As soon as they entered the camp they were received with a harsh reality: the world hadn't stopped while they were away. Even when they had decided to cut their catching up session short in order to return to camp before anyone worried too much, they realized that they had been gone for too long.
"Kane keeps calling, and he wants to talk to you. He wants the coordinates for the landing of the Ark," Wells said as soon as the pair entered the dropship. They had been quickly ushered inside, where Octavia, Lincoln, Wells and Miller were waiting. "But that can wait."
Bellamy, who had stiffened at the mention of the Ark, frowned. "What is more important than that?"
Wells fixed his eyes on Bellamy's before facing Clarke again, she wasn't sure if he had noticed the change in the dynamics between her and Bellamy, but it was obviously not the time nor the place for her to bring it up.
Wells swallowed hard, turning around to face Lincoln who took a step forward. "We received a message today, from the leader of my unit. She wishes to speak to you both. No arms, no guards. I believe it would be wise to attempt to negotiate a truce."
Bellamy scoffed, causing Clarke to stiffen.
"A truce? Do you think we will fall for that? Why would the Grounders be interested in establishing a truce with us?"
"Skaikru is not the enemy," Lincoln explained without losing his temper. He was well aware that Bellamy didn't trust him, so, even when he was addressing both the leaders, he kept his kind eyes fixed on Bellamy the whole time. Clarke didn't need convincing. "The first time I caused you harm it was to prevent you from stepping in Mountain Men territory, I knew your arrival from the sky would lure them outside. I wanted to keep you out of there while Heda came up with a solution to your situation, and I thought it would be best to be hostile. Apparently Heda has made her decision, and she thinks allying with the skaikru is the best choice, so she has sent Anya to negotiate the terms of the truce."
"What are the Mountain Men?" Clarke asked. She remembered Lincoln justifying his attacks before, but he had never gone into detail. "Do they pose a threat to us too?"
"Even before your people fell from the sky we weren't alone," Lincoln said after a moment. He was obviously uncomfortable because of the sudden protagonism he was experiencing, but he continued his explanation. "The Mountain Men locked themselves in Mount Weather when the bombs started to fall, they have lived inside the mountain ever since. Unlike the clans, they cannot survive outside, and they have tried to find ways to process the radiation the way we do. Their methods are invasive and dangerous. They have killed thousands of our people, and I have no doubt they would rather take yours. Your people have been absorbing radiation from the stars for generations, your blood is more valuable than ours now."
"Our blood?"
"They drain out the blood from the Grounders," Octavia explained. It was obvious Lincoln was uncomfortable enough, so he stepped back to allow her to speak. "And they pump it into theirs, trying to train their blood to absorb radiation better."
Clarke's stomach turned, she felt the sudden need to reach for Bellamy's hand, but she held herself back.
"Lincoln is right, we should ally with the Grounders. I know you are counting on the Ark coming down to save our asses," she hissed at Clarke. "But the truth is that we don't know this place, they do. They know how to fight the Mountain Men, they just need our technology. This is the only way to make this planet a safe place for all of us."
The room was charged. Lincoln was tense, attempting to work as a bridge between the two groups. Wells and Miller were obviously worried, and Octavia was desperately trying to be heard.
"We'll meet with her," Bellamy said after a long pause, his eyes fluttering to Clarke's. "I am not saying there will be an alliance, but we'll listen to what she has to say."
She nodded once he finished talking, her eyes locked with his. After a moment, she reluctantly looked away, ready to give orders.
"Lincoln and Octavia, make this meeting happen today. Wells, call Kane and tell him I will meet with him later tonight. Don't give him any coordinates yet. Miller, get Monty and find a way to store the guns Bellamy and I found, make sure there is limited access to them."
Soon, everyone scattered outside, leaving her with Bellamy.
"Any orders for me?" He raised an eyebrow, amused. Even so, she could see the worry in his eyes.
"Actually, yes." She smiled, stepping forward so that she could reach for his hands, he gladly took hers with his. "Trust Lincoln, please."
Bellamy sighed. "He attacked you once."
Clarke gave him a small smile, the puzzle pieces of Bellamy Blake slowly taking their place.
"He was trying to protect his people, that's exactly what we are trying to do."
"I am not promising you that I will walk out of that meeting being best friends forever with the Grounder leader," he stated. "But if truce is what they want, and their terms are decent, then I can work with that."
Clarke nodded, giving him a small smile before pecking his lips. Bellamy perked up immediately.
"I can work with that too."
"Clarke, princess of the Skaikru?" The Grounder leader asked as they approached her, stopping at the middle of the bridge. "And Bellamy, warrior king of the Skaikru?"
Clarke wasn't entirely sure those were the titles she would have chosen for themselves, but she nodded. "We are Clarke and Bellamy, leaders of the skaikru."
The word skaikru sounded both familiar and foreign, but she didn't have much time to think of it. Anya, that's how Lincoln had called her, hopped down from the horse she was riding in one swift movement and started walking towards them.
"I assume you have come here alone. No weapons, no guards."
Bellamy nodded. "We are alone," he confirmed, raising both his palms. Clarke hoped Anya wouldn't mind the slight sarcasm on his tone.
"I have been told that we are to expect more of you to come down from the stars," she said in a monotone voice, her eyes alternating between both their faces. "Will they pose a menace to the trikru?"
"No," Clarke stated, now determined to make it come true. "My mother was the former chancellor, they listen to me. If we have a peace treaty ready when they come back, there should be no reason to fear. Besides, we understand the real threat is the Mountain."
Anya pursed her lips, before giving her a nod. "There are innocent people inside the Mountain, children. It is their leaders who are cruel, and we cannot compete with their technology. The skaikru can."
"What are your terms then?" Bellamy went straight to the point, and Clarke wondered if Anya could see past his strong exterior. If she could tell he had the best interest of his people at heart. She hoped so.
"Heda Lexa, the Commander of the 12 Clans, has offered the skaikru to become the thirteenth clan. If you choose to accept this condition, you will live in peace amongst us, and the protection of the Commander will fall on you too. In exchange, we ask you put your technology at our disposition, help us disarm Mount Weather. We ask you to be a true addition to the Kongeda, the Coalition. The way we will protect you, you must protect us."
Clarke looked away from Anya, only to find Bellamy was already looking at her. She knew it was a long shot, that the Ark might not agree and they would have to fight hard in order to have them cooperate with the Grounders. But she also knew that saying no meant they wouldn't live to see the Ark come down. The Sky People would be erased from history forever.
"If you need time to think about Heda's offer…" Anya started, but she stopped when Bellamy looked away from Clarke's eyes to face her again.
"We don't need any more time. We accept the terms of the alliance."
Clarke gasped softly, forcing herself to recompose quickly as she faced Anya again. Anya took her time evaluating their words, before nodding. She walked up to them and offered her hand to seal the deal.
"Remember," she said once she was up on her horse again. "Oso throu daun ogeda, we fight together." Bellamy and Clarke nodded, but before any of them could say anything Anya spoke again. "You said your people listens to you, Clarke of skaikru. For your own good, I hope this is true, or the weight of the broken alliance will be burdened by you."
"We have contact with the Ark," Raven said as she popped her head inside the upper level of the dropship. Clarke tried not to blush when Raven arched her eyebrow at her hands, which were intertwined with Bellamy's.
"We'll be right there," she said gratefully, sighing when she went back downstairs.
"We?" Bellamy asked, raising an eyebrow of his own as they stood up together. "Last time I spoke to Kane he made it clear I was not welcomed into his politics."
"Kane may be the chancellor, but we are in charge, Bellamy. And it is time we tell him that."
Bellamy smiled, and her chest caught fire a little bit, but instead of giving in to their selfish desires they made their way downstairs, sitting down in front of the screen, where Kane seemed less than pleased. Clarke could only guess how angry he was, she had made him wait for the coordinates, and Bellamy was back on her side.
"Clarke," he greeted sourly. Clarke nodded. "Wells said you had news for us."
"Yes, the reason we had to postpone this meeting is because we went to talk to one of the Grounder leaders. Apparently, there are twelve clans of them, all allied against a common enemy, they believe this enemy may pose a threat to us too, so they have proposed we join them."
"The Grounders? The same people that speared one of you?" The skepticism was clear in Kane's voice, and Clarke sat up, trying hard not to look like a teenager.
"Yes," she said. "I know it's hard to believe, but they have acted in our best interest. They want to protect their people, and so do we. That is why we have accepted their offer."
"What?!" Kane's rage was palpable, even when he was so far away. "Without consulting the Council?!"
Clarke stiffened, suddenly feeling like a child being scolded.
"The decision had to be made in the moment, or we would have been dead before you even had a chance to come back down," Bellamy interfered for the first time, it didn't help.
"What is he even doing there, Clarke? He aided in your mother's assassination, you should have floa–– executed him, make an example. Or the people won't listen."
This time it was Bellamy who stiffened, and Clarke intervened, her resolve to protect him strengthening.
"Our people do listen to us, Chancellor. We have successfully established a colony, even when we were never intended to. You sent a hundred unarmed children into the Ground and called us expendable, but we are not. We have made a peace alliance with the Grounders, and if you want the safe coordinates for landing you will accept the alliance, along with our other terms."
Kane was obviously surprised, but after a pause he seemed to be agreeing to them already. "What terms?"
"All the hundred's crimes were pardoned, we ask Bellamy's to be too. He only shot Jaha to protect his sister, because Shumway told him to."
"We will also be part of the Council, Clarke and I." Bellamy stated, his strength recovered. Under the table, where Kane couldn't see, he reached for her hand.
There was a long pause, both the young leaders were painfully aware of their racing heartbeats as they waited for Kane's decision. The decision came with a sigh.
"The Council pardons Bellamy Blake of his previous crimes. And we offer him, and Clarke Griffin positions in the new Council of the Ground."
"We accept," they said in unison, causing Kane to sigh again.
"We will begin preparation to land as soon as you send us those coordinates, we will also apprehend and trial Shumway."
"What?" Clarke hissed. "It's been at least a week since he told you it was Shumway who told him to shoot Jaha. Why hasn't he been floated? How can he still be free?"
Bellamy squeezed her hand, a silent plea for her to calm down.
"Back then it was a janitor's word against a general's, but now things have changed."
"May I ask for a favor, sir?"
Kane was visibly tired, but he still looked at Bellamy as if to invite him to go on.
"Can Shumways' trial take place at the Ground? He could be the example for our people."
Kane nodded, and Clarke looked behind her gesturing to Raven. Raven nodded and approached the machine that only her and Monty could understand.
"The coordinates are being transmitted right now," she told her. On the screen, Kane nodded as he received them.
"Safe passage on your travels until our final journey on the ground," Clarke began.
"May we meet again," Kane finished as the transmission ended.
Both the young leaders sighed in relief as Kane's image disappeared from the screen, and when they looked around they found Miller, Wells and Raven staring intently at their joined hands. Before either of them could have a chance to blush or explain, Raven smirked.
"Get a fucking room."
Author's Note / I know this chapter is kind of short (in comparison) but I promise a longer last chapter, along with the fluff we've all been waiting for. Thank you for reading!