Ai Hod Yu In
Chapter 16
A/N: I'm actually amazed at how much I've managed to write these past few days. And this chapter is super long for me too. Hope you guys enjoy it!
When Clarke entered the room where her mother and Kane were, she had never felt so awkward. Her mother rushed to hug her, and she couldn't even let her enjoy it. She wished she could, but it just reminded her that she didn't deserve the comfort of her mother's arms around her. She'd almost murdered somebody today.
"I have something to tell you and we don't have much time," Clarke told her mother.
"Wait a minute. Just let me look at you. And where is this baby I hear you've been travelling with? I want to look her over, make sure it's healthy before we return it to its family."
"You'll have plenty of time to catch up once we get back home." Kane said, putting his hand on her mother's shoulder.
"The commander's changing the terms of the summit." Marcus looked alarmed at that.
"Is this because of Mount Weather?" he asked.
"This is because of the Ice Nation. They want Lexa dead. They want to take over the coalition," Clarke told them.
"That's Lexa's concern, not ours," her mother responded.
"No, Abby. If Lexa falls, the coalition shatters. And there's no way we avoid that war." Marcus then turned to her, "You said there were new terms."
"We become the thirteenth clan."
Silence fell after that for a moment. Clarke really wished that someone would say something, but instead Marcus turned to start pacing.
"The thirteenth clan, what does that mean?" her mother asked her, "That we follow Lexa?"
"Yes."
"We came here to negotiate a treaty."
"This is our Unity Day, Mom. You can be the thirteenth station or you can be the thirteenth clan. I'd suggest the thirteenth clan for us. We all know what happened to the thirteenth station, after all."
"Marcus?" the woman turned to him.
"Clarke's right," he began, "I've seen the Ice Nation Army. And we don't stand a chance against them. We need to do this."
"So we become the thirteenth clan… Then what? What's gonna stop the Ice Nation?" It was a solid question, and one that she and Lexa had already discussed.
"Wanheda."
With that, Clarke left to get ready. She checked up on Madi, who she'd left in her rooms only a few doors over. She and Lexa had argued a bit over whether she could bring Madi to the summit, but Clarke supposed she was going to have to get used to not having the little girl with her all the time if she was going to do as she'd said. Lexa had sworn that the woman that she would be leaving Madi with would not allow anything to her. Personally, she'd prefer if her child just never left her side, but she needed tonight to go well. It would mean that even if someone were to find out about Madi's blood, she would still be safe.
For tonight, she'd dress up nice and play the part well. She'd ensure that no one suspected what her true agenda was. She'd help Lexa overcome the Ice Nation.
Lexa stood as she opened the door. Ambassadors from all the clans gathered around the room. A grounder girl was singing as entertainment for the night. Everyone in the room was staring at Clarke herself, though. Everyone was waiting for the great Wanheda to bow before the commander. It was a punch to her pride, of course, but the reward greatly outweighed it. She kneeled, bowing her head. She could hear others following suit, following her lead. Their plan might yet work, it appeared.
"Hail warriors of the twelve clans." Lexa called.
"Hail commander of the blood." Everyone else called back to her.
"Rise," she commanded. There was a bit of a shuffle as everyone rose to their feet. Clarke looked at Lexa for a moment before she went to the side to join her mother, "We welcome Skaikru to our halls in the spirit of friendship and harmony. And we welcome Clarke kom Skaikru, legendary Wanheda mountain slayer. The reason for the summit has changed. We are not here to negotiate a treaty with the Skaikru, but rather to initiate them into the coalition. However, Skaikru children may not become Novitiates or Commanders. It has been decided that they should instead live out their lives among their clan."
All the clan members spent some moments murmuring amongst themselves in shock. Not only were they planning on letting in another clan, but they also planned to exclude natblidas based on clan? It was unheard of.
"To symbolize this union, the leader of Skaikru must bear our mark," Lexa told them all. Clarke could hear her mother and Kane talking amongst themselves to her side.
"The honor should be yours," her mother whispered to him. Kane and Lexa each nodded at each other.
"Present your arm." A man took the hot metal out of the fire at last. It burned red hot. Kane rolled up the sleeve of his right forearm and held it out, and the man pressed it to his skin. Kane was clearly fighting back a scream as the iron caused his skin to sizzle.
Too bad things had to go wrong at that moment. The doors to the room burst open, and Clarke was shocked to recognize Bellamy there. He was walking fine, thankfully. Unfortunately, he did have a gun pressed to a guard's neck.
This was the first time Clarke had seen Bellamy since she truly admitted to herself that she was in love with him. Truthfully, she had been daydreaming about full-on kissing him when she saw him again, but she figured that might not go so well with all the ambassadors and Lexa.
"Bellamy?" she called out to him.
"What is the meaning of this?" the bald man Clarke was pretty sure was called Titus asked.
"The summit's a trap. We need to get you out of here." Bellamy told her.
"What the hell is going on?" Clarke asked, whirling towards Lexa. If this was a trap, she had to get to Madi. She'd been so stupid, thinking that she might possibly be able to trust Lexa.
"I don't know," Lexa responded, anger and confusion obvious in her voice.
"It's the Ice Nation," Bellamy accused. Clarke's heart stopped. She mentally calculated in her head. Madi was two floors down. If it was Ice Nation, they'd more likely go for the summit at the top. It didn't really soothe her nerves, but it let her begin to breathe again at least.
"These allegations are an outrage. The ice nation never stormed this summit with weapons, breaking our laws, that was the Skaikru." Clarke wanted to scream in frustration. This certainly had been a trap by Ice Nation, but it was only meant to ensure that Skaikru were not allowed in the coalition. How could Bellamy have been so stupid?
"We're right about this," A man Clarke recognized as Charles Pike, the Earth Skills teacher from the Ark, said, "The two guards you left behind are dead already. We need to go now."
"How did you come by this information?" Lexa inquired. Bellamy and Octavia both looked behind them.
"Where the hell is Echo?" Octavia looked back to her brother.
"What's going on? Where the hell is she?" Bellamy still wasn't grasping what Clarke already had.
"Bell, maybe we were wrong about this." Octavia was getting it, apparently.
"I don't understand." Bellamy looked so lost right now. She felt bad for him.
"Stand down," Kane told him.
"Bellamy? Bellamy come in," Clarke heard Raven's voice, "The Grounders attacked Mount Weather."
"What are you talking about?"
"It's gone, it's gone," she told him, "They're all gone. Sinclair and I are the only ones left. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."
Clarke could hear Raven sobbing over the radio. All of Skaikru looked shocked. Of course Azgeda had something to say though. She was quickly learning that they always did.
"You should have never moved your people back into Mount Weather. The Ice Nation did what Lexa was too weak to do."
"This is an act of war," Lexa told the delegate, "Sentries, arrest the Ice Nation delegation! Including the prince."
"We need to get home," her mother said, "If they attacked Mount Weather, Arkadia could be next."
"I agree."
"Go. Marshal your forces. We'll avenge the attack together." Clarke wasn't sure she'd ever seen Lexa this angry.
"I'll escort them," Indra declared, turning to Octavia, "I hope you kept up your training. You'll need it."
"Clarke, we need to leave. Now." Bellamy commanded.
"We need an ambassador from the thirteenth clan to stay here in Polis," Lexa told them.
"It's not safe here." Dear, sweet Bellamy was a bit naive.
"It's safer here than Arkadia. Mount Weather was just attacked. You even just said Arkadia might be next. I'm not bringing my daughter into that situation. I'm staying in Polis," Clarke told him. He looked shocked, hell they all did. Apparently none of them had thought Madi was hers.
"Daughter?" her mother was the one who asked.
"Yes. My daughter Madi. We'll talk more the next time we see each other. Bellamy's right though. You need to leave."
"Either way, it will still be safer for both you and the kid at Arkadia," Bellamy did not look like he was willing to give up.
"Clarke will be safe here, under my protection. Madi will as well," Lexa told them. Deep down, Clarke knew she was also trying to keep an eye on Lexa as well. She wanted to make sure Lexa was going to keep her word. Still, it wasn't exactly necessary for her to admit that out loud. She said her goodbyes quickly to her mother and Kane, and then it was Bellamy's turn.
"She left us to die on that Mountain, Clarke. It affected you so much you had to leave home. Now you've got some mysterious kid and you wanna trust Lexa? She will always put her people first. You should come home to yours."
"I'm sorry."
He walked away. Somehow she knew that this might be what he couldn't forgive her for. She was leaving him, again. She was instead choosing to trust Lexa with not only her life but the life of her child. She was choosing Lexa over him.
After the war council left, it was just Clarke and Lexa. They faced each other, Clarke herself not daring to move.
"Thank you for staying," Lexa said to her.
"I stayed because it was the right thing for my daughter and for my people."
"Our people," she corrected
"If you betray me again-"
"I won't." Lexa promised, cutting her off. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Lexa got down on her knees, looking Clarke in the eyes, "I swear fealty to you, Clarke kom Skaikru. I vow to treat your needs as my own and your people as my people. I vow to protect you and your child with everything that I have."
Clarke held out her hand to Lexa, helping the young woman up. Clarke felt a rush of old emotions rush through her at Lexa's words. She'd known she felt something for Lexa last time around. If she chose to follow through with her promise, Clarke would only spiral deeper into them. If she kept her word, though, Clarke wasn't sure she would mind.
"I'd better get back to Madi. I haven't seen her pretty much at all today,"
