I started posting a new 100 crossover called Bionic Girl Clarke. Please tell me if you want me to continue posting it. I swear it won't impeed on Survive for Another Time
and for the first time in a long time, I give you... Lexa!
Survive for Another Time
Chapter 36
In the throne room at the top of the tower of Polis, siege of power of the Kongeda, was standing Onya. She was awaiting the arrival of her Heda in the presence of the twelve Ambassadors, having just arrived in the capitol.
In their commander's absence Onya could see the Ambassadors whisper and glance at her. She knew they were wondering what the Skaikru were like, especially since they had been prophesied by the Spirits themselves, and since she and her men were the only ones to have had contact with them she had become the center of their attention. None of them asked her anything as they all knew that her report would first go to her former Seken.
The double doors of the throne room opened and Leksa entered her head held high and her steps purposeful. Onya stopped herself from smirking at her friends theatricality and bowed as the Ambassadors stood to attention and bent their heads down as their Heda passed by them. Leksa took her seat with a fluttering of her long brown mantle and watched the small assembly.
"We are here," she said with authority "to hear Onya kom Trikru report on her initial encounter with the Skaikru. Do not misunderstand this as it is not for me but for you, Ambassadors, that this report is being made. I believe you will be more incline to welcome Skaikru into the Coalition if you hear of them through an additional person. In this spirit I invite you to ask as many questions as you wish."
Lexa let a few moments pass by to allow her words to sink in before she turned to her trusted general.
"We are listening to you General."
"My first contact with Skaikru was with one of their skat named Fin, he was the one who had been wounded by one of our gona when he approached the Maunde too much."
Onya saw Lexa frown and thought that she still did not appreciate that one of her warriors had disobeyed her orders to not harm the Skaikru. In truth Lexa was reacting to Fin being named as the wounded. She remembered that he was the boy she had had to execute for the count of eighteen murders. The boy had been Klark's and she had mercifully taken his life in order to spare him the thousand cuts that he owed Trikru people. Lexa remembers her pain and sorrow at the skat's burning.
I hope it will never happen this time. Both for his victims and Klark's sake, thought leksa.
"The skat was brought to TonDC where the fisa took care of him. As soon as he woke I talked to him. The more I stayed in his presence the more I knew that Skaikru were childs. They marvel at the simplest things and fear almost everything."
As Onya talked the Azgeda Ambassador let out a snort of mockery which led to several others throwing glances at Heda, expecting her to defend her future thirteenth clan. But she did nothing.
"Under orders from Heda herself I told him why we had attacked him and of Maunde and that he would be returned to his people soon. When I told the skat about Maunde he called it 'Mount Weather' which is its Lost World's name and did not seem overly surprised that it was inhabited. I believe that Skaikru knows much about Maunon and might truly hold information on it. Information that may reveal itself crucial to its fall."
Lexa nodded at Onya's words, something that did not go unnoticed by the Ambassadors.
"The skat fell asleep in exhaustion and was put on a trailer for his return to the Skaikru's camp. We left at dawn from TonDC and arrived in late morning at their camp. Because of the skat's innocence and in-conscience of the dangers surrounding him I expected all of Skaikru to be as inept to survival as he was. I was wrong."
Onya marked a break, knowing that how she presented the next events would greatly influence the Ambassadors opinion of the Skai Prisa.
"Skaikru had built a wooden wall around their camp and placed guards to surveil it. Although they did not hear us come even with the horses, as soon as they saw us they raised the alarm and warned their people. Two people presented themselves to us, one was the Skai Prisa. Her people parted out of respect to allow her access to us, she did not wear better clothes and didn't seem to be in a better position than the rest of Skaikru. Just like Heda had said Skai Prisa has hair the color of wheat and shiny like the sunshine and eyes as deep and blue as the ocean and the sky."
The affirmation that everything their Heda had been once again proven true caused a wave of whispers between the Ambassadors.
"She welcomed us in the camp, as if she expected our visit, and presented herself as Klark Grifin of the Sky People saying to be representing them. The second person to have come forward, the only adult of their camp, a man that had no respect from his people and ruled over them by force, told her she did not represent him."
As Onya said that Lexa knew that she was referring to Belomi Bleik, Klark's primary opponent in leading Skaikru and once her right hand man before he betrayed her for Paik. She wondered what had happened between them to bring them together when it was so obvious they had been of opposing minds from the start.
"The man named Belomi pulled a small Mounde weapon that could be held in one hand and pointed it at the Skai Prisa."
From the corner of her eyes Onya saw Lexa tense and had to keep a frown out of her face. If Heda's reaction to a simple threat to the Skai Prisa was so grand then she feared her losing control the day the girl would be hurt.
Hodnes laik kwelnes, she thought.
Making sure that Lexa's reaction passed unseen Onya carried on her recounting of the encounter.
"Skai Prisa did not frighten, on the contrary she dared the would be tyrant to kill her. As soon as he showed sign of hesitation she disarmed him in swift moves and great knowledge of the Mounde weapon but not before the weapon was fired."
Lexa felt her breath catch in her chest. Was Klark well? She couldn't have been hurt as she hadn't been the first time. No, she could not rely on information from her past future anymore as none of this had happened then. She clenched her jaw until it hurt. She had put Klark in danger for her own selfishness. Because she wanted to see her as soon as possible she had risked loosing her forever. This could no longer happen. Ever.
Her decision taken she relaxed and turned her attention back to Onya.
"... were relieved to see her well and unharmed which showed me that she was a loved and respected member of their society. She ordered the man be locked up until a decision could be taken and her people immediately complied, further proving that she is their unspoken leader."
Lexa felt the tension leave her as she understood that Klark was fine.
"Once order had returned Skai Prisa asked for forgiveness for not having food to welcome me and my men. Although they had no food to share Skai Prisa gifted both both Heda and I with a self-made alcoholic drink called Moonshine in the name of her People. She presented it as a sample of what they could trade if their people became friends and allies of Trikru."
Onya made a wave of her hand and one of her warriors came in with a tin bottle and another with a plate of thirteen glasses.
"I took the liberty of tasting both for poison. It is safe."
The gona with the bottle kneeled before his Heda, presenting bottle to her. She took it and sniffed the inside before taking a small gulp. The drink was sweet and had no more alcohol in it than their mead. In fact it was much better tasting. The Ambassadors followed their Heda's example and tried the drink, many were surprised by the taste of it.
"As you can see" said Onya "it is a promising venture. A drink of quality that, I have been told by our cooks, can be flavored with fruits."
"I highly doubt an entire clan can survive on producing alcohol!" Mocked the Azgeda Ambassador.
"And I would agree." Said Onya with a smile "if they only proposed this as their trade. Skai Prisa informed me that the rest of their people would come soon, that it was not something that they could control and that it was inevitable."
"Invasion!" shouted the Ambassador as he stood in anger.
"Shop of!" Ordered Lexa with a glare. "Let Onya finish."
The ambassador gruffly sat back down, not willing to oppose his Heda, especially not one who had proven she had the Spirits on her side.
"She then invited us to seat on obviously Lost World manufactured seats. It is my belief that Skaikru still uses Lost World items daily and know how to use them. It makes me believe that their lost knowledge comes from the Lost World's machines."
This time the general turned toward her Heda who nodded a second time in confirmation. Onya nodded back, not caring that the Ambassadors were whispering between them once again, making assumptions on what this meant.
"The meeting was open for all to hear, even the youngest of their people." Onya said, thinking of Klark's Seken. "I asked why it was so and she revealed that their leaders in the skai kept their meetings and decisions secret which lead to the death of hundred of their own. She said that she would not repeat the errors of the adults still in the skai."
Onya took a moment to let her words settle in before she carried on retelling the meeting.
"When I demanded to know why Skaikru was falling Skai Prisa started telling me the story of their people: the Skaikru went to the skai before the bombs ravaged the earth with the mission to wait and come back once it was safe."
Now Onya had the total attention of all the ambassadors as all had wondered what living in the skai would be like.
"For the last century, they did so until they started running low on ressources. Their Chancellor, chosen from their Council of highest ranked person of the Ark, their prison like home, started rationing severely, the guards that used to serve as security devolving into brutish enforcers. Then, not long ago, they found a problem in their machine to make air: soon there would be none of it left and all of them would die.
"Instead of doing what was right and warn their people to let them time to pay their goodbye, the Council decided to decrease the population by ordering that only one child be born out of each bonded couple and making any crime a death sentence. Except for a hundred of their youth that the leaders of the Ark sent on the ground in an attempt to discover wether it was safe to return or not."
"They had no certainty of their survival but still sent them? It is barbaric!" exclaimed the Flukru ambassador who was soon followed by mumbles of approval from several others.
"Klark kom Skaikru and her people agree with you which is why they wish to separate themselves from the People of the Ark."
Lexa just like the ambassadors was surprised by Onya's declaration. Back in her past future Klark had done everything in her power to reunite both those who were trapped in Maunde and those of the Ark. But then again that time she needed the armed force of the Ark to recuperate the survivors of the Hundred from the Coalition's enemy.
Maybe with the Kongeda not posing a threat to her friends she was incline to see her own people as a potential danger.
"The first thing Skai Prisa did" kept going Anya unaware of Leksa's pondering "was to certify me that their presence in Trikru territory was in no way an invasion and that they intended to behave by our rules. I believe her when she says so."
Once again the Azgeda Ambassador snorted however this time no one supported him in his derision as they were all too taken by Onya's tale to care about the rude man.
"She told me that the problem would come from those still in the skai. Their leaders had not expected Survivors of the war and have ruled unchallenged for so long that she fears they will want to do the same here, not respecting our territory and ways and trying to conquer us."
Once again the Ambassadors broke decorum and spoke one over the others. It went for a whole minute until Leksa shouted.
"Em pleni!"
She then turned to Onya, hiding her own concern and worries at what several Paiks could do to her people.
"General Onya, please tell the Ambassadors of Skai Prisa's solution to this predicament."
Leksa knew she was taking a gamble by saying this. She had no guaranties that Klark had a plan but knew her lover enough to know that she would not have made a target out of her people without a serious deterrent.
"Skai Prisa proposed to make herself and those of her people that are willing into cooperative hostages."
Polis = Coalition Capital
Kongeda = Coalition
Onya = Anya
Skaikru = Sky People
Seken = Second/Apprentice
Heda = Commander
Trikru = Tree People
Onya kom Trikru = Anya of the Tree People
Skat = Boy
Fin = Finn
Gona = Warrior
Maunde = Mountain
TonDC = Trikruu village
Skai Prisa = Sky Princess
Maunon Mountain Men
Klark Grifin = Clarke Griffin
Belomi Bleik = Ballamy Blake
Paik = Pike
Hodnes laik kwelnes = Love is Weakness
Azgeda = Ice Nation
Shop of = Shut Up
Em pleni = It's Enough