Ai Hod Yu In
Chapter 21
"Clarke kom Skaikru, ai kwin," the guard said as he opened the door for her. Clarke walked in, watching as Nia sat at a long table with lots of food. A young girl, probably a maid, seemed to be serving her. As Clarke approached the table, the girl walked away from it.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Nia asked
"What if I changed my vote?" Clarke asked her, staring her straight in the face. The queen looked intrigued, taking a moment to chew and swallow her food before saying anything.
"Now you're thinking like a leader of your people," she told Clarke. Clarke began to go around the table, putting herself closer to the Ice Queen.
"I would need some assurances first," she replied, unable to stop thinking about the pain on Bellamy's face when he found out what had happened at Mount Weather. What this woman had done.
"Skaikru will be safe."
"And me?"
"My quarrel is with Lexa, not you. I can guarantee that you and your child, Madi was it, will be safe." It felt like a slap in the face to hear her daughter's name coming from this evil queen's poison lips. All Clarke wanted in life was to protect Madi, and this monster even knew her name. Thinking about it, she didn't even think her own mother knew that much about her granddaughter. Nia stabbed a knife into the table, "Once she's gone, I won't need the power of Wanheda."
"Okay."
"Okay? You don't want vengeance for the dead at Mount Weather?" Nia seemed surprised, and Clarke was afraid for a moment that she was being too easy-going with this.
"My priority is with the living, not the dead." Clarke said, reaching down to take the knife out of the table. "Osir tai choda op kom jus."
Clarke remembered that Roan had said that it meant 'We bind ourselves in blood.' Hopefully this worked rather well. She took the knife and sliced her had, watching as the red blood welled up and flowed over the side.
"I see you've learned our oath." Nia commented. Clarke said nothing, taking the knife and wiping it off on her sleeve. Keeping her hand cupped, she stabbed the knife back into the table.
"Do you accept?" Nia stood, walking forward and grabbing the knife.
"Osir tai choda op kom jus." Nia repeated, taking the knife and bringing it closer to her hand.
"Hod op!" the maid called, walking over and flipping Clarke onto the table. The girl pinned her down, and Clarke struggled a bit. The girl then bent down and smelt Clarke's sleeve. Clarke knew the ruse was up now. Clearly this girl knew about the poison on her sleeve.
"Face-boner!" the girl hissed. Nia looked disappointed, grabbing a cloth and wiping off the poisoned knife.
"We could have been allies, Clarke." she told her, "But instead, I declare you and your people enemies of Azgeda. Ontari, hold out your hand." the queen began to cut Ontari's hand, "I'm letting you live, for now, to send a message to Lexa. I have my own Natblida."
Nia dripped Ontari's blood all over Clarke's face, and she had to close her eyes. Still, she had no doubt that the blood was as black as her own daughter's blood.
"And she will be the next Commander."
Clarke quickly made her way to Lexa's throne room, taking no time to waste.
"Clarke, what happened? Whose blood is this?" Lexa asked her quickly as soon as she saw the black blood covering her face.
"Queen Nia wanted me to give you a message. She said that she had her own Natblida, and she will be the next commander." Titus came over to Clarke, taking a moment to examine the blood.
"A Commander from the Ice Nation. Now all of Nia's provocations make sense. And we played right into it. She knew you'd accept her challenge." Titus talked directly to Lexa.
"She should have been brought here when she was found. It is the law. And this is a violation of it," Lexa said gently.
"Your legacy is no longer secure. There is still time to choose a champion." Titus cautioned.
"You know I can't do that."
"Heda!"
"Leave us."
"Titus is right," Clarke told her, "You're giving her exactly what she wants."
"Only if I lose. I know you're just trying to help, Clarke, but there's nothing you can do here." Lexa said, pacing.
"I can't just let Roan kill you," she practically shouted it, making her way closer, "I can't lose you, Lexa. You are the only one I trust with this. My daughter… Madi is a natblida. It really freaked me out a bit the first time I saw it, but as soon as I found out what being a natblida means I swore to myself I would never tell another soul. I'm breaking my promise to myself and trusting you with my biggest secret right now. If you die today, you can't guarantee to me that Ontari or one of the other novitiates won't see my daughter as a threat or unnatural and take care of her. Please, Lexa. Don't do this." she ended with a whisper for the ending part, not even trusting the guards themselves with her secret.
"If I'm supposed to die today, Clarke, I'm sorry but you must. Take your daughter and run if you feel that is necessary, though I promise you none of my novitiates would treat your child like that. All of them would respect that I made the decision to exclude Skaikru natblida children. You're driven to fix everything for everyone, but you can't fix this. I have to do this on my own and you have to let me."
"I won't just sit there and watch you die." this time, Clarke did shout it. Just after she finished, Titus entered.
"Heda!" he called, saying something else softly.
"Then, this is goodbye." Lexa said, "For now."
With that, Lexa left. Possibly for the last time. And even though she wanted more than anything else to stop her, she knew she had to let her go.
