Dethroning a King

*Clarke*

She was brought into the Kings tent once the grounders made camp for the night. Two grounders stood behind her as she stood before the King.

"I left scouts behind to watch our path for followers" He informed with a menacing look. Clarke's breath hitched in her throat Bellamy she worried. She tried to hide her fear; she couldn't trust this man with it.

"I told them to kill anyone on sight" he added. The words flew through her ears and into her heart. Her heart raced and pounded out of her chest, dreading any more words from him. The air around her became so thin it was impossible to get any into her lungs.

He didn't follow she tried to convince herself.

The King waited tortuous minutes, allowing her fear to completely consume her. He delighted in the tears that welled in her eyes as she tried to hide so hard to be indomitable.

"Good thing for you that you didn't lie to me" he finally added. Clarke released a hard breath, one she hadn't realized that she was holding until now. Relief flushed through her body, an involuntary smile formed on her face.

"I told you he left" She informed as she struggled to erase the evidence of her relief off her face.

The king nodded and pressed his hands together while his elbows rest on the opulent arms of his thrown. "That you did."His eyes travel up and down her body as if she had a plan there that he could read. He studied her carefully, untrustingly.

*Bellamy*

Bellamy took his usual seat across from Abby, her eyes had shot into him from the moment he entered the room.

"Did you ascertain any information about the alliance?" Kane asked, attempting to deny the obvious tension in the room.

Bellamy shook his head, "only what I've said all along, there is no alliance" He leaned over the table resting an arm on it. "We need to send guards on all the hunts, and no one should leave the camp."

Kane nodded and glanced at Abby, who still held her glare on Bellamy and hadn't said a word. "Was Lexa interested in negotiating a new alliance?" he asked hopefully.

"Even if she was" his arm dropped from the table "I wouldn't trust it" he leaned back in his chair.

"Did she offer anything?" Kane prodded.

"Only that she didn't want a war. If we stay away from her people, she claims they won't attack."

"But you don't believe her?"

"Do you?" Bellamy snapped back his face reflecting the ridiculousness of the notion.

"We ha-" Kane started, but Abby interrupted him.

"Get out" she growled at Bellamy as she rose to her feet and leaned her hands on the table.

Bellamy gave her a questioning look, and then glanced back at Kane. "I'm a member of the council" he look back at her, "I'm not leaving" he stated firmly but calmly.

"No member of the council would have left one of our people out there-get out" she demanded again.

Bellamy crossed his arms over his broad chest, "The members of the Council elected to send one hundred kids down here to die. You¸left Finn and Murphy out there" he challenged.

Abby's hard face remained unmoved by his words.

"Abby" Kane started "Bellamy has a right to be here."

Abby's eyes darted to his, "I'm the Chancellor" she snapped.

Bellamy watched the two, his eyes carefully assessing both of them. "Whatever you feel I have done is irrelevant. We need to be united now, the grounders could attack" he said with the conviction of his authority.

"Irrelevant? My daughter is irrelevant to you?" she gasped

"I'm done talking about your daughter," he said firmly. "That's not what these meetings are for."

"Abby, we need to focus our attention on the security of the camp. I know you're upset right now, but our duty is to our people" Kane explained. Abby eyes' darted between both of them, and then she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.

*Clarke*

The grounder that had guarded her all day shoved her forcefully out of the tent. She had barely caught her footing when a painful blow to her head knocked her down. Her hand instinctively grabbed the source of the new pain. Her vision blurred as the pain shot through her head. Suddenly her hand was yanked from her head and she was being forced back by her hair. Another hand grabbed her mouth. She screamed, but it was choked out by the liquid being poured into her throat. A black curtain slowly descended over everything, as she lost consciousness.

*Bellamy*

Bellamy felt Monty's eyes on him. He had successfully ignored him for fifteen minutes, but his patience was grown thin. "You got something to say?" he asked, turning in his chair to face him.

"Where is Clarke?" He asked. Bellamy's head dropped back for a moment then righted itself.

"She's off being Clarke" he replied.

Monty took the seat across from him, "Why did you come back without her?"

"She told me to."

"Why would she do that?" Monty asked with furrowed brows.

Bellamy rolled his eyes, "She's Clarke" notably aggravated by the conversation.

"That's not a reason" Monty replied quickly.

Bellamy sighed; he was tired of having this conversation with every person he had seen throughout the day. He wasn't one to explain his actions, and now he was doing it on a bi-hourly basis.

"It's the one you're getting," he said while he rose to his feet. He headed for his tent. He was ready for this day to end. The incessant berating of questions coupled with Abby's reaction at the meeting was too overwhelming.

*Clarke*

Her eyes slowly opened only to be greeted by darkness. She blinked, trying to figure out if she had gone blind. She tugged at her hands, discovering quickly that they were constrained above her.

Damn it she cursed as she struggled against the bindings. She stopped when she heard distant footsteps and voices then suddenly light entered her vision.

At least I'm not blind she mused to herself.

She took in the sight of the grounder before her; he was mounting the torch he carried into the room onto the wall across from her. She watched the massive man of steel walk to her. Her hard eyes falsely portrayed a lack of fear of the intimidating man. He grabbed her jaw, shaking her head until she opened her mouth to scream. He poured water from a canteen quickly into her mouth causing her to choke on it. Hardly any of the water made it down her throat; she coughed or spit the rest out. She knew they must have drugged her like they had Bellamy to get her in here. She refused to let them do it again.

*Bellamy*

"I didn't realize that my position on the council was contingent on me being Abby's lapdog" Bellamy snapped at Kane.

Kane shot him a look, "It's not" he sighed, "But she is adamant that she will not work with you."

"I'm not giving up my position. Those kids need a voice in those meeting" Bellamy's unwavering taut voice conveyed his conviction.

"No one is asking you to" Kane explained, "She will come around, she just-"

"I swear if you tell me that she needs time…." Bellamy warned but didn't finish his threat. He turned toward the medical bay and walked away from Kane.

"She's upset about her daughter-" Bellamy cut him off his voice breaking "So am I."

The desperation in his eyes was visible and the fear in his voice shook through Kane. Bellamy closed his eyes and took a long breath in then ascended down the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Kane questioned grabbing his arm.

"She may be chancellor, but this is bullshit. Our people are depending on us to protect them. We can't do that if she's acting like an overprotective mother." With that, Bellamy stalked off to confront Abby and end this battle.

*Clarke*

The grounder had left her taking his torch, and the light it provided with him. She had been left in the dark for what felt like hours. Time was incomprehensible at this point.

She was only left with her thoughts and ghosts.

Her mind wandered to Bellamy. What he would do when she didn't return in a week. Where he would look for her? Would he think she was letting herself be tortured again?

Would he go to Mount Weather? The thought sent an icy chill down her spine. He had warned her that he would if she ever left to find her misguided external redemption again. Was it an empty threat? She pondered. Refusing to believe Bellamy would actually go through with it her thoughts turned to his reaction when he found her.

He had given her everything she needed to resurrect herself from her internal war. The time to sort through it, the words to force her to confront it, the patience of a friend, and the comfort of a lover. Lover…her mind lingered over the word as her memories drifted to their last night together. Somewhere buried deep within her she knew the feelings she had for Bellamy, but at a conscious level she refused to acknowledge it.

She smiled as she remembered his "whatever the hell we want" phase, the way he looked at her when he thought she didn't know. She could never forget the look in his eyes as he held her life in his hand. The trust she had in him was born at that moment, she knew he would never hurt her. He may not have known it, but she did. She had always seen the potential for a great leader in him, and he had become so much more than that.

Her mind drifted over to those first few days. Finn. She had loved him, it may have been a love driven by incredible circumstance and raging emotions, or it may have been pure. Even after Raven….she had loved him, but her view of him had changed. He was no longer the boy that validated her strategies or defended and protected her…Bellamy somehow slowly took that position. But she could never deny that she had fallen in love with him in the beginning. He stood by her side when most everyone stood against her. He had given her the chance to make peace with Wells before he was killed.

Wells….her best friend. She had turned on him without giving it a second thought. Her eyes brimmed with tears.

Her father…

Every man she had ever loved had been killed.

But not Bellamy…Not Bellamy the thought solidified in her.