Chapter 14: Ruler gon Faya (Ruler of Fire)
'Honestly,' Clarke thinks, 'people need to stop fainting around me. '
'Then stop doing things that'll make them faint. ' death snarks at her, slightly subdued due to the….painful and sudden jerk to the past he took earlier.
'I don't try to.' Clarke tells him, rolling her eyes.
'I feel like that makes it worse.' Death tells her before retreating back into his spot upon seeing lexa enter the tent.
"Clarke the hide for the Purana should arrive at your camp within the next few days." Lexa tells her, coming back from whoever she disappeared to.
Clarke nods, not really wanting it but knowing it would be seen as disrespectful to decline.
"Ren, the guard," Lexa begins, "is being… Retrieved. Would you mind staying for his ceremony?"
Clarke smiles grimly as she stands up. Walking over to lexa she rests her hand on her forearm, "I shall make sure he passes quickly." She promises, hoping to help Lexa by even the smallest amount.
"Mochof." Lexa tells her dipping her head slightly.
Clarke squeezes her arm slightly in a last attempt to comfort before she drops it, knowing that someone could walk in and see.
'Can't even show emotions. ' Clarke thinks bitterly while glancing at Lexa briefly. She curses whatever made these people decide their emotions are weakness.
'It was probably us.' Death whispers faintly, almost too quiet to be heard. Clarke clenches her hands as they rest by her side.
'We are not monsters.' She swears viciously, 'we do not deserve to be treated as one.'
'There are no good guys Clarke, only the wicked and those pretending.' Death tells her, voice quiet and resigned, like He's stating a fact and not preaching about how there are no good people. He goes dormant again, not wanting to argue anymore.
Clarke wants to call him a coward, but she knows the toll this taking on him. She can feel it in her bones, dragging her down.
"Clarke?" She hears Lexa ask distantly.
"Hmm I'm sorry I was-"
"Talking to death?" Lexa questions though it sounds more like a statement.
Clarke nods, embarrassed for zoning out in front of her.
Seeing this embarrassment Lexa begins speaking, before she can even think about it.
"I do it too."
Clarke's eyes snap to lexas captivating green ones. She's surprised, normally the commander wouldn't admit to this weakness.
"You do?" Clarke questions.
Lexa nods,"There is no reason to be ashamed. When the spirits demand attention, we as their host have no choice but to five it. "
Clarke's eyes soften, it's nice having someone understand the constant emotions and pressure she gets from being a host.
"Thank you Leska." Clarke tells her softly, causing Lexa's breath catch.
"Anytime." She promises before excusing herself to prepare for her guards pyre.
Clarke stares after his retreating form until she can no longer see her.
"Maybe I don't have to be alone." She whispers to herself, ignoring Death's obnoxious cheering.
'YOO clexa ia happening!'
'The fuck ia clexa?!' Clarke asks him concerned. How doesn't answer which freaks her out more.
"Yu gonplei ste odon." Lexa says quietly before lighting the pyre.
Losing one of her people is always hard but she's learned how to hide how it affects her very earlier on in her leadership.
Stepping back Lexa looks to Clarke for a moment before staring at the burning fire.
"May your soul rest peaceful." Clarke whispers, so quiet Lexa could hear because of her enhanced hearing.
Lexa exhales slowly, thankful for what Clarke did. WanHeda telling her lost people's souls to find peace relaxes her greatly.
"Thank you. " Lexa whispers just as quietly, hand moving slightly so she can hook her pinky with Clarke's.
They stand there, surrounded by Lexas people in silence, a bond forming in their souls and traveling across their connected fingers.
"Life should be more than just surviving." Clarke whispers to lexa, and for the first time in her life lexa agrees.
After the pyre Clarke and her group, accompanied by Anya and Gustus set off on the small journey back to Camp 'Skai brawnda', as Anya lovingly started calling it.
"So cheek bones, when are you going to let me that horse?" Raven asks Anya jokingly.
'They must have met sometime yesterday.' Clarke thinks looking at them, taking I'm the way they seem to gravitate towards each other.
'Probably when you were seducing Heda.'
'I was not seducing anyone?!' Clarke denies fervently.
'Suuure you weren't.' Death tells her doubtfully.
'Whatever.' Clarke huffs, a small almost unnoticeable pout forming.
"What's got your panties in a twist grumpy cat?" Raven teases, having seen the pout.
"Shut it Bird, go back to trying to get into the Generals pants" Clarke tells her causing Raven to burst out laughing and Anya to look at her in horror.
Seeing Anya's genuine horror Clarke can't help but start suffocating on her own laughter, like Raven.
"Stop laughing." Anya demands a moment later, a death glare burning into the side of her head.
Clarke clears her face of all signs of her previous humor.
"I'm not." She denies.
Anya just glares harder.
Clarkes lips quirk up slightly, 'I'm so telling lexa this next time I see her.' She thinks.
"Look! I can see camp!" Wells cheers from his spot by gustus at the front of the group.
"Wow, sooo cool." Murphy drawls out from his place behind Clarke.
"Stop it." Clarke says, putting a stop to their oncoming argument.
'I don't want to deal with that headache again.' Clarke tells herself, making a mental note ro keep them apart, or at least away from her.
Clarke opens her mouth to thank the grounders for accompanying them back to camp but is stopped by a low horn like sounds rumbling across the sky.
"What-" Raven begins but is cut off by Anya's fearful whisper.
"Reapers."
'Reapers?!' Clarke thinks alarmed.
'Basically cannibals that can't feel pain, get everyone into the drop ship now!' Death commands quickly.
Jerking into action Clarke starts yelling, loud enough for the within camp to hear.
"EVERYONE INTO THE DROPSHIP NOW!"
Once she's done she grabs those closest to her and begins sprinting. Anya surprisingly doesn't object to being manhandled which would have shocked Clarke if they weren't ruining for their life.
Once she reaches the hatch shs begins pushing those around her in.
"EVERYONE IN!" She yells.
After a few moments she looks around she sees that she's the last one left to enter. Turning around to go in she's stopped by death.
'No you're not going in.'
'Do you want me to die?!' Clarke asks.
'Your not dying, close the hatch.' He commands,his voice transforming into the powerful commanding tone she hasn't heard in a while.
'Yes sir.' She complies, falling right back into the role of mentor and student she hasn't been in since the ark.
Stepping back she glances around to man sure no reapers are around yet.
"Clarke?!" Charlotte asks, scared, seeing that she isn't joining them.
Clarke looks at her, her eyes softening. A reassuring smile growing on her face in an attempt to calm her.
"Close the hatch Murphy." She says calmly, like she isnt basically commanding her friend to lock her outside with what seems to be certain death.
"What?! No!" He objects but Clarke's look stops him. She isn't looking at him like a friend anymore but a leader demanding they follow her command.
"Close it." She says again, reaching out her sense to try and feel where the reapers are. They're close, Inhaling sharply she barks out,
"Now!" The harshness of her tone forcing him into motion.
"You better not die Clarke."
"I won't." She promises, forcing herself to ignoring the confused shouts.
"For my people." She tells herself once the hatch closes all the way.
"Kneel." Death demands, his silhouette forming in front of her.
Clarke drops to her knees gracefully, looking up she stares death in the hollow holes where his eyes should be. Out of the corner of her eyes she sees a large group of reapers darting out from the trees.
"Clarke." Death says getting her attention, a question lingering in his voice.
Clarkes attention snaps back to him. She nods.
"For my people." She repeats. Death nods his hand coming up and resting on her sunkissed wavy hair.
The reapers begin closing in and eventually Clarke's form disappears from view.
The earth grows still, the birds stop chirping, the wind stops blowing and suddenly it happens.
Clarke's scream breaks through the stillness, loud and blood curling and with that scream comes the fire. It rolls in waves, seemingly coming from every inch of her body.
It flows and flows till all that's left is a screaming girl and a river of ash.
"Yu gonplei ste odon." Death whispers from above.