BTW fanfiction is being a dick. So this update was done from my phone. I am pissed because I have the final chapter for my other story done. I'm still waiting for a reply from ff about my problem. So at least it works from my phone but it would have been better from my computer because I have a thing that checks my grammar for me.
I would like to give thanks once again to all those reading and enjoying this story. I am sorry for those who are waiting for The Shift to update, but I am on a role with this story and trying to wrap up my first story. That one the last chapter is only half down and it is already at 8,500 words so I have been bouncing back and forth. Once this chapter is complete then I will work on the next chapter for The Shift. Thank you again to everyone reading these, I can't begin to tell y'all how much it means to me, so keep commenting because they make my world go round.
Which would y'all prefer? Leksa or Leska? I kind of really like it pronounced Leska. I was reading a few of Jude81 stories and it was wrote as Leska and I actually really liking it. Let me know what you think and I will go off what y'all would prefer.
Character death!
I own absolutely nothing!
Chapter Three
Walking out of the tent was slightly difficult because I in no way wanted to leave her presence. Even being in the same room as her made my entire being relaxed and for what felt like the first time in a very long time I could breath. There was no longer this heavy weight on my chest and when I left the weight would come back but not as bad as before I was sent back.
Gustus was waiting for me at the entrance and seemed more relaxed once I finally left the tent with Lexa following close behind me. Once out I stopped and turned, waiting for her leave the tent as well. Her eyes almost seemed to glow from the fire of the torch, my mind instantly taking in every detail possible so that I could later draw her, considering I no longer had any of my drawings of her. My inner hoarder was in no way pleased that I lost the hundreds of drawings I had made.
"Gustus, take Clarke and give her a horse. She will personally be delivering the boy Finn to me," the look I was given promised death if he was not delivered.
"Sha, Heda," Gustus told her before looking at me expectantly and walking away.
Looking back at Lexa I soaked in her image of how her face looked darker and how the shadows played across her face from the fire, the way her war paint made her eyes glow. She turned her head slightly in confusion from my inspection.
"Reshop, Heda. I shall see you in a bit with the ripa," her eyes widened at my words before she nodded and strode back into her tent.
Turning I strode after Gustus who was standing at the beginning of the tents that were around Lexa's, waiting for me. His eyes were narrowed at me, as though he knew what I was thinking and doing. Once I caught up to him he began walking once more but made sure his steps were small enough for me that I wasn't running beside him, which I was extremely grateful for.
"I am curious Sky girl. What was living in the sky truly like?" He didn't look over but was watching me out of the corner of his eye. I of course was doing the same thing. It was easy to forget that he would soon poison himself to destroy the alliance with my people but the problem was is that I would do the same thing for Lexa as him if I deemed an alliance a threat to her life. I would do it to keep her safe and suffer the same consequences as him to keep her safe.
"Honestly wasn't expecting that question from you. Um, certain parts were nice. The stars were brighter than here on earth but seeing earth itself was amazing. It was also peaceful, no fighting or wars like here on the ground but at the same time, every day was the same."
"What does she look like?"
"Earth?" and he nodded.
"Earth is covered in bright greens and blues from the oceans and seas. Certain parts are obviously deserts but they are still beautiful. The ark was mostly steel and the only part of the station that had any vegetation was the farm station. Everything around here is real," it was hard to remember which was strange because I had spent almost 18 years on the ark and only 5 on the ground but the time spent on the ground felt so much longer. It felt as though I had spent 18 years with the ground underfoot than the metal of the Ark.
"Everything was recycled on the Ark, water, clothes, even the air. That was the reason that the Ark came down. There was a flaw in the filtration system, meaning that our air supply was running out."
"Why would you run out of air?" I tried to not coo at how adorable he looked confused.
"There is no air in space, so you need something to filter the air, so you can breathe. That was the real reason that we were sent to earth. We had no air. Earth is a hell of a lot better than space though. I love the forest, the books and stories never did it any justice. My first true breath of air was that first day here and that door opened, and I've been able to truly breath since that moment," Gustus making a small humming noise before replying.
"That does not sound pleasant and I am going to assume that your people rely heavily on technology and your guns."
"We do, you will only find a few of us who will want to learn and thrive in this world like those of the Trikru. We had a class called Earth Skills but there was no practical experience and none of us were truly prepared to come down to earth," he seemed almost pleased with that answer and then I finally realized that we had arrived.
The corral for the horses was pretty massive. I had never been brought to the area where the horses were kept the last time. There was only one white horse and instantly I remembered the white stallion that Lexa rode till the bombing of Ton DC and now I knew that that was the horse she was gifted from the Riders of the Planes. I could still see it in my mind's eye of the horse galloping past, covered in flames as it ran from Ton DC after the bomb hit.
Gustus easily jumped over the fence and grabbed the lead of one of the largest horses in the paddock. Opening the gate, he brought the massive animal to a stop in front of me and grinned when he noticed that the top of the horses back came all the way up above my shoulders. The horse's coat was black and looked soft to the touch. His hooves were large, and he looked to have white socks on. It was also easy to tell that winter was getting closer because his coat was thickening and made him look almost fluffy.
"You just had to pick the biggest horse, didn't you?" I tell him before getting a strong grip on the saddle and pulled myself up. It was certainly difficult though, I was missing the muscles I had built up in the future. I knew my endurance was going to be utter shit when I got back into fighting and would take serious work to get back to where I was.
"Bring us the boy. I am looking forward to our fight Clarke of the Sky People. You should be joined by two other guards. They will meet you at the edge of the camp." He gave me a pleased look before walking away.
"Mochof Gostos!" I shouted as he walked away. He didn't even turn around and continued walking.
I pulled the reigns and brought the horse into a trot because once I brought Finn back I could go to bed. I had not a decent night sleep in years and the thought of sleeping without the fear of being found was already relaxing me. I knew that what I was about to do would not sit well with anyone in Arkadia, but I did not care. If the Trikru did not kill Finn then they would have too and the people of Arkadia had not lost anyone to Finn. It would not be right for us to take away their justice.
Finding the two other riders was quite simple because they were the only ones on horse back and with torches. They nodded their heads at me and followed without a word. The ride back was filled with silence but it was a good silence, something that was greatly appreciated.
Once we were in sight of the camp I remembered I did not have any rope and pulled my horse to a stop. The two other riders coming to stop on either side of me.
"Do either of you have rope?" The one with the skull mask only nodded his head before handing a massive bundle of rope he had in his side saddle.
Grabbing the rope, I smirked. "Mochof."
The man just nodded his head before kicking his horse forward once more.
"Hyah!" I kicked the horse in the side forcing him into a gallop, passing the warrior and making my way quickly to the gate. It was truly dark out as it was only a new moon and the fog was not helping one bit, but the guards were able to make out that it was me, allowing me entry. It was weird to see people that I know to be dead and part of me was on edge because many of them would be the people that had joined Pike.
"Open the gate! She's back!" Bellamy's voice set me on edge but I ignored it, bringing the horse to a sudden stop. The horse reared back and I easily kept my grip. Once the horse settled down I jumped off the back of the horse, throwing the rope over my shoulder and then reaching for the gun I had kept in my pants as I marched forward.
Finn was waiting right next to the gate just like I remembered and instant furry ignited in my body, easily flooding my mind. I walked forward and quickly flipped the gun to where I was holding the barrel, making sure to keep it hidden behind my back because I had a feeling he would not just come with me because I asked.
"Clarke, what'd the Commander say?" the worry was heavy in his voice.
"She agreed to the alliance but on one condition."
Finn shifted his weight to his other foot. "She wanted me, didn't she. For what I did in the village."
"Yes. Are you going to come with me?" His eyes glanced at the warriors on horseback behind me.
"What do you mean? Aren't you going to help me?" he sounded incredulous. I turned and looked over at the warriors, both of them just staring back. The warrior in the bone mask was slightly terrifying to look at because his eyes seemed black because of how dark it was and the shadows cast across his face. Both of the warriors grips on their reins tightened slightly when their eyes met my gaze.
I turned back to watch Finn take one step back. My grip tightened on the barrel and then I swung my arm around, hitting him hard on the side of the head. The crack was loud and all the sound seemed to stop once I hit him.
His eyes widened in surprise as I did it before he crumbled to the ground, knocked out. I leaned down and began to tie him up. I had tied enough people up that it was almost muscle memory and I knew I could easily do it with my eyes closed. I had hoped to feel at least some remorse for what I had done but all I felt was satisfaction, not exactly knowing what I was satisfied about. Maybe it was because this was easier than I thought it was going to be or that I hadn't had actual sleep in over a day?
"Clarke what the hell are you doing?!" Bellamy roared, before tackling me to the side. I rolled with the blow easily and was able to get on top of him, pinning him beneath me easily.
"I am saving our people. He murdered innocent people and will be punished for it. Don't forget that I am the one in charge, Bellamy!" I yelled in his face before standing up and walked back over to Finns unconscious body and finished tying him up. Ignoring how all the guards seemed to have their guns aimed at both me and the two Trikru warriors on horseback.
Once he was securely tied up, I grabbed him and threw him over my shoulder. I almost crumpled under the weight before I adjusted him into a proper fireman's carry. I also just realized the big difference from my body now and almost five years from now. The amount Finn's weighs would have been easy for me to carry but now was slightly difficult and I could feel the strain in my legs from holding the weight. I was stopped at the gate by none other than my mother. I had not realized that she had arrived.
"Clarke what are you doing?" she looked concerned and very worried. Her eyes continued to flicker back and forth between Finn's body and my face.
"I am taking him. He is going to be tried for his crimes against Trikru and justly punished. I understand how you would not agree with what I am doing but trust me when I say I know what I am doing," my voice was as hard as steel as I stood my ground. She knew from my face that I would not back down easily from this.
"Clarke, he is one our people, not one of the grounders. There has to be something else we can do. Why can't we try him?"
"Mom, if you want the alliance then you will let me pass. With his death we solidify the truce, you need to remember you aren't in charge here," I took a step closer to the gate and was now only a couple of feet away from her. Many of the people in the area heard me and were shouting their agreement with me.
"Clarke! What the hell are you doing?!" A voice rang out, causing my chest to tighten as her dead eyes flashed in my mind.
Fuck and this was exactly what I was trying to avoid. I rushed forward easily stepping past my mother and made it the horse, tossing his body over the front of the saddle. I turned back to Raven as she almost ran over. Her face was clouded over in fury.
"Raven this needs to be done," my voice was as hard steel.
"You can't do this! This isn't how our people work Clarke. You can't take him from me," she stopped in my personal space and instantly I was on guard. I knew her well enough that she would try to hardest to get me to stop. I could hear the horses behind me shifting as well as the sound of steel being unsheathed.
"Our treaty only works if we give him to the grounders. How do you not understand that? He killed innocent people. He killed children! Little ones, Raven!" My composure was slowly cracking, and I closed the remaining distance between her and me.
"Accept this, the sooner this happens, the sooner our alliance is assured. Remember who's in charge here, Raven," my eyes narrowed when I see her anger reach the breaking point. This was when she became dangerous and acted rashly.
"No, I won't let you take him, he's the only family I have left," then I easily blocked her haphazardly thrown punch. When she threw another, I was done and my patience for such things was gone. I had grown hard over the years and I had lost my patience for any and all who questioned my leadership.
My left arm wrapped around her back and my right hand around her left wrist. I brought my feet parallel to her feet, lowered my hip a little below hers and then threw her. She landed hard on the ground and part of me deeply regretting having to hurt her but there was no changing this. Either I bring him now or he turns himself later.
Raven stared up at me in shock. "His fate is sealed Raven and I know how close you two are. Truly I am sorry and hope one day you can forgive me for doing this to you," then I turn my back and jump onto the back of the horse.
"Accept this Raven because even I won't be able to save you if you do something to jeopardize this alliance," with those final words, I turned the horse and gave the sides a slight kick.
The horse released a snort before moving to a trot. The two other warriors quickly follow behind, all of us ignoring Raven's screams. "You would think they would be more supportive of this. He killed 18 innocent people."
"Jus drien, jus daun," one of the men behind me spoke.
"Jus drien, just daun," I spoke back.
I was happy I was doing it this way instead of trying to repeat the past because if Raven had given me that knife and told me to kill Lexa I would have decked her in the face. Thankfully the ride back to her camp seemed to go much quicker than it did going to Camp Jaha.
When we finally arrived back to the corral, I was met with the sight of Gustus standing there, once again holding his jacket lapels and he actually grinned at me when he noticed who else was on my horse. I pulled the horse to a stop next to him before jumping down.
"See just like I said I would," I cockily told him with a wide grin stretched across my face.
"So it seems," his eyes looked black as his eyes seemed to bore into Finn's unconscious body.
"It looks like he gave you trouble."
"Yes, when I asked if he was going to come with me, he stepped back. I hit him the head with the end of my gun. Raven also tried to attack me and I dropped her quickly," then I grabbed Finn's shoulders and dragged him off the horse, before adjusting my grip, bringing his body to hang over my shoulder once more.
"Is the Commander still awake? I promised I would bring him to her or just drop him off somewhere, so I can go to sleep. I need a place to sleep for a while if not I am just gonna crawl into a tree."
"Zoran take him from Clarke and follow us to Heda," Gustus ordered the man with the skull mask, who was quick to try and grab Finn. I took a step back when he went to grab Finn off my back.
"We are heading to the Commander's tent and I said I would deliver him. I can do it," I hissed out, feeling slighted from the offer. My lip curled in hate as I looked at the two rather large men. Gustus continued to hold my stare, till he finally nodded his head and I walked in the direction of Lexa's tent.
My steps were a little larger than normal at the thought of seeing Lexa again, half way to her tent Finn moved. I didn't even stop and walked even faster to get to her tent, glad that I gag in his mouth because I didn't want to hear his voice.
The first step into the tent released the tension that I had been feeling in my chest and a sigh of relief slipped past my lips causing Gustus to turn and look at me strangely when I moved past him. Lexa looked up from the war table, eyes widening in shock when she notices I have Finn before her mask slipped back on.
Walking forward till I was a couple feet away from her I tossed Finn to the floor, causing him to release a groan. Leaning down I rolled him over and lifted him onto his knees. His eyes widened almost in fear when he came face to face with Lexa who still had her war paint on.
"S this is the one called Finn. The one who killed 18 of my people," the steel in her voice could cut diamond and I felt the fear travel down my spine when I looked into her face. It reminded me of the first time I had met her and was grateful that she wasn't directing that look at me.
"Take him out of my sight Gustus," her words were hissed. Gustus ripped the boy up and that is when Finn noticed me there. His eyes seemed confused before they narrowed in anger but it was quite easy to see past it to the fear that was easily visible. Finn was forced to walk out of the tent but his eyes continued to keep eye contact with me as he left.
"You should be asleep by now Lexa," tilting my head at the end. Her eyes narrowed before she seemed to think differently, and her entire body relaxed. It was easy to see how tired she was if you knew what to look for. Her eyes weren't as aware and sharp but that did mean anything in the long run. Her shoulders were a little more pitched and her head wasn't as high held. These things though if you did not truly know Lexa then you would never notice because she still looked intimidating and strong.
"Your concern is noted but is not needed," the words while meant to be biting was said in a tired voice.
"You need to sleep. I am going to go find a place to sleep in because I have been awake for too long and I know that the execution won't happen until nightfall."
"How do you know that it won't happen until nightfall?"
"Easy, I talked to Lincoln. Now reshop, heda," I bowed my head slightly to her before I made it to the entrance of the tent before her calling my name made me stop.
"Where are you sleeping?" her face and voice were giving nothing away to what she was thinking.
I shrug my shoulder. "I am probably going to sneak back into Camp Jaha, while you may consider me the leader of Skaikru it does not mean that those of Skaikru think the same."
"Why do they not?" Lexa seemed genuinely confused.
"The Trikru believe that being a good leader does not come with age, it certainly helps to be older, but you truly go off who is the strongest. The Ark, our leaders are chosen by the people and the people always chose between the heads of the different departments. These heads are all older individuals. My mother considers us children. You are a child in her eyes Lexa, the same as I am," her eyes narrowed, and lip curled.
"She would be smart not to call me a child," Lexa grumbled out.
"She doesn't understand how things work here on the ground," telling her with a nod.
"And you do?"
"You are Heda, the Commander of the 12 clans. You could knock me on my ass if you tried but I wouldn't make it easy."
"You seem pretty confident in yourself."
"It's not confidence if you know its true," puffing out my chest slightly. It was true though, Octavia had become a monster against any opponent and fighter she went against and that was after only a couple of years on the ground. The only reason Echo was able to defeat Octavia was because she had been hit in the leg by a spear a couple weeks before her fight and that had given Echo an edge.
Octavia had feinted to Echo's left, a move she had done thousands of times before and her leg chose that moment to give out and Echo used that her to advantage and slammed her sword into Octavia's stomach. I had looked over right as the sword shot through the back of Octavia's armor. Octavia used the opportunity to bring her knife across Echo's throat.
The field was stained red when the fight was over. The pyre I made for her was massive, more than a few scouts came to see what was happening because they knew that Octavia and I were in the area. My heart clenched and beat a painful rhythm at that memory.
"We shall see tomorrow, Klark. If you do not want to go back to your camp, then the tent to the left is free. Reshop, Klark," she spoke before turning and leaving the main area.
"Reshop, ai hodness," I whispered before leaving and finding the empty tent. Thankfully there was nothing in the tent besides the cot and I just threw myself down, placing the gun under the pillow before I finally closed my eyes and let the black take me.
I woke in a cold sweat, Ontari's cold laugh ringing in my ear and the phantom pain my right shoulder flared to life and I could only assume that it was the last minutes I was in the future because I could not remember what happened in the dream. The shifting of the tent flap forced my hand and I grabbed the gun and had it aimed at Indra when she fully entered the tent. She stopped and then pulled her sword quickly from her side.
"What is this?" she hissed at me.
"A nightmare," I mutter, putting the gun next to me, before putting my face into my hands scrubbing the sleep away. I throw the blanket to the side and stand, putting the gun in the waistband of my pants. Standing to my full height, I stretched my back enjoying the few cracks of my spine.
"Why are you in here, Indra?"
"Heda said you were in here and half the day has passed. I figured that you had backed out of our fight today."
"Awwwww and you were worried that I backed out. I didn't know you cared so much," her eyes narrowed, and her knuckles turned white from how hard she was holding her sword.
"Do not think so highly of yourself. You shall regret this challenge when you are in the dirt looking up at me," the amount of contempt and anger on her was palpable. She was even looking down at me. I had planned to go easy on her but now I planned to make a point.
"Where is Gustus? I am gonna go against him as soon as we are done," my voice was calm but the fury in me was coursing through my veins and I so wanted to deck her in the face.
"Follow me," a smirk was now plastered on her face, quickly leaving the tent.
"Well then," I mumbled to no one.
I can't tell if she is excited for the fight or if she just wants to beat the shit out of me.
'I am pretty sure at this point in time she just hates me and every other person from Skaikru.'
Indra began weaving her way through the tents and I followed at almost a jog because she was hauling ass through the tents. Finally, we cleared the last row of tents and I was surprised that not only Gustus was already there but Lexa and at least 30 other warriors were standing around making a makeshift circle. The area was in fact the same area that I knew tonight they would execute Finn and when I looked up I could see that some people from Camp Jaha were standing at the fence but they were to far away for me to see who exactly was there.
Lexa was in full battle armor regalia with her war paint on as well. She was currently talking to Gustus but stopped once she noticed Indra had returned. Her eyes lit up in excitement when she finally locked eyes with me and I could tell she was as equally excited for the fights as the other warriors are.
"Klark, it is nice to see you. I was worried that you had backed out of our fight," Gustus actually seemed excited for this and I felt worry spike through me when I finally could see the sword that Gustus planned to fight with. The thing was wider than two of my hands and was over four and a half feet long. I was tempted to fight him first so if I died I wouldn't have to face Indra because she was going to try and drag out the fight and with my fight against Gustus I am going to need all of my speed against him. (A/N: Zweihander two-handed sword)
Lexa strode across the circle carrying two swords in her hands, the swords were not familiar, no memory coming forward of her even using them. She still looked tired though but better than earlier this morning. I was still surprised that it seemed to be the middle of the afternoon and I had slept that long. I was grateful I had slept that long though because I felt full of energy and was ready to kick some ass but after another glance at the sword Gustus has maybe he would kick my ass.
"Monin, Klark!" Lexa greeted. (Welcome Clarke)
"Afternoon Lexa. Are these for me to use?" gesturing to the swords in her hands.
"If you win then they are yours to keep. Do you think you will use knives as well?" she asked as she handed over the weapons.
"If I lose a sword then I replace it with a knife so two would be nice but only if you have it where I can strap them to my thighs if not then I'll be fine for these fights," without looking up, I strapped the swords to my back and the added weight, allowed me to feel calmer because I could fight once more. Having swords attached to my hip and back for over four years and then not having them for even a day and a half made me on edge the entire time.
I tightened the strap for the last sword, before rolling my shoulders slightly. Looking up when I finished I met two daggers both in their sheaths with thigh straps attached, grabbing those and attaching them as well, both of them looking familiar.
"Whose are these?" gesturing to the knives that I easily fastened to my thighs. The only thing missing was the throwing knives I had kept in leather gauntlets and the rest that I kept on my back.
"They are mine," her voice sounded so smug and I felt a rush of pleasure that all of the weapons on me were Lexa's. Yeah, I was gonna destroy Indra and Gustus because how could I not? Confidence is key and Lexa was watching. I deeply wished this Lexa knew because I knew that she would be so proud of how far I had come and that thought brought an ache to my chest. I shook my head and the ache faded.
"Reshop, Heda," trying to tell her how grateful I was.
"Pro. You just need to win against one to keep my weapons and then both to get the armor that you want. Then you will fight against me if that is what you wish," she looked way to please at the last part.
"I greatly look forward to it Commander," smiling widely at her, enjoying the pleased glint in her eyes and I looked forward to the look on her face when I defeated both Indra and Gustus.
"Who would you like to go against first sky girl?" Gustus gruff voice interrupted my focused stare at Lexa.
"I'd like to go against you first Gustus. Figured I'd get your huge ass out of the way first."
I almost took a step back when he actually laughed. It was deep and kind of nice but certainly off-putting.
"We shall see what you say when I beat you," with those words he lifted the massive fucking sword easily and it landed lightly on his shoulder.
I moved to the other side of the massive circle taking the swords out as I walked over. The weight was pretty balanced and not to heavy but I knew I would need to begin working on my endurance immediately. When I reached the other side I finally noticed that more warriors had arrived. The crowd that now surrounded the circle was massive and when I looked over to Camp Jaha I could even see a crowd forming on the hill that over looked and I could make out Kane from here. It was nice to see him after so long even if I could barely make him out from so far away.
Turning back I twirled the blades in my hands, allowing my battle mindset to take over, my entire being calming down and my focus zoomed into Gustus who still had the sword placed on his shoulder. Then the warriors began to stomp their feet, creating a steady beat.
Lexa was on the side of the circle in the middle with Indra standing next to her.
"YO NA JOMP IN!" Lexa roared and then the warriors began to scream in excitement. (You may begin)
I was then moving, sprinting towards Gustus with a single focus and that was his legs. If I was able to get him on the ground I could win. My strength may not have been to great but I knew where to punch to be the most effective.
When I was close enough Gustus swung the sword with effective ease down at me. I leaped to the right because there was no way that I could block his swing without injuring myself. I felt the breeze when I moved out of the way of the incoming swing.
I ended up to his left side and he was already swinging his sword again. Again, I dodged but this time threw myself to the ground and rolled landing in a crouch before swinging both sword in a slash aiming for his chest, but he stopped both with the broad side of his sword. I began to push waiting till he pushed back with greater force, till he forcing me down with his full strength.
I jumped back to the side and his sword sunk deep into the soft earth beneath our feet. He released a growl because I used that to my advantage and delivered a vicious kick to his side, causing him to curl into his side slightly. I then turned my right first and slammed my hand that was still holding the sword hard into his face knocking him back.
The sound of nose breaking was so loud that I heard it over the roar of the crowd. I was way to pleased to see the blood pouring down his face but then it was swept away by fear because Gustus was pissed. He ripped the sword up and then he swung for my head, but I was too close to step back and dropped to the ground, rolling myself back till I was on my feet once more.
I was in a crouched position and when I tried to stand, I had to bring my swords up, crossing them as I went forming an x. I stopped the sword right as it almost hit full force to my face and I was then concerned he might actually kill me. He brought the sword down harder but ended up sliding it through my blades. The sound actually hurt my ears and then my face was cut into by end of the blade, almost taking my eye. Pissed at myself because I knew this would happen.
Then I threw myself back as quickly as possible, ignoring how part of my face burned. I was thankful though because I could tell it was not too deep but it hurt like a bitch. If I had lost an eye I would have tried to kill him. My left eye turned red and then burned thanks to the blood.
"Fuck!" I roared at him. Then I was moving once more, this time I was moving constantly. I aimed all my swings near his hands, forcing him to continue to back away. The sword while great for long distance fighting was in no way good for close fighting. I was tempted to toss the swords and use the daggers, that would truly cause him major problems but when I fought with daggers, I always went for the kill and I already knew the daggers were extremely sharp. If I did not stop at the right moment I could easily kill Gustus and I was liking him to much this time around to do such a thing.
I felt a rush of adrenaline, jumping up slightly I brought both swords down in a powerful overhead strike. I was actually able to cause the massive man to stumble and then I dropped down and swept my left leg swiftly to his right knee causing him to fall and lose the grip he had on his sword in his fall.
Dropping both swords I jumped on top of Gustus and began to just rain down blow after blow to his face before reaching toward my thigh and grabbed a dagger and then held it against his throat hard enough that a bead of blood dripped down his neck.
The warriors around us lost their shit at this point, many banging their weapons on the ground.
"What did I tell ya, Gustus," I was panting by this point. I crawled off the massive man, standing and holding a hand out to him. The smile on my face was massive and I felt proud that I was able to take that guy down and win.
He turned to the side and spit out blood before turning back to me with a large grin on his face. He reached out and grabbed my hand, lifting himself off the ground. Gustus then leaned down and picked up my swords that I had dropped before flipping them and handing them back to me, grip first.
"Good fight Clarke of the Sky People," then he reached out and grabbed my face turning it to the side looking at the cut he managed to land, releasing a small laugh he threw my face away. I glared heatedly at him.
"It is not that bad and should leave a good scar. Now we can tell you have actually fought, instead of looking like you have never seen battle," then he reached into his coat and pulled out a clean looking rag, stepped forward and then whipped off the blood that was still pouring from the wound. Annoyance filled me because I did not know if that was even clean and I felt like a child. I released a hiss of pain when the cloth touched the actual wound, unfortunately the blade was not very sharp, so the cut seemed to be uneven and not as smooth as it would have been if the blade was sharper. (A/N: Interesting fact the sharper the blade the less it hurts! So like if you hated someone…dull blade)
"You did well. It was a good fight, Nyko will put a salve on to stop the bleeding. I believe it will hinder your fight against Indra if left unattended. She is comparable to your style."
Gustus then walked away and I followed because he was walking over to Nyko. I did not even know he was here in camp, assuming he was in Ton DC but it would make sense because Finn was going to be executed for killing those in his village. "Good fight. Now come here. I have some salve that will stop the bleeding."
He reached into his bag and pulled out a jar that held a light-colored paste that almost looked like wax. I could smell the yarrow in it instantly when he opened it. He took a big glob of it and began to cover the entire cut with it. It went from right below my hairline straight down, splitting my eyebrow before continuing on till it stopped next to edge of my lip. The paste left the wound feeling numb, which I certainly wasn't going to complain about.
"You are good, if he gotten any deeper though you would have lost your eye. I think Indra is waiting for you though," he nodded his head over to her. She was still standing next to Lexa, who when her eyes connected to mine lit up with pride before controlling her expression. When Indra noticed that Nyko was done though she stalked to where Gustus was at the beginning of our fight.
"Oh fuck. This is gonna suck," it was easy to see the fire in her eyes. They looked almost black at this point. Walking away, I ignored the snort that Gustus released.
Walking back to the opposite side of the circle, I finally noticed that once again their were more warriors and were beginning to move up to hill to see what was happening. It seemed like now that more than half the camp had gathered to watch. When I made it over, I took the swords out and rolled my shoulders. All sound disappeared and then they began to create that loud beat once more. All of them began to pound their weapons into the ground, all looking to Lexa once more waiting for the words to begin the fight.
"YO NA JOMP IN!" Lexa roared once more. The warriors then began to scream in excitement once more.
Indra only ever used one sword which would give me the advantage I would need in this fight but Ontari used one sword and that ended oh so well. I was still pissed at her earlier statement though and planned to drag this out.
"What are you waiting for? Are you scared?" Indra taunted. She was slowly stalking forward and then we were circling each other. I stayed just out of her range, trying to think of her weaknesses but she did not have many. She always is calm in her fights but sometimes she over extends her swing, unbalancing herself but it happens quickly and if you miss it then that sucks to be you.
I finally lost my patience and charged forward, swinging at her just as Anya did when she was in the drop shit. Indra narrowed her eyes before bringing her sword up to block one sword before twisting to get out of the way of the other sword, only for another sword to almost swipe her across her face.
I pressed my attack again, easily following her and forcing her back. Then she finally swept her sword at me over extending like I knew she would, knocking her balance off. I used that advantage and slammed the pummel of my sword hard into her face throwing her to the ground. This was the start of my humiliation because then I stood back and allowed her to stand. My blow was strong though and I had split her cheek from the hit and could see the clouded over look hit before she shook her head and pulled herself up.
"I am not scared, Indra," I tell her in a calm voice. She snarls at me and charges once more but she doesn't swing her sword and at the last second tackles me. Then she slams her fist into my face, throwing my head back and hitting the ground hard, my vision swan. I forced it away and then bucked my hips hard, throwing her to the side of me.
I roll in the opposite direction and bring myself off the ground, thankfully in time to avoid a high strike to near my head from her sword. Then I do the same exact thing I did with Gustus, I sweep my left leg out hitting her leg hard causing her land hard on her side. I jump on the chance and I don't even wait taking out my dagger and leaning onto the blade once it is pressed against her throat, not stopping till a trickle of blood runs down her throat.
Her eyes are blown wide in surprise that I had won so easily before she let her head hit the ground and closed her eyes in surrender. "Good job sky girl," she reluctantly complimented me.
The loud steady beat began once more but this time they began to chant my name. I slowly got off Indra and extended my hand to help her off the ground. She eyed my hand for a couple of seconds before finally reaching out and grabbing it to let me help her. When she was fully standing she looked me in the eye as though judging me before she slapped me hard on the back and smiled.
Her eyes then shifted to something behind me, turning I met brightly lit green eyes. Her grin was wide and her teeth shone brightly. An ache filled my chest at the want to pull her into a kiss but I pushed it deep down and just took in how beautiful she looked at the moment.
"EN PLENI!" Lexa screamed causing all the noise to vanish. She then grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand into the air with hers, a pleasant warmth filling my body at her touch.
"EM LAIK KLARK, HEDA KOM SKAIKRU! EM LAIK GONA! EM SIS AU MAUN-DE NA SLIP DAUN!" (She is Clarke, Leader of the Sky People. She is a warrior! She help defeat the mountain! I wanted it to say she will help us defeat the mountain, but I couldn't find the word for will)
This last statement sent off a whole new round of shouting and cries for war. The cry of Jus drien jus daun roared through the air. The steady beat began once more. Lexa dropped my hand which caused a frown to form but I quickly smiled again because this was going so much better than the first round.
"You earned your weapons Klark and the armor that is coming your way," she seemed to be reluctant to add that last part.
"The fight with Indra was quicker than I expected, especially because I could tell you wanted to drag it out."
I rubbed the back of my neck, but my fingers ended up tangling in my hair, ripping my hand out of my hair with a grimace before focusing back onto Lexa, who looked highly amused. "I had planned on it but then she tackled me and thought maybe this wasn't a good idea, also my stamina is crap and after the fight with Gustus I needed to end the fight quickly."
"No, it certainly wasn't," I actually jumped because I had forgotten that Indra was right next to me.
"Follow me and I will take you to the armory and we will get you everything you want because it seems you did win the bet unless you would like to fight me now?" She looked way too excited at the prospect of fighting against me. I shook my muscles out but at feeling the burning in my arms and how my face was throbbing and then the other side still burned from the cut from Gustus decided it would not be the best time.
"As much as I would like to, I don't think I could give you good fight. Give me a day and then we can have a fight," the disappointment was clear till I said I we would and then that gleam returned to her eye.
"I shall hold you to that," then she was almost stalking through the camp.
"I was amazed at your fight with Gustus. A few times I almost called the fight because I thought he would kill you but you impressed me. Hopefully, your cut does not hurt too much," she gave me a small smile and I felt pride swell in my chest knowing I had impressed her.
"Mochof Leska. The paste that Nyko used is pretty amazing and the wound does not hurt as much as it did," I lightly touched the wound but besides it being tender it did not hurt, though I could feel the stretching of skin when I smiled but it was easy enough to ignore it.
After a couple of minutes we reached a large three-sided tent, a steady column of smoke was rising and I could easily see why. They had somehow made a forge from a large group of rocks, I was actually stunned to silence. Along different tables and benches were different armors and weapons. Then I saw them, there was small pile of knives and that was the first place I went, my fingers itching to have throwing knives once more.
I started shifting through the different knives and was able to find 10 of the same type of small throwing knives. The ten knives were all the length of my hand, the handle was the size of my palm and the blade was the same length. I was almost giddy at the thought of owning them and the best part is they were not to heavy, which means I can carry a lot of them and not notice.
"Lexa these. I will keep the swords on my back but these, I need these," she walked over from where she was talking with the man who was actually taller and broader than Gustus. Who followed close behind Lexa.
"Good choices. What else do you need?" his voice was as deep as I assumed it to be. It almost seemed to rumble. Once closer, I could tell he was more than a foot taller than me. I felt the need to take a step back just so I didn't feel so small anymore.
"I need armor and then I was really hoping you had gauntlets where I could place these knives in them. I only need it to hold one on each arm," I tell him as I show him the knives that I was clutching in my hands.
"I only have a few choices that can hold the knives but those are all braces and would not protect your hands, but you can get something else to protect your hands. The chest armor for you will be easy, is there anything that you would specifically want on it?" He had now walked over to where a large pile of hard leather armor was and began throwing the larger ones to the side, based off the size I am going to assume none of those would have done a good job protecting me and were most likely made for larger men. I missed wearing armor as well, a large part of me always enjoying the smell of leather.
"Klark, when you have everything you may need, you may do what you wish for the rest of the day," she didn't even wait for me to reply before she left the tent.
"She seemed like she was in a hurry. Don't you think?" I turned to the massive man who had finally sorted through all the leather armor and was still in front of a large pile.
"It was a quick exit. She ran like she had pauna behind her. Strange. Pick what you want from this and if you need something added to it let me know," then he turned and went back to hammering at a blade that was bright red.
From the large pile, after sorting through all the different ones, I had picked one that had the thickest leather. I knew it would make it a little harder to move for now but after wearing it long enough, I knew that leather would soften soon enough. It was also black which I loved so there was that but I would need him to add something to cover my shoulders and upper arms.
I picked it up, before walking over to the blacksmith and waited for him to stop what he was doing. He noticed me instantly and hit the sword a few more times before dunking it in a large barrel of water. His face softened when he looked at me once more, then his eyes drifted to the chest piece in my hand. He held his large hand out and I gave him the armor.
"Is there anything you wish to change?"
Nodding my head. "I need more coverage of the shoulders and upper arms. Then on the lower back, I need you to add eight knife sheaths. Four knife handles facing the right and four facing the left, preferably alternating going down. Maybe a way to have a knife sheath that I can have on my front shoulder?" I reached my arm forward and touched the left chest area of the armor.
"Like have it right here? Also, I need the shoulder pieces to be blue. It can be both shoulders or just one. I know this is a lot so if you need extra help around here I would be happy to help. I can even hunt if you want because I know that it's a lot."
The calculating look in his eyes vanished and then he placed the armor down on the counter before turning to give me his full attention. "I have heard that you will help bring down the mountain. My brother, wife, and child were all taken in some way by the mountain. You are a leader as well and not just some random member of Skaikru. If these things can protect you and bring you what you need in the coming fight, then I am more than happy to do these things for you. I do not need anything from you, Heda has taken care of everything but if you ever want to come by and help me then I would not say no," he had a small smile on his face. He in a way reminded me of a giant teddy bear because I had expected a man that size to be short and to only say a few words but holy crap that was a mouth full.
He then walked over to a different table that had different gauntlets and braces. "Come. I have many different choices here."
I walked over and he handed me some braces that I could tell that these had the spaces built in for the knives. The first one he handed to me was the ones I wanted, my hands greedily stretching out and grabbing the braces. Someone had stitched in white lines that ran in waves around the entire thing and I softly ran my hand over the waves stitched into the leather.
He released a pleased hum before grabbing them from my hands, slowly unlacing them with practiced ease before grabbing my arm and placing it on my wrist. Then he reached over to the small growing pile of my things that were next to us and placed the throwing knife in the slot. Repeating the process with the other arm.
The braces fit perfectly and worked better in my mind than the gauntlets though having something to protect my hands wouldn't be such a bad thing, but I already loved these. "My wife Silva would help me in the forge sometimes. This is one of her pieces, she used to say that I made them so plain and that was why she was with me. Her pieces are the ones that have something like this on it," his eyes were glazed over as he seemed to stare off and I knew that he was lost in memories long past. His look was one I used to have on my face often after I lost Lexa and my heart ached that he had lost so much.
"She sounds like a wonderful woman. I am sorry, but I never got your name," this seemed to pull him out of his memories before giving me a warm smile.
"Ai laik Arik kom Trikru."
"Ai laik Klark kom Skaikru. It is an honor to meet you Arik," Arik gave me another smile, this one larger than the last.
"The honor is mine. Do you want something that will protect your hands as well? Or is this alright?"
I looked down and inspected my hands, trying to decide if I even needed anything. The only time I ever needed something to cover my hands was ironically when I was throwing my knives and that was only the beginning when I was teaching myself because I always cut my hands open. It was weird to look down at my hands to see no scars, only smooth skin. "No, the bracers are truly what I needed. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me. If you ever need anything let me know."
"I will everything you need done within the day. I am not working on anything important at the moment, only a few repairs. You can take what you have on you now. Now go so I can work," he gave me a slight push towards the entrance of the tent. I was surprised that the sun was so low in the sky, a deep red was slowly spreading across the sky. I had not realized how late it had gotten and how much time I had spent in there with Arik.
I had tossed up the idea of going to Camp Jaha and discuss why I had done what I had done but I knew that it wouldn't end well and would most likely end with Raven trying to punch me again or giving me a knife and telling me to kill Lexa. I would have then punched her in the face. Instead, I just wandered around the camp and spent a few minutes petting the large stallion that I had rode the night before. His presence was soothing and he seemed to enjoy me petting him while I waited for the sun to fall and the moon to take its place.
Once the moon was in the night sky I had made my way over the Lexa's tent, where I then followed the small clearing I had been earlier in the day. Lexa was currently standing next to me and I was just enjoying being in her presence, a question popped in my head, one I had always wondered. She was staring intently at the pole where Finn would be tied to soon.
"Commander?"
She didn't say anything, but she did turn and give me her full attention. "Why did you agree to the meeting? Why is that not me who is up on the pole?"
"This is war Klark. You did what you had to survive and as a leader who is doing what she can to keep her people alive and well, I could not hold that against you. If I had been given the same options as you then I would have chosen the same. This Finn went into a village and then slaughtered 18 of my people, during a time when a leader from your people had come to speak of peace with me. If you had not asked for the meeting you and your people would currently be dead or been in the desert," she emphasized my people and her hand tightened around her sword. Her eyes that had been calm a second ago were now lit bright in her anger and I felt a familiar curling in my lower abdomen.
The yelling of warriors caught my attention and my eyes finally left hers to watch as two different warriors brought Finn and began tying him to the pole. Many people were crowded at the fence of Camp Jaha and I could see the blonde hair of my mother from here. The loud yelling of the warriors slowly fell away leaving the clearing quiet with only the sound of the cracking of the fires heard.
"We can discuss this later if you wish Klark of the Sky People," she turned away from me and made her way till she was standing in front of Finn. His eyes were blown wide and his body shook slightly in fear.
"Finn you are brought here today to suffer the fate of 1000 cuts for the murder of 18 innocents in the village of Ton DC," she then lifted her knife and cut him across the chest. Finn released a groan and I could only watch as his blood began to trickle down his shirt.
Lexa turned and made her way back to me, as Indra then walked forward and cut Finn. This time he released a scream before gritting his teeth. I could see the muscles bulge in his neck. I flinched, in all my years on earth this was still the one thing I absolutely despised and would deliver only if they had truly done something terrible to deserve it. It also always brought back flashes of my mother's death.
Gustus then walked forward and cut Finn across his ribs, the blood staining his blue shirt a red hue. Finn must have bit his tongue because this time he did not scream. A warrior that I did not know the name of then walked forward and delivered his own cut to Finn.
I then decided that they were getting close to enough and stood behind Nyko. He did not say anything to me when I stepped behind him but did raise his eyebrow in suspicion. Then it was his turn and he delivered his own cut, whispering a name as he did.
Finn's eyes widened in surprise when he saw me walking towards him before just hanging his head accepting his fate.
"Clarke why?" his voice was laced with pain and then he looked up at me.
"I could not save you from this fate Finn. May we meet again," then I pulled the dagger from my thigh and then pushed it deep into his chest. He released a grunt of pain before his head fell forward as dead weight. The warm blood coated my hand and then pulled the dagger from his chest. Turning back to Lexa whose eyes were wide in surprise before she nodded her head. Indra was pissed though and had gone to grab her sword before Lexa had stopped her with a single look.
Then I finally realized that someone was screaming before it clicked in my mind that it was Raven. Sorrow filled my chest with the knowledge that I had hurt her, but this was for the best. I let them deliver some of their justice while also getting my alliance with Lexa.
"It is done," Lexa's voice rang clear across the clearing before she turned and walked to her tent with Indra and Gustus following close behind. I looked to sky before closing my eyes. In two days time Gustus was going to poison himself to break the alliance and I could not let that happen. Then after that was the bombing of Ton DC and I did not know what I could do to even prevent that specific disaster.
Closing the space between Finn and me, I leaned against him. My shoulder slightly beneath his, then reaching around I cut the rope that was still holding him up. His body fell heavily into mine, but I easily supported the weight before lowering his body gently to the ground.
Standing once more I looked down at his body. "I am sorry that I was not sent far enough to save you from this fate Finn. Safe passage on your travels until our final journey to the ground."
I then turned and left the clearing heading to the tent where I knew my mother would find me soon.