UGH! Last nights episode, did you watch it? I can't even with it. It was a cornucopia of visual images that I am still trying to process. I am going to be dropping a few extra chapters today, to really move this story along! Hope you enjoy!
They arrived with little fanfare two days later; there wasn't much room for celebration in the middle of a war. Much to Lexa's surprise, another Skaïkru willingly walked into the very camp she was at. Both descriptions of their capture were strange to her, they merely gave up with no fight. She hoped because of this, these two would be different than the Skaïkru that she had been hearing so much about. This intrigued her, she had been thinking more creatively about how to approach them. She was enjoying the rare opportunity to challenge the way they would be getting information from them. One thing was certain, they knew nothing of her people or their ways, and she hoped to use that to her advantage.
Indra stood at the entrance of the village, surrounded by warriors and the familiar green surroundings of the woods and the metal wall that kept TonDC safe. Lexa felt her shoulders relax at the sight and familiar smell of the trees and brush that surrounded the camp. She smiled warmly at Indra who was flanked by her most loyal warriors, their stark black contrasting deeply against the green foliage around them. She couldn't help but thinking how the contrast made the surrounding woods feel brighter.
She gracefully slid off her horse dropping the reigns as another grounder quickly approached to pick them up and guide her horse to the stables. As she approached Indra, she held her forearm out, clasping her's in a warm embrace. "Heda, you bless us with your presence again."
She nodded, keeping her eyes trained on the ground as Indra turned to follow her into the village, "I return with a heavy heart, Indra".
She looked up after they passed under the village gates to see hundreds of smiling faces welcoming her warmly. "It seems Heda's heart is always heavy these days." Indra replied absentmindedly. "Not only have the sky's opened up in a fierce storm, but we have metal coming down as well. This is a challenging time indeed."
Lexa warmly accepted a gift of flowers from a young woman as they approached Indra's quarters. It still embarrassed her to have people she grew up with fawn over her like that. "Your people have eagerly anticipated your return" Indra offers, seeming to sense Lexa's awkward hesitation.
Lexa surveyed the expanse of the village around her, it was a mixture of concrete building and makeshift huts compiled together from various scrap metal that expanded out from the town center. The familiar scent of meat being smoked filled the air and caused Lexa's stomach to protest loudly at its emptiness. Suddenly she realized how parched she was from the long ride, and how heavy her coat felt. She preoccupied herself by gripping her sword as it swung at her side as they passed through the crowd towards Indra's home at the top of the center of the village. "What of the prisoners? I understand we have two?"
Indra nodded as she motioned for her to pass through the entrance, "they are being held in the tunnel. I have made sure that no one has talked to them."
Lexa took a seat at the wooden table, stretching her legs out from the long ride as she watched Indra take some water and pour it into two cups. She offered one to Lexa, who drank deeply from the fresh water. Her throat welcomed the fluid. She slipped her coat off and proceeded to unclip her gauntlets and slip off her gloves. She was feeling more refreshed from the long ride and was eager to hear the updates that Indra provided as her tent was being set up just on the
outskirts of the main square. It would be easier for her to not be at the center of attention here, considering the reason why they had come.
Sometime near nightfall, shouts from outside Indra's hut drew their attention. They both rushed outside to see what was causing the commotion. Gustus and two guards had their arms out, trying to stop the rush of people that were heading towards them, all yelling at once. "Chil ou!" they demanded of the group.
"What is the meaning of this?" Indra yelled out as Lexa stood back, watching.
The crowd parted slightly as Nyko walked through, carrying a body in his arms. He said nothing, as he laid the young boy, his nephew Artigas, at Indra's feet. Lexa's eyes searched the small body covered in blood and mud, before turning to Nyko, who was covered in the same. What fresh hell is this? Lexa fumed her hands in tight fists at her side as she carefully studied Nyko's face.
"Explain this!" Indra's voice teetered on the edge of softening at the sight of Nyko, she gently coaxed Nyko to continue by catching his eye and nodding, he seemed transfixed by the young body that he had laid at their feet.
"Two came" Nyko did not look up, "looking for Skaïkru. They set fire to our winter provisions, drew us out and corralled us as they searched the camp." Nyko looked away briefly as he cleared his throat. "They attacked us, we..." His voice caught in his throat again for a moment, Lexa felt tears stinging her eyes with the threat of falling as she watched his throat bobbing, fighting to suppress a sob. "One of them. He had a look..." Nyko looked up, catching her eyes, "he was not human but an animal, murdering anything that moved. We…" he paused, looking down briefly before continuing, "We were unarmed".
Lexa walked to him, and put her hands on his shoulders, giving him a moment to collect himself, "How many?" she asked quietly, trying to keep the gathering crowd around them from hearing and getting amped up again.
Nyko stared back at her, shaking his head as tears began to fall, "18" he offered through gritted teeth. She felt his shoulders tighten as he clenched his fists in order to regain control, "18 woman and children" he said in a clearer voice, "including my own." he practically yelled into the crowd.
At this, the crowd reared back up in anger, demanding retribution. Demanding justice.
Lexa's head swam at the news, 18 she thought mutely, watching her people crowded around, their anger growing exponentially. 18 of my people, she suddenly felt as if the world was caving in on her, the feeling of bodies pressing in, pushing further against each other, scrambling to be seen and heard, overwhelmed her. She fought the urge to claw her way through the crowd, and instead turned and left through a space that Gustus made for her. She needed to clear her head. Needed to put distance between herself and the frenzied anger that was growing amongst her people.
She walked briskly into the woods, letting the sound of anguish dim with each step. She focused on her breathing, keeping it even as she looked for a familiar tree line that she used to go to as a child. The sound of the crowd was quickly replaced by the sound of the surrounding forest.
Reaching her target location, she softly dropped down the small overhang, feeling her knees give out as she touched the ground.
She clutched at her heart, overwhelmed by the loss of life. A quiet sob escaped through clenched teeth at the knowledge of the carnage that seemed to follow her people. She inhaled loudly, trying to calm herself down. Hunched over, she let another sob escape as she pounded the ground with her fists in anger. No tears fell, just the angry sob of despair that escaped her lips once more; she inhaled a shuddered breath, exhausted by the exertion, before she sat up on her haunches.
She stared out at the dark expanse of the forest, willing herself to calm down, to let go of the suffocating weight that seemed to be pressing down on her chest. What was once her home, her safe space, was now invaded by death and despair. She felt like she was living a nightmare, seeing the pain on the villagers' faces, the fear and despair. She had tried so hard to save them from anguish, and she was failing. All she wanted was for them to live in peace, the people who raised her, gave her hope, and believed in her; she wanted to thank them for that faith by giving them some peace in their lifetime. She sat there for some time, in silence, her mind blank as she watched the leaves slowly move in the breeze.
Somewhere to her right, a twig broke, diverting her attention. "Who's there?" she called out
as she quickly stood and prepared to face whatever was walking her way, her hand on the hilt of her dagger.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to sneak up on you" came the terse response as Echo stepped out from under a canopy of brush. "I didn't think it was possible to catch the great Heda unprepared." Lexa was certain that Echo was smirking, but couldn't make out her expression in the dark, "I couldn't help noticing you out here on your own."
Lexa tensed, wondering how much she had seen or heard. The last thing she needed was for Echo to see her vulnerable. She watched her slowly wind her way towards her before responding, "what are you doing out here?"
"I heard about the attack on the village, I thought I would come to see if we could help." She stood just below Lexa in what would be a river in the spring, as Lexa stood on the small embankment.
"Now?" Lexa narrowed her eyes, searching her features, "Now you want to assist? Where were you when we actually needed your assistance?" she coolly asked, watching as Echo reflexively rolled her shoulders back at the accusation. She didn't want to give her anymore potential information then she already had.
Echo nodded, never taking her eyes off Lexa as she inhaled deeply and breathed out a deep sigh, "It was…" she looked away, trailing off trying to find the right words.
"What did you see?" Lexa suddenly realized that Echo was probably at the initial attack that Anya and Tristan had launched, had probably seen firsthand the explosion that she had barely been able to catch a glimpse of. She may know what happened, and where her missing people are.
"Not much to be honest, we were already falling back by the time the explosion happened." She shrugged half heartedly, "It was not a fair fight. This clan…" she took a step up to try and climb
the embankment, Lexa reached her hand out on impulse to help her, "This Skaïkru, they are much more dangerous then I gave them credit for."
Lexa watched her sit down next to her, letting her feet dangle uselessly as she peered up at her, nodding for her to join. Lexa rolled her eyes at the action, but sat down next to her. "They continue to defy me at every turn" Lexa responded bitterly.
Echo nodded, staring at the trees as they swayed gently. Neither broke the silence that had fallen, each engrossed in their own thoughts. She finally broke the silence by clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, "Do you remember when we first met?" she asked suddenly, turning slightly to face her.
Lexa couldn't help a small smile at the memory, "you tried to catch me off guard. I remember it quite well". She rolled her eyes slightly as she recalled the image in her mind.
"I dropped down from a tree, thinking an aerial attack would be the best way to introduce myself to Lexa, Triku warrior and the great and powerful Indra's second" Echo used her hand to mimic what she had done, splaying her fingers out as she slowly moved it closer to the ground.
"And I sidestepped your aerial attack, and had to scrape you off the ground" Lexa watched as Echo let her hand hit the ground, making a smashing noise. "It was a fairly feeble attempt." Lexa added, watching her hand on the ground, her middle finger suddenly lifting up as if it was the head of a dog.
"For a normal human, it would have worked" She added pretending her hand was some creature as it slowly moved across the expanse between them and began to climb her thigh. "How was I supposed to know that you were the new commander? You deployed some kind of trickery keeping it a secret for as long as you did."
Lexa snorted at the memory, "Heda or not" she raised her chin defiantly, "you could never have ambushed me". Echo's thumb softly caressed the back of her hand causing Lexa to suddenly freeze at the unexpected action. She slowly dropped her eyes down to watch long fingers turn her hand over and softly move across her palm. She felt her eyebrow raise on its own at the tender action, unsure what to make of it. "Still, I got more information out of you and your clan as Lexa, then I ever would have as Heda" she smiled softly at the memory, letting the gentle caress warm her slightly. It was nice to do this, talk. Almost feel normal.
Lexa turned to look at Echo just in time for her to close the distance, placing a soft tentative kiss on her lips. Lexa's eyes widened in terror, her mind going blank at Echo's action. She leaned back, out of the kiss as she tried to come up with something to say. Echo pulled back abruptly, her eyes wide as her mouth gaped like a fish. "I…" her head shaking slowly as Lexa's eyes matched her actions, "I thought…" she had never seen Echo at a loss for words, "since we were…we are…you know…" she trailed off, her hands moving in a circular motion as she tried to explain herself.
Lexa nodded slowly, trying to figure out a graceful way to remove herself from this horrible situation, "Echo. I…" she trailed off, completely lost. "I don't feel. That way."
Echo dropped her head in her hands, her cheeks a deep red hue, "I just thought it would make this easier." She shook her head, her hands falling back into her lap uselessly, "Lexa. I want out of this merger."
Lexa shook her head, "not this again, Echo. You know very well that is not an option."
"I had no say in any of this!" Echo scowled at Lexa's blank stare. "Suddenly I am being delivered to the commander on a platter, as if being leader of the Azgeda after what Nia did wasn't hard enough, but now I am being forced into this fucking merger!"
"Then perhaps the Azgeda need to find a new leader" Lexa responded curtly, eyebrow rising slightly as she was slightly offended at the implication that she was not worthy of being someone Echo wanted to merge with.
She watched Echo recoil out of the corner of her eye. "What if I love someone else?" Echo spit out, her shoulders hunched in frustration, a crease forming on her brow.
Lexa's head snapped up at the question, could it be possible? She wondered to herself. She could never stand in between true love, it would be the only way they could cancel the merger without facing extreme repercussions by both their clans. "Are you?" she questioned carefully, trying to ignore her beating heart, this might be her only way out.
Echo dropped her head slowly, wincing as if in pain. "No." She responded quietly, "but I could be…then what?"
Lexa tried to keep her disappointment off her face as she realized that they were both still trapped. Stuck in a political deal that neither one wanted, but couldn't figure a way out of. She would be forced to merge with Echo in order to cement a union with the Azgeda clan. "When it becomes more then a possibility, then we deal with it. For now…" she shrugged as she stood and stretched her weary body, turning to head back to her camp, "it appears we are both trapped."
A quick note on the timeline:
Lexa is just arriving to TonDC after the Delinquents went to war with the Grounders and the remaining 48 (along with Anya and whatever Grounders remained) were captured by the Mountain Men.
We know Echo was in the area at some point because she ends up being caught by the Mountain Men before Lincoln and Bellamy break into Mt. Weather. So when she is speaking to Lexa, she is in the area, but was not part of the group of grounders or delinquents that were taken from the drop ship.
