*Shout out to my Polish readers! I would love to visit your country soon and I hope you're enjoying the story so far, thanks for reading and please favourite/follow/review!*

The grounders led them to a clearing in a camp and Clarke saw the funeral pyre. Eighteen bodies had been prepared, leaving a space at the top of the pyre empty, for Finn. She swallowed.

The grounders positioned Finn's body and the ritual began. The sky people gathered around the pyre and listened to words they didn't understand, being spoken by the commander about one of their own. It was wrong, but it was necessary in order to secure an alliance. But this knowledge didn't help Raven, who stood away from Clarke, silent tears rolling down her face, which wore an expression of mingled anger, disgust and sadness, for both Clarke and herself.

Lincoln's gentle voice reached their ears as he translated the words Lexa called to her people. 'People of Tondc, in fire, we cleanse the pain of the past.'

Bellamy clenched his jaw and shifted closer to Clarke, so she felt the brush of his arm against hers. Indra handed Lexa a burning torch and she stepped closer to the pyre, but she hesitated before turning to look at Clarke before passing the torch to her, causing Indra to frown.

'Clarke,' But Lexa was interrupted by ripples of resentment and disapproval spreading through the grounders. Instead of continuing, she simply nodded at Clarke, who took a deep breath and stepped towards Lexa, accepting the torch, conscious of Bellamy's gaze on her.

She hesitated, but before she could turn to Bellamy she felt a cold hand ghost over hers and even without turning, she knew she would see Finn beside her. Feeling nauseous, Clarke lowered the torch to the pyre, watching without really seeing as the flames caught, as the wood began to flame. She offered a silent prayer to whoever was out there, that this would be the end of it, that Finn would stop haunting her for what she had done to try and protect him from being tortured,

'Yu gonplei ste odon.' Clarke said clearly, the tears in her eyes reflecting the dancing flames, and she was gratified to see surprise flow through the grounders. 'Your fight is over.'

The sky people watched sadly as the body of one of their own burned alongside those he had murdered, working to accept what had happened and what needed to happen in order to secure their alliance with the grounders, working to gain the closure they needed.

Later, when the fire had burnt out, Clarke and Lexa stood side by side next to the remains, and Lexa told Clarke of a woman, Costia, who had obviously meant a lot to her. But as she turned to Clarke, her eyes were cold.

'It's weakness.' Her voice was soft but icy.

'What is?' Clarke's forehead furrowed, 'love?'

Lexa nodded once.

Her mind was filled, first with thoughts of her father, Wells and Finn. She had loved them, differently yes, but she had loved them all, and they had all died. But then she saw an image of a man with tanned skin and messy, curly hair, a face adorned with freckles and deep brown eyes. Her love for Bellamy, and his love her, made them stronger, not weaker. He gave her strength when she needed it most, just like she did for him.

'So you just stopped caring? About everyone?' She asked Lexa, and she couldn't help but pity her as the commander nodded once again.

'I could never do that.' Clarke said, thinking about waking up in Bellamy's arms, thinking about her mother, her friends – the reason she was making this alliance in the first place, about Finn.

'Then you put the people you care about in danger, and the pain will never go away.' Lexa said staring ahead steadily.

The two groups met later that afternoon in a large, candle lit room. The space was mostly taken up by a large rectangular table, upon which a feast had been set with many dishes, some that the sky people didn't even recognise, but that looked and smelt amazing. The grounders stood behind their chairs on one side of the table, seven of them, including Lexa, Indra, Nyko and Gustus. As Clarke walked in she saw that Lincoln and Octavia were already there, stood at one end of the sky people's side of the table, leaving five empty chairs. Clarke stood opposite Lexa, in the middle of the table, Bellamy took the chair on her right, Abby on her left, leaving Kane on the other side of Bellamy and Raven on the other end.

Clarke knew that the funeral was over, but that they would dine together before talks began.

After they were all stood behind their chairs, Kane spoke, unwrapping the cloth from the glass bottle in his hands. 'Please accept this gift, commander. We drink this at special occasions, I believe this qualifies.'

Bellamy shifted uneasily as Lexa nodded her assent, and Gustus reached for the bottle with narrowed, mistrustful eyes. He didn't trust that the grounder wanted the alliance, and that meant that the grounder didn't want Clarke to be there.

Gustus handed the bottle of moonshine to Lexa, who nodded regally. 'Thank you, Marcus of the sky people' she said ceremonially.

'You're welcome, Lexa, kom Tri Kru.' Kane smiled warmly as he spoke Trigedasleng.

Turning her head, Bellamy watched as Lexa's eyes met light blue ones. 'Clarke, let us drink together.' Her tone made it clear it was a command.

'It would be my pleasure.' Clarke responded.

Gustus placed two cups, resembling wine glasses, on the table and Lexa poured out the clear liquid, handing one cup to Clarke. 'Heda, allow me.' His voice boomed through the room and Lexa raised her arm, permitting Gustus to take the metal cup from her hand and drink a sip of it.

After he had taken a sip, Lexa took the cup back. 'Tonight we celebrate our new found peace. Tomorrow, we plan our war.' She raised the cup in a toast. 'To those we've lost, and to those we shall soon find.'

However, before she could raise the cup more than a few inches to her mouth, Gustus pitched forwards, splaying across the table, choking. Coughing he staggered back, collapsing against the wall with a cry. 'Poison.'

Without thinking Bellamy's arm shot out and knocked the cup Clarke still held from her hand, sending it clattering to the floor.

Indra swung round from her position over Gustus's slumped body and unsheathed her sword, position defensive. 'It was the sky people.' She shouted, as the remaining grounders rounded on them.

One grounder pushed aside the table, stepping towards them, and Bellamy jumped in front of Clarke, stretching an arm out to keep her behind him. She tried to push past him, determined that he wouldn't be hurt because of her, but he was too strong.

'This wasn't us,' she cried to Lexa, struggling behind Bellamy, 'you have to know it wasn't us.'

Lexa looked over Clarke before turning to a grounder leaning over Gustus. She ordered something furiously in Trigedasleng and Clarke recognised the words 'not' and 'die'.

Indra barked an instruction and the grounders began to search them aggressively. Bellamy fought against a grounder attempting to get to Clarke, and she took the opportunity to dart past him, facing Lexa. He stilled, allowing the grounder to search him. His attention was on Clarke, preparing to protect her again.

'We didn't do this.'

'Gustus warned me about you but I didn't listen' Lexa snarled.

'Lexa please.' Clarke's voice begged for reason, but Lexa didn't comply.

'Tell me something Clarke, when you plunged your knife into the heart of the boy you loved, did you not wish that it was mine?' Lexa voice was acidic, and Clarke didn't even have the energy to correct her, she knew that she would not be able to reason with her now. But as her mind flickered to Bellamy, who she could feel was watching her, body coiled to strike, her eyes caught movement over Lexa's shoulder. Finn stood in the shadows of the room.

Gustus' voice caught the attention of the room as he called for 'Heda.'

He had searched Raven as was holding a small vial in his hands.

'That's not mine.' She said, her voice both shocked and certain.

Gustus handed the vial to Lexa, nodding to Raven as he said something in Trigedasleng, ignoring her continued protests. 'I'm telling you, that's not mine, he put it there when he searched me.' Raven's voice was challenging.

Lexa eyed the vial and the sky crew furiously. Clarke shook her head as Bellamy came to stand behind her, eyeing the sword of the grounder next to him, and preparing to grab it.

'No sky person leaves this room.' Roared Lexa, storming out, followed by the grounders.

'Do something.' Octavia begged Lincoln quietly.

He turned as his old leader walked past him. 'Indra,' he had to try, 'Indra, wait.' She turned. 'Let me speak for them.' Lincoln requested in Trigedasleng, but Indra curled her lip in disgust.

'You are them.' She spat, slamming the door to the room closed behind her.

In the silence that followed, Bellamy and Clarke stared at each other, both wondering how it could have gone so wrong so quickly. His eyes flickered to Raven, standing alone in one corner, and Clarke nodded silently, but before she turned, she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Bellamy's middle, thanking him silently for protecting her. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, wrapping an arm round her shoulders. She stepped back, squared her shoulders and walked to the corner of the room.

'Raven,' the other girls shoulders stiffened, but she otherwise she didn't acknowledge Clarke, 'I need to know the truth.'

'I'd step back if I was you.' Raven said coldly.

'You wanted me to kill Lexa two days ago, if you tried to poison her I need to know.' Suddenly Raven spun round threw a punch to the side of her face. The force sent her stumbling backwards, and pain blossomed across her cheekbone.

Bellamy was there in seconds, prepared to step in, but Clarke waved him back.

'You're the only murdered here.' Raven's voice was aggressive but her eyes were filled with tears, and her lip shook.

Octavia and Abby crossed the room, and led Clarke across the room, away from Raven and away from Finn, who now stood by the door, watching silently as Clarke felt the guilt wash over her. The two women sat Clarke down but stepped away as Bellamy crouched next to her.

'You see him don't you.' It wasn't a question, but his voice was gentle.

Clarke's eyes snapped up to his but she couldn't be surprised for long, Bellamy knew her no one else did, of course he would have noticed how tormented she still was.

'I don't understand it,' she said honestly, 'I did it to save him from being tortured by the grounders, and he knew he would be. His last words were him thanking me.' She sniffed, holding back tears and Bellamy reached for her hand, holding it in both of his own, brushing his thumbs over the back of her hand. 'I don't understand why I see him, staring at me, judging me.'

Bellamy's heart ached to see Clarke so distressed, but Clarke mistook the pain on his face for something else. Lifting the hand he wasn't holding, she placed it on Bellamy's face. 'It's not because I'm still in love with him, I know that much.'

'I know Clarke, you don't have to worry about my feelings about that. I know that you loved him once, and a small part of you will always care for him, but I trust you, I trust us.'

Clarke closed her eyes tightly, holding back tears at his words.

'I love you.' She whispered.

'I know,' she could hear him smiling, 'I love you too.'

'I know.' She smiled too.

Footsteps interrupted them and Clarke opened her eyes to see Abby stood next to them. Bellamy squeezed Clarke's hand before stepping away tactfully, and Abby took her turn crouching in front of her daughter.

'Listen to me Clarke, I know how you feel,' she said solemnly, as an image of her father flashed through Clarke's mind. 'The pain will never go away, but Lexa is wrong, you won't be haunted by this forever; the pain will fade. What got me through was loving you. And what will get you through is loving that boy.'

Although Clarke hadn't yet forgiven her mother for being ultimately responsible for her father's death, she knew that she was right. She had to learn to let go of the past, to forgive herself truly. In that moment she knew, that her and her mother were different because her actions had ultimately saved Finn from so much more pain, but they were more similar, because they had both tried to save someone they loved, and they had both had to kill a man to do it.