First of all: I AM FREAKING OUT BECAUSE I AM GOING TO MEET ALYCIA AND ELIZA AT THE BRAZILIAN CON IN JULY AND I HAD ALREADY BOUGHT VIP FRONT ROW TICKETS AGES AGO WHEN ELIZA WAS CONFIRMED AND I HAD NO HOPE OF ALYCIA BEING THERE TOO AND NOW I'LL WITNESS THE PERFECTION THAT IS CLEXA FROM THE FRONT ROW AND MEETS AND I AM DYING!

Ok... ok, I'm good. Just taking deep breaths here. But I got so excited about the news that this chapter was ready a few hours earlier than I'd anticipated! So yay! Let me know your thoughts, suggestions, theories, complaints (be nice, though, please?) and anything you'd like to say. Thank you for reading!


Close your eyes, I'll keep you safe

Chapter 7

The sun has barely risen when Clarke hears a loud knock on her door. She isn't surprised. Refusing to be caught unprepared, she decided to use her lack of sleep to her advantage, and got ready very early in the day. Sleep doesn't come easy, it would seem, when she knows Lexa is not in the room next to hers, like she used to be before. Like she should still be.

She opens the heavy door in hopes of seeing the Commander herself, but instead finds only the guards. Of course. She isn't Lexa. Clarke doesn't get special treatment anymore. "Heda wants to see you." One of them says, moving to the side so that Clarke can pass.

"Wanheda."

"Commander," the blonde uses the title that still feels like it belongs to someone else. "I trust that you have an answer for me?"

"You should know I was advised against your presence in Polis. It has come to my attention that the last Commander's decisions regarding this matter were not exactly popular."

"That doesn't mean they weren't in the best interests of your people," Clarke, too used to talking freely about strategies and plans with the grounders, does not hesitate before replying. "It has come to my attention that you are aware of the power of our guns."

A warrior next to Ontari lunches forward, nearly knocking Clarke to the ground before the young Commander orders, "Em pleni!"

He stops immediately, but doesn't back away, "Heda, she just threatened us."

But the look on Ontari's face is not one of accusation. "No, she didn't. She stated a fact."

Clarke needs to stop herself from staring at the girl, choosing instead to continue the conversation in an attempt to hide her surprise. "What I meant," she shoots the warrior a warning glare, "Is that my people are not the only ones that could get hurt. And when we agreed to become the 13th clan, your people became my people, too. I don't want any of them to die if we can avoid it."

Ontari remains silent, and then a small smirk forms, "You mean Lexa's people. Don't think I don't know why such generous offer was even made to you, Klark kom Skaikru," she gets up, taking deliberate, slow steps towards the blonde, "And I have witnessed, firsthand, your loyalty to her. What insurance do I have that I would be granted the same loyalty, should I accept your offer?"

"Your insurance is Arkadia," Clarke replies, locking her gaze with the leader's, "Everyone I care about is already under siege," a little white lie, "If I betray you, nothing keeps you from carrying on with your plan. All I ask for is what Lexa granted me. Time. Time for my people to change leadership and pledge their loyalty to you once more. On your terms. No more senseless killings. No more massacres."

"It has been days since our army started assembling," the brunette points out, "and your people achieved nothing."

"It is under way. Soon. It may have happened already."

"How would you know?" Ontari raises her eyebrow, "When you disappeared with the Commander's body and a prisoner," she emphasizes the words, letting Clarke know that these are also issues that will be dealt with, "No one saw you anywhere near Arkadia."

That gives Clarke pause. She knows for a fact a lot of the Grounders saw her at camp. With Lexa. And she remembers quite vividly asking for their help to save Lexa, so they had to know she was alive. Granted, they were just starting to assemble, and at the time they were mostly Indra's men, all Trikru. She wonders if Indra made sure the truth wouldn't spread. The warrior probably told them that Lexa ended up dying without the blood she needed, and that they should tell the others no details of it.

So, from what the blonde can tell, what Ontari knows is that Lexa died in Polis and she simply took her body away. Which gives her a powerful advantage she didn't foresee. But what to do with that?

She decides to get the Commander talking a bit more, and see if there is more useful information she can get. "The prisoner was to go back to Arkadia with Octavia and myself, before the blockade took place. I did not take him from you, he was given back to me." A stretch of the truth, at most.

"And the Commander's body?"

That's it, Clarke thinks. That is the moment when she finds herself threading that fine line between omitting the truth and downright lying. "Titus took that… thing from her body."

Ontari almost unconsciously brings her hand to the area behind her neck, where said thing now resides.

"And I knew that was the most important thing for your people. I just wanted…" her eyes tear up, and she lets them, although not one single tear falls. She takes a deep breath and faces Ontari head on, "I just wanted more time with her. I wasn't ready to let her go."

More than a half truth, Clarke's words couldn't be more honest.

And, because of the short distance between them, the blonde sees it. A flash of hurt, and maybe even recognition, passing through Ontari's eyes, one that she makes sure to wipe away in a split second.

"Look, I'm sorry," the blonde says, honestly, "Clearly, I'm not as good as you Commanders are when it comes to keeping my head cool and doing what must be done. Most of all, with accepting what must be done. I couldn't, then. But I can assure you Lexa got the respect she deserved. And now I'm here, to make sure that her death was not in vain."

"In taking her body, you showed complete disregard to our traditions."

"I know," Clarke concedes, "And that is why I'm apologizing."

"Very well," Ontari nods, then turns back to take a seat at the throne, "I have something to propose, and it is the only way your people will have a chance at joining the coalition. Lexa may have been willing to hand this out to you for free, but in order to join, your people need to bring something to the table."

"We did," Clarke defends, "We were treating your wounded with our technology."

"And that is all great, but I don't want us to depend on your technology, sky girl. I want us to own it. So you want us to unite? Fine. You hand us your guns. You hand us your machines. The technology stays in Polis, the guns are divided between the other twelve clans. Equally."

"And how about Skaikru? Are we left with nothing?"

"Should you need to defend yourselves, you'll be provided with them, but you won't have them available. I cannot risk you killing another defenseless army. And consider yourself lucky, because I think that is a very small price to pay after all your people did."

"We're supposed to sit there without means of defending ourselves, and trust that you won't attack?"

"Yes," Ontari says calmly, "Isn't that exactly what you asked of us before?"

Stopping to think about it, Clarke knows it isn't an unreasonable demand at all. Ontari is right. Considering everything Skaikru has done, even after the Grounders swore to help them and not strike back, it is fair.

But she is just about to reply when the door bursts open. It's happened way too many times in the past for the blonde to know that this is a bad sign. That something big just happened, and she is about to get the news delivered at the same time as the Commander.

Her entire face pales, though, when she hears them.

"Skaikru attacked us."

If this was Lexa, Clarke would look at her and they would try to figure things out together. If this was Lexa, she would look at Clarke and demand an explanation, and come up with a fair solution. And, if this was Lexa, Clarke would be free to speak her mind if she disagreed.

But this isn't Lexa.

"Arrest her," Ontari orders without hesitation, "she is not to leave her room until I say so. I want at least three guards there, at all times."

"Commander, let me at least hear what is ha…"

"Shof op!" she orders.

Clarke only has time to hear a few words before she is dragged back to her room, and hears the door locking from the outside. The same few words that play over and over in her mind.

Skaikru fighting each other.

We killed many of them.

x-x-x-x-x

Hours seem to pass by, though Clarke cannot be sure, for the sun is still up in the sky. As she paces inside the room, her minds races through several different problems at once.

She is safe, but she needs to warn Lexa, or the brunette will drive herself crazy wondering.

She needs to find out exactly what happened, and how an internal rebellion could've turned into an attack against the Grounders.

She needs to know if her mother is still alive. As well as her friends.

But any means of escape is very unlikely right now. The windows are not a possibility, not this high up in the building. She will need help. So she moves to the door and bangs on it as hard as she can manage.

"I need to talk to Kind Roan of Azgeda," she yells, ignoring the loud noise she gets in return, when the guards knock on the door from the other side – a warning for her to shut up. At least they are listening, she thinks to herself, and keeps on yelling until, with a victorious grin, she hears the door being unlocked.

But it isn't Roan who walks in. It is the Commander herself.

"You are disturbing an important meeting, maybe you would be more comfortable in a cell if your accommodations don't suit you."

"I need to be a part of that meeting. I need to…"

"Things are changed around here, in case you didn't notice," Ontari walks dangerously towards Clarke, "You don't call the shots, you don't make the decisions, and you certainly don't control the Commander anymore."

"I don't want to control anyone," the blonde replies, exasperated, "I want for us to live our lives without having to look back and wait for the next army to attack. That is what I've been trying to tell you."

"Well, your people don't agree, because no matter how much time we give them, they want a war. You may be different, but they aren't. They hate us."

You may be different.

"There are others like me in there. People who are willing to fight for you. They are the ones I'm trying to protect."

"I need to protect the other twelve clans. I can't favor yours."

"Can you at least treat us equally?"

"Not at this moment, no," Ontari answers honestly, "The clans already agreed."

"To what?"

"To war," the brunette swallows hard, but keeps her head high. "The actions of your people can no longer be tolerated."

Clarke catches every little thing. She notices the way Ontari is resolute in her decisions, but also what her eyes show: doubt. With each word, wondering if she is good enough, if she can really do this, if she knows what the right choice is. She can see the weight of the world in the brunette's shoulders, and that she is learning very fast what it truly means to lead.

"I agree," she finally says, managing to surprise the younger leader, "But let me at least try. If anyone surrenders and swears loyalty to the clans, will they be spared? I can fight my own people. I can fight the ones who truly want to kill yours."

"What makes you think they would follow you? They didn't, before."

"Because they want to be safe," Clarke sighs, "It's all most of us want, ever since we got to the ground."

Ontari keeps her gaze fixed at Clarke, paying attention to every single movement and every single look. The blonde doesn't look away, not wanting to give her a reason to doubt her intentions. "We march in an hour's time," the Commander announces. "You come with us, and you go in once we get to camp. Don't make any mistakes here, we will attack, whether you're still in there or not. So you better convince them quickly."

"I will," Clarke nods, trying to hide her hesitation. If this is the best deal she will get, she is willing to risk it.

"Very well," she turns and walks back to the door, "Get ready, someone will fetch you when it's time to leave."

"Commander," Clarke calls out, taking another step to the door, "I need to talk to King Roan."

"That is too bad. King Roan was ordered to go back to Azgeda and gather the remaining warriors. He is not in Polis anymore."

The door closes with a loud bang, and once again is locked, leaving a distraught blonde inside the room. If Roan isn't there anymore, she is on her own, no allies to help, or even to send Lexa a message.

She can only hope that, when they leave Polis, she gets the chance to at least catch a glimpse of her Heda and Lincoln.

x-x-x-x-x

The tall gates of the city open, revealing the soldiers that start their march to Arkadia. The Commander rides just behind two guards. Not far behind her, Clarke walks, tied to one of the horses, her hands bound together. I am not taking any chances with you, Ontari had said, not giving the blonde any time to react. When she did start to react, though, the leader reminded her what was at stake. She could travel with them on their terms or she could rot inside a cell in Polis while the war took place, it was her choice.

Clarke stopped fighting after that.

At least she wasn't hurt, except for her arm, from their trip there, which was starting to sting more than before. She would worry about it when she had the time, though. Not now.

Either way, it was the first time since getting there that the Commander's attention was not fully on her, so she took the opportunity to look around, desperately searching for any signs of Lexa and Lincoln. If she knows they saw her, if she can put their mind at ease, she can go the rest of the way with one less thing to worry about.

But all she sees are the trees.

They walk much faster than she and Lexa did on their way to Polis, so by nightfall they are more than halfway to Arkadia. They set up camp, Clarke being kept inside one of the tents, not far from the Commander's. She is given food and the tent is warm, albeit small.

Untied and sitting inside, she takes the opportunity to check her arm. It doesn't look too bad, but she doesn't have anything at hand to clean it. When she asks one of the other warriors, they barely pay any attention.

Once again, sleep doesn't come easy, especially when all she has is free time, and is being kept isolated from everyone else. So, in the middle of the night, her eyes are wide open when she hears movement outside. The sound of a body falling with a thump and being dragged, and then her tent being open.

Her heart beats quicker when she sees long, dark hair, and her body relaxes. Lexa. But the dark of night tricks the brain into seeing what it wants to see, and the face soon reveals itself to belong to someone else.

"Shhhh."

The woman's features become clearer as she comes close and grabs Clarke by the arm – her bad arm. The blonde keeps herself from screaming, trying to identify the older Asian woman. She knows she is from the Ark, and, even if she didn't, the uniform now gives her away.

Such uniform also seems to reveal something else: she is with Pike.

A piece of cloth is wrapped around Clarke's mouth, keeping her from saying anything as she is dragged outside.

"When he said you were helping them, I didn't want to believe him. Against your own people?" the woman drags Clarke outside before signaling for other soldiers – and they seem to be all around them – to come closer. Armed. Ready to strike.

Clarke assesses the situation and she knows she doesn't have the luxury of time now before she has to make a decision. One quick look around tells her these are Pike's people only. None of her friends seem to be there, not even Bellamy.

It all happens in a split second. She kicks whoever is holding her back, freeing herself from their grasp and managing to take her gag off. Her scream comes a mere second before the shooting starts.

"Commander, watch out!"

After that, there is only chaos.

x-x-x-x-x

Fires and arrows are shot, bodies fall all around her. Clarke doesn't have time to think. This is it. This is her opportunity to finish this nonsense once and for all.

These people were given chance after chance, and it has become clear that they are not interested in peace. It is about damn time she stops sacrificing herself for them.

Still, she can't bring herself to kill them. But it doesn't mean she can't use their second cowardly attack to her advantage, to prove a point.

So she runs to the Commander's tent. This time, no one stops her from coming in.

Ontari is up, unharmed, quickly adjusting her armor. "Commander," Clarke catches her attention with a heavy breath.

"Clarke," Ontari uses her name for the first time, giving little more than a slight nod. A small gesture that says a lot – a recognition, a thank you. And Clarke knows she is in. She has proven herself.

But this is hardly the time for a heart to heart. The Commander passes right by her, ready to fight with her people, leaving the blonde alone inside.

She wants to run and having nothing more to do with any of this. She is sick of the screams of pain, of the sound of arrows, spears, gunshots. But this is her world, at least for the time being. So she takes a dagger she truly hopes she won't have to put to use and marches outside.

Just as the few Ark soldiers left start to retreat.

The blonde's eyes are transfixed, the image so surreal to her, her mind trying to make sense of it all. Would they have killed her, too? Or maybe kept her a prisoner? There was nothing about the way they took her that indicated they were in any way happy to see her.

Her thoughts are interrupted when, without the blonde noticing, the Commander steps right beside her, also looking ahead, blonde and brunette slowly calming their breathing, their bodies recovering from the unpleasant surprise.

"You warned me," Ontari rasps, still not looking to her side.

Clarke doesn't say anything, simply turns back towards the camp and starts helping the injured as a very intrigued Commander observes.

x-x-x-x-x

There are many dead, from both sides. As she walks through the bodies, Clarke recognizes some, and has to turn her head away. None are friends, but are still familiar faces that, once more, have lost their lives because of something she had to do.

As time goes by, the lines between her people and their people start to blur more and more, and she finds herself redefining her allegiances on an almost daily basis. After all, why would she protect Pike and those who stand by him? People who nearly killed Kane? Who would not hesitate to kill Lincoln? The two men are, after all, more of her people than Pike will ever be.

But where does Ontari fit in the middle of all that?

Slowly, she is starting to find out.

"Wanheda," Ontari leaves her tent, blood splattered over her clothes, though none of it seems to be hers, and signals for the blonde to go inside. When she does, the Commander speaks, "You said you needed to know what was happening. Well, I think you earned that right."

Clarke is too tired to be shocked. "Good. So you know why they attacked?"

"From what we were able to gather, they saw our hesitation as a sign of weakness. That we didn't know what we were doing," she swallows, pointing at the maps over her table to distract her own mind, "Our scouts indicate they are weakened inside Arkadia, too. They were desperate, saw an opportunity, and took it."

"When you say they…" Clarke starts, but doesn't have to finish.

"Pike's people," she confirms. "When they attacked our camp yesterday, another front appeared, from the side. We thought it was an ambush, a few were killed. But they were there to fight with us. That was how we managed to win," she admits.

The blonde doesn't think of the dead ones, of who they might be. She won't be able to continue this conversation if she does. "What happened to them after that?"

"Pike's group retreated into Arkadia, the other group went after them. My people heard gunshots, but they are not sure what happened, or who is in charge at the moment. These people from today… did you see which direction they came from?"

Clarke nods, immediately remembering the big group starting to form around them, slowly circling the camp. But they all came from one direction. She looks down, closes her eyes and remains silent.

"Clarke?"

There is something about Ontari's tone. Something that makes her sound so young all of a sudden, and it makes the blonde look back up.

"They came from Arkadia," she sighs heavily, "at least from that direction. But they were Pike's people."

"They came to rescue you?" the leader asks, but Clarke can tell from her tone alone that she doesn't quite believe this to be a real possibility.

The blonde shakes her head. "I don't think so. I think they wanted to make sure to keep me out of their way."

"We can't stay here." Ontari says after a moment's pause. "We'll march until we reach the camp. Be ready to leave as soon as we take care of the bodies."

The blonde nods and leaves the tent, walking towards her own. On her way there, she sees a glimpse of something in the woods. Or someone.

Back on full alert, she is ready to warn the warriors when she realizes it is definitely a familiar face, looking right back at her. Octavia.

It isn't hard, this time, to find an excuse to entrench herself into the woods for a few minutes. She takes one of the bodies and starts to drag it, far enough until no one is paying attention. Finally, she sets it in place and runs to the safety of the trees, where no one from their camp can see them.

"I tried to come sooner to warn you, are you ok?" Octavia says, her eyes scanning Clarke for injuries as soon as she comes close.

"I'm fine. We were caught by surprise, but it could've been worse. What is going on?"

The brunette shakes her head. "It's war in there. People are killing each other, and it's only getting worse."

She asks the question she isn't sure she wants the answer to. "Did we lose anyone?"

Octavia's headshake is enough for Clarke to let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "Not for now. We've been keeping safe. Look, we don't have much time."

"I know, we need to talk about…"

"No, we don't," Octavia interrupts her with a small smile as she steps aside, "There is someone here who wants to kill you for not checking in last night."

When Lexa emerges from the trees and immediately engulfs her in a bone crushing hug, she feels like she can truly breathe again.

She wraps her arms around the brunette, letting her head fall on her shoulder, and trails kisses from her neck, her jaw, until she reaches her mouth. The entire time, Lexa whispers, "You're safe," and the blonde wonders if she is telling herself that more than she's telling anyone else.

"I'm so sorry. I had no way of letting you know without putting you in danger," she whispers when their lips part, cupping Lexa's face and smiling, "How did you find me?"

"We saw you leaving Polis and we followed. But we were too far to see when they attacked the camp, there wasn't time to do anything."

"I know," Clarke nods, "I know, we weren't expecting that, either. But I warned Ontari. It may have saved her life. I'm getting there. I'm earning her trust, and I think we can work together."

"Against your own people?" Lexa's eyebrow rises.

But Clarke shakes her head. "Pike's people are not my people. Not anymore."

"And how is that even going to work if they're all still inside Arkadia?"

"That is what I'm trying to figure out."

Their attention is diverted by the sound of footsteps slowly approaching, and Clarke holds on to Lexa just a little tighter.

"I have to go. Will you be around?" it is a plea more than a question.

"You know I will."

"Ok," Clarke nods to herself, "I need to go," she repeats, but doesn't make a move to leave Lexa's side, instead looking into her eyes and getting tired of having to say goodbye over and over.

"I'll be with you," Lexa says softly, placing her hand over Clarke's heart and stepping closer to kiss her, "I'll be with you the entire time."

The blonde kisses back, and when they pull away, she is the one with a tear falling down her cheek. "I love you," she says right before turning her back and running to camp.

x-x-x-x-x

They are nearly ready to go, the Commander reaching Clarke's tent mere minutes after the blonde herself is back. "Come on, we're on our way."

There isn't much to take with her, so Clarke reaches for the dagger she just used in battle, looking at Ontari to see if she protests. When the brunette offers a small nod, she takes the weapon and secures it by her side before leaving.

She still doesn't have a horse. But at least she is not tied up. She walks like one of them, and she wonders how longer this new type of truce will last once they find out the truth about Lexa.

To her surprise, Ontari isn't riding, either. Clarke doesn't notice it until the girl starts to walk next to her. "Given the attacks, they thought it was better if I'm not at plain sight," she explains.

"Who is they?" Clarke asks, letting curiosity get the best of her. If they are going to walk in the middle of the night after an attack, she may as well try to get more answers.

"My council."

That is one more burning question she has the chance to eliminate. "Titus?"

Ontari keeps walking, and then looks at Clarke somewhat condescendingly. She doesn't need to say another word. Despite everything, Clarke's shoulder fall as she sighs.

"Who made the decision? You?"

The young Commander shakes her head. "It was before the conclave. The rest of the council decided, once they learned the details of her death. He killed Heda. They couldn't risk him being too close to the next one."

"Would you make the same decision?"

It doesn't take Ontari long to look right into Clarke's eyes and reply, without a shadow of doubt. "Yes, I would."

"Lexa forgave him," she whispers, "before she… closed her eyes."

"Well," the girl raises her head, assuming a more regal stance before looking back at Clarke, "No one was there to tell them that, were they?"

Without a shred of guilt, she walks away, leaving Clarke alone with her thoughts.

Did she just blame the blonde for Titus' fate? Or was she simply having some twisted kind of fun out of this? No matter how close the blonde thinks she's getting, there is a sort of darkness in Ontari that she cannot quite understand. It's like it's always just under the surface, only showing itself at rare times, just enough to warn anyone who might doubt it's there.

The Commander, cold and calculating, makes the decisions she must, and allies herself to those who have something to offer. But the girl hides another side of herself, and that side is precisely the wild card Clarke and Lexa need to unveil. At times, she seems almost vulnerable, a child caught in the eye of the storm. In other moments, though, she is every bit the Ice Queen, wanting revenge against those who in any way wronged her. However position she assumes, she walks dangerously close to the line, without ever allowing herself to fully cross it.

But, in a world in which war and death are the law, what would consist in crossing the line, exactly? Did Lexa cross the line when she killed Nia in front of her people, even if it meant ensuring Azgeda's loyalty? Or when she took Clarke in, making her a part of the big decisions? Would Ontari be willing to do such things, to change their ways?

More importantly, when the time comes, how will she handle finding out that Lexa is alive? Clarke didn't notice the anger she expected to find in the younger brunette whenever the former Commander was mentioned. Maybe she can separate things better than the blonde gives her credit for. Maybe it is the wisdom of the old Commanders inside that damn chip. Whatever it is, it is going to work to their advantage.

No one else approaches Clarke during their walk to camp, some too scared to do so, some looking at her with disdain and distrust. She doesn't mind at first, it gives her time to gather her thoughts. But her lack of sleep soon starts to catch up to her, and she about to find Ontari again and ask for a horse when they finally reach the camp.

And it is a sight to behold. Much, much bigger than it was when she and Lexa left. If she didn't know better, she would think it's been months, for the place works almost like a small village now.

Which makes it that much harder to find the one she's looking for.

"Indra!" Forgetting her exhaustion, Clarke runs to the woman the second she sees her, and when she gets an inquisitive look from the warrior, she knows what is being asked, "She's ok, she's with Lincoln and Octavia," she whispers before getting to the point. "Now, please, can we talk about these attacks?"

"I will deal with my Commander, not with you, Wanheda." Indra's voice is a little louder than it would be necessary, and the blonde gets it. The less they interact in public, the better. So she doesn't protest when the woman passes by her and makes her way to the new Commander, the two women walking together as Ontari is briefed. She knows that, in due time, Indra, or someone on her service, will find a way to discuss this with her.

She walks to a hill nearby, where she has plain view of Arkadia, the movement inside as heavily armed guards keep the gates closed and safe. She doesn't know what is going on in there, and it kills her. All the blonde wants is a small glimpse of her mother. If she can see her, see that she's unharmed, she can keep going. But she knows that Abby is probably inside, taking care of the wounded that came from the battle which took place only hours ago. That is Abby. She may not agree with those people, but she won't be able to live with herself if she doesn't do her best to save their lives. Clarke can't blame her. She is every bit Abby's daughter. She'd do the same.

Her eyes scan through the crowd, far away, trying to recognize the faces, trying to remember what it felt like to be there, with them. She can barely recall. Suddenly, she sees him. Carrying a gun, walking from one side to the other. She can't quite see his eyes, or his expression, but she knows it's him.

And, as if he can feel her watching, he also looks up and she knows for sure that he sees her. They hold each other's gaze for a long time, and she suddenly misses her friend. The one who helped her keep them safe. The one who risked going into Mount Weather to save not only their people, but the Grounders trapped there, too. The one who refused to obey their rules, set on creating their own. The one who grew so much ever since they landed, and now seems to have been brainwashed by greed, hate, and power.

With a heavy heart, she looks away from him and from Arkadia – no longer her home, and probably no longer the home to her people, either – and makes her way to camp without looking back.


Em pleni! – Enough!

Shof op – Shut up