Alrighty guys! Here we go! Another day, another chapter. Thank you all for staying with me through that bit of a hiatus I took and I look forward to what's coming and to you guys reading what's coming.

Thanks for all the reviews, old and new, and for all the favourites and follows, you guys are truly the best.

Thank you to my betas who fix those things that would bug me to no end if I posted the chapter and they were still there, especially the things that are so easy to catch that I miss them completely. Because of course, right?

How's everyone liking the new season so far? Are you excited for Thursday's episode and all the Lexa stuff we're supposed to be getting? I'm stoked.

And now; onto the story with one more message:

Disclaimer: see chapters 1-3

Before:

"What exactly do you suggest we change the course of discussion to, Anya?" ... "The remaining prisoner."

"... I need you both at the camp with the rest of the hundred..."

"My sister was missing and Raven was missing and we thought they were in trouble." ... "But I guess you weren't."

"I am the Commander of the Trigedakru, Uniter of the 12 Clans. You came into one of my camps ready to kill but, lucky for you, you did not spill blood and your friends have spoken for you. The blood that was spilled has been paid and I have decided that you will be freed."

Lexa was Righteous and Strong and she was using the voice that commanded attention at the barest hint of it.

"I won't come here again, and I won't attack your people."

"You did what you had to do," [Bellamy] said and then moved to [hug] Raven.

Octavia and Lincoln were easily given their packs but Lincoln was also handed Bellamy's along with an empty ... semi-automatic.

"We'll get through this, right?"

"Of course we will." ... Both of them believed Clarke's words more than they ever had before.

Now:

As they left the Sky People to say goodbye, Anya took up the position of Lexa's shadow, trailing behind her like any other general. As they walked through Ton DC back to her tent, Lexa allowed it, but when they got close enough, she slowed her gait until she was beside Anya.

Lexa saw Anya's look of frustration out of the corner of her eye and smirked to herself. They had been parted when she had become the Commander but that didn't mean she always had to have every single person defer to her. As much as she wanted to hide her loved ones away, not open her heart to anyone else, especially after what had happened to –

She mentally shook herself and idly held her tent's flap open for Anya to duck under before following behind her. She needed someone close to her and Anya was like a sister to her now that she was no longer her mentor. There had been a long time where they hadn't seen each other, when Lexa was being trained in her Commander's duties, but when they had reunited it was like nothing had changed.

Well, that is not entirely true, Lexa thought as she walked over to the small basin of water in her tent. She grabbed the cloth on the side and dipped it in the water before bringing it to her face, clearing a line of her war paint.

For a little while, neither was sure where they stood with the other. Former mentor of the Commander and Commander of the 12 clans. Then Lexa had hugged Anya and thanked her for every second Anya had spent with her before she was called to her duty.

Lexa felt like Anya was one of the only people who knew who she was underneath the Commander, one of the only people who was loyal to her because of who she was, not what she was. She could count the amount of people like that on one hand.

Anya, her mother, Costia…

Lexa sighed and moved both of her hands to the edge of the basin, hunching her shoulders as she leaned over it with her eyes closed.

She heard footsteps and then felt a hand on her back and another on her hand, coaxing the cloth from her white-knuckled grip. Lexa cracked an eye open and shot a grateful smile at Anya who moved to finish clearing her war paint from her face.

Lexa felt like she needed to add another person to her list. Klark kom Skaikru. Clarke of the Sky People. The feelings that the girl brought forth in Lexa, the ones she could see swirling in eyes the colour of the sky that she hailed from, told her she could trust Clarke. The drawing Clarke had brought told Lexa all she needed to know as well. How Lincoln defected to Clarke and not his heda – sometimes – also told her what she needed to know.

Clarke was a leader and worthy of at least that much respect, but that drawing was undeniable proof that something more was at play here and that Lexa could trust her. Remembering the question of an alliance, and knowing that Lincoln had no doubt told her that she would need something to barter with, meant that Clarke was sure she had something to offer her, something that was worth her time and efforts.

What that was, was the question.

"What do you think?" Lexa asked, eyes still closed as she felt the last remnants of her war paint be swept away. Anya took her hand from Lexa's chin and dropped the cloth over the edge of the basin.

"I think this is koken," Anya said. Lexa sniffed and gave a lopsided grin, opening her eyes to look at Anya. Crazy indeed.

"And," Anya continued, "I think that the Skaikru's actions have shown that they can't be trusted. But with what you've told me, keryon-de has a plan for their yellow-haired leader. Twice she has mentioned an alliance and she knows our sleng. With how long they have been here, that should not be possible without outside influence." Anya sighed and turned, resting her hip against the sturdy base that the water bowl rested on.

"The other one, the one always by her side… she is interesting." Lexa raised an eyebrow and looked beside her to her faithful friend and general.

"Interesting?" Lexa asked, a certain lilt to her voice that made Anya glare at her. Lexa shrugged it off and continued her inspection of Anya before she gave a short laugh, nodding once to herself.

"Do not assume to know my stance because of one slip of the tongue." Lexa started to say something but was cut off by another harsh look from Anya and, "No, Alexandria, do not." Lexa conceded, for now, and didn't say anything, motioning for Anya to go on.

"Her actions around the ripa were… angry and yet also forgiving. In fact, that seemed to be how they all reacted, save for the one that Lincoln will be teaching."

"You know their names; why do you not use them?" Lexa questioned.

"Because they are not familiar to me, and I do not trust them no matter what it seems keryon-de has to say about the situation." Anya sniffed and looked towards the mouth of the tent. "There is something off about them Alexandria. How they speak and act and jump like they expect an attack at any second. They all walk like-"

"Warriors." Lexa finished, turning to Anya. "They walk like warriors who have been through war and, while I expect it from Lincoln, seeing it in Clarke and Raven is – I will admit – odd." Lexa moved a hand to her waistband where her sword would have rested had she had it on. She looked across the tent to where it lay on a desk.

"What is your opinion of Clarke's stance on an alliance." She caught the slight twitch Anya's expression made as she mentioned the proposal.

"I do not know what they could possibly offer us, and I know that fighting the Sky People would be easy. We have many and they have few. However, if a war should come to pass, we would lose a good many warriors because of their fayogon.

"If Clarke truly has something to offer the Trigedakru, an alliance would be beneficial." Anya finished with a nod. "She has already saved Holt from a wound we would not have been able to heal ourselves. That, at least, is worth the consideration. He was dead and then he was not." Lexa nodded along to everything Anya was saying. Anya who didn't trust the Sky People, whose opinion Lexa could trust, was in favour of an alliance with the Skaikru.

"Then I will speak with Clarke further about the alliance tomorrow. Or perhaps later tonight, after we eat." Lexa sent a knowing glance and smirk towards Anya. "Now… about Raven." Anya groaned.

ooOoOoo

"So, Alexandria huh?" Raven nudged Clarke's shoulder with her own. Clarke smiled and looked to Raven, nodding.

"She told me the other day. She introduced herself as Alexandria when I told her to call me Clarke – not 'Clarke of the Sky People'." Clarke chuckled shortly. "I realize that last time, someone told me her name, she must have introduced herself to Kane as just 'Lexa' and he spread that around."

"Why didn't she say anything?" Raven wondered aloud.

Clarke shrugged. "Everyone was calling her Lexa, her people calling her Heda. Most of our own people just called her Commander to her face anyway."

"Except for you." Raven teased. Clarke rolled her eyes and ran the toe of her boot through the dirt.

"After… we talked after I lit that funeral pyre. Lexa told me that she had someone she cared about before. Costia." Raven's eyebrows rose. "She said that love was weakness, that Costia was her weakness, and that the Ice Nation had found out. Their leader took Costia and sent Lexa her head back as a reminder." Clarke grimaced and wrapped her arms around her knees, drawing her legs up to her chest.

"Aren't you worried then?" Raven asked. "That something like that could happen to you if…" Clarke shrugged again, looking into the dancing flames.

"I think… I want to learn how to defend myself against things like that. Raven, I need to do so many things, but before anything, I need to overcome this – I need to stop having panic attacks at the bark of a gun. It's going to get me nowhere, and I'm useless when we fight with them and against them." Clarke rested her head on her knees and looked at Raven beside her.

"The Mountain Men aren't going to change their weapons for the sake of a fair fight. I can't ask all of the hundred to learn to fight manually. I'm thankful to the ones who joined those sessions with me and Octavia and, though I don't know how I learned what I did, I'm starting to have a theory." Raven cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh? Care to share with the class?"

"So I woke up on the Ark and suddenly I had this extensive knowledge on Trigedasleng. I understand it as easily as I do English. I keep having these dreams and, I think, in the last one, I spoke to a woman. I think she's the key to everything, and it certainly seems that way with how her symbol was recognizable to both Lincoln and Lexa.

"I have all this weird knowledge, at the edge of things I know that I know, you know?" Raven frowned for a moment before she nodded slowly.

"I think so. Like, there are things that you can remember, things that you know, and then there are subconscious things that you seem to know randomly when you need them." Clarke raised her head and nodded, smiling slightly.

"Exactly like that, yeah. Knife throwing, swordplay, Trigedasleng, a lot of things that have to do with the ground. As far as I can tell, anyway."

"And it all links back to this woman in your dreams?" Clarke nodded. "Damn, that's some fantasy novel shit right there, Griffin." Clarke barked out a laugh at the unexpected observation.

"Yeah it is, you're right. I hadn't thought about it like that." Raven smiled and then looked around them at the village.

"So, we have a plan that we both agree on, though somewhat dubiously." Raven muttered the last part causing Clarke to give her a mild glare. Raven ignored it and perked back up, continuing, "We have some time before we can do much though. Let's try and get you past these attacks that you're having, yeah?" Clarke looked at Raven critically.

"And how do you plan to do that?" She asked. The grin that Raven gave her didn't diffuse her caution in the slightest.

The plan, as Clarke found out the next day, was to manufacture something that made loud, cracking noises like gunshots. It didn't take Raven long to throw something together and, when she did, she took Clarke outside of Ton DC for hours at a time. She told Clarke to sit in a small clearing that they found and take deep breaths. Raven had her relax to the point where she might have fallen asleep if she hadn't then set off her new invention.

The first time, Clarke hadn't been expecting the trigger and had fallen into another attack. The second time, even though she was more ready, the attack was the same. Raven let her fall into a sense of security and wouldn't set off the machine until Clarke's breathing was almost even. The attacks didn't last long but, by nightfall, they had reduced the time of each by several seconds.

Their fourth day in Ton DC, the day after Bellamy, Octavia and Lincoln had left, a war-paint-and-pauldron-free Lexa approached them and asked to speak to Clarke. Raven looked at Clarke for confirmation and when Clarke nodded, she got up and gave the two some room.

"Walk with me." Lexa said. Clarke's brows furrowed slightly but she got up and started after Lexa who had already begun walking away, assuming Clarke wouldn't deny her request.

She followed Lexa outside of the village to the place where Clarke had found her the morning before Bellamy and Finn had been brought in. Clarke was confused as to why Lexa would bring her here, and for what. After what she and Raven had done, and the following conversation, Clarke had assumed Lexa wouldn't want to talk to her for a while.

"Anya does not trust you." Lexa said, not looking at Clarke who had stopped a couple feet behind where Lexa had. Clarke's brows drew together again and she stuffed her hands into her pockets.

"Really? I thought she might want to convert, come join our camp." She retorted with a slight roll of her eyes. Anya had made it quite clear where her stance was.

"She does not trust you," Lexa continued as if Clarke hadn't said anything, "but she believes that an alliance with your people would be beneficial. She has seen what you are capable of and thinks that if you have something else to offer, an alliance would be good for everyone involved."

Clarke moved her hands from her pockets to cross her chest and took a couple steps forward so she was standing right behind Lexa.

"What do you think?" Clarke asked softly. Lexa spun, her eyes slightly wider than normal at her voice, closer than it had been a moment before. She stood her ground though and met Clarke's gaze.

"I think that you are trouble, and you are reckless, and you know a lot more than you are forward with." Clarke laughed lightly. Lexa was one to talk, she wouldn't tell Clarke about the Spirit that she was seeing. She understood that Lexa thought it wasn't her place, and Clarke respected that, but Lexa would have to deal with the same level of information being kept from her.

Lexa kept talking despite the interruption. "You walk and talk and act like one of my warriors and yet you come from the sky. Lincoln defers to you, even though he is still loyal to me. You and your friends who have come here feel familiar to me but I cannot possibly know you any more than I do." Lexa's own brows furrowed in confusion, trying to work out a puzzle in her mind.

"You are a mystery to me, Clarke of the Sky People, and yet I feel that I can trust you even after your rash actions with the ripa. I told you once that I felt you would not betray me, and you technically have not."

"I wouldn't." Clarke said strongly. "Lexa, whatever happens with our people, I will not betray you. For more reasons than you know. Like you've told me about… keryon-de, there are some things I probably shouldn't tell you until I know that I can." She watched with interest as Lexa's pupils dilated when she spoke in her language.

"I… trust you, Clarke." Lexa said, eyes moving briefly to look at the soft smile on Clarke's lips before looking into her eyes again. Clarke was reminded of before, those stolen moments in Lexa's tent, and repeated herself.

"I know how hard that is for you." She said quietly. Lexa's answering smile matched Clarke's and she valiantly held herself back from connecting them both.

After that conversation, Clarke and Lexa made their way back to Ton DC and collected Raven and Anya for lunch, the two of whom were conveniently together, their conversation halting when the two approached. Clarke shared a look with Raven who gave her one back that read along the lines of 'you-wouldn't-believe-the-shit-that's-going-on-here-even-if-I-told-you'.

Clarke let it drop for the moment.

After lunch, Raven took Clarke back out to their place and they began again with the noise maker, Clarke still improving, getting better and lowering the amount of time that her attacks lasted.

When they returned for dinner that night, Clarke was able to hear the sound plaguing her with only a momentary freeze in her actions. That, of course, was when she was focused, calm, and somewhat ready for the stimuli. She was convinced that, in a battle where guns were going to be involved, she could fight and not be a hindrance to her allies; not get another person killed because of her own weakness.

Clarke and Raven joined Lexa again for dinner, this time Indra and Gustus joined them as well as Anya. To say the atmosphere was tense would be an understatement. Clarke and Raven were ready for Gustus to pull something like he had done the last time. The two generals, however, were oddly silent through the whole affair and Clarke and Raven kept shooting each other confused looks.

When Clarke caught Lexa's looks towards her generals though, she assumed that Lexa had given them strict instructions for the evening, probably hoping to get the two used to the idea of having the two skaigada around.

Sky girls.

Clarke shook her head as she took a bite of her pepper and bread, having developed a fondness for the little gem of food.

The next two days played out pretty much the same as that day. Clarke and Lexa met each morning and walked to their spot where they sat and talked; about their alliance, what Clarke could offer and what Lexa would offer in return; about what they would do when the rest of the Skaikru came down, how Clarke truly had no bearing on their decisions but would try and convince them of what was necessary.

She did tell Lexa though that, if the rest of her people wouldn't go along with their newfound alliance, then the original hundred who had come to the ground would still be there, and the Arkers wouldn't mount any kind of attack against their children. Especially since the prevalent thought when they were sent down here in the first place was that they were going to die.

The smile that Clarke got for that was worth everything she had gone through up until that point and, Clarke thought, if she could get Lexa to smile like that as often as she could, then everything would be worth it.

Lexa and Clarke would return to Ton DC for lunch where they would switch partners, Raven and Anya apparently having found an interest in each other. The second time that had happened, Clarke had shot Raven a sly smile and then after lunch, she had relentlessly teased Raven about it.

Then Raven pointed out the fact that Clarke hadn't stopped smiling since coming back with Lexa and both agreed to not tease the other about their situations.

Both would then come back to Ton DC for dinner, joining Lexa and her three generals for a meal. By the second day, Indra and Gustus were now able to speak at least five words to the skaikru without insulting or threatening them.

Most of their interactions consisted of mounin and reshop. Welcome and goodnight. Curt, to the point, and in a language they thought Clarke and Raven didn't understand, but Clarke was sure they would come around eventually.

She didn't know that it would be so soon though.

The fourth day after Bellamy, Octavia and Lincoln left, Lexa met Clarke soon after she had left the tent that Lexa had given her and Raven for their prolonged stay. There was still no word from the Ark and Clarke knew that the Ark falling like it had in the previous time was inevitable now. Systems were failing and everything was crumbling on the Ark. Everyone was probably trying to figure out a way to get to the earth and communications were shut down for the moment.

Clarke met Lexa with a strained smile, thinking about the home she had known for 17 years and hoping that nothing she had changed would change what station her mom was on when they crashed to earth.

As she walked and talked with Lexa, her smile became less forced and more genuine as the Commander took her mind off of her worries for a quiet few hours.

When they got to their usual place, Lexa leaned against a tree and looked at Clarke who leaned against one right beside Lexa's. Lexa regarded her quietly for a few moments before she spoke.

"Something is bothering you." Clarke laughed softly and turned to look towards the rising sun through the trees.

"I'm worried about my people, the ones still…" she motioned towards the sky and Lexa nodded, watching Clarke as she talked. "We haven't heard from them in some time and I think they might be having some problems. Last we heard they were trying to join us here and then that second ship came down, the day before we were brought here." Clarke shook her head and looked back to Lexa.

"But they'll figure it out I think; I have a feeling." She nodded and took a breath. Clarke watched Lexa for a moment before she felt something warm against her hand. Something that felt distinctly like another hand.

Clarke looked down and saw Lexa's hand against her own and moved, slowly so as not to scare Lexa away from the contact, so that their palms were together. She looked back up and saw the relief on Lexa's face before it was wiped away and replaced with a nonchalance as she looked away.

"I am sure your people will be fine, Clarke." Clarke smiled softly and gently squeezed Lexa's hand in her own causing Lexa to look back at her with a shy smile that Clarke hadn't seen before, one that she wouldn't identify with Lexa, but one that she could get used to seeing.

"I'm sure you're right, Lexa." She paused for a moment before Lexa shifted her hand. Clarke loosened her own grip, thinking Lexa would pull away, but was pleasantly surprised when she laced her fingers through her own.

Clarke smiled at the contact for a moment before she caught movement behind Lexa.

There was a split second that she had to react. A split second where she thought no, no this can't happen, not Lexa, NO.

Clarke's heart beat in her ears as she used their linked hands to pull Lexa towards herself and wrapped her other arm around Lexa's shoulders, turning the two of them around with the momentum provided by the pull. She felt a fractured burning in her back and Lexa's distant call of her name and then her call for the shooter's head. She vaguely picked up shapes moving around them, her eyes focused on Lexa's hair and then green eyes staring into her own.

She silently thanked Raven for her not completely losing herself to the sound of the assailant's gun and breathed deeply, trying to stay conscious. Clarke took stock of her position and realized that at some point she had fallen on top of Lexa.

"Why did you do that?" Lexa questioned, her hands on Clarke's waist, trying to keep the girl steady and not aggravate her wound. Clarke tried to get up but Lexa was steadfast and so, she just dropped her head to Lexa's shoulder.

"I- I need your… spirit to st- stay where… where it is." Clarke pulled back and tried to give Lexa the most charming smile that she could. Her breaths were ragged and shallow and the pain in her back was quickly becoming too much to bear.

The next thing she knew was darkness.

So what do you guys think? Questions and comments can be left in the review box and also my inbox if you wanna put 'em there.

Thanks again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and a pre-emptive thanks to anyone who will review this one! The thoughtful ones really keep me going, to be honest.

I'll see you guys soon... ish.

Keep the faith!

-Bad Wolf

PS. I just realized I have 491 reviews. If we could break 500 with this chapter that would be a really cool milestone 3