They knew that the sun would soon rise. Yet, the camp was still active. They heard the footsteps of everyone walking over their cell. Abby had been asleep for almost an hour now. They had spent a long time talking. All four had tried to find a solution. A way to escape. In vain. Octavia had her head bowed and gazed at the floor with a neutral look on her face. She had completely resigned herself to the situation.
In total darkness, Bellamy and Clarke hands found each other. Clarke draws her breath as she felt his palm against hers. They hold on tight, afraid to let go. Bellamy thought that faith had a weird way of working. Who would have guessed, so many years ago, that this little petite pretentious blonde princess would be one of the only people in the whole world that he can fully trust? One of the only people in the world with whom he can truly be himself?
Yeah, who would have guessed?
The guards then arrived in the prison. Octavia raised her head and Abby woke up, confused.
"What's going on?" Bellamy asked, getting up, quickly followed by Clarke, and then Abby and finally, Octavia.
"It's time." Say the guy who seemed to be the leader.
"Time for what?" Clarke wondered.
"The execution is set at dawn." The leader answered. "It's time."
Bellamy and Clarke exchanged glances.
"The execution?" Abby repeated, getting closer to her daughter, whom she grabbed by the hand.
"Please, stand aside from each other." The guard ordered, handcuffs in hand. "Don't make it harder than it already is."
They only needed a nod. With a perfectly synchronized movement, Bellamy and Clarke jumped on the guards. Which was, let's be honest, perfectly inefficient.
Even before Abby could throw herself on one guard, she was, like Clarke, pressing against the wall while Bellamy was held on the ground by two guards. Octavia, meanwhile, was barely restrained by the arm by one of the guards. She did not even try to defend herself.
"Don't touch them!" Bellamy screamed, fighting against the guards, who struck him in the stomach under the cries of Clarke's protestations.
It was hard, but the guards finally restrained them. They guided them outside, where everyone from the camp, except the children under 10 years old, were. They silently observed the prisoners being taken near four poles planted in the ground. Alongside them was Gellert, obviously, his commander-in-chief of the army, Maria and Echo. The latter watched them without a single trace of emotion.
Octavia stared at Echo with disdain. She thought that she deserved even more to die than herself. Which was, well, quite something.
"Tie them up." Gellert ordered.
They tied Abby first, then Clarke, Bellamy and Octavia. They had their hands tied up above their heads and their feet were tied to the posts. It was almost impossible for them to make the slightest movement.
"Let's start with her." Said Gellert, pointing at Abby.
"No, no, no – wait, please, don't. I'm sure we can make a deal!" Clarke exclaimed, trying to negotiate with the tyrant.
"It's not the time anymore for deals, Clarke."
She had slightly forgot, in the past six years, what it was to truly fear. And in the past days, everything had come rushing back. It was almost too much. Her friends, her enemies...
Bellamy glanced at Octavia, who was looking at the ground, briefly thinking that, at least, he wouldn't have to watch her die.
But then he glanced the other way, and it wasn't any better.
Bellamy's eyes caught Clarke's. Hers looked completely panicked. But there was something else too, something that changed as soon as she catches his glance. Something that was in Bellamy's, too. They could see in the eyes of the other the same things. Everything they never dared to say out loud was right there, open and vulnerable.
"Have we lost our chance once again?" they both thought.
They thought about everything they went through together. And apart. Everything they wish they had shared. Everything they wouldn't live together.
"I know." Clarke simply said.
He nodded and repeated the same thing. He was unable to say something else. Just like her. It sounds way too much like goodbyes. And their fight couldn't be over. Not like this. Not now. Even when all hopes seemed lost, they couldn't accept this truth. They would fight until the very end of times.
--
At the same time, their allies fighters were waiting by the South side, where only maybe a quarter of the Miners soldiers were.
"That's a shitload of guards they have on the North side."
"Language, Murphy."
"Yeah, yeah, sorry Harper, but I just can't believe this stupid plan actually worked."
"No, Raven was right." Kane said, holding his gun tight near him. "They intercepted our communications. Thanks to Echo, they're now sure that we are going to attack from everywhere but South. Less soldiers for us. It's a chance that she knows that girl so well."
"Yeah, they're so lucky, they were living with a psycho." Miller jokes.
"Well if Tram's theory's true, we wouldn't be the only ones who lived with a psycho." Monty snapped back.
"Oh wow, ok, rude."
"Will you stop talking." Indra's voice said, coming from behind and followed by the last group of fighters they had.
"Wait, she shouldn't be here." Kane said, looking at Madi, who was right by Indra's side.
"I'm strong. I can fight. Clarke taught me everything."
"You're just a child."
"So what?"
"She showed me her skills. She can fight." Indra said.
"Clarke's going to kill us all if Madi comes with us." Murphy adds jokingly, but at the same time very serious
"We had younger fighters back then."
"Not sure that's a good example, actually."
"No, sorry, she can't come. Madi, you should be with the – "
Before he can continue, Kane is interrupted by his radio from which comes the voice of Raven.
"I know we're not suppose to use the radios, but Emori told me that Madi -"
"She is fine." Kane answers before she even finishes.
A beat. Then; "Please, tell me you're kidding."
"I wish."
"I'm gonna be fine!" Madi shouts. "We're wasting time now."
"She's right. And look, something's weird." Harper mentioned.
"What are you talking about?" Monty asks.
They moved into position and quickly, it was easy to see that indeed, something was strange. The only guards who guarded the south side of the camp seemed distracted and kept glancing behind their shoulders.
"What's going on in there?" Miller questioned.
Right as he said that, they heard the first screams. It was easy to say that it was at least two people voices.
"Shit, what do we do?"
"I guess we're gonna barge in there and kill every single one of them. See Miller, it wasn't that stupid." Murphy say as they all get up and run to the camp.
--
Abby looked at her daughter crying and screaming beside her. She tried to give her a reassuring smile, but her strength failed her. She felt tears running down her cheeks as the pain was surprisingly less and less strong.
She vaguely realized that Bellamy himself had some tears running down his cheeks and that Octavia seemed suddenly panicked. She had eyes only for her daughter, who was crying all the tears in her body. Abby thought that no child should see his parents die in those ways. First Jake, then herself...
She glanced briefly at the wound. She was bleeding profusely. They had removed the dagger that had stabbed her so that the blood flowed. It was smart. Lots of pain, but a guaranteed death.
"May we meet again." She murmured to her daughter as life left her forever.
"No!" Clarke screamed again, and again, and again, until her voice was gone and her pain was the only thing left in her body.
Then, all at once, it was complete disorder. Shots rang out, as the Miners tried to control the intrusion.
"Kill them all!" exclaimed Gellert.
"You!" he shouted, grabbing Echo by the arm. "You betrayed us!"
"What? No! I really believed that -"
She couldn't even finish her sentence that she was thrown to the ground by Gellert.
"Do you want the honors?" He asked Maria, who approached, rifle in hand.
But there was something nobody had expected. Nobody would have imagined that while Bellamy and Clarke were fighting against the guards earlier, Octavia had had the opportunity to steal the keys from the handcuffs to the guard who was holding her. He had not paid any attention to her, too focused on the battle.
Thus, Octavia managed to break away, still protected by the noise and confusion around her. Then, with a quick movement, she untied Bellamy and Clarke while Echo still had Maria's weapon pointed straight at her.
They grabbed the weapons of the fallen soldiers. Bellamy shot at Maria, who collapsed directly.
"Clarke!" shouts Octavia when she saw that Gellert had pointed his weapon right at her.
Then, something else happened that no one had planned.
Echo got up and, as Gellert fired, intercepted the bullet, which hit her hard. Bellamy then shot Gellert, who died instantly, as Echo fell to the floor. She was still breathing, but she didn't have much time left.
"I'm sorry." she whispered as her last words.
Clarke and Bellamy only had time to exchange a single glance before they were taken back by the battle. Back to back, they fought against the Miners, alongside their friends who had come to save them.
"Guess you didn't really want to die, after all." Bellamy shouts at his sister, who was fighting right next to them.
"Oh, I wanted to. But I never said that you guys deserved to die, too." She paused, then. "I wanted to intervene before Abby... Well, I didn't have time. I'm sorry, Clarke."
"Let's not talk about this right now." Clarke whisper, but then saw someone familiar in the crowd of fighters. "What is she doing here?" She shouts, running towards her daughter.
She fired at a soldier who was aiming at Madi, then fell to her knees to hug her, as the battle was growing silent around them.
It was finally the end.
"I didn't think I would ever say that one day, but I miss my lessons." Madi said, her face hiding in Clarke's neck as she gave her back her hug with all her strength.
Clarke chuckled. "Yeah, me too."
She glanced at Bellamy, who had his arms wrapped around Octavia's shoulders.
"Things are going to be better now. I swear."
"Just like before?"
"Even better."
"Are you going to tell him this time?"
"Tell him what?"
Madi just looked at her, not even responding.
"Oh... Yeah. I will."
"When?"
"Right now?"
"Sounds like a plan. Go on, then." Madi glances at Bellamy, who was looking at them. "He's waiting for you."
Clarke kissed her cheek and got up, walking to Bellamy, who abruptly stopped his conversation with Murphy, who had just joined him. He only had a few steps to make to be in front of Clarke, but he felt like they lasted for days. Like it was in slow-motion.
It was the most natural movement in the world. Clarke stood on tiptoe and put her arms around Bellamy's neck. With one arm he squeezed her tightly against him, while the other leaned on her cheek, and then in her hair.
And finally, their lips met. It was as if a firework had just exploded inside their body. A new war could have erupted around them that they wouldn't have noticed nothing, too focused on the other's lips. Suddenly, everything seemed to make sense. All this had been worth it, if this was the reward.
Well, almost everything.
They didn't even hear Murphy jokingly saying, "About damn time.". The only thing that mattered right now was the other. And the love they finally were able to express.
"I love you." Bellamy whispered against her lips. It's so soft that for a split second, she wonders if she'd imagined it all.
"I love you too." She answered.
Because even after so many years, this was still the only thing she was a hundred percent sure about. She loved him, she loves him still, and always will.
And they both knew that together would mean so much more, now.
