Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Thanks to Miss. Pixie. M for beta reading.
The walk had been long but by the end of the day they would be back at Camp Jaha, which should make her happy; unfortunately it wasn't the case. Her thoughts just got darker and darker as she got nearer. At Polis, with Lexa by her side, even if it was only for some short moments, she had felt connected to someone, someone who could understand the price of war and was wise beyond her years. Her depressive thoughts were still there and never completely left her but it was reassuring to have this strong and comforting presence by her side.
Was she still feeling betrayed by Lexa? Yes. Was she still blaming her for what she had to do to free her people? No. She had had time to think about everything and it was her decision, her's alone that cost all those people their lives, Lexa had nothing to do with it. Her anger had been irrational and misplaced but sometimes when you are hurt, she told herself, you lash out at the wrong person. In time, she was hoping that she would be able to forgive her and once again completely trust her. It all really depended on Lexa, if she kept her word and found a way for them to be together without betrayal, then she would believe in her, for now it was just a fragile trust.
Her eyes travelled to her reluctant companion. India had been a great distraction, making Clarke forget about her depressive thoughts. It was a real pleasure to have her around, between the insults and the disdainful looks, the mocking and angry noises she was making when Clarke was doing something wrong, she couldn't have asked for a better person to accompany her. She would have to thank again Lexa for giving her this wonderful bodyguard, maybe she thought that if she could survive to India, she would be able to survive everything?
They were getting closer, she felt her stomach drop at the sight of the camp.
"Be careful, don't make any; aggressive moves, they could be hostile to you after what happened to the Mountain " said Clarke to India.
She only received a grunt in response, as they were walking towards the guards, she once again addressed her companion, she gave her a hard stare, wanting to be sure the other understood the situation.
"India, don't do anything stupid. It's already hard enough to be here, I don't want to have to stay longer than we need to. Am I clear?"
India watched the sky girl carefully, her demeanour had changed, her face was blank, her head high, she was trying to appear strong and sure of herself for her people, probably to make them agree more easily with the new treaty. She could respect that, maybe this sky girl wasn't as weak as she had thought at first. Right now she had a presence and an aura, just like their leader. She felt the pressure of her stare, it was the look of a warrior, cold and emotionless, the eyes of someone who has taken plenty of lives. She gave a submissive bow of her head, it was the first time she was afraid of the girl since they had started their journey but it was equally the first time she was showing her respect and understood why her Heda had chosen her.
They were given permission to enter the camp, India stayed behind Clarke, observing the people around them. From the legends she had heard about the Sky girl, India thought Clarke would be feared and respected by her people, after all she made the impossible possible, creating an alliance with the Grounders when they wanted to see all of them dead, saved their lives from the demon of the Mountain. However the people around them were looking on with some disdain and others even with pity. Was it really how the Sky people honoured and treated their leaders?
It was not reassuring for the future alliance, she would have to inform the Heda. Could these people really be trusted when they didn't even respect their own leaders?
As they walked on, things appeared to get worse, some people were looking the other way as they passed them, as if their presence alone was unbearable. The sky girl didn't even flinch and kept walking with her head high. She felt proud of Clarke and felt a strange new feeling: the need to protect her. She had been ordered by her Heda to do it and would never dare disobey an order, but it wasn't the same thing as wanting to do it, this sky girl deserved her respect. She watched as mother and daughter were reunited, just a small hug and some guilty looks that were quickly covered, the 'friends' weren't better, only Lincoln and the limping girl seemed relatively happy to see her. The other leader, she thought he was called Bellamy, had given her a smile but had quickly looked away. She looked around and recognized a girl, her sister had talked so much about her, sitting on the sidelines and frankly found her nothing special, she was scowling and muttering to herself while glaring at Clarke. She was acting like a child, ready to throw tantrum, only the warning looks from Bellamy and Lincoln made her stay quiet.
She had to intercept an idiot kid who was ready to hit the girl she was protecting, the guards made him leave while he was still screaming . "It's your fault! It's your fault if Maya is dead!"
She was observing the people, careful to not miss another attack while Clarke was talking about the new alliance, there were some screams and insults against her, she had a hard time to mask her surprise, it was inconceivable for her to act this way with a leader. Were they all mad? It wasn't just worrying, it was terrifying to have an alliance with them. They were now screaming at each other, some didn't want the alliance. Some even called for another war against the Grounders. They weren't only mad, they were stupid too, she grumbled to herself. They really thought they had a chance to win against them? Absurd, yet they really seemed to believe in what they were saying. She memorized their faces, those people would have to be watched, they could become a threat that would need to be eliminated. Followed by some endless and furious talk, she noticed that Clarke wasn't a participant in it and was only waiting for them to make their decision, not saying anything.
Finally, there was a vote. It was the first time she had seen anything like this. For Grounders, it would have could only have come down to a bloodbath, a duel to the death. India thought that they really were a strange race of people. Those for the alliance won, but not by much.
She couldn't wait to leave this place, Clarke had a quick conversation with her mother and the few friends who were still around, telling them about her future plans and the name of the place where they could find her if they needed her, then they left. India was practically dragging Clarke out of here, she couldn't protect her with so many hostile persons around them and she could see that Clarke wasn't far off falling to pieces. The pain and distress were obvious in her eyes. Damn her new found protectiveness for the Sky girl, after seeing her so courageous and strong, she just couldn't let her fall apart in front of these people. The pair moved away quickly from the camp, upon entering the forest, she let Clarke have some space, she heard her sobbing and crying. She kept walking as if she didn't hear it. Today she would let her feel sorry for herself, but tomorrow she would start training her so she could fight her demons. She vowed to herself that she wouldn't stop until Clarke became the greatest leader she could be.
