Chapter 28
Lexa had left the commander's tent, needing to speak to her people and assess the losses the missile had caused.
They both knew that it was essential for their people to not understand that their commander had known beforehand of the missile hitting the village.
The commander spotted a few deceased people between the ruins, but filed that away for later when she would know the exact numbers of the losses. "What happened today will not stand" Lexa loudly addressed her people "The Mountain will fall. Our dead will be avenged!"
Shouts of affirmation could be heard through the crowd, as they cheered. Abby suddenly spoke up that there were still people buried alive and that they had to start getting them out. Lexa looked slightly annoyed at the older woman but let her insolence pass turning to Clarke with determination in her eyes "With both our people working together, we will win this war."
Clarke nodded although it was obvious guilt was already weighing her down, seeing the effects of the missile now.
"Everyone joining the attack will leave at first light to join up with the army already camped in the vicinity of the Mountain" Lexa added.
The blonde nodded, knowing that she would be joining the commander, she would need to be there for the war meetings.
The commander also organized for warriors to help bring those who had suffered severe injuries to the Ark, agreeing that Abby and the other doctors there would be able to help them better.
She knew that Taylor's idea to set up fires around the village had saved many of her people, but she was a little annoyed that the blonde doctor had not told her about it beforehand.
Anya took her time, gently cleaning off all the dust from Taylor's fair complexion. She only hesitated for a little moment, before she started taking off the blonde doctor's dirty clothing as well, leaving the other woman in her underwear.
Beside the wounds Taylor had already acquired during the last few days, there thankfully did not seem any severe fresh ones.
Anya hoped that the blonde doctor would wake up soon as the stillness of her body was unsettling to her. She could see her chest rise and fall ever so slightly though and that would suffice for now.
Lexa returned to the commander's tent just as Anya pulled a fur up to cover Taylor's body.
The general turned around slightly, setting down the bowl and washcloth finally. It was obvious now that Taylor had gotten a few new bruises and scratches.
"She has not woken up still?" Lexa asked with worry evident within her tone. The commander felt the tiredness of the mostly sleepless night together with all that had happened settle deep within her body.
Anya shook her head "I do not know why though. She does not appear hurt badly". Of course, she was no healer though.
"The army will move closer to the Mountain at first light" Lexa proclaimed, only nodding slightly at Anya's previous words.
Anya's brown eyes hardened a bit and her features set with determination. The memories of being trapped inside the Mountain and the horrors she had seen there, were still fresh within her mind.
Her features lost their hardness though, when Taylor started to wake up only a moment later.
The blonde's grey eyes blinked open and she appeared disoriented for a moment, looking around the tent unseeingly.
Lexa stepped closer to the bed as well, crouching down beside where Anya was still sitting on the edge of the mattress, reaching out with one hand and giving Taylor's a slight squeeze of reassurance "You are safe, Yssa" she said in a soothing tone.
"What happened?" Taylor brought out in a crooked tone, coughing a little from the soreness of her throat. She tried to sit up and groaned a little, her body was hurting all over again and she noticed with rising confusion that she was only clad in her underwear.
"You do not remember?" Lexa echoed with a raised brow, worried once again. Could the blonde have suffered a hit to her head? They had not spotted blood on her light blonde hair though.
Taylor coughed again and Lexa quickly got up, fetching a cup with some water to sooth her throat.
With a grateful expression, Taylor accepted the cup and gulped down a little sip while she tried to sort her thoughts. She needed a moment to remember though.
Waking up late the last day. Talking to Lexa. Not having the chance to warn her of the missile. Clarke arriving. Asking Anya for help. Starting the fires. Seeing people run from the village. The last thing she remembered was looking up and spotting the missile soaring through the sky. After that, Taylor did not remember anything though.
Had she managed to save anyone?
She looked back and forth between Anya and Lexa; her voice laced with desperation as she asked "Did it work? How many people died?"
Lexa nodded, although her expression was guarded. She of course had understood already that Taylor had known of the missile, but she did not understand why the blonde doctor had not just told her about it. She still remembered spotting Taylor in TonDC right before the missile hit and how she had felt, knowing that the woman most likely had just died. She knew of course how dangerous it was for her as the commander to have feelings like this for anyone, Costia had shown her that, but there also seemed to be no going back anymore.
Taylor seemed to be relieved for a moment; she sensed though that both women were not exactly happy about what she had done. She lowered her grey eyes in thought, staying silent for now as she searched for words.
Lexa beat her to it though, asking right away in an almost demanding tone "Why did you not tell me of the missile?"
Taylor looked up again immediately; connecting her grey eyes with Lexa's green piercing ones. "I did not get the chance to" she said in a regretful tone "I asked you if you would save a few if you could, risk losing many".
Lexa frowned, knowing that they had been interrupted during that conversation the other day. Would Taylor indeed have told her if there had been no interruption? Or did the blonde doctor just did not trust her to make this decision?
"I did not want to influence your decision, Lexa" Taylor continued to explain and her grey eyes looked pleadingly at the brunette, mutely asking for understanding "In the kind of future I know of, Clarke came to warn you of the missile, demanding you to evacuate TonDC. In that future, you urged her to hide in the woods with you. Not warning anyone, because you decided Bellamy as an inside man in the Mountain was too valuable to lose."
Taylor paused for a little moment, taking a deep breath as she switched her gaze to Anya for a second "I asked you to help. I knew of the marksmen of the Mountain being around TonDC. In the future I know of, he would have killed many. Wounding Indra as well actually. He kept people from looking for survivors".
Anya nodded slightly; she had agreed to help Taylor yesterday, doing as she had asked without knowing why. If she had known of the missile, she would most likely have insisted on the blonde doctor accompanying her into the woods, refusing to leave her in the immediate zone of danger alone. She also could not imagine for Lexa's decision to have been any different.
"You put yourself in unnecessary danger" Lexa spoke up with a slight hint of bitterness within her tone. She could understand the blonde's arguments, but she still did not feel any better about it.
Taylor's mouth set into a frown and she started to fiddle around with the fur beneath her fingertips restlessly. She still remembered vividly how disastrous the damage to TonDC had been portrayed in the show. The horse running away with its coat on fire. A woman walking around in shock, carrying her own severed arm. If she had only managed to save a single life, she still regarded her choice as the right one.
"If even only one person more survived this missile attack now then it was necessary" she insisted after a brief pause and her grey eyes hardened just a little as she met Lexa's probing gaze.
Her features softened again though only a moment later "Please, try to understand it" she asked in an emotional tone "I wanted to warn both of you, so badly. But there was no time anymore. I knew both of you would be out of danger…" her voice trailed off weakly.
Lexa and Anya threw a glance at each other for a second, touched by Taylor's words.
"It is not that I do not understand, Yssa" Lexa spoke up a second later, meeting the blonde's gaze with much more tenderness now "But tell us ahead next time. None of us want you to get hurt".
Taylor nodded with a shaky smile "I would have warned you, if I had not slept for the whole day" her tone was laced with frustration. She knew that things had not gone ideal. She knew that she could have died there. But she took that risk gladly, hoping to save others.
Anya gave Taylor's other hand a gentle squeeze, noting only now how Lexa had still been holding on to the other one the whole time "Less sleep for you than, Yssa" the general seemed to tease for a moment before her expression got serene again "Both of us thought to find you dead".
Taylor bowed her head a little in guilt and she turned her hands, so that she could interlace her fingers with theirs "I am not" she said in a deep tone.
Taylor still felt pretty exhausted. She thankfully had not suffered any more injuries beside a few bruises and scratches on her face and arms.
Both, Lexa and Anya, insisted vocally that she ought to stay in bed until the next day. She knew the other two had a point as they would make another travel on the following day.
She actually had no idea just how far the distance was from TonDC to the camp the whole army would make to prepare for the war against the Mountain.
Taylor had been alone in the tent for a while, nodding off in the more or less silence. She could hear bustling activity outside of the tent and she really would have preferred to get up and try to help those who had gotten wounded, but her objections had fallen on deaf ears.
When she woke up again, Taylor was still alone in the tent, but she could see someone guarding the tent from outside.
Her features twisted in a frown when she just now remembered about Emerson. Briefly, she wondered why Lexa had not told her about a Mountain Man being held captive by the Sky People. But Taylor knew of course that it did not matter now. The Mountain Men had started the bone marrow treatment by now. Emerson had made it back to the Mountain alive and the missile was dropped on TonDC only after those events.
She also now remembered how quickly it got unsafe in the Mountain for Maya. The surviving delinquents would probably already be fighting back. If somehow possible, she would find a way to save Maya.
Without Maya's death, Jasper would surely not hate Clarke in such a fashion.
Once she thought about Clarke, Taylor was immediately reminded of how quickly the commander would turn on the treaty with the Sky People to get her own people out of the Mountain. She direly needed to speak to Anya and Lexa to tell them what exactly would be happening during the battle against the Mountain Men.
The betrayal at the Mountain was what truly sealed the hate between Skykru and the rest of the grounders, making it unsafe for Lexa as well. She would need to find a way together with Lexa and Anya on how to change things favourably.
Taylor felt a little unease though as she thought about what to change. Neither of them had any idea on how to predict what the changes might cause.
In the future she knew of, Ice Nation did not have success with their coup. Had Titus not accidently shot his young commander, things would surely have played out differently. She would definitely have to warn Lexa both about Titus and Nia soon. She hoped that it could wait until after the battle against the Mountain Men though.
Taylor also knew just how soon the earth surface would not be survivable any more. She needed to definitely speak with Lexa and Anya about the soon second Praimfaya. She knew where the bunker was located and that the Ark could be modified to house survivors as well.
She also somehow would need to work together with Raven. The Skykru mechanic had been essential for the development of the new nightblood and she would also be essential to modify the Ark. Taylor was relatively confident that she could convince Lexa to help there like Luna had done in the show.
Taylor was still deep in thought, mulling over everything she knew was about to happen or already happening right at this moment, when Lexa returned to the commander's tent.
The brunette's features seemed to lighten visibly once she noticed Taylor to be awake. "Are you feeling well, Yssa? Do you need anything against the pain?" Lexa asked, stepping closer with green inquiring eyes.
The army was almost ready to start their march to the camp to take position together with all forces to attack the Mountain as soon as Bellamy would dismantle the acid fog.
Lexa reached out and took the blonde doctor's hands with a gentle touch. She leaned over and pecked a soft kiss on the blonde's mouth.
Taylor looked slightly surprised at the sudden kiss, but she smiled "I am okay" she reassured the commander.
"It is good that you are here now" Taylor continued and her smile dropped a little "We need to talk" she added in a confident tone.
Lexa nodded and let go of Taylor's hand, guiding her towards the table and motioning her to take a seat mutely, while she sat down on the chair closest to hers.
"Is Anya going to be here soon as well?" Taylor asked with a thoughtful expression before she started. She somehow thought that it would be better if the general directly knew everything as well.
Lexa appeared slightly surprised by the question. She shook her head in the negative, did not wait for Taylor's reaction though before she got up and ordered the guard in front of the tent to summon Anya to her tent.
"Are you sure you do not to be seen by Nyko?" Lexa asked once she stepped back to the table and came to a halt next to Taylor.
The blonde woman immediately shook her head "I was lucky" she said "I really only got a few bruises and scratches. Nothing to worry about" she assured the young leader in a confident tone.
Lexa nodded in mute acknowledgement and sat down again.
Only a little moment more passed before Anya also arrived in the commander's tent. Her brown eyes were worried as she practically stormed inside, she seemed to calm immediately though once she realized that Taylor was fine and not the reason for her sudden summon.
"Yssa just wants to talk to us" Lexa said before Taylor could even open her mouth to speak.
Anya sat down on Taylor's other side, looking at the blonde woman expectedly.
"The battle against the Mountain will take place soon, but it will not go like you both think right now" Taylor started immediately, wanting to get to the core of the issue as soon as possible. If she wanted Skykru and the coalition to work together to be able to save as many people from Praimfaya as possible, the betrayal of the commander could not happen under any circumstances.
Lexa and Anya banded a look and both of their features showed the same confusion.
"Did you not say that the Mountain would fall?" Lexa asked in a slightly higher tone. The battle against the Mountain was her first reason to even agree to the cease fire with Skykru.
Taylor shook her head "It will fall. But…" she halted for a moment and her features became conflicted. From a rational point of view, she could understand why Lexa as a leader would agree to take the deal. But she did not see it as the right move. If this happened, then she would stay and help Clarke to free her friends as she knew how they managed it in the show. Maybe she could help them do it faster then.
"The Mountain Men they will propose a deal to you" Taylor continued, only looking at Lexa now and her voice was turning on a desperate note "You cannot take that. Like really, you CANNOT agree to this deal".
Lexa's brows creased in a frown "What will this deal entail?" she wanted to know in a quite tone.
Taylor sighed slightly "The Mountain Men will offer to release all of your people" she said with a huff "but the Sky People will not be part of the deal".
Lexa's frown only deepened "And why should I not take this deal? My own people have to be my priority" she reasoned.
Taylor's grey eyes flashed with sudden determination "If you take this deal, I will not leave the Mountain with your people. You will betray Skykru by taking the deal."
Lexa and Anya both appeared alarmed by Taylor's words and the deep emotion ringing with her words. Both of them would never agree to leave the blonde doctor behind.
"As we would just leave you there" Anya interrupted the blonde with a shake of her head, reaching out and taking one of the doctor's hands.
Taylor pulled back her hand though, throwing a warning glare at the general "If one of you would force me to leave Skykru behind as well, believe me, I would hate both of you for the rest of my life!"
The commander and general both were visibly shocked by these blatant words and it was obvious the blonde believed them as well.
"And your people WILL need Skykru in the future after the Mountain" Taylor continued, ignoring their reactions "In the future I know of, they never trusted your coalition again, leading to more and more deaths than necessary. I know how Skykru will bring down the Mountain. We can do that together with them."
Lexa internally felt torn. It sounded as if the deal with the Mountain Men might be the easiest solution for her people short term. Her heart gave a painful lurch even at the mere thought though. She trusted the blonde doctor and she did not know yet why her people would need Skykru soon after the Mountain fell. The army was supposed to leave TonDC soon, so, their time to talk was quickly running out.
When she looked back into Taylor' grey eyes, Lexa decided to just go along with what her heart was telling her for now. She could not bear the thought of doing something which would drive her way irrevocably "We shall make new plans together then, Yssa".
Taylor breathed out a large bout of breath, relieve flooding her system as her stern expression was replaced with a slight smile. She reached out and took one of both of their hands "Together" she whispered in a soft tone.
