Okay so since I am so obsessed with Cliffhangers I also like to resolve them pretty quickly especially when there's a lot of explaining and shit to go down so I hope you enjoy this chapter.

This was an interesting one to write...

Disclaimer: I own nothing

They were currently standing in the previous Commander's tent. As it turns out Anya, Indra (The woman) and Gustus (The man) were just a replacement until they found their new commander. On the journey up Lexa had explained to Clarke how they believed in reincarnation of the spirit… Though she didn't know how that would influence them finding the next commander.

Currently Indra and Gustus were glaring at Lexa, who was stood between Abby and Clarke, whilst Anya watched on with a bored expression.

Indra barred her teeth at them, "We have the right to take the blood rightly owed to us for our commander's death"

"He was attacking us" Clarke reasoned, "It was a fair death"

"Hardly" She snarled, "She was sworn as one of us. It was treason"

"How do you know it was Lexa?" Abby cut off Clarke before she could make the situation worse.

Gustus was the one to speak next, "We have several warriors that made it out of the blast to inform us of our commander's passing. They confirmed it was her"

"But-"

Lexa pushed her way forward, "It was me"

Abby and Clarke gaped at her whilst Anya raised an eyebrow. Indra's nostrils flared as she drew a knife and darted forward to press the blade against Lexa's neck. The brunette glared at her but said nothing.

Anya raised herself up suddenly and shouted, "Em pleni!"

Indra whipped round and glared at her, "Anya tradition demands that-"

"We have blood for blood" She agreed and stepped forward to push the knife away from Lexa's throat, "However tradition also demands that the need to find the new commander comes first and foremost"

"I don't see how that has anything to do with-"

Anya cut her off again, "Lexa swore herself in when she was under my command as I accepted it, which means she is now Trikru, and as such she has the right to be tested"

"Tested for what?" Clarke asked.

It was Lexa that answered. Her eyes wide as she stared at Anya, "Tested for the next commander"

"She won't pass" Indra said stubbornly, "She has been Trikru for a matter of weeks"

"Even so. She has the right and if you are so sure then you won't have a problem with me testing her"

"Fine" Indra spat sheathing her knife, "But I look forward to taking her blood"

The group of three returned to the Ark after being roughly shoved from the tent. Anya informed them that they would return to the Ark at nightfall to collect Lexa for the test and after that… Well Clarke didn't want to think about what came after that.

"We can leave" Clarke suggested, "Right now"

She and Lexa were sitting at a table with Bellamy, Octavia, Raven and Finn. The four had bombarded them the moment they returned to camp and Clarke had only just finished telling them what happened. Lexa was sitting silently to her right staring down at her hands blankly.

"Yes" Raven nodded, "Go to the dropship… Defend her, hide her, whatever it takes. They can't kill her if they can't find her"

Bellamy stared between them, "Exactly. I can get us some guns"

"We can go now before they notice"

Bellamy gave Clarke a nod of agreement and they stood from the table in unison.

"No"

They all turned to Lexa who had finally looked up from her hands with a determined look on her face, "Nobody is going to risk their life for me. I'm going to go through with this test"

"Lexa" Clarke shook her head, "They'll kill you if you fail"

"I have to do this Clarke"

"No you don't! You were defending me"

Clarke gave her a pleading look and Lexa looked at her desperately.

Her eyes were watering slightly and Clarke tried to push back her own fear, "Clarke I'm not going to argue with you on this. If I pass the test then I'll be the commander… We'll have an army to take on the mountain"

Clarke's jaw dropped and she spluttered, "Lexa if you fail they'll kill you! Besides we don't even know what the test is"

"Maybe it's a duel" Octavia suggested, "In which case Lexa's got a good as chance as any"

"Not really. They're trained killers" Raven pointed out.

Clarke shot her a deathly look and she winced apologetically. Finn placed a reassuring hand on Raven's back then looked back to Clarke and Lexa.

"Maybe she can pass the test Clarke"

She looked between all of them in disbelief, "I can't believe you're agreeing to this"

Bellamy shook his head, "We're not agreeing to anything Clarke"

"It's the right thing to do" Lexa spoke up, "If we hide then they'll find us anyway and kill all of you for trying to save me. Then I die anyway but if I do this then I have a chance of surviving and if I don't… Well then at least you'll all still be alive"

Clarke didn't want to agree to it. She wouldn't to do anything but agree with them, sit down and let Lexa do this. Clarke wanted to grab the brunette, drag her inside the Ark and lock the door with the hope that the grounders will just walk away but she knows they won't. She knows Lexa's right. If they run and hide then the chances are they'll find them anyway or, even worse, they'll attack the Ark and kill everyone inside. At least this way there was a chance of Lexa surviving. She lowered herself back down to the seat slowly as Lexa wrapped an arm around her middle. She hated this.

"I don't like it" She croaked out.

Lexa kissed the top of her head, "Me neither but there isn't another option and you know it"

She did know it but she still didn't like it.

XoXoXoX

The grounders returned just as the sun had finished setting. It was the same five as before except Indra stood at the front of the group rather than Anya, who was standing to the side, and she grimaced at the sight of everyone standing there.

Lexa stood beside Clarke with their hands linked. Clarke wondered if they were even going to let her go with Lexa.

Indra indicated to behind her, "You can bring three people with you"

Lexa turned to Clarke who raised an eyebrow, "It goes without saying that I'm going with you so don't even try and convince me otherwise"

"I wasn't going to"

In the end Clarke, Octavia (much to Bellamy's displeasure) and Abby accompanied Lexa. The two grounder guards stood either side of Lexa tying her hands together and they set off. Clarke wanted desperately to walk with her but with Anya, Indra and Gustus at the front and two guards either side the closest Clarke could get was walking behind her.

They led them through the forest with two torches to lead the way. Clarke wondered where they were heading and the group took a direction unfamiliar to her as they made their way further through the trees.

It was completely black by the time they came to a stop. Clarke peered around the guards to see a ledge ahead of them and realised with a jolt that they were standing at the edge of a cliff. The guards turned to Lexa and began to release her hands whilst Indra, Gustus and Anya spoke in hush voices to one another.

Octavia leant in to whisper to Clarke, "Don't tell me she has to jump?"

"Don't be ridiculous" But she wasn't so sure herself as she watched the guards step away so Lexa stood alone in front of the three grounders.

Abby, Clarke and Octavia watched on in nervous silence.

"Lexa kom Trikru" Indra looked slightly disgusted as she said it, "Your fis with accompany you down to the cavern bellow where you will partake in the test of the commander. If you fail then your punishment will be drawn out"

Lexa nodded. Gustus let out a slight huff and stepped aside with Indra so it was only Anya standing alone with Lexa at the edge. She spoke to Lexa briefly but it was too quiet for Clarke to hear however Lexa turned to Clarke next and took her hands gently in her own.

She kissed the top of Clarke's head gently and whispered, "I love you"

"I love you too" Clarke sighed back and raised her head to kiss Lexa mumbling against her lips, "Be careful down there"

"I will"

Her hands lingered for a moment longer until Anya coughed to gain their attention, "Time to go"

Lexa nodded and gave Clarke one last lingering look before turning around to walk back over to Anya who was dropping down to the ground. She lowered herself over the side of the edge and there must have been some form of footing in the cliff face because she seemed to be walking down and out of sight. Clarke watched Lexa take a deep breath then follow the path Anya took previously though with slightly less precision.

After watching the brunette disappear Abby turned to Indra, "What if she falls?"

"Then she dies" Indra said simply.

"But you won't get to test her to see if she's the commander?"

Indra just smirked at her, "If she falls then she is not the commander"

XoXoXoX

Lexa's arms were burning. Holding her body onto the ledge whilst attempting to follow Anya's general direction was incredibly hard when she didn't want to look down and the night had already plunged them into darkness.

She took a deep breath and lowered her foot down to the next crevice then following with her other foot as her arms protested very movement. Lexa tried not to think that she would have to do this again if she survived whatever was down there.

Peering down Lexa's eyes widened at the sight of Anya dropping down on a small protrusion of rock below her. The grounder looked up at her indicated for her to follow.

It only took a few more steps before Lexa felt her foot collide with the rock and she let out a shaky breath as she dropped down. Anya was watching her with a careful expression but the moment Lexa stood on two legs she gave her a nod of approval and withdrew a second sword from behind her back then handed it to Lexa.

"Do not lose this one"

Lexa nodded and took the sword, "Why did you do it?"

Anya raised an eyebrow, "Do what?"

"You didn't have to remind Indra that I was part of the Trikru… You could have let her kill me"

"I could have" Anya nodded, "But I waited a long time to take on another second after my first one died and Tristan is no loss to my people. The sooner he died the better. You're not fully trained, your Trigedasleng is questionable and you're still blind to most of our traditions and ways but…"

She paused as her eyes scanned Lexa over, "You survived in that cell for a reason, you managed to kill the commander and escape the mountain. So there must be something about you that makes you different from the others"

"Others?"

"Most die just climbing down" Anya smiled at her.

She turned around and made her way inside the cave. Lexa followed on warily with a furrowed brow and mumbled to herself, "That's… reassuring"

Lexa could almost see Anya's smirk from here.

Unlike the sky outside the cave was lit up by the torches lining the side of the walls and she realised that someone must have been down here earlier lighting them. At first it was just a long tunnel that seemed to stretch on far into the distance but when the two came to an opening Lexa gazed open mouthed at the sight. The cave in front of her was huge. It curved up in the shape of a circular dome until it reached the top where it opened up so you could see the night's sky. In the middle of the cave sat a large burning fire with smoke and ash rising up and through the hole in the ceiling.

Lexa turned to Anya but she wasn't watching the brunette her gaze was fixed on something in the shadows. She turned to see what the grounder was looking at and recoiled at the sight. Suddenly the stench that had been ignorable before hit her and she was forced to cover her nose at the smell of rotten flesh and blood hit her. Bodies littered along the cave wall were charred or still burning giving off a smell that made Lexa sick to her stomach.

Suddenly Anya was moving and forcing Lexa along with her. She walked down the slope so they were standing next to the fire and a sense of dread swept over the brunette.

"Failures" Anya nodded to the bodies.

Lexa swallowed, "Is this what Indra meant when she said my punishment would be drawn out?"

"Yes"

She nodded and watched as Anya pointed to hole at the top of the cavern where something shone just at the edge of it, "The commander's dagger. Retrieve it"

Lexa's eyes widened. She would have to scale the edge of the cavern walls that curved round. Her arms were still burning from climbing down the flat cliff from outside and if she fell… She would land in the fire. Nausea swept over her but she pushed it down. It was this or be killed though the likelihood of her actually surviving this seemed desperately thin.

Anya sat herself down on the ground and started toying with her knife, "Begin"

Lexa shook her head in disbelief but began none the less. Her eyes scanned the walls for the surface that provided the best alcoves for her footing…

There. Lexa wandered over to the closest spot and tried to ignore the feel of Anya's eyes on the back of her head as she slammed her foot into the first alcove whilst pulling her body up. It was as equally as painful as scaling down the walls outside and she couldn't imagine having to go back that way if she doesn't end up in the fire.

About half-way up her foot slipped on a jagged rock and Lexa felt it cut into her leg through the fabric of her trouser. She grunted in pain but tried to ignore the dull throb whilst attempting to regain her footing. It was too late though; she had already lost it. The next thing Lexa knew her other foot was gone, her hands slipped and her back was colliding with the ground below her. She let out another grunt and scrunched her eyes.

She heard Anya make a tutting sound behind her and say simply, "Again"

"How many times do I do this?" Lexa grunted, rubbing the back of her head and pushing herself up from the ground carefully.

"Until you die"

Lexa faltered. Anya really did have a way with words.

She gazed back up the way she just fell and decided to try another route. The other side of the fire yielded better results and Lexa managed to pull her body up the wall quickly. Soon she fell into a rhythm and she ran through the movements in her head. Up, pull, lift, up, pull, lift… She carried this on until she found herself dangling over the edge of the fire. Suddenly Lexa realised why so many had failed at this stage, the heat was almost unbearable and she could practically feel her back blistering already. Her fingers twitched and Lexa knew then that she was going to fall again. She panicked at the last second and attempted to twist her body just as she lost grip of the rocks. The movement probably saved her from landing head first in the flames but it didn't stop her back from falling victim. Lexa let out a blood-curdling scream and forced her body away from the fire so she was rolling on the ground. The flames went out but that didn't stop the burning sensation nor the smell from hitting her. Her vision faltered with the pain but she could just make out Anya in the distance. She wasn't moving to try and help but rather sitting there watching her, watching her writhe in pain… Testing her.

Lexa groaned internally knowing she would have to get up and try again…

"Chit nou frag yu op na teik yu ste mou yuj" (What doesn't kill you makes you stronger) Anya spoke.

Lexa nodded against the ground but her face was contorted into pain and it took more effort than she would have liked to force her body into a standing position. She opened her eyes to see Anya watching her expectantly.

"Ai gonplei nou ste odon kom nau" (My fight is not yet over) Lexa raised her chin in defiance and she thought, for a moment, that she saw something equal to pride in Anya's eyes.

With a nod from her mentor Lexa turned back to the wall and refocussed her brain whilst pushing the pain to the back of her mind. No doubt she would have an ear-full from Clarke once this was all over. At the thought of the blonde Lexa felt a warmth in her chest and a smile graced her features… She will finish this if nothing more than to see Clarke again.

Though, at the sight of the climb ahead of her, Lexa really wished she'd payed more attention during the tests given to them for the guard. Most of those involved endurance training and climbing something…

Endurance. She just needed the endurance to be able to scale the sides. There was no rush, she could take as much time as necessary, as long as she paced herself.

Lexa used the same route as before. Pulling herself up the wall one carefully placed step at a time. She could hear Anya moving around below her and wondered if her mentor had decided to intervene…

No, Anya was leaving.

She looked back at her in a panic but the grounder was already half way out of the cave. Though she looked back over her shoulder and called, "Pull yourself through the hole to leave. Indra will be on the other side"

Lexa nodded and looked up at the dagger glistening ahead of her. She could do this.

XoXoXoX

Clarke was pacing.

Indra had brought them to the hole in the ground where a light trail of smoke rose out of it and explained that is Lexa succeeded she would appear her. The grounder woman looked as though there was no doubt in her mind that Lexa would not reappear whereas Octavia seemed determined she would.

Clarke had no idea what to expect and when a scream hit their ears it sent shivers down her spine as did the smirk crossing Indra's face. Abby was watching from the side but Clarke couldn't read her expression to tell what she was thinking.

Time passed after the scream and she found herself becoming increasingly anxious as time wore on. She had complete faith in Lexa but that scream…

A cough.

She stopped her pacing and stared at the hole worried that it had been some trick playing on her ears desperate for a sound. Then another cough sounded and this time she knew she hadn't missed it. Clarke stared wide eyed as Lexa appeared pulling her body up with a grimace of pain across her face but alive. She was alive.

Clarke didn't dare move forward like she was so desperate too. Lexa was standing on shaky legs, her face blackened by the ash and she looked exhausted but the grounders focus wasn't on Lexa's face. It was on the object in her hand and when Clarke looked down she saw the glistening metal of a single blade.

Indra was frozen on the spot but a single word escaped her mouth in a pained gasp.

"Heda"

"Heda" Dun dun duuuuun

Honestly I don't know if that's how it's done but I just made it up for this fic because why not? I can only imagine that it's a different challenge for different commander's but I imagined it to be something that challenged them. Also I really wanted to make the title relevant.

XD

Let me know watcha think?