When Clarke showed up in the throne room the next morning, her face is covered in dried black blood and she looked visibly shaken. Bellamy moved closer to her reaching out to grasp her arms, pulling her towards him as he called for Titus to be brought to him. He doesn't say anything or ask her what had happened because there will be time for that when Titus appeared. He just gently stroked her head as her cheek rested against his chest. Her arms loose around his waist.
At the sound of the doors opening he pulled away from her, allowing Titus to move in and inspect her face. "What happened?" Titus' asked with his no nonsense voice.
Clarke told them about going to see Nia in her tent, about offering her a deal with Skaikru if she won and about the poison that was on her shirt. She told them about the petite black-haired child with an angry face who stopped Nia from cutting her palm with the poisoned blade and Nia's subsequent words and the blood that was dribbled on her face.
Titus' face is concerned when he stepped away from Clarke. "A Commander from the Ice Nation. Now all of Nia's provocations make sense, and we played right into it. She knew you would accept her challenge."
"I've never seen blood that color before." Clarke said as she moved in closer, her fingernails picking at the dried blood.
"Goes back to the first Commander." He told her as he offered her a wet cloth to wipe her face. "When a Night blood child is found, they're brought here to be trained, or supposed to be."
"Your legacy is no longer secure." Titus fretted. "There is still time to choose a champion."
Bellamy turned away from them, walking back towards his throne, gently pressed the knuckles of his hands to one of the armrests. "You know I can't do that." Titus starts to interrupt but Bellamy cuts him off with a quick. "Leave us."
Titus is slow to leave and neither of them move until the door shuts behind them. Clarke moves towards him, gently laying her hand against his back between his shoulder blades, "Titus is right. You're giving her exactly what she wants."
"Only if I lose." He said. The frustration with her meddling making his shoulders tight before pulling away from her gentle hands. "I know you're just trying to help Clarke, but there's nothing you can do here."
"I can't just let Roan kill you." She argued, following him off the pulpit.
"If that is to be my fate, you must. 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." He argued back. Turning to face Clarke again.
She moved in closer. Her hands coming to cup his cheeks softly before her thumbs swipe across them. "I won't just sit there and watch you die." Her eyes are slightly glassy as she stared up at him. "Please don't ask me to do that."
The sound of the door opening had Clarke pulling away from him as Titus stepped in with a brief "Heda, it's time." Clarke's eyes darted towards the tall man before turning back towards him. The weight of her start startling him.
"Then this is goodbye" He offered her not willing to ask her for more than she would give. He couldn't stop himself from offering her one more promise. "For now." He turned towards Titus and exited, not allowing himself to look back to the blonde.
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The streets where loud as Clarke darted between the press of bodies trying to move closer to the fight. The hood of her clock falling uselessly down her back. She wanted people to know that Wanheda was on the move, wanted them to part before her so she could reach Bellamy before the fight.
Titus had already started the opening remarks when she finally made it to the right sided. "- Someone must die today. You may begin."
Bellamy's shocked face is enough for her to know she has done the right thing in coming. "I'm glad you came."
"Me too." Clarke said, offering him a gentle smile.
The lumbering form of the Azgaden Prince caught her eye but with no time for her to warn Bellamy. The look on her face must have been warning enough because quicker than she can believe he has round on Roan. His sword raised to catch Roan's. The clash of metal sets her heart rate skyrocketing.
The whirling of blades is hard to follow for a moment except to see the trickle of blood flowing down Roan's ribs and the black blood that tinted Bellamy's lip. Roan kicked out at Bellamy's knee forcing him down as Bellamy tried to keep Roan's blade from pressing any further.
Roan was whispering words to Bellamy when suddenly Clarke saw his offhand darting up to grab the blade and more black blood is welling from his hand. He forced their blades up, knocking Roan backwards. There is another rush of movement and Bellamy had lost his sword before the came back to the center in a tussle and Bellamy pulled away with both weapons in his hands.
Roan rushed to one of the guards, decking him as he pulled the spear out of the limp hand. They clash again. Roan's spear pulling one blade, then the other from Bellamy's hands. They both were starting to look worse for wear, but Clarke's throat closed in panic when Bellamy was tossed to the ground by the slightly larger man. The spear resting against his throat is enough to make Clarke want to turn away, but she kept her eyes trained on the dark mop of hair that was currently laying in the dirt at Roan's feet.
She truly doesn't understand how it happened but suddenly Bellamy moved and then the next thing she knew Roan was on his back, spear pressed to his throat. Roan's eyes closing in defeat sent Nia to her feet as she screamed. "Get up! If you die, you don't die a prince, you die a coward!"
"Get it over with." Gritted out just loud enough for Clarke to hear.
"Blood must have blood." Bellamy shouted. He pulled the spear back from Roan, hurling it at Nia. The crack of it piercing her body is loud as is the thump of her dead weight falling into the chair behind her. The crowd roared with the glee of violence. Bellamy moved up towards the throne on the platform before he shouted. "The queen is dead. Long live the king."
The crowd cried out for him so loud she thought she might lose her hearing. Their eyes met from across the distance. She offered him another gentle smile before she turned to make her way back towards the tower. Her relief making her feel weak in a way that she didn't want the grounders to see.
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Bellamy limped towards Clarke's door, drawn towards her if only to see her safe in his tower after she had swept away from the fight without a guard in sight.
He knocked at the door, straightening his posture to hide as much of his discomfort as possible. He knew he looked much like she did on the night they'd first met. He heard her soft call to come in, the relief he felt at the sound of her voice almost bowled him over before he braced himself to enter her door.
She turned her soft blue eyes on him and smirked. "Is this "I told you so"?"
"No," He shook his head. "this is "thank you"."
Her shy smile pulled her head down to stare at the ground before she reached out to grab his hand almost unconsciously. The touch of her hand sent a warmth through him as she dragged him over to the plush chair by the small table in her room. "Sit down. Let me change that for you." She moved over to the wash basin and collected the damp rag that was there before she turned back to him. "That girl that was with Nia, Ontari, what will happen to her?"
His heart rate raced up when she moved to stand almost between his legs as she unwound the soiled cloth on his hand. He took a steadying breath before he answered. "She won't be back until the conclave after my death."
"Do you ever talk about anything other than your death?" She teased him.
His felt his lips pull up into a smile, his uninjured hand moved to rest softly against her thigh that brushed his. She tore off a clean bandage as her cheeks pinked up. "Thank you for backing me." He whispered.
"I was just doing what was right for my people." She tried to brush it off before she dropped her voice to match his whispered words. "Your Ambassadors betrayed you. How do you move forward?"
"They were doing what they believed was right for their people, too." He offered with a shrug.
He felt her hand brush a curl away from his forehead, but his eyes remained trained on her face. "Good night, Commander." She said softly as she moved back from him.
"Good night, Clarke." He stood before leaning down to press a gentle kiss on the crown of her head. When he pulled back her eyes had fallen closed and he turned to leave, stopping only a moment at her door to meet her eyes one last time.
The next morning when the sun was still barely in the sky, she mounted a horse next to Bellamy. The caravan trailed behind them with the body of the dead queen, guards surrounding them on all sides. After exiting the city proper and finding themselves among the forest, Bellamy relaxed. He was more relaxed and open than she had ever seen him, a soft smile playing on his lips when their conversation lag. In this moment she could see how her life would be with him by her side. His words from the other night still ringing in her ears.
The small smile that had been milling about her face for the majority of the day dropped off her face as she started to recognize the forest surrounding what was now her people's land. The comfortable silence they had been sitting now felt tense. Keeping her eyes forward her mind wondered.
"Thinking about home?" His soft question startled her, causing her to jump a little in the tack she sat upon.
She flicked her eyes over towards his for a moment before she turned back towards the front, though she could still feel his eyes on her. "Thinking about whether Arkadia is home." She said honestly. Hesitation swept over her before she finished her thought in halting words. "When I left, it had a different name. I was different."
"You left a hero to your people and you return one." The emotion in his words caught her off guard and she couldn't stop herself from looking at him. "The mountain slayer returns with the body of the Ice Queen. You bring them justice."
She shook her head, denying his praise of her. "You bring them justice."
"We bring them peace." He said, moving his horse closer as he reached out a hand to her. His fingertips trailing lightly down her arm before squeezing her arm and returning to the reins. For the first time she let herself soak up the comfort of his touch, let it wash away her unease without having to make a concerted effort.
Shortly before they reached the gates of Arkadia Lincoln and Indra approached them, a wary expression on the latter's face. "Heda," Lincoln's steady voice called out. "Our army prepares to move back to their homes now. The field should be cleared by tomorrow morning."
Bellamy nodded to them both, but not inquiring any further into what he had left unsaid. Allowing him to pick through his thoughts. Though that didn't stop Clarke from asking, "What aren't you saying?" Bellamy's eyes darted to hers in exasperation.
"There is unrest amongst your people, Wanheda." Indra spat out. "Kane and Abby have been more than welcoming and for now they are containing your people, but the tensions are high and many of the new Sky People that are finding their way are angry with us."
Clarke's eyes cut to Bellamy's and his spoke volumes to her. "Well, we will have to talk to Kane and my mother when we get there." She said through gritted teeth. She would be damned if they messed up the tenuous peace she had forged at the expense of her freedom.
XXXXXXXXXX
He watched her tense frame grow marginally more tense the closer they got to the gate. The towering metal frame opening at the sight of their small caravan. The guards dropping back to flank them as they moved towards the front of the procession. Abby and Kane stood at the gate to greet them. Her people were wary of them as they entered, and he could see their restlessness drawing them into clumps.
Clarke's disquiet drew the hairs on his neck to attention and goosebumps rose on his skin. He wouldn't admit it but her unerring ability to read a room gave him a great measure of comfort and her concern made him feel just as disquieted.
He moved towards her after dismounting instead of waiting for her to move towards him as their custom would dictate once their union was finalized. He let this hand rest on her lower back for a moment, drawing her eyes to his, trying to portray a calm he didn't feel. When she relaxed minutely his hand fell back to his side and he turned to Abby and Kane. The former was studying him as if he was the answer to some great mystery in her life.
They moved inside the gates, following Abby and Kane into the remnants of the ship they had crash landed in. The interior looked almost pristine except for areas of crushed metal that cropped up occasionally; it had a cold sort of efficiency about it. The image of a young blonde stalking confidently through the corridors struck him suddenly and her story of how they lived before coming to Earth made more sense.
Inside the meeting room they were surrounded with other Skaikru members including the angry black man that had stormed polis with the teenagers. The malice in his face made Bellamy want to pull Clarke behind him to protect her from the angry glare the man sent her way. As the room settled and with Indra and Lincoln at their backs, Clarke moved forward to talk to her people.
XXXXXXXXXX
"As is tradition among the Grounders we bring the body of the person who killed the innocent people in Mount Weather. Now that we are part of the coalition, we are afforded the same rights as all the other clans." Clarke started. She knew she sounded monotoned, but her emotions at being back in camp where all over the place and she had no choice but to shut them down to get through the day. "Her body will be burned, where the innocents fell, as is their custom."
"What if we don't want their customs." Sneered Charles Pike, her former Earth Skills teacher. The man who had once been so nice had a twisted violence on his face. "That doesn't bring our people back. It doesn't change the fact that we are surrounded by his army!"
"No, you are not surrounded." She denied the accusations. "The army was sent to protect you from Queen Nia, who is now dead thanks to him. They are preparing to leave back to their homes. They will be clear of our land by the morning."
"How can you believe that when they have done nothing but try to kill us since you landed." He grouched.
"You sent us down to die, Pike." She said gently. The adults looked around unable to meet her eyes as she stared down Pike. "Adults in leadership on the ark sent 100 kids down to the Earth with less than hope that they would survive. They may be ruthless, but we are no less. And yet you trust my mother. You trusted Jaha, who I see has returned. We are not innocent in this war any more than they are."
Pike rounded on her, "What is to stop those savages from attacking us?"
"Me!" She shouted before taking a steadying breath, her eyes flicking back to Bellamy's in apology for what she would have to say next. "My freedom for all of yours. Don't you get it? I'm giving up everything for you to have peace with them. Like it or not, we have to live with these people and that means submitting to the coalition. That means me submitting to an arranged marriage for the assurance that you will be safe while you try to settle. So, unless you are done with trying to seek a reason for revenge against people who are now trying to be our allies then you are going to have to go through me!"
When Bellamy laid his hand gently on her back, she realized that she was shaking. Clarke took another deep breath prepared to finish talking when he surprised her by moving forward. "I understand your pain, for I too, have known it. Before we united under the coalition, many of my friends died protecting our lands. And we have waged war on each other, fiercely. Clarke more fiercely than any other and if Clarke and I can come to and understanding and move forward peacefully, there is hope for the rest of our people."
"We will open trade discussions within the week following our union. Please prepare lists of what you might need in trade and what you might have to trade back. I will personally help to broker fair deals if necessary. We are willing to send a small group of people to help your people learn our ways when you are ready for that. But understand that by taking the brand, you now are my people. I will lead fairly but if you strike out against the rest of the clans in your fruitless desire for revenge, we will turn the might of the coalition against you as we would with any clan that moves against us." Bellamy stood tall next to her and stared down Pike who was still huffing with crossed arms as leaning against the wall.
She turned to Bellamy with a pleading look, begging him to leave the room with her and let this cool down. He met her stare with a soft look nodding and her. She turned to leave, Bellamy less than a moment behind her when Pike's voice lashed out again. "Your father would be so disappointed in you."
She stopped, several people drawing in sharp breaths, "Maybe." She conceded not turning to look at him. "But he would have hated who you have become. There are 12-year olds who can act with more decorum than you have shown here today. Just let me save us and learn to let go, Pike. Nothing good can come of this."
She fled the room with Bellamy hot on her heels. She could hear the footsteps of Lincoln and Indra chasing after them as well. Bellamy grabbed her arm and stopped her from moving any further away. He pulled the door they had stopped next to, open checking to see if it was empty before pulling her inside with him. He told Lincoln and Indra to give them a moment, before closing the door in their faces, before they could respond.
Clarke could feel her whole-body trembling, trying to shake her apart. "What do you need, Clarke?" He asked as he pulled her to his chest. His arms wrapping around her. She shook her head unable to answer for a moment. She gripped the heavy leather of the jacket that hugged him as she wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm sorry, Bellamy." she sighed gently as he dropped his check to the top of her head.
"No, Clarke." He soothed, rubbing his hands up and down her back. "Don't apologize for them. We all do what we feel we must, and he is not seeing clearly."
She shook her head. "It's not just him. They all look at me with fear for the things I've done to get them here safe and sound. I used to just be a kid, studying to be a doctor under my mother."
"You can study that again. Once we are wed, Nyko and other healers can come to Polis and teach you. Or you could go to them and learn." He promised.
The warmth that she felt from his words and the spread of his hands against her back, stopped her from trembling. "Thank you, Bellamy" she said genuinely before pulling out of his arms. He nodded wordlessly to her and they exited the room. Heading towards the open sky outside of the ark.
They exited the confining metal to see Jaha perched up against a pole looking as calm as he ever had. As they neared him, she heard his words, "...you think about it, whether we fight that pain or succumb to it the result is the same. It diminishes our lives, robs us of our passions and past times and damages relationships between friends and lovers. What if I told you there's a simple way to eliminate it?"
Raven's voice was unexpected as she yelled at him. "I'd say you're full of crap. There's no simple way to eliminate pain, and you know it."
Clarke watched him offer Raven something before the angry brunette turned and limped away. Clarke excused herself to follow Raven.
XXXXXXXXXX
Bellamy watched the exchange between Thelonious and Raven and a sudden unexplained fear gripped his heart. The older man offered him a creepy smile that washed Bellamy in cold chills, before turning away from him.
Bellamy couldn't wait to be out his way back to Polis and away from this cold unfriendly place.
"I don't know what my father's deal is, but something is going on." Wells voice said as he neared them. "I'm sorry for storming your meeting the other day. I thought Clarke was in danger."
"She will never be in danger from me, if I can help it." He promised the other boy.
Wells nodded; his jaw clenched before he said. "But you already had put her in danger, many times over." Bellamy opened his mouth to explain before Wells tossed his hand up to stop him. "She trusts you for some reason and I trust her, so I'm going to try for her sake. Because you are going to marry my best friend. I know this is probably not what either of you want and I know this is her idea because only she could be so self-sacrificing."
"But," Wells paused watching her receive more heated words from Raven. "Please take care of her. She's strong but she does feel even if it doesn't seem like it. She's an artist; she's gentle. She's the best person I know. I know she thinks I can't stand the sight of her right now because of how I acted when we returned from Mount Weather but that couldn't be further from the truth. Just, just don't keep her away from us forever."
"I wouldn't do that to her." Bellamy promised. "And you will always be welcome to visit us in Polis. I'm sure that would make her happy."
The angry sounds of the mechanic brought a chuckle from Wells throat. Bellamy cocked an eyebrow at the boy. "What is so funny?"
"Raven," He said. "She's so angry at Clarke for sacrificing herself again. Though I'm not sure it's a huge sacrifice if the way she looks at you is anything to go by. Raven just feels alone. Clarke never came in and told them she was leaving us. I was the only one that knew, and I had to tell Raven she lost another person who she had come to care about. And after three months of no word, we really thought she was dead. Raven grieved her as much as she grieved for Finn."
Bellamy nodded. Watching the brunette who was still shouting pull Clarke into a hug, her thin arms banding around Clarke's form. It brought a smile to his face as he turned away to make their way back to the rest of their people. Leaving Wells to join the girls and attempt to make amends with Clarke. Kane joining him as they prepared for the memorial at the site of the Mount Weather destruction, where they would burn her body.
XXXXXXXXXX
They made their way back to Polis the next morning, arriving back in the early evening. Bellamy joined her for dinner in her room and after they sat around and talked. Bellamy had presented her with a sketchbook and charcoal pencils that looked much like what she had on the ark before her life took a nosedive.
Bellamy had dozed off, mid-conversation and she let him sleep, pulling out the sketchbook. The setting sun glinted off his handsome face, begging her to draw it. She put one of her new pencils to the paper and before she knew it, she had done a pretty accurate depiction of his sleeping face. Bellamy's gasp as he shot up off the couch startled her. His wild eyes flitting around the room as his panic nightmare faded.
She set her sketchbook aside quickly as she moved towards him. "Hey, it's okay, you're okay." She soothed, pushing the hair off his forehead. "What were you dreaming about?"
"Commanders before me, they speak to me in my sleep." He said, shuddering. "I saw their deaths. At war, at the hands of an assassin, in an explosion."
"It was just a nightmare." She promised, drawing his head towards her chest.
"No, it's a warning." His arms came to wrap around her waist. "They think something is coming but they don't know what."
She hugged him tighter before pulling back to look in his eyes. "Listen to me. Whatever is coming we will face it together. Your legacy will be peace." He stood up and paced back and forth a moment before stopping in front of the sketch of his face. A thoughtful expression on his face, his eyes dilating as she watched him take in her sketch. "Oh, that's, it's not finished yet."
He set it aside before turning to her. His hand coming up to cup her cheek, thumb stroking back and forth. His intense dark eyes capture her's. His towering form crowding her as he leaned down towards her. Clarke's breath hitched in her chest and her heartbeat took a frantic turn.
The rapping of knuckles on her door sent them both jumping backwards, their hooded eyes flying open at the intrusion. Bellamy straightened before calling for whomever it is to, "Enter."
Titus entered with two guards pulling a heavy ornate box behind him. "Pardon me, Heda. I didn't realize you were here." Titus said, his tone tight with disapproval.
"Are you going to tell me what's in the box or not?" Bellamy asked, his face dropping his expressive features into frustration.
"Forgive me." Titus bowed to him before turning towards Clarke. "This is a gift from King Roan of Azgeda for Wanheda. The messenger said this is both proof of Azgeda's loyalty to the coalition and an answer to a yet unanswered question. Open it."
Titus moved off to the side as the guard who had set the box down lift the top of it. She moved closer; she could feel Bellamy's warm presence inches from her back. She peered inside and there was a dirty and bloody lump of a man inside the box. His face almost unrecognizable as his eyes widened upon seeing her.
"Emerson." She whispered. The sound of his name seemed to knock him from his surprise. He lurched upwards screaming, in his haste to get to his feet he knocked her backwards from the box. Once righted he quickly launched himself at Clarke his bound hands reaching for her throat. He bowled her over his screaming increasing as he attempted to straddle her.
"Stop him! Get him out of here! Put him a cage, now." Bellamy's frantic voice yelled as he tried to help wrestle the man off of her. The guards who seemed slow to react finally pulled Emerson away from her body.
Bellamy reached down and pulled Clarke up to her feet. His hands fluttering uselessly over her as she tried to get her bearings back. She grabbed his hand to stop the frantic movements. "I'm fine." She heaved out as she struggled to catch her breath and slow her heart rate. Her eyes turning to watch the guards dragging the man down the hallway.
XXXXXXXXXX
Murphy had a habit of getting himself into situations that didn't have great exit strategies. This time he just hoped he would survive long enough to escape. His current mistake had been following Jaha when his friends were preparing to head to war. Though it had led him to the beautiful grounder girl with the wicked cool hand. Emori.
Emori had left him when it was clear that they wouldn't make it out even if she tried to help. He was okay with that. But now the grounders had him and were carting him off to who knows where and planning who knows what kind of torture. Clearly, Clarke hadn't gotten her peace, even at the cost of Finn.
When the grounders took off his hood, a bald man with a tattoo ringing the back of his head started down at him. "Where did you get our most sacred symbol?"
"Dude, it's a corporate logo." His mouth shot off before he could stop it. He cringed prepared for his retaliation.
The bald man turned back to the guards that had brought him in. "Chain him up to the floor. I must meet with Heda."
They moved him backwards, forcing him to kneel on the cold stone floor. The heavy chains they placed on him were bound to be strong. He was only thankful that they put leather cuffs on him instead of letting the chains cut into his skin.
The guards followed the bald man out and he heard the heavy thud of a metal door above him closing. "Well, Fuck." he mumbled to himself.
