Welcome back! So can I just say all 500 of you who have followed this story so far are amazing. 500 is insane! Thank you so much! By the way another long chapter, I don't mean to make them this long but I just can't stop myself. Anyway enjoy this chapter!
The gates opened to Tondc as the Commander came into sight. The tension hadn't lessened on the way, it had increased. Gustus was still telling her that the alliance was a bad idea and that it could kill the Coalition, or her. Bellamy was telling Clarke that they didn't need the grounders but what they needed was an inside man which Clarke had also told him not to do. Barely anyone slept when they stopped for the night. They was a clear divide. The grounders at the front and the Skaikru at the back.
Lexa dismounted her horse. A warrior came up to the group of Skaikru and said "Weapons."
Lincoln gave the warrior his knife. Then said "We need to disarm before we enter."
Warriors began to check for all weapons. Gustus finished disarming Raven before turning back to his Commander. "Heda! Em klir. (Commander! All clear)" Lexa gave Gustus a brief nod. He began walking towards her through the sky people. He walked to Lexa's left and Anya was on her right as they began walking into the heart of Tondc. Of course the sky people followed them.
As the group came into sight, a villager began shouting "Heda! Heda! Mounin houm! (Commander! Commander! Welcome back!)" Then the shouts got anger as they noticed the sky people were with her. "Why have you brought them here?" They walked through a large crowd who were becoming angrier. "Stedaun gon Skaikru! Ripa gon we houm! (Death to sky people! Murderers go home!)"
A villager walked in front of the group blocking their path. He had an angry look on his face. "Skaikru don jak etin op kom ai: ai houmon, ai yongon (Sky people took everything from me: my wife, my child)" He shouted at them. Lexa did feel sorry for him but at the moment he was disrespecting her and that wasn't acceptable.
The Commander looked at Gustus quickly. "Sef op (Move aside)." The man didn't. Lexa gave Gustus a quick nod. Gustus walked towards the villager and threw a punch at him causing the villager to fall to the ground. Gustus began throwing lefts and rights at the man's face.
Clarke and the rest of the sky people watched in horror as no one made a move to stop Gustus. They all seemed to agree with what the bodyguard was doing, Clarke had guessed it was because he disrespected their Commander. Speaking of the Commander, Lexa stood looking neutral at what was happening. She had given the order in fact. Clarke knew that if Gustus did kill him then it wouldn't be good for the alliance. She watched up so she was inches from Lexa and said "Commander, stop him." Lexa wanted to give Clarke a quick look before back to Gustus and the man who had disrespected her but didn't, she knew if she did then her eyes would soften and there was a risk of her mask slipping away. "Please. They'll blame us for this too." Lexa finally looked at Clarke. She knew Clarke was right. "Teik em kik raun (Let him live)."
Gustus stopped immediately. Gustus stood up and moved away from him. Another villager helped the injured man to his feet. Lexa turned to where the crowd of people were. "The Sky People march us now. Anyone who tries to stop that will pay with their life." Lexa told them all in a cold, commanding voice. No one made eye contact with her. Lexa was almost daring someone to do so. No one took up the challenge.
She then turned on her heels and walked into the heart of Tondc. Everyone in the group quickly followed the Commander's lead. Bellamy as he began walking muttered, sarcastically "Warm welcome."
It didn't take long for Finn's body to put up onto the alter which was surrounded by the 18 bodies of the dead. It was made out of longs with Finn's body onto of the structure. Lexa stood the closest to it. Clarke, Raven, Bellamy, Octavia, Lincoln, Abby and Kane all stood off to the side in one big group. "Kru kom Tondisi. Raun faya, oso wada klin laudnes-de kom fotaim."
Lincoln translated what Lexa was saying for the Sky people. "People of Tondc. In fire, we cleanse the pain of the past."
Indra pasted a torch to her Commander who took it. Lexa then had an idea how to show they were now unified as one fighting force. As allies against a common enemy. She looked over to Clarke. She moved the light torch towards the sky leader. "Clarke." There was some mumbling through out the Trikru. Clarke and Lexa looked. Lexa was telling that to trust her with her eyes.
Clarke then walked towards Lexa. She took the torch from her. Clarke also stood on the platform which Lexa was on, it was showing to everyone that they were equals. Their eyes contacted briefly. Clarke turned back to bodies and lowered the fire onto it. It caught light easily. "Yu gonplei ste odon (Your fight is over)." Clarke spoke in Trigedasleng. The couple then stepped down as the flames engulf the bodies of the dead.
Clarke and Lexa stood in silence as they watched the pile of ash from the fire was still smoking but the flames were out of sight. There was no one around, it was just the two of them with a few just around the area. Lexa could tell that Clarke was deep in thought, surrounded by her demons of what she had done. What Lexa had made her do. "I'm sorry." Lexa told her just loud enough so Clarke could hear but no one else could.
Clarke looked at Lexa. "For what?"
"Causing you pain."
"We both didn't have a choice." Clarke answered and sighed. "If you hadn't ordered his death, your own people would've killed you then killed us all." Clarke added not meeting Lexa's stare. "The pain, the guilt, will never go away will it?"
Lexa opened her mouth to speak but then decided against it that. "You just have to recognize it for what it is." Clarke looked at Lexa confused. "Weakness. It's weakness."
"Love?" Lexa nodded. "You can't be serious? Are we seriously back to this?"
"If it helps you than yes I am serious. It's how I got over Costia's death."
"I could never do that."
"Then the pain will never go away." Lexa told her quickly. "The dead are gone, Clarke. The living are hungry." Lexa then turned away from Clarke. She gave Marcus a small nod as she went past him and a women who resembled Clarke, she guessed that was Clarke's mother also the Chancellor.
The Sky People entered the dinning hall to see a long rectangular table. There was about 20 grounders already in the large room. The Commander was on the furthest side in the middle. Gustus and Anya were at each side of her, Indra on Anya's right. Clarke was directly opposite Lexa with Kane and her mom to either side of her. Marcus pulled out the bottle of alcohol as a gift. "Please accept this gift, Commander. We drink this at special occasions. I believe this qualifies." He told her.
Lexa gave Gustus a quick nod and the man took the bottle from Kane. Gustus then handed it to Lexa. The brunette looked at Kane. "Thank you, Marcus of the Sky People."
"You're welcome, Leksa kom Trikru." Kane replied. Clarke had to resist from cringing at what Kane had just said. "Just, uh, don't drink too much of it." Kane said trying to lessen the awkwardness of the conversation. He guessed calling the Commander by the real name wasn't the best idea in retrospect.
Lexa looked back to Clarke to get away from the painfully awkwardness that had taken over the room. "Clarke, let us drink together."
"It would be my pleasure."
A boy handed Gustus two cups which he quickly placed down in front of the Commander. Lexa quickly poured to drinks and past one to Clarke whilst she took the other. "Heda, allow me." Gustus said and Lexa without blinking gave him the cup. Gustus took a sip of it before handing it back to Lexa.
"Tonight, we celebrate our new found peace. Tomorrow, we plan our war." She then raised the cup. "To those we've lost and to those we shall soon find." Lexa and Clarke raised the cups to their lips. Just before it touched either of their skin Gustus collapsed on the table. He fell back against the wall in a fit of coughs and chocks. Someone declared it to be poison. Bellamy knocked the cup out of Clarke's hand.
Indra turned to the group of sky people. She pulled out her sword quickly. "It was the Sky People." She stated and the tables were moved out of the way. There was a weapons pointed at them.
Clarke look at a very shocked and confused Lexa, she could also see concern. Bellamy held Clarke back from moving towards Lexa which she was going to do at that moment in time. "This wasn't us. You have to know it wasn't us." Clarke shouted and her eyes were connected with Lexa's.
Lexa didn't know what to believe, she knew Clarke probably didn't want to kill her but what about the other sky people. She had given the order which killed Finn, their friend. She turned to Nyko who was over Gustus. "Sou nou teik em wan op. (Do not let him die)." She commanded quickly. Two guards quickly grabbed Gustus and took him out of the room.
As Lexa's second in command, Anya was in the position to give orders whilst the Commander was talking to Nyko about keeping Gustus alive. She turned to the non-warriors in the room. "Everyone out." They quickly obeyed. She turned to the warriors. "No one else leaves, search them." The warriors quickly obeyed their orders. Nyko picked up the bottle of what he presumed was poison.
Clarke turned to Lexa. "We didn't do this." She stated.
"Gustus warned me that something like this might happen. I didn't listen."
"Lexa, please." Clarke at that moment didn't see the girl she loved, it was the Commander. It wasn't Lexa who was talking to her, it was a very angry Commander.
A grounder began to check Clarke quickly. "You may not have but some in your camp would've wished that when you plunged the knife into Finn's heart that it would've been mine." Clarke knew she couldn't say that what Lexa had just said wasn't true because it was true. Maybe everyone who was with her at the moment, bar her, Marcus and maybe Octavia, would've preferred that.
Then the warrior who had been checking Raven calling Lexa away from Clarke's pleading eyes. He was holding a vile of clear liquid. It smelt like poison. "That's not mine." Raven told him.
The grounder ignored her. "Heda. Dison don kamp raun em okou. (Heda. This was in her coat)." He handed it to his Commander.
"I'm telling you. That's not mine. He put it there when he searched me."
Clarke saw Lexa weighing up all of the evidence. Raven did have the motive, the means and opportunity to have poisoned the cup. Lexa had ordered the death of Finn, Raven had the poison and the bottle was with her people all night. Clarke shook her head knowing what Lexa's conclusion was. "No Sky Person leaves this room." Lexa's voice was clearly powered by anger. She then stormed out of the room with 6 warriors quickly following behind her.
"Do something." Octavia said to Lincoln.
"Indra!" Lincoln called after the general. Indra didn't stop. "Indra, hod op! (Indra, wait!)" Indra did stop this time. "Teik ai chich op kom emo. (Let me speak for them)."
"Yu sou laik emo. (You are them)." Indra then closed the gate which allowed them to leave the room.
Lexa began pacing inside her tent. Anya entered alone. She knew that Lexa was pacing for two reason: Gustus could die and the Skaikru had tried to kill her meaning she'd have to kill them. She waited for Lexa to speak first. "Do you think it was them?" Lexa asked, Anya was one her most trusted, no she was her most trusted general.
"I am not sure."
"Get me Lincoln, they trust him." Lexa ordered and Anya nodded. She left the tent and went towards where the Skaikru were being held.
Clarke walked up to Raven. "Raven." The mechanic looked up at her with a slight glare. "I need to know the truth."
"I'd step back if I was you." Raven warned, there was hate in her voice.
Clarke continued. "If you tried to poison Lexa. I need to know."
Something snapped in Raven. She swung a fist at Clarke's face which did find it's target. Clarke staggered back and leant onto one of the tables. Everyone in the room looked at Raven and Clarke. "You're the only murderer here!" Octavia and Abby quickly got in between the two girls.
As that happened the doors of the cell opened. Everyone looked to see Anya flanked by two warriors. Her attention was on Lincoln. "Heda, gaf wich chich op yu (Heda, wants to talk to you)." Anya told him quickly.
Lincoln stood up. "Where are you going?" Octavia asked full of worry.
"The Commander wishes to speak to me." Lincoln said walking out of the of the room. Anya motioned her head for him to follow.
Anya entered first, Lexa nodded in her direction. Lincoln entered just afterwards. "Anya, leave us." Lexa ordered quickly. Anya bowed slightly before exiting the tent. Lexa turned fully to Lincoln. "What do you think?" She asked him.
"It wasn't them." He stated, he would bet anything on it.
Lexa knew this herself. She rubbed her forehead. "The poison was on them." Lexa stated and Lincoln nodded.
"Raven isn't stupid, she might be mad about you ordering Finn's death but she wouldn't risk everyone's life for revenge. Talk to them." Lexa began to think about it when Lincoln added something else. "Or at least to Clarke."
Lexa shook her head. "No. I will speak to them as one." She knew Lincoln was right, she knew Raven. The girl wasn't selfish, she understood that if she did kill her than it would cause everyone else's deaths. Raven, even in this state of mourning, wasn't about to get everyone else killed and her friends in Mount Weather trapped forever. Lexa knew that, that is why she didn't believe that Raven or any of the Sky People had tried to kill her.
They exited tent quickly, Lexa motioned with her hand for Anya to follow her. The women quickly joined Lexa on her right. "No one interrupt us." It was a order to everyone but Lexa was looking mostly at Indra when she said it.
Lincoln was opened the locked gate for the two women. They saw that Clarke was pacing deep in thought about what could've happened. Raven was talking with Abby. Whilst Kane was talking to Octavia about what Lincoln could be saying to the Commander. All of their heads snapped up. "Lincoln has convinced that none of you tried to kill me or at least for now."
Clarke gave Lexa a look which basically translated to 'are you serious?' when she said the last part. Kane spoke before Clarke could. "Thank you, Commander."
"How the poison was in your possession when you were checked?" Anya asked Raven raising an eyebrow.
Raven rolled her eyes. "I don't know. It isn't mine." She stated crossing her arms.
Then something hit Clarke. "Wait, who checked you when we were entering Tondc?" She asked the girl.
Raven shrugged again. "It was Gustus." Anya answered, she had been eyeing Raven to make sure the girl had done nothing to get herself killed.
Lexa looked at Anya confused then back to Clarke. "I don't think the poison was in the bottle." Clarke stated, Kane had been holding onto the bottle since they left Camp Jaha which meant no one but him could mess with it.
"What do you mean?" Abby asked, she didn't know what her daughter was getting at.
Clarke ignored her mom. "Lexa, can you get me the bottle?" Lexa quickly motioned to Anya to go do it. The grounder rolled her eyes and went to go get the bottle off Nyko. Anya came back moments later with the said bottle in her hands. She handed it over to Clarke. The blonde opened the bottle and before anyone could stop her took a big gulp of it. Clarke ignored the burn of the alcohol as it went down her throat.
"Clarke!" Both Lexa and Abby said at the same time. Everyone waited for the girl to start feeling the effects of the poison but nothing happened. Clarke was fine.
Clarke closed the bottle and handed it to Lexa who was looking at her. She saw the worry in her eyes. She gave Lexa a small, reassuring smile before talking. "The poison was in the cup and only one person had accuse to that cup."
"Gustus would never harm me." Lexa quickly replied.
Bellamy joined in realizing what was the grounders motive to kill his own Commander. "You weren't the target. The alliance was." He stated and Lexa knew he was right. Gustus had warned her about the alliance and how it could cost her life. She had brushed it off as him being protective, she never thought he'd be so stupid and reckless to do something like this.
Lexa without another word left the room, Anya and Lincoln quickly followed. The Sky People looked at each other quickly before following. When they arrived outside they saw Gustus speaking to Indra. He glared at the Skaikru. "The Skaikru proven to me that the poison was never in the bottle however it was in the cup." She stated loud enough for everyone to hear whilst her conversation was with Gustus.
Gustus panicked slightly. "Dison feik au, Heda. Nou ge pon klin. (A trick, Commander. Don't be fooled)."
"We know that it was you." Bellamy stated as him and Clarke arrived just behind Lexa.
"Why would I harm my own Commander who I vowed to protect with my life."
"You weren't trying to harm her, you were trying to harm the alliance." Clarke replied as quickly as Bellamy did.
Lexa decided to end the arguing. "Yu don ge finga au, Gostos. Ron ai ridiyo op. (You have been accused, Gustus. Speak true)."
Gustus realized he was caught. "This alliance would cost your life, Heda. I could not let that happen."
Lexa exhaled and clenched her jaw from talking. She couldn't let her caring for him get in the way of justice. "This treachery will cost you yours." He understood why she had to do it. "Teik em set raun ona tri. (Put him on the tree)." Two warriors grabbed him but Gustus went without any struggle.
Gustus was tied to the tree with too many cuts to count. The blood had made it so you couldn't count until it was gone. His lip quivered as he tried to remain quiet as the blade went across his lower abdomen, he knew the end was near and if it was he wouldn't go out weak. Everyone watched on, the Skaikru included. Raven finally got why Clarke did what she did. "This would have happened to Finn." She muttered as another cut sliced through Gustus' skin. She looked over at Clarke. The girl was watching with the same look on her face.
Lexa saw that the life was fading out of him, she had to end it. Also she didn't want to see anymore of this. She couldn't see anymore of this. She walked into the middle of the large crowd were Gustus was. They held eye contact as she came in front of him. "Ste yuj. (Be strong)." Gustus said to her between ragged and pained breathes.
As her sword was being drawn, she took a deep breathe. She swallowed the sadness at the scene in front of her. She took a stance and lined up the sword with his heart, slowly. Then spoke "Yu gonplei ste odon." She watched with a painful gaze as the life slipped out of him as her sword entered his chest. It was quick but it felt like an eternity for Lexa. She took a deep breathe as she removed the sword.
Clarke saw the grief in Lexa's eyes as she looked at Gustus' lifeless body. At that moment she wanted to comfort her but they were in front of a huge crowd of people and that would be impossible. Their eyes contacted almost instantly.
Then Raven heard something from her radio. Clarke looked over at Raven who was listening. "What is that?" Clarke asked her quickly. Octavia and Bellamy were right next to her in a second.
"It's Jasper." Raven stated.
"I thought Mount Weather was blocking us." Octavia said, they were getting very confused looks from all of the grounders who had no idea what they were talking about.
"Listen." Raven scolded as they begun to listen.
"Forty-seven of us are trapped inside Mount Weather. They've taken Harper."
"Talk to him, say something." Clarke told Raven as the recording continued.
"We don't know how much time we have left."
Raven looked up at Clarke. "It's repeating."
"Please hurry. This is Jasper Jordon. We need help." The message then seemed to finish.
Octavia felt a weight lift of her chest. "They're alive."
Bellamy nodded. He quickly looked over to the grounders. "We need to do this. We've got the alliance, now's the time to use it."
"First we need an inside man." She looked up at Bellamy. "You were right. Without someone on the inside to lower their defenses, turn off the acid fog, an army is useless. You should go."
"I thought you hated that plan. That I would get myself killed." Bellamy said in response.
Clarke nodded slightly. She was worried about him dying but they needed to do this and she trusted him enough to not crack under the pressure of the task. "It's worth the risk." Octavia then realized what was happening. Clarke pulled out her map from her jacket and handed it to Bellamy. "My map of Mount Weather. Find a way to get on that radio and talk to us." Clarke ordered. Octavia looked at her brother. "Good luck." She then walked over to Lexa. "Can we talk about a plan?" Lexa nodded as they went towards the war tent. It was time to plan a war.
So yes this did change from the ep as Lexa does trust Clarke and most of the Skaikru. Which led to her talking to them, well accompanied by Anya and Lincoln aka her besties. (Did you notice my subtle Ranya? No okay that was there for all you Ranya shippers out there) Anyway next chapter will be planning for war and things don't go as planned. Keep up the support and I'll see you in chapter 26!