It's sunset by the time everything is ready for the summit. Lexa's throne room has been set up to host the ceremony with a long red carpet the goes from the doors to the steps at the feet of her throne. It's quite fit, Clarke thinks, that the Commander of Death has to walk her way towards the Commander of the Blood on a crimson rug.

Everyone else is already inside, standing by one side of the carpet, waiting for Wanheda's entrance. That's what she'll have to be for the night at least. She can't be the broken former Sky leader right now and, thankfully, the handmaids Lexa sent to help her get ready did an amazing job in making her look like the powerful woman everybody is expecting. She is dressed in a gown with a high side vent that leaves her legs visible, the top is covered by a gold leather corset that all but sets off her cleavage. Then there's her hair, held away from her face and arranged in a series of intricate braids, reflecting the grounders' traditional hairstyle. Two stripes of war paint go from each of her eyes to her hairline. Everything about her makes her appear like a powerful grounder commander.

"Yumi na teik won sonraun au?" And will you take a life with me?

"Medo ste thonken, medo drein au." A body's hollow, a body bleeds.

Clarke hears the beautiful voice of the singer begin as the guards open the doors to let her into the room. She subtly takes a deep breath before holding her head up high, as she's seen Lexa do many times before, to walk in.

"Oso kik raun ogeda, soulou." We live as one, we live alone.

"Ai laik yu gona." I am your soldier.

"Ai na get raun, you." I will atone.

Her breath is soon taken away by the sight of the Commander standing tall in front of her. They didn't have time to meet between getting ready and the beginning of the summit and they're both mesmerized by sight of the other. They don't let it show, of course, but, all the way from the doors to the throne, they are staring at one another studying every single detail of the other's dress, hair and make-up. Lexa is looking as deadly as she does in her armor, but all Clarke can think of is that this is the first time she's ever seen Lexa in a gown and she looks absolutely breathtaking in it. The Commander is wearing a long black and crimson dress that leaves her arms and her cleavage on display. Her hair is held back in her usual braids, but her war paint is simpler than the one she wears for battle. Like Clarke's, it shapes in two stripes that go from her eyes to her hairline. As she walks, the blonde can't help but notice Lexa has a tattoo on her upper right arm. She wants to know all about it, but that's a conversation for later. Right now, she needs to focus on keeping her back straight and walking without tripping on her own feet, so that the mighty Wanheda won't make a complete fool of herself in front of all these people.

"Yumi na teik won sonraun au? " And will you take a life with me?

"Ai keryon gyon op, ai keryon g' breik au." My soul moves on, my soul is freed.

Clarke stops in front of Lexa as the voice in the background sings these words. They stare deeply in each other's eyes for a moment and it seems like they're saying that yes, they will take a life with the other. The song resembles perfectly what Clarke is feeling right now. Thanks to Lexa her soul was able to move on from all the horror and loss she'd experienced in her life and it is now free. Free to love this girl with all of her heart and free to take a life with the grounder leader.

"Pas skaikrasha, klin tristraka," After the storm, a lightning flash,

"En houd don gon hosh trashsaka." With all the world reduced to ash.

When the singer moves on to the next verse Clarke is broken out of her thoughts. She remembers she's supposed to bow to Lexa first, so she lowers her gaze, hanging her head forward, and, very slowly, she kneels down on one knee in front of the Commander. Gazing at the floor as she is from her position, she misses the look on Lexa's face. The way her eyes sparkle with tears she's barely holding back and the way her mouth opens slightly are all the emotion the Commander can afford to show in front of her warriors. What no one knows, though, is that, the moment Clarke knelt down in front of her, Lexa's mind went back to that damned day when she had to leave the girl she loved behind in order to save her people. She remembers how bad she'd felt when she'd set foot back into camp, praying to whatever god who is up there that Clarke was still alive. She didn't even dare to hope that the other girl might not hate her for betraying her like that. She was ready to live the rest of her life being hated by Clarke as long as the Sky leader was still walking on this Earth. And, as if that wasn't enough, the Ice Queen thought well of threatening her life to gain the power of Wanheda. She's been so close to losing another person she loves to the hands of Queen Nia. But Clarke is here now. She's safe here in Polis with her. Not just has Lexa been able to protect her from Azgeda, but she's also managed to earn her forgiveness and, even more, her unconditional love.

"Yumi na teik won sonraun au?" And will you take a life with me?

"Houd na fleim daun, bed' ge jok au." This world will burn, save what you need.

It's not until everyone else around her has knelt down as well, first Prince Roan of Azgeda, followed by all the others, that Lexa raises her eyes from Clarke's figure in front of her. She takes a deep breath to regain her composure, so that her voice won't waver when she addresses the people in the room. She tilts her head slightly to her right looking at the singer and waiting for her to finish the song.

"Ai nou fir raun," I am fearless,

"Ai mana jomp in," I am to fight,

"Ai mana wan open," I am to die,

"Ai don sin y'in." You're in my sight.

"Yumi na teik won sonraun au?" And will you take a life with me?

"Jus drein jus draun," Blood must have blood,

"Ai medo drein au." My body bleeds.

When the song is finally over, Lexa brings her gaze back towards the people knelt in front of her and, with her head held high, she greets them: "Hail, warriors of the 12 clans."

"Hail, Commander of the Blood." The assembly replies in chorus.

"Rise." She waits for everyone to be back on their feet and for Clarke to walk to her mother's side before continuing. "We welcome Skaikru to our halls, in spirit of friendship and harmony. And we welcome Klark 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."

Loud murmurs fill the room as soon as the warriors assimilate their Commander's words. They are soon cut off by Lexa's clear voice, though.

"To symbolize this union the leader of Skaikru must bear our mark." She looks at Kane and Abby, knowing from what Clarke had told her that the choice was going to rest on either one of them. She sees how the two exchange looks for a moment before Abby says something to Marcus. She can't make out what is said from where she's standing, but their gestures are enough to let her know that he is the to have been chosen to be marked as leader.

"Present your arm." She orders after nodding to him.

The white-hot metal mark has just been pressed on the skin of his forearm when the doors burst open and three people break into the room. Lexa recognizes two of them as Octavia kom Skaikru and her brother Bellamy, who is holding one of her guards at gun point. She has no idea who the other man is, but she reasons he must be one of Clarke's people as well. She's worried because she has no clue on what's going on and that feeling only increases when she sees the blonde's surprised look at the sight of her friends standing there. It's Titus the first one to recover from the shock to ask what is going on, to which Bellamy answers claiming the summit's a trap and they have to get Clarke out of there.

The summit's a trap? No, it can't be right. Lexa promised, there's no way she betrayed her again. Right? Clarke trusts Lexa, she does, but a part of her can't help but doubt her word, so she asks, just to be sure.

"What the hell is going on?!"

"I don't know." She doesn't know?! Oh, thank God, she has nothing to do with this. She's actually not sure whether to be happy about it or to be even more worried about the fact that even Lexa looks alarmed.

"It's the Ice Nation." Really, Bellamy?! What kind of explanation is that?!

"They're only trying to deceive you, Heda. Azgeda has nothing to do with what's happening, Skaikru is clearly the one behind all of this." The Ice warrior is soon silenced by the Commander's raised hand. Her gaze is penetrating Bellamy's skull as she asks him where they'd come by this information. The three companions start looking around the room as though they're looking for someone who should explain it all.

"Where the hell is Echo?" Octavia hisses towards her brother.

"What's going on?" Kane tries, but the only answer he gets is another question from Bellamy: "Where the hell is she?"

"Bellamy, we were wrong about this."

"I don't understand..."

Seeing as the situation is only getting more and more confusing by the second, Kane orders his people to lower their guns, hoping they can get to a solution without the use of violence.

"Bellamy? Bellamy, come in." A voice cracks from the radio attached to his belt. "The grounders attacked Mount Weather." Raven's broken words leave everyone in shock.

"What are you talking about?" He questions taking the radio from his side.

"It's gone. They're all gone. Sinclair and I are the only ones left." Raven pauses for a moment before she starts crying apologies through the radio. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

"You should've never moved your people back into Mount Weather." They're all startled by the voice of the same Ice warrior who had spoken before. "The Ice Nation did what Lexa was too weak to do!"

"This is an act of war!" The Commander hisses towards the man and her voice is so cold and threatening that it terrifies even Clarke. "Sentries, arrest the Ice Nation delegation! Including the Prince." She shouts at the two guards standing at her side and they immediately execute their orders.

"We need to go home. If they attacked Mount Weather, Arkadia could be next." Abby says to which Kane agrees immediately.

"Go. I'll raise an army from the Coalition to help you defend Arkadia. Your enemy is our enemy now. We'll face this threat together."

"Mochof, Leksa." A small smile appears on Lexa's face when she hears Marcus thanking her in Trigedasleng.

"Are you coming?" There's no hesitation in Clarke's voice as she answers to her mother.

"They need an ambassador from our clan to stay here in Polis."

"Clarke, it's not safe for you here?" After three months, Bellamy chooses this moment to fight to get her back home. Well, back to Arkadia. That's not her home anymore.

"I'll be safe here under Lexa's protection."

"Please tell me you didn't forgive her. She left us to die at Mount Weather not more than three months ago! Or did you forget?!"

"I'm sorry, Bellamy. My home's here now." She says the last part looking straight back at Lexa and with that the boy gives up and turns around to make his way out followed by the others. Everyone but Abby, who stays back one more moment to hug her daughter goodbye.

"Be safe."

"You too."

Note: I did it! It took me all day to finish this chapter and finally it's here! For those of you who are wondering why we haven't seen Lexa's death yet, though I put in the summary, don't think I changed my mind on that one. It's coming soon, but, like I said, it will not be the end for our beloved Heda.

Like always, thank you all for reading my story. I'd also like to thank those of you who sent me reviews, you're words mean a lot to me. Xxx