Author's Note: Hello all! I am back :) I've been writing this chapter in little bits since the last chapter. As always, more will be revealed in this piece of the puzzle. We pick up exactly where we left off and the aftermath of it. I'm LOVING the most recent reviews. You guys are awesome and keep it coming! Today's song pays homage to The Greatest Showman. The whole theme of this chapter is to basically show that not everyone shares the same "truth." If that doesn't make sense, then read ahead to get a clue!

As always, please read, review, follow, favorite! I love your guys' support. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 9: The Other Side

Clarke POV:

"You!" I accused with a vicious lilt to my voice. Some unconscious part of my mind began to take over my body. My targeted gaze remained on her face and I felt the sting of connecting skin as I punched her. When did I even stand up?

"What the hell Clarke?!" Raven yelled at me with panic in her eyes. She bent down to help the grounder princess as I stood over her, seething.

Anya looked to me with eyes mirroring my own. A red spot began to form on her earth-tanned cheek and I inwardly smirked with satisfaction towards the older woman. "Typical Skaikru… always rushing to violence," Anya muttered in a gravelly tone.

"Us? Us?!" I yelled. "YOUR warriors attacked my people first. YOU killed our chancellor and… and my best friend!" I could hear my voice beginning to crack with the emotion I tried so hard to keep level. Although I seethed at the woman in front of me, memories of Wells overtook the emotion of total hated I felt in the moment.

His eyes… so full of fear and worry for both himself and his father, and then nothing. His beautiful, round eyes remained open but there was no emotion to convey when he lay dead. My mom was fiercely trying to revive the chancellor, Pike was yelling obscenities at the quickly-exiting Grounder party, all the while I remained holding Wells' cold hand. Soon enough, the room had been cleared out, and Chancellor Jaha's body was being taken away. The people who were coming to collect Wells waited for me patiently to pull away from the preteen, and eventually had to grab my mother to coax me away. The whole situation was just traumatizing. How could one just watch their best friend die? How do you come back from that?

Someone laid a gentle hand on my shoulder and I looked over to see Octavia's reassuring green eyes staring at me, knowing my thoughts immediately. She didn't say anything – she didn't need to. How could I ever come back from that?

I retreated to my chair and gave the vile Grounder some space. Soon, everyone followed suit and Raven even pulled up two chairs for herself and Anya on the opposite side of the table.

"Look," Raven said sternly, darting her eyes between us and the princess. "She's here for a reason just like you're all here for a reason. You all have one common goal, which is to take out Arkadia's leader. How about we talk about that instead of fighting?"

Well someone knew how to command a room. Raven's words spoken and her fiery gaze acquired my most acute attention.

"With all due respect, shouldn't you be dead?" Ben asked. He sat along with the rest of the group, but he partially shielded Monty from the rest of the table. I would've done the same thing. Even Bellamy sat more forward in his seat to protect the slightly younger companion.

"Yes, well…" Anya stated while dusting her already dirty clothes. "Your monarch saw to that."

"What do you mean? What happened?" Octavia asked.

Even I was curious about Anya's whereabouts up until this point.

"One could say that Princess Anya is dead and has been dead. For the past several years, I have gone by the name of Arya," she said while looking between us.

"How conspicuous…" muttered Octavia. Bellamy sent a death glare her way, but Octavia didn't care.

"There are only a handful of people who know me by my true name and clan, Raven and Wick being two of them," Anya stated. "My own people have forgotten me." At this, Anya finally seemed to show a semblance of sadness. Behind the hard exterior of her face were the raw emotions of abandonment.

It was a look I was becoming all-too familiar with.

"Alright! How's everyone enjoying their food?" Wick asked as he burst into the room.

The room took an awkward silent pause. "Oh… shit. I'm interrupting something here, huh?" the man in question asked.

"Sweetie," Raven said with a sweet smile which molded into what could only be described as a trademark resting-bitch-face. "Get out."

"Uhhh, okay love," he smiled nervously as the room began to let out soft giggles.

Raven rolled her eyes, and everyone gradually began picking at their food, still weary of the grounder princess.

"Hey," Bellamy spoke in a soft voice, cupping my elbow lightly. "You okay?"

Was I okay? "I… don't really know," I said back, as I smiled softly at Bellamy's loving nature.

"Hmph," Anya huffed from the other side of the table, looking disgusted with our exchange.

Annoyance filled my system, yet I wasn't the one to speak. Instead, Bellamy said, "You have an issue?"

"No," she stated nonchalantly. "I just remember my lover from before your people burned my village to the ground."

My mind hung on the word 'lover,' but I couldn't let myself become too engrossed with that now. "Sorry, Arya, but I can't speak upon their actions." I never could on that matter.

While I grieved Wells and his father, I never could justify the slaughtering of a whole village. "But… never mind the past," I said. I pushed Wells' haunted and empty eyes to the very back of my mind. "Raven was right, we have a common enemy in Charles Pike."

"So just kill him," Anya said matter-of-factly while biting into a roll.

"It's a little more difficult than that…" Ben said.

"Until recent, our people haven't been given a reason to go against him," Bellamy stated. "Pike's a fucking snake of a man with a loyal guard to go along and enforce his law."

I could hear the passion in his voice and had to stop him from snapping the handle off his fork.

"Strong words from someone who has done nothing," Anya emphasized, with her now-signature bored tone.

Bellamy was about to start arguing with Anya, but I interjected. "You're right," I stated plainly, sending Bellamy a look to calm down. "You're absolutely right. Which is why we need your help… to stop him and stop his reign."

"Hah! And what do you suppose I'll get from this transaction?" Anya's interest seemed to pique.

"Your status. Your freedom," I claimed wistfully.

"And who's to say that I'm not already free?" Anya asked with a smirk.

I rested my hands on the table and folded them politely. "Because people like you and me feel trapped when on the run – when hiding."

Hook. Line. And sinker.

The room went silent, mind the occasional clink of someone's fork against a plate. Not even the common noises of the hotel seemed to penetrate the deafening silence of the dining room.

"Raven talked a great deal about you, Clarke Griffin. And of your mother as well. Abigail Griffin is the reason I am now alive. She asked that I fulfil a favor of her daughter's when the time came," Anya stated. "And now I must uphold that promise."

I felt a sigh of relief barely escape my chest at this news – at the woman with whom I hated so much.

"My mom said that there was someone who could help us take Pike out of office, as well as his adversaries. What can you offer us?" I asked.

She thought about her answer for a moment and looked to me wearily. "You need an army to take out those monster killers," Anya said while scrunching up her nose.

"Progressives," everyone in the room groaned at the same time. It almost brought a smile to my face.

"I can request an appearance with our Commander," Anya stated while stroking her chin. "Between the Commander's personal army and the foot soldiers of the other eleven clans, it might just be enough."

The Commander must have been their grand monarch. "When can we meet with this Commander?" Ben asked, hands folded on the table.

"Only one of you may take this journey. Our Heda does not take kindly to multiple strangers of Skaikru showing up out of nowhere," Anya stated to Ben specifically. "Clarke will be that person."

"No… no way!" Bellamy yelled. "She's not walking into enemy territory alone!"

His features flared with anger at the prospect of my journeying alone, while Anya remained rather amused.

"Bell… stop," I stated. "It's fine, it'll be fine."

"No, Clarke!" he stated aloud. Much quieter he said, "I can't lose you again. Not now…."

"You're not losing me though," I said intimately. "I'll come back. I'll come back to you, I promise."

Surely, I had no clue as to what we were – if labels were even important anymore – but what I felt for the man beside me was enough to get me back to him at all costs.

"You are both too damned strong-willed for your own goods. I can already see in your eyes, Bellamy, that you will follow no matter the warning I heed," Anya pressed. "Clarke and Bellamy will make the trip. The rest shall remain at The Inn for further instruction."

I could feel the nervous energy in the room and everybody's desire to argue with this prospect. I nodded my reassurance to them and shook my head at the others to keep from argumentation.

The food was long forgotten at this point.

"When do we leave?" Bellamy asked.

"I will leave tomorrow and present myself to the Heda," Anya stated firmly. "You will both leave the day after tomorrow for Polis and hopefully we can come to some agreement.

After all, the enemy of my enemy was supposedly my friend. We had to try this. "Sounds great," I stated, not totally meaning it.

XXXXXXXXXX

I continued to eat the wondrous food without complaint although my stomach was left in knots. I still had so many questions; I still had so much hate for the woman across the table.

Little bits of conversation filtered around the enormous table, but none of it loud enough to fill the void of the room. Raven sure did have one impressive piece of architecture here. But even with the room's enormity, the walls felt like they were closing in on me and the voices of my peers felt as piercing as tinnitus, the food as bitter as poison in my mouth. "I'm gonna walk the grounds," I abruptly stated to Bellamy who was discussing the finesse of bowhunting with Monty quietly.

"You want me to come along?" he asked immediately, Monty looking to us inquisitively.

I shook my head no and received a sad smile from Bellamy signaling that he reluctantly understood. "We'll talk later," I stated firmly and caressed his upper arm lightly.

On my way out, I saw Jasper talking to Raven and gesturing wildly at her leg brace, both reminiscing over my mother. I couldn't help feeling more out-of-place even if I tried. What with Raven being so close to my dad and Sinclair, and Jasper being so close with my mother, I felt as if I was intruding on my own family business. "Raven, mind if I steal you away for a second?"

"Yeah," she said to me. She first turned her attention back to Jasper. "When I get back, I'll tell you the modifications I made to make this damn thing accessible."

"Right on!" Jasper stated. "Maybe when we make it back to Arkadia, we can send some braces your way to modify to suit people better," he said with glee.

I couldn't help smiling at Jasper's elation for the future, whereas I could only conjure up a grimace.

Raven and I walked out the door together and down a couple hallways. "Should we really leave Hot Head in there with Anya?" she asked.

"Maybe, maybe not," I claimed distantly.

Raven looked at me sternly, with a no-bullshit attitude that was becoming trademark. "As far as I've seen, you're the only one I really need to worry about losing their shit. Don't gotta worry about Bellamy when he's not the one throwin' punches."

I looked to the floor then, ashamed of my actions. "Right. I'm sorry…"

"No, don't apologize for what you thought was right. But did she deserve it? Probably not," Raven interrupted.

"I don't think I understand…" I said, confused.

"Everyone has their own truth. Know yours – hell, own it!" Raven said confrontationally. "But respect hers, too."

"That's not what I was going to apologize for," I stated although I began to understand what she truly meant.

"Then what for?" the spunky brunette pondered.

"I'm sorry for pushing you down… that was wrong of me," I said.

"Already forgiven," she said back. "Right out that door at the end of the hallway leads to the gardens. Has an ocean view," she claimed while walking away.

Upon walking out the doors, I was met with a chilling breeze that I wasn't quite prepared for. I hadn't brought my jacket to dinner, but was regretting the lack of clothing now as I tried to pull my sleeves down to cover my hands.

The scents from the garden were absolutely heavenly. Different plants and flowers littered the patch of greenery, some I recognized, some I didn't. the air felt perfumed with their wondrous smells but it wasn't overwhelming in the slightest.

And man, was Raven right about the ocean view! One could hardly call it a view when the water was right there. Every time the waves crashed against the shore, I could feel the ever-so-slight spray of water hit my face.

I walked the gardens for quite some time, ignoring the slight cramping in my side. The wound didn't need nearly as much attention, but it could still be a pain in the ass.

The cramping became more painful as time went by, and I decided to take a seat at one of the picnic benches that was in the middle of the gardens, resting my arms against the cool concrete. Maybe I could take Bellamy here tomorrow… The thought brought a slight smile to my face.

But then my smile dropped as thoughts of Wells Jaha filled my mind.

Sitting amongst the beautiful flowers and exotic plants, I thought about what Wells would have thought of this place. Politics was never Wells' chosen dream, it was just some responsibility that was placed on him before he was even born. When we had landed on Earth, Wells had become almost obsessed with the local plant life and its comparison to the plants that inhabited Earth before nuclear war.

I even helped him steal an encyclopedia from the library, so he could just have it ready. Nobody ever wanted to use it, and we figured it wouldn't be missed. "Ooooh, we're so badass. We stole a library book," we would joke with each other.

And then other days, Wells would joke "If politics don't work out for me and everyone turns out hating me, then I can just run to the woods and become a hermit."

"And I'll just have to come with you, because even a hermit needs to have a best friend as great as me!" I said back.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Wells would say more seriously.

I'll never forget you, Wells….

"Pleasant night, is it not?" came a low voice from behind me.

I cursed myself for letting my guard down. "It is, this place is incredible."

"May I sit?" Anya stated, gesturing lightly to the seat across from me.

I nodded my head curtly and deemed that her presence was safe. Surely, she wouldn't kill me – if she kills me, she kills her chances of gaining her identity and status back.

"Polis will be a lot different from Raven's… crowded streets, lots of people trying to sell you food, jewels, clothing, weapons. Lots of guards, especially the closer that you get to the Heda's tower," Anya stated in a serious tone as I took mental notes.

"How should Bellamy and I present ourselves to your commander?" I asked.

"Be humble and remember your place. You are Skaikru, not a friend. Remember that," Anya said rather harshly.

"Ouch."

"Would you expect anything less? Your people have destroyed countless villages of ours – villages that don't even house our warriors," she continued.

Pushing down the immense guilt I felt towards the actions of my people, I asked, "So what is your role in all of this?"

"The plan is for me to leave tomorrow morning and present myself to the Heda. I never met her before I was declared leader of my village, so it will take time to convince her that I am who I say I am. After all, 'Anya' is technically dead," she chuckled a little.

"Well not anymore," I said inspiringly.

"Right," we both paused. "You and Bellamy will join hopefully a day or two after. That should give me enough time to convince the commander of my own identity and prepare her for your presence."

"Do you have a map?" I asked, remembering that I had no idea where Polis was.

"I have one in my pack and will pass it to you tomorrow morning."

"Okay… alright," I said, while the anxiety built up in my chest. "What could go wrong?" I joked.

"I betray you and you and all your friends are killed," she said curtly.

"Oh, so you don't know what sarcasm is…" I said.

"Oh, I do," Anya smirked slightly as we let the silence hang between us for a few seconds.

"How do you know my mom?" I asked, remembering the small detail from dinner.

"Your mother saved my life," Anya said. "If it wasn't for her… I might not be here today. She found me in the woods nearly dead and brought me back to your medical facility."

"How?" I asked. How did mom get passed all the security?

"She reassured me that she had done what she did for me many times before and that I could trust her. Naturally, I didn't. I was in enemy territory after all," Anya said.

"I had no idea…" I claimed, questioning all the times my mom came home late.

"Your mom," Anya said looking me dead in the eye, "She knew it would come to this at some point. When she found me… it was only two days after we met for the peace negotiations. My people were gone, and I fled. Somebody had shot me, but I just kept running and running. I didn't know where to. I kept running until I thought that no one would follow me," Anya almost whispered. "I knew my people… were dead," she took a long pause. "I couldn't make it to Polis and couldn't tell the direction I was going in... I thought I would just die. When your mom found me, she told me that a bullet nicked my femoral artery and that I was lucky to even be alive."

I made a risky choice and gently laid a hand across her wrist that rested on the table. "I'm sorry for what we did to you. Even after Jaha… that was unspeakable."

She took her hand back from my own with discomfort in her posture. "Clarke… you should know something."

The air between us stilled for several moments; The crashing of the waves became silent; the perfumes from the plant life were halted.

"My people did not murder your Chancellor…" she whispered as if it were a secret. "We were eager to agree upon peace and felt that we could learn a lot from the group of people that fell from space, and share resources."

"You thought we could work together…" I said.

"I did," Anya admitted.

"I did too, even though I was too young to really understand all the politics," I claimed.

"But you're older now and you still see a possibility of peace between our clans. That... that takes courage," Anya reassured.

"Do you? Still want peace, that is?" I asked suddenly. After all, I needed to know if her heart was going to be in her mission.

"I want peace with the people who also want peace," she stated matter-of-fact. Changing gears, "You don't seem surprised about what I told you… about Chancellor Jaha and his son – your friend," Anya said in her own surprised tone.

"Yeah…" I said calmly. "Yeah, I think I've known that… to some extent. I mean, it makes sense. It was just easier to blame it on someone else, not one of my own people."

"Do you know who could've done something like that?"

"Yeah, unfortunately I do," I claimed. "Pike."

"Pike… makes sense," Anya shook her head in agreement. "Fuel to the fire," she ended with.

I could once again hear the waves and feel the slight chill of the spray hitting my face. I could smell the floral scents from around us. I could feel the earth beneath my feet and the cool concrete of the bench.

"Fuel to the fire," I repeated.

So, I'm sure that some of you guessed it. It wasn't the Grounders that poisoned the Jaha's! As it turns out, Anya isn't the worst person ever. We got some insight to the upcoming plan for our heroes, and there is lots of Bellarke coming your way! I'm thinking of doing a little fluff chapter for our group of delinquents next up just taking advantage of the Inn and the water before getting back into the plot. Thoughts?

Keep it classy, guys!