had learned that the grounders here had slightly different customs than the clans around Tondc. Seneca, a new member of her people, was a native of these forests and had taught Clarke everything about the forest people's customs and language. Through Seneca, Clarke knew that hand shaking was reserved only for allies. A slight and short bow of the head was the proper way to greet an important stranger with high respect. Seneca had emphasized to Clarke that if Chief Neola returned the nod, that was a good sign. If she didn't, then Clarke shouldn't expect for the meeting to go anywhere good.

Chief Neola simply stared at Clarke, no movement of the head.

Great, Clarke thought to herself. But she remained calm. She'd been in worst situations with much scarier leaders.

The chief slowly observed Clarke from head to toe. Immediately, Clarke could hear the heavy critiques by the looks Neola gave. After being leader this long, she thought she would get used to the looks and judgments, but she hadn't. It still annoyed her others thought of her too physically weak to lead such a great and powerful group of people.

Once again, Clarke made it her mission to sway a stranger's opinion of her. "We appreciate the welcome, Chief Neola. We were wondering when we would be able to sit down and talk." In using the term "we", Clarke made sure that Chief Neola understood that while she was physically meeting with only the female leader of Devarim, she was having a meeting with both King and Queen.

Chief Neola finally met Clarke's eyes. She looked annoyed. With a sneer, she spat at Clarke. "You deceived me, Queen of Devarim. Lied to me."

Clarke gave her a slightly puzzled look, but didn't say anything.

"We found your warriors," said Neola.

Clarke did her best to keep her face straight. She kept her eyes on Neola and hoped her team was doing the same. They had to appear to be puzzled by Neola's accusation because if they revealed too much emotion and worry, the people of the East Forest would think of them as deceitful.

Chief Neola lifted her right hand and snapped her finger in a demanding fashion.

From the corner of her eye, Clarke noticed a few figures coming out from the trees. Once they made their way into view, she knew exactly whom Neola was speaking of.

Neola stared harshly at the Queen. "You thought you could sneak in more of your men into my land? Bringing a second crew was not part of the deal."

Clarke raised her chin defiantly. "The only detail relayed to me was: no king. And from what everyone here can see, I held up my end of the bargain. There is no king present." She stole a quick glance at the second crew.

Lincoln, Thax, and Roan's hands were tied behind their backs.

It had been Bellamy's idea to have a third team that would work as a decoy for Neola. Bellamy believed the new clan's leader would expect Clarke to bring extra backup since she would be without the king. With the decoy team "caught", Neola would let down her guard and this would allow Bellamy and his team to continue spying.

It was Clarke's idea on who should be a part of the decoy team. Thax was one of their youngest soldiers, age fourteen. But he was also the fastest. If something went wrong, he would certainly be able to sneak away from Neola and her clan. Roan was their best tracker; he would know where to travel along in the forest so they were sure to get caught. And everyone in the forest knew of Lincoln's strength and agility in the battlefield. He was considered to be the King and Queen's most valuable warrior. And he was. Bellamy hadn't wanted Lincoln to come to the meeting precisely for this reason. Bellamy worried that if something did go wrong and all three teams were captured, Neola's clan would have three key members of Devarim in their custody.

The next in line to take up leadership amongst their people would be Octavia. And since she was Bellamy's sister and Lincoln's woman, her emotions would get in the way of her making rational decisions. This was another point Bellamy used as he fought against Clarke's idea. However, Clarke argued that having Lincoln be a part of the decoy team would solidify Neola's suspicions that a secret backup team was hidden in the forest. There needed to have a key member of their people in that decoy team. Bellamy saw her point and finally agreed.

Clarke sent an irritated look at Chief Neola. "And I can assure you that they did not cross the boundary. Your men caught them right outside of it, did they not? It was your warriors who brought mine into your village."

Chief Neola looked taken aback, but she didn't say a word because what Clarke had said was true.

Clarke kept her head high and her look harsh. "Do not ever accuse me of being a liar or deceiver. Those are allegations I do not take lightly. Because you are new at being chief, I will not take it too personal. But as the leader of the East Forest, I suggest you get to know more about me and other potential allies in the area when meeting and speaking to them."

Chief Neola's nostrils flared in anger. Clarke knew that it was because she had just embarrassed her in front of her people. It might have been a foolish thing for Clarke to do, but she also needed to show she wasn't someone to be messed with.

"Are you sure of this?" challenged Chief Neola. "Are you certain your warriors did not sneak into my land without invitation?"

The new chief was walking on thin ice. To question a leader's control over his or her people was one of the biggest insults that could be given. Clarke remained calm. "My people might not like my commands, but they're loyal to me. They would not disobey a direct order. I spoke directly to them this morning before leaving our village and told them to keep close to me, but to wait outside the boundary. They were to stay there until I left the East Forest."

"And why did you feel the need to bring more men? Why keep them hidden?" Chief Neola asked, curiously.

"I do not know you, Chief Neola; therefore, I cannot trust you were not planning on killing me on my journey here. Especially when you requested I come without the King. We could not take any chances," Clarke answered honestly.

Chief Neola did not say anything for a long moment. She simply looked at Clarke, clearly trying to decide whether or not Clarke was telling the truth.

Finally, the chief spoke again. "What is the treaty you wish you talk about?" By changing the subject, Clarke knew that the chief decided to trust her…maybe.

For the next hour the two discussed their people and lands. Clarke came to learn who Chief Neola's second-in-command was and who the chief's most trusted advisors were. She learned a little more of what occurred within the clan that forced them into a civil war. The entire people still seemed a bit at odds with one another, but Chief Neola insisted this was only temporary.

Clarke listened intently. She had come learn that getting to know as much of your enemy was essential before making a treaty and deal. Clarke intended to keep her people alive with as little bloodshed as possible.

She hoped Chief Neola was the same.

DATE: 12/14/15