Read the authors note at the end. It's rather important.

Also this story has gotten over 50 favourites. Thanks to everyone who added this to your list of faves. Its really flattering to know so many people find this story so enjoyable.

This is about 16K words in total and on a side note I tried to upload this at a time that would be convenient to my American readers considering that's where most of you are from, but I messed that up so...sorry...

Enjoy!


The black blood was dripping almost languid off of Anya's extended nails and the drops fell slowly to the ground. Anya's face was still twisted in a snarl and the pain from Anya cutting into her arm was all too fresh in Clarke's mind.

Clearly, there had been some changes to her body that she wasn't aware of. Black blood? It hadn't happened when she had broken the glass. The deep red colour of her blood when she had crushed it was still vivid in her mind.

In hindsight, even then the red was a lot darker than what blood should have looked like even when deoxygenated.

It was then that she remembered what Darah had said about the Novus changing her body. Clarke hadn't really paid much attention to it, but the usage of her powers hadn't caused her pain except for the new one she had activated to escape the Mountain.

That meant that the acclimatisation of her body must have caused her blood to slowly change colour. Clarke wasn't sure what the purpose was, but she did notice that the niggling (and at times excruciating ) pain she felt when using her powers was gone.

She had gotten used to the pain that she had begun to associate with the Novus. She didn't really want to talk about it to the others because that would have caused them to worry and it wasn't anything Clarke couldn't handle.

However, now she felt no pain whatsoever and she knew she had to speak to Darah about what else might have changed without her knowing.

Clarke dispelled these thoughts and instead looked at Anya who did not look any calmer at all. It was obvious that the blood meant something to Anya, but whatever it meant could not have been good to garner such a violent response from Anya at the mere sight of it.

"Anya,"said Clarke cautiously, "What's wrong? Is it my blood? Why does that matter? We need to get to the Commander to–"

Unlike the last time Clarke reacted on time to Anya's attack and as expected she appeared next to Clarke her nails looking to rip the younger girl's throat out. Clarke caught the extended wrist of Anya and she threw the older woman away.

Anya recovered gracefully, though, and she skidded on her knees on the ground with her angry expression still set on her face. The woman spat towards Clarke's feet and said,"To think I trusted you. You don't wish to aid the Commander. You wish to overthrow her and take the title of Commander for yourself. I'll kill you myself before I let you get near to Heda."

Clarke raised her hands in what she hoped was a harmless gesture and said,"I don't know what the hell you're talking about. I want what's best for my people and that's with the Commander in charge. Lincoln said she created the Coalition and I want to see if we could join it."

Anya rose to her feet her nails decreasing in size as she rose. Twin plumes of smoke appeared in the woman's hands and the smoke faded to reveal gleaming daggers. The blades were clean and polished and the edge seemed to be extremely sharp.

Clarke knew that any words she might say to Anya at this stage would not matter. Whether it was her anger at being captured by the Mountain Men or actual distrust of Clarke driving her actions she knew that Anya wouldn't stop attacking Clarke until Clarke put her down.

Clarke felt confident in her ability to beat Anya, but she still tried the diplomatic approach once more as the two women began to circle each other,"I don't want to hurt you, Anya. We can talk this through."

A wicked smile split Anya's face and immediately Clarke knew this wasn't going where she wanted it to.

Anya adjusted her grip on her daggers and finally spoke,"That's a shame because I really want to hurt you."

Anya whipped her right hand forward and there was a flash of silver as the dagger that was in Anya's hand flew through the air at high speeds. It wasn't all that fast for Clarke however and her superspeed allowed her to swiftly, if a little clumsily, move out of the way of the dagger.

The clumsiness she showed clearly highlighted what was, in Clarke's opinion,one of Instinct's biggest failings. The self-preservation ability only activated when Clarke was unaware of danger such as in sneak attacks or when the explosion of the acid fog had almost burnt her to a crisp in the hallway outside the chamber.

Instinct however didn't activate when the Mountain Men had shot at her because Clarke was aware of the danger she was in and as such she had had to come up with ways to counteract these threats. It was why Anya had so easily cut Clarke.

The surprise of her ally of a few minutes ago attacking her had frozen her stock still and she was only able to raise an arm in self defense. A bad idea considering Anya's nails had felt as sharp as any scalpel Clarke has ever used.

The knife pegged into the ground and Clarke raised her hands at Anya and she hesitated for a bit before firing a psionic blast at the woman. Alas, her hesitation cost her and Anya had teleported out of danger the moment the shot left Clarke's hands.

The woman appeared in front of Clarke her arm already going for a slash with the dagger. Clarke recognised this exact move from Anya and she was able to catch the wrist of the arm that had the dagger in before slamming a palm strike on Anya's chest.

The air in Anya's lungs was quickly expelled and the woman herself was sent careening across the clearing before slamming into a tree. The sound Anya made when she collided with the tree echoed around the empty forest, but Anya herself was silent as she quickly regained her breath.

"Fight like a warrior,"said Anya as she finally regained her breath, "If you had punched me you could have won, but still you hesitate. "

Anya teleported to Clarke and she swung a fist towards the girl's face. Again Clarke's inexperience showed as she clumsily parried the punch. Anya lashed out with a kick and Clarke used both her hands to catch the strong blow. The ringing in her arms confirmed to her that the Grounders also had enhanced physical prowess.

Clarke looked up to Anya's face, but the smile on the woman's face clearly spelled trouble for her. In an amazing show of dexterity, Anya used her only standing leg to kick Clarke in the face and she wrenched her other leg free once the girl's grip on it loosened.

"Why do you hesitate?"said Anya in annoyance. Clarke turned to the other woman and Anya was amazed to see the bruising on the girl's face disappear quickly.

Clarke spat out something out of her mouth and Anya looked at where it had landed and she was surprised to see a globule of blood mixed in with teeth.

Clarke wiped the black blood that was dripping from the edge of her mouth and looked to the other woman. The teeth she had lost were already regenerating and once they were done Clarke said,"I already told you. I don't want to hurt you. I have no idea what the hell this blood means to you. A few days ago, my blood was red and now its black. I have no idea if this is some sort of new power or something, but what I do know is that you're trying to kill me for something that's not my fault!"

Anya had detected the switch in Clarke's tone and she had barely had enough time to brace herself before a purple blast smashed into her chest and sent her tumbling across the clearing again into a tree.

This time Anya groaned loudly as the pain of her smashing into the tree was far louder than before. Anya barely had time to process her surroundings before she felt a hand grip her by the front of her shirt.

Anya was pulled face to face with Clarke and the younger girl's eyes were emitting a radiant purple light as she said,"Speak or else."

Clarke had raised her other hand that wasn't holding onto Anya and the beginnings of a flame were beginning to form on it.

The threat was clear.

Anya for her part smirked and she wrapped Clarke in a tight hug before Clarke could even twitch and the other girl was confused as she felt her surroundings shift in a blink of an eye. The temperature dropped rapidly and she felt oddly short of breath.

There was blue and white all around her and Clarke realised where Anya had teleported them. They were both falling from the sky towards their death.

Anya was still holding tightly onto Clarke, but that soon changed as she disappeared in a wisp of smoke leaving Clarke all alone falling to her death.

Clarke's clothes were wet from falling through the clouds, but that all ended soon as she fell through the last of the clouds before she broke into open air.

The view of the forests and its surroundings would have been breathtaking if it hadn't been for the fact that Clarke was falling to her death. There were vast plains, high trees and Clarke was sure she caught a glimpse of a tall tower that must have survived the bombs, but she couldn't quite confirm it as her body twisted and spun through the air as the Earth's gravity pulled her closed to it's surface.

Clarke shook her head as the lightheadedness from shifting environments so quickly and spinning through the air began to get to her. Clarke closed her eyes and she hoped that her gamble wouldn't end with her going splat on the forest floor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In a forest clearing, a rabbit was hopping around in erratic bursts of energy. It's brown fur shone under the shine of the morning sun and it stopped every few hops to nibble on grass.

Suddenly, the rabbit paused as it's ears began to twitch wildly. It looked in a direction and sure enough a lone wolf was staring at it. There was a moment of silence before the rabbit began to run away at top speed into the surrounding brush.

The rabbit was swift, but the wolf had already prepared for this and it had begun to give chase after the rabbit. The wolf began to track the elusive bunny.

The chase continued on for minutes until the rabbit burst through the forest, but had to skid to a stop as a large river appeared in it's path. The rabbit tried to circle back, but in a flash it was all over.

The wolf snatched the rabbit up into it's maw and bit down firmly before it loped off back into the forest with the rabbit still alive somehow. It was only once the wolf was safely near it's den that the wolf bit down harder on the still alive rabbit.

Red liquid began to drip down the wolf's maw, but just as the wolf was about to snap it's jaw shut, large bolts of electricity emanated from the rabbit and the shocks that ran through it's system reflexively caused it's muscles to lock up which in turn prompted the rabbit to produce stronger amounts of electricity.

It was a vicious cycle that eventually ended with wolf collapsing once the stream of electricity died down. The wolf's jaw stayed lock, but the rabbit trapped within the jaws of the beast was already dead. The wolf's jaws had begun to bite down harder and harder as the electricity coursed through it's nervous system and a reflexive response from the rabbit had killed both predator and prey.

Back at the river were the rabbit had been caught, there were a few chirps and whistles from birds that emanated from the trees. The sounds began to rise in volume and intensity under the glow of the morning sun. However, all sounds were cut off as Anya appeared a few metres above the river in an explosion of smoke.

Less than a second later Anya lands feet first inside the water as a scream tore it's way from her lungs. A large spout of water rises up as the woman falls in before the water finally settles and stills.

There is no sound near the river for a few seconds and the birds that had been startled by the sudden appearance of Anya had begun to sing again. The birdsong had almost returned to it's previous volume before a large splash of water cut it off again.

Anya took a deep breath as she surfaced from the water and she began to gingerly swim towards shore. She finally reached the bank of the river and she pulled herself up onto the dry land.

Despite landing feet first, the impact with the water had been extremely painful, but it was necessary. A slight amount of guilt filled her chest at having killed the young girl, but she could not take any chances with Lexa's life.

Clarke being a natblida was an unforeseen problem and despite herself Anya wanted to help the girl help her people, but if word got out that another natblida existed aside from that pitiful Floukru woman then there would be problems.

Anya rose to her feet and she surveyed the area she was in. The explosion at The Mountain would have drawn a lot of attention and Anya was certain that Lexa would already have begun her travel to it or at the very least send scouts to investigate the incident.

Anya was about to teleport to one of the near villages, but she stopped something landed in front of her and kicked her in the stomach sending her back into the river. Anya cradled her stomach before pushing the pain down and swimming up to the surface.

She took a deep breath in and she turned to her attacker only to take in the sight if Clarke glaring at her with the girl's hands pointed towards the river. Lightning was crackling on her arms and Anya was initially confused about how the girl could have possibly survived such a high fall until she took in the large wings that were spread out behind the girl.

The girl's eyes were also different from their usual blue instead they were a deep yellow or golden colour with a black centre. The girl's hair was very messy – obviously a result from falling from so high – and some strands hung in her face.

Clarke glared at Anya before speaking, "Tell me about the black blood, Anya. Why is it so important to you? "

Anya was about to protest, but she stopped as she saw the lightning on the girl's arms intensify.

"I don't think you can dodge lightning, "said Clarke her eyes never leaving Anya's, "You said I was weak for holding back, but now I'm serious. Tell me what I need to know about the blood and anything else that's important or you'll be dead before you can blink."

Anya felt like screaming in pure frustration. She had forgotten about the girl's ability to fly when she had taken them to the skies. That usually took care of even the toughest of opponents, but clearly this woman wasn't the same as those that came before her.

"I'll tell you what you need to know,"said Anya and it went without saying by either of them that she was to remain in the river.

Anya sighed before she began to speak,"After the old world had been destroyed by the bombs, there had been chaos and death everywhere. Sickness, hunger, murder, rape...it was a time of true savagery. The powers we had been given by our ancestors were used as tools to fight and those few who did not obtain any powers were swiftly cut down."

Clarke's eyes had shifted from their yellow colour back to blue as Anya finally began to cooperate.

"It all changed one day. The few records that describe the appearance of Bekka Pramheda say she abandoned her home in the sky and she fell to the Earth to save what was left of humanity. She was said to be beautiful, smart, compassionate and strong. A true goddess given human form. She had the ability to make even the strongest of men kneel before her with mere words and she had knowledge of various fields. Her blood was revealed to be as black as the night sky and before her death she had made others from the 12 great cities that survived the war into natblidas or nightbloods. The leader of these 12 cities became her general and we were united under her rule."

Clarke could see no sign of deceit as Anya spoke to her and there was even a hint of that wonderment she had seen in Lincoln's eyes when he had spoken about the current Commander.

"The position she occupied was that of the Commander. The overseer and protector of all people. However, once she had died many had covered the power that came with being Heda. Bekka had made it law that only natblidas could ascend to the seat of Commander and there was many a dispute over the seat. The Coalition – already frayed after Bekka's death – was shattered once the Maunon had killed the marching army of the fifth Commander."

Clarke was surprised to hear that there had already been a coalition in place before the current one. She had always assumed the Grounders had been in constant conflict throughout the ages, but that was clearly not the case.

"It was then that the 12 generals at the time had decided to be their own people, but there was still the matter of the seat of Commander. The Commander had previously been chosen through votes or had been placed by previous Commanders, but the smaller clans wished for a fair chance at having the chance to have one of their own ascend to be Heda. The Commanders after Bekka had not been as impartial as her and had instead favoured their own people in many , the Conclave was born. A chance for any and all natblida from any clan to prove they were worthy of inheriting the spirit of the Commander and bring the power and glory to their clans. Natblida always have immense strength and were also capable of inheriting the Spirit of the Commander. They are revered because of this and it is extremely uncommon for natblidas to be in even a neutral standing with each other. Often, the thirst for power supersedes any boms they have with fellow natblida."

Clarke was intrigued to hear how the Commander was chosen and everything clicked as she asked,"Is that why you don't want me to meet the Commander? You think I'll kill her to become Commander? I would never do that, Anya! All I want to do is protect my people."

Anya snorted and said,"How can I be sure that you speak the truth? You are not sure of that yourself. You killed over 100 Ripas to save perhaps 30 of your own people. I'm sure you didn't think you were capable of doing such. Who's to say you wouldn't do worse for even more of your people?"

Clarke sighed and deactivated the lightning on her hands. She walked to the bank of the river and held out her hand expectantly to Anya. The woman eyed her warily, but eventually took the offered hand.

Clarke pulled forward once Anya had enough leverage and the woman rose out of the water. The woman wringed water out of her clothes before looking at Clarke's who hands were at her side.

"I know how much the Commander means to you, Anya,"said Clarke firmly as she looked at the other woman,"I just want to save both of our people from the Mountain and live in peace with all the other clans. The last thing I would want is to kill your leader. "

Anya stared at her seemingly unmoved by her words before saying, "Hold onto my arm. We'll need to sweep a few villages before getting word of the Commander's whereabouts. Also, if you want to be taken seriously by our people you can't back down. Show respect, but do not show fear. If you do then not even Heda will cate for what you say ."

Clarke only nodded and she grabbed onto the other woman's shoulder and within a second they disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving the area devoid of life once again.


Clarke's plan had worked. Barely. But the girl had managed to escape and that was what counted.

Raven sighed as she walked into Clarke's room which she had unofficially taken over and laid down on the bed.

There had been an enormous explosion that had rattled the bones of every single occupant in Mount Weather even the delinquents had been woken up from their drunken stupor as they had left the dorm to investigate.

It was how Raven had been found knocked unconscious in Clarke's room by Jasper and Miller. Raven had managed to give a convincing, but completely false story of how Clarke had knocked Raven out when she had tried to stand in the younger girl's way.

Okay, so not entirely false.

What had been fabricated was what Raven had said about the state of Clarke's mind. Raven had been forced to essentially call Clarke unstable to throw off any suspicions off of her and Maya. The citizens of the Mountain had been shocked when they had heard Clarke's voice come over the PA system and once they had heard her threaten Maya, the citizens had essentially formed a blockade to prevent anyone entering Medical.

Apparently, everyone knew everyone in this Mountain and Maya was universally loved by pretty much everyone in the Mountain either for her caring nature or the fact that she had performed and assisted in many operations over the years.

Regardless, Clarke had made a clean escape and Maya had been allowed to go home and given multiple days off. This had freed her up for the next stage of the operation.

"So you're sure that you can trust these people to get this done?"said Raven as she took in their surroundings. The vast amount of paintings put her off and even Maya's eagerness when speaking about about one of them hadn't eased her tension.

"Absolutely, "said Maya as she looked at Raven,"They're all against the treatments or have lost family who were against it. No one is really vocal about it ever since Dante's daughter died. She was very outspoken about her dislike of the treatments. "

Raven nodded and said,"Do you think Clarke will manage to signal you? Aren't there people monitoring the network?"

Maya shook her head and said,"For the most part, the Patrol sticks to one frequency. We've already set one up to speak so she should be able to contact me soon."

The sound of the door opening startled the girls and they froze with Raven moving in front of Maya as the voice drew nearer. They were relieved, however, to find that it was only Jasper that had come in.

"Should I be jealous?"asked Jasper with his goggles resting on his forehead. The belongings of the delinquents had been brought to The Mountain and decontaminated before being returned to the delinquents.

It was probably a gesture of goodwill on Dante's side as he would want the delinquents to view the residents of Mount Weather in a good light. Admittedly, Raven had also been so enamoured by the warm and comfy beds, square meals and hot water that she had missed out on the sinister nature of the Mountain.

It was only once Clarke had had that big, ugly fight with Octavia and that slimeball Murphy that she had begun to feel any sort of concern or anxiety.

Maya and Jasper had continued speaking animatedly until Raven heard the boy say something to her.

"What was that?"said Raven as she looked at the boy.

"I was asking how you guys are doing after everything,"said Jasper before his brow furrowed, "It's been maybe a couple of hours since Clarke went batshit crazy and attacked you guys. You can't tell me you forgot?"

Raven felt rather annoyed at the rather cruel summing up of Clarke's actions despite it actually being accurate and she muttered with a strong tinge of annoyance, "Whatever, I'm fine."

Raven then nodded at Maya before turning on her heel to leave the art room. Jasper's exact reaction to Clarke's actions were the reason why she and Maya had decided to not clue in any of the delinquents.

Her exit drew a soft goodbye from Maya and a sound of confusion from Jasper. The majority of the delinquents were not in Clarke's corner and it was probably due to the fear they had felt when they found Clarke standing in the centre of a mass of charred skeletons.

It was a terrifying sight for anyone and even Raven had been too scared to approach the girl. Luckily, they had managed to patch that up.

The rest of the delinquents were mad at Clarke for sending Bellamy after the other delinquents and these consisted most notably of Octavia and Miller. In essence, Clarke had been alienated by the very people she was trying to save, but Raven knew that the girl would have helped them regardless.

It was a dangerous game she was playing, though. The fact that Mbege was captured had nearly made Raven attack Maya out of anger, but she had reined in her anger. As it was, the only delinquents worth a damn in a fight were not nearly enough to overpower the Guard and whatever else the Mountain Men might have had hiding inside here.

Raven could only hope that Clarke would make contact soon because if the acid fog was down and Clarke brought a super powered Grounder army back with her...

It would be a slaughter.


Kane was in a decidedly good mood. The healing process for his arm had gone extremely well and the only thing that would be left behind was a scar, but that was a small price to pay for earning a chance at peace.

He was at a village that was apparently one of the closest to Camp Jaha. This was where the negotiations would take place and Thelonious had been sent back to the camp to explain that to everyone.

The village would also serve as a halfway point between Camp Jaha and Ton DC as well as Polis. The two cities were of a lot of importance to the Trikru according to Nyko with Ton DC often being the seat of the Commander when she was at war and Polis served as the current capital of the Coalition.

Kane was supposed to meet Lexa in one of the tents she had set up just for the meeting and he was given time to consider what the Ark (or Skaikru as they were called now) could do to help the Coalition.

There was another reason they were in this village , however. A large explosion had occurred in the direction of the Mountain. It had happened in the early hours of the day and Kane had no doubt that the Commander had already sent some of her own people to investigate what had occurred.

Kane put that out of his mind and instead focused on his impending meeting with Lexa. He walked out of the tent provided to him and began to make his way to the large one designated for the meeting.

He stopped outside the tent where two guards waited outside and before he could get a word out one of the guards – a behemoth of a man stepped forward.

The man put his hand on the hilt of his sword and as his features twisted into an expression of clear anger and annoyance said,"If any harms comes to Heda, I will kill you myself."

It made for quite an intimidating threat and despite his efforts to remain nonchalant Kane knew that he probably appeared a bit more intimidated than he should have. However, he didn't step back or flinch even when the man advanced on him with his sword drawn out of its hilt.

"Gustus, enough."

The voice of the Commander broke through Kane's standoff against the guard. Gustus immediately obeyed and it was still unsettling for Marcus to realise that if grown men were willing to comply to Lexa's orders then she was either a very respected leader or a formidable fighter if not both.

The Commander was barely older than the delinquents, perhaps three years at the most, and yet there was nothing childlike in her demeanour or general behaviour. She gave off the air of having struggled through life and yet always coming out on top, but that was something all of the Grounders exuded without exception. The air of perseverance and strength.

Life on the Ark was far more favourable than life on the ground it would

"You may enter, Marcus"said the Commander before turning her back on him and walking back into the tent.

Gustus gave him one last warning look, but Marcus just walked in behind the Commander paying no more attention to the irascible guard.

He found the Commander already seated at a table and despite it being dotted with chairs at multiple sides he chose to sit at the chair directly opposite the Commander, but he paused and looked at the Commander expectantly.

"You may take your seat,"said Lexa as she stared at him with a blank expression on her face.

Marcus sat down after a muted thanks and then there was silence. Marcus knew that it was probably for the best that he had been the one to go instead of Abby. He needed to show that he – and by the extension the Arkers – would heed to the Commander's word if they joined the Coalition.

If that meant waiting for someone less than half his age to give him permission to sit then so be it. Abby and Thelonious were far too prideful to allow this, but the rebellion on the Ark had really put things into perspective for Marcus and he knew he had to do what was necessary to ensure the continued existence of the people of the Ark.

"What is your offer, Marcus kom Skaikru,"said Lexa as she stared at him,"Why should I not gather the armies of the Coalition and slaughter your people from the youngest boy to the oldest woman? What can you offer me that the other clans cannot?"

Marcus had been preparing for this mentally since he had been given notice of the meeting. In truth, there probably was not a whole lot that they could offer, but Marcus was willing to do whatever it takes to gain entry into the Coalition.

"We have a plethora of knowledge from the old world. We could construct new weapons, machines and devices for your use,"said Kane as he put his strongest card down first,"Vehicles that move faster than horses, bombs that can destroy the thickest of walls, devices that allow you to speak to people hundreds of miles away even methods to find the most arable land without wasting seeds. These are only a few of the things we can produce and give to you, Heda."

Lexa seemed to ponder what Marcus said before responding ha,"Surely that is not all you can offer? I need something more substantial than simply technology. Azgeda trades fur, fish and wood in high amounts. Louwoda Kilron trades medicinal herbs, textiles and various fruit. All of the clans have their people under my command. What else other than technology do your people have to offer? Your people are inexperienced with the ways of the Earth. You only know how to use your guns to hunt and know virtually nothing of fighting, tracking, foraging or crafting. I will have to assign people from various clans to teach your people to do these things. How will you pay back the clans like the Trishanakru and Yujleda that will want nothing to do with technology? "

Kane felt vestiges of doubt began to grow and bloom within him as Lexa cut down his initial offer. It wasn't necessarily a no, but clearly they were going to have to offer more to the table than what he had initially placed.

Kane cleared his throat and said,"We also have amazing advances in medicine. I doubt there are many who can heal like Nyko across the clans. Our doctors and surgeons are extremely capable and we'd be willing to open our doors to the nearby Trikru villages as well as train some medics."

There was a reason Kane had said Trikru specifically. They were on Trikru land and were most likely going to be trained in various things by Trikru as well. If there was going to be a clan, Skaikru would interact with a lot it would be Trikru.

"Furthermore,"added Kane to hopefully sweeten the deal,"We would ally ourselves with Trikru in case of any war or conflict. Many of our Guard are well versed in shooting and I think despite our small numbers we could give sufficient aid in battle."

Marcus was mostly bluffing here in all honesty. He knew it would be a tall order to convince the Guard to join the Trikru in any battles they might have in the future, but since the Coalition was in place he hoped that there was no impending conflict that they would have to take part in.

It was this final statement that had cemented their place as Lexa said,"Very well, we will reconvene at Polis to cement our alliance and you'll be indicted at the thirteenth –"

The sharp crack of gunfire emanated from outside the tent and Marcus flinched when the sound washed over him. He looked back at Lexa who was already rising out of her seat.

Marcus was about to walk after her when she said something in Trigedasleng to the guards outside before walking out in a flurry of movement her cape swishing behind her. There was the sound of shuffling before Gustus walked in holding a sack and from the expression of urgency on his face he didn't wish to be preoccupied by this seemingly menial task.

Gustus thrust the bag towards Kane and promptly followed after Lexa. Kane opend the sack and he was surprised to see the rifle that had been taken from him. He gingerly took it out and he was surprised to find it still fully loaded. In fact, it was almost as if it hadn't been touched at all since he had been lured into the trap by Tristan.

Marcus walked out and he was horrified to see that a lot of the villagers were bleeding from gunshot wounds. He ran to the nearest one and he pressed down on the wound on her leg to stem the bleeding. The woman seemed to understand Marcus' intentions and began to apply pressure herself. Marcus wiped her blood onto his shirt and said,"What's going on? Who did this?"

The villager in question was a grown woman probably in her thirties. Luckily, she seemed to understand Kane as she said,"Goufa kom Maun-de. He came looking for Tristan and Heda. No one could touch him with their bows or swords and he used his gun to attack before running into the forest. Heda and Gustus ran after him I that direction, but he was swift and did not move the leaves or trees when running. It'll be hard to track him."

A sinking feeling came over Marcus at the thought of the Mountain Men attacking and if there was one here then it was likely that there were more in the surrounding woods. Marcus tore a large strip of cloth from his shirt and helped the woman make a rudimentary tourniquet on her leg.

The woman thanked Kane and immediately rose to her feet and began to marshal the other villagers around her into their houses. Kane thought about going into the woods, but he knew that he was too slow and unfamiliar with these parts to be of much help.

Instead, he helped get everyone inside before using the first aid skills he had acquired during his time on the Ark to help save the others. Unfortunately, a lot of the victims had taken a bullet to vital areas nd Kane was startled to see that one of the victims was Tristan who had been shot right in the heart.

The man's eyes were still open and Kane closed them before he began to see if there was anything else he could do to help those that were still bleeding out, but the ones that superficial wounds were all being moved away.

It was after perhaps fifteen minutes, a horn sounded and Kane was surprised when everyone in the building practically leapt up to exit the room. He had at first, thought, this was the fog signalling acid fog, but they were still too far away from The Mountain for that.

Marcus was one of the last to exit the room and he was surprised to see the Commander sitting atop a large pier white stallion. One key difference from her appearance during her meeting with him and her appearance now was that her warpaint had been applied to her face.

Marcus looked around and it was with some horror that he noticed that there were more villagers shot than he had thought, but the image that stayed in his mind was that of a little boy who laid on the ground clutching his stomach as blood poured out from in between his fingers.

Nyko was kneeling right next to the boy and his hands were glowing a soft green. The blood flow seemed to slow before stopping, but even from this far away Kane could tell that the wound was just barely heal and would likely scar.

"We have been attacked,"said Lexa suddenly and a hush fell over the crowd,"The boy claimed to be looking for me, but all he has done was harm my people and flee. Riders, gather the armies of the 12 clans. The Mountain will fall!"

Kane was surprised by the charges air that Lexa's speech had caused and even the oldest of men looked eager to follow her into hell and back. However, before anyone could move Lexa's next words startled Kane .

"However, we first need to rid ourselves of a coward,"said Lexa and then she turned to Kane and there was a vicious snarl marring her face, "We march to Skaikru's camp. Justice will be had."

It all dawned on Kane at once. Tristan being killed specifically while others were only wounded. The attacks of the Grounders going through him. Even the sound of the gunfire.

Finn just killed them all.

That was the last thought Kane had before he felt a vicious blow to the side of the head before the world turned black.


Clarke woke up with a start and she was surprised to find herself laying in a very comfortable bed. There was a window opposite the bed and from what she could tell it was the middle of the afternoon.

Clarke turned away from the room and tried to scan the room, but apart from the bed and a closet there wasn't much else giving the room a Spartan feel reminiscent of Clarke's cell on the Ark.

Clarke tried to get out of the bed, but she was surprised to find herself wearing unfamiliar clothes once she sat with her legs over the side of the bed. The clothes were comfortable and soft and consisted of various leathers and fabrics that were all black and brown in colours.

The combat boots she had taken from the Mountain were laying next to her bed as well as a new pair of socks. Clarke pulled the socks and boots on before she stood up feeling very refreshed.

Clarke and Anya had made their way to a secluded cabin in the woods after the first two villages they had investigated turned up blank. Anya had seen how tired Clarke was and had teleported them here after no one was aware of the Commander's whereabouts.

Clarke had bathed in a nearby river before changing into clothes that Anya had provided. Clarke had ended up sleeping for far longer than she had expected, but considering she had been awake since the early hours of the day she guessed she could be excused for it.

Clarke opened the door and she walked through the room that coupled as a kitchen and lounge of sorts before finally making it outside. There was Anya practicing with her sword as if she hadn't been locked up in a small cage just 24 hours ago.

There was a deer carcass that had already been skilled and the sweet smell of roasting meat teased Clarke's nose. Anya had built a fire and Tris of all people was the one preparing the food. Clarke wasn't sure when the girl had gotten here, but she offered her a smile which the young girl gleefully returned.

Meat was something she (along with all the delinquents) had taken a strong liking to once landing on Earth. They hadn't known just how mediocre their diet on the Ark was until they had all had their first taste of what the Earth had to offer.

Anya stopped practicing once she saw Clarke and holstered her sword. The woman then began to walk towards the trees that surrounded them and Clarke was surprised to see various throwing knives littering the ground.

There was a veritable arsenal littering the clearing that the cabin was located in and Clarke decided it couldn't hurt to help Anya out a little. Wordlessly, Clarke picked up the rest of the knives that were scattered across the forest floor.

The two women eventually gathered them all and placed them near the fire where Tris was. Clarke fiddled with the last of the knives before she turned to Anya and said,"You shouldn't be practicing. You were locked in a cage for days with barely any food. You should take it easy."

Anya shook her head vehemently and said,"I need to train. Once the Commander attacks the Mountain I'll be on the frontlines with Tris and I can't afford to be weak. I need to get my revenge."

Clarke was not surprised by Anya's statement. She knew that the Grounders were kept in hellish conditions and if she were in that situation she would want to exact some revenge too.

"You think the Commander will agree to help me?"said Clarke as she turned to Anya who nodded firmly.

"Yes,"said Anya after a pause before crouching down next to Tris who had begun whispering something in her mentor's ear,"Once the Commander hears about what they do to us and that the acid fog is down she will rally her army before attacking. The Mountain has been a scourge on our people for generations and her legend will be cemented for ages after crushing the Maunon."

Clarke was confused by the by play between the two especially as Tris now looked nervous and stiff. She ignored it for the meanwhile and said,"Is that all the Commander cares about? Cementing her legacy?"

Anya shook her head and said,"No, Lexa is much more than that. She cares for her people above everything. Her needs and wants are put to the side in everything. It was why when Nia–"

!*

Whatever Anya was going to say was cut off by a rain of bullets that came from the forest. Clarke had already raised a psionic dome to protect them and the bullets ricocheted off of the purple dome.

The rain continued until the sound of clicking noises filtered out from the tree line. Immediately, Anya disappeared in a burst of smoke with her knife in hand and not even a second later a scream was heard from within the brush.

Clarke's eyes shifted to a pale yellow with a large vertical slit. Immediately, she could see various heat signatures in the woods surrounding them. There was one that kept flitting around that she guessed was Anya as she hassled a group of five Maunon.

There were about five left and Clarke turned to Tris (whose face was a myriad of reds, blues and oranges) and said,"Stay here."

The girl didn't even have a chance to protest when Clarke stomped on the ground and four walls of rock 20 feet high formed around the girl making what was essentially a cage.

Clarke trained her eyes on the woods and the Mountain Men were to her eyes a vibrant reddish orange against the blue and purple forestry. Clarke twirled the knife in her hand before dropping her dome and throwing her knife at one of the five remaining Maunon.

Clarke had activated two powers from the time of curing Maya and they were both handy. The first gave her impeccable aim which was what she had used to cut Emerson's knife with the ice knife she had thrown and the second allowed her to manifest any threats of any animal.

It was how she had managed both to fly away from the Mountain and survive falling from the sky before tracking Anya down so quickly. A golden eagle had been the mold she had taken after an animal that had excellent vision typical of eagles, but was also an extremely swift flier.

Now, Clarke was using the infrared vision typical of snakes, in particular the pit viper. Clarke aimed her hands at two separate men in the woods before deactivation her infrared vision and she shot two bolts of lightning at them.

Her aim struck true and and twin screams were heard from the woods. Clarke ran at full speed at one of the last two and she was surprised to see a guard from the Mountain, but he wasn't wearing the typical hazmat suit of the Maunon.

In fact, he wasn't wearing anything at all. Clarke snatched the gun out of his hand before snapping the muzzle in half. The man looked panicked and he dropped to his knees before raising his hands slowly. His partner had taken off in some direction and Clarke knew that Anya was probably in pursuit of the straggler.

"How did you find us?"said Clarke as she looked at the guard from the Mountain. The man remained silent, but he still appeared quite scared.

"If you want to live,"growled Clarke as annoyance bubbled up inside her,"You'll tell me how you found us and how you're breathing this air."

The man stayed quiet until he felt a constricting sensation all around him. He let out a Yelp of surprise as purple energy lifted him off the ground and it felt as though his entire body was being squashed.

"Last chance."

The man began to cry and said,"Please, I have children and a husband – a family! They're all waiting for me to get back. Please don't kill me!"

Clarke was unmoved and she raised her hand with all her fingers splayed before slowly clenching her hand. The effect was instantaneous as the man let out a bone chilling scream as the pressure on his body became too much.

"I'll talk. I'll talk!"screamed the man in sheer pain and Clarke decreased the pressure drastically.

The man sighed in relief and even as tears fell from his eyes he began to speak,"It was Dante and Lorelei. They said that they had a way to cure us and it was through bone marrow transplants. They've told all of us already, but I got one first since I was made leader of this patrol after Whitman died."

"Whose bone marrow?"said Clarke and the man again hesitated before saying,"The Ark children. The ones we kept prisoner. Lorelei drilled them for bone marrow."

Clarke closed her eyes and began to breathe in and out slowly in order to calm down, but the anger she felt at being attacked was boiling underneath her skin.

Clarke eventually stilled and opened her eyes. The man looked pitiful with tears streaming down his face and the beginnings of mucus dripping from his nose.

"You drilled them?"said Clarke icily as she stared at the man,"Why? Why is your life more valuable than theirs? Did you know you would be killing children before the operation?"

The man had no answer and he just began to murmur quietly. Clarke growled in frustration and the next question dropped from her mouth like poison.

"Did you care?"

The silence served as Clarke's answer. She raised her hand and again the pressure was increased just ever so slightly on the man. The man turned hysterical and he began to plead Clarke earnestly,"Please let me go! I just wanted to come back to the surface. I just wanted to not feel like a prisoner anymore. I wanted our people to live up here again. It's so beautiful...I just wanted that for my own people. Isn't that what we deserve?"

The words struck a chord within Clarke as she could understand perfectly how a lifetime of living in a box could make people desperate. People were willing to do crazy things to live.

Kidnap and bleed hundreds of people until their death. Brainwash people into being drug addicted cannibals. Suffocate hundreds of people in their sleep. Form a rebellion and steal an escape pod to Earth. Train your children to fight as soon as they can walk.

Burn 100 people to death.

The truth was none of the people on Earth deserved the Earth. No one deserved it anymore than the other, but in the end that was not what mattered. Morality would not ensure survival on Earth anymore. It hadn't for the past centuries. There was only one thing that would allow them to survive.

Power.

Clarke began to clench her hand into a fist once again and the man let out a groan of pain before saying,"You said you were going to let me go! Please don't kill me...I'm just trying to save my people."

"I know and I'm sorry,"said Clarke solemnly before she added,"But that's what I'm trying to do too. I don't want to do this...but I have to."

Clarke immediately balled her hand up and her nails dug deep into her palm. A loud scream echoed out from the man and blood sprayed onto Clarke's face. Clarke let her hand drop to her side and she didn't even try to wipe her face as she felt the warm droplets of blood begin to cool and congeal on her face.

Clarke surveyed the damage she had done and it sickened her somewhat that she didn't even know the names of the four men she had killed. There wasn't time for that, however and Clarke turned her back on the corpses before running. Ack to where she had left Tris.

The rock prison still stood string and Clarke stamped down on the ground which caused the four walls to descend into the ground. Tris seemed surprised by the sudden movement of the walls and she nearly attacked Clarke before she saw who it was.

"Where is Anya?"questioned the girl and Clarke shrugged before pointing in the direction she came from,"One of the Maunon ran away. Anya went after him. She will be fine. She's strong."

That was something Clarke was certain about. The common foot soldiers of the Maunon were definitely not a match for Anya especially not in one on one situation.

"You should have let me fight,"said Tris with a petulant expression on her face, "I'm strong too."

Clarke smiled and ruffled the girl's hair and said,"I know, but Anya would have killed me if you got hurt. She gets pretty scary when angry."

Tris laughed at Clarke's joke and Clarke felt her own smile grow. Clarke had another reason for keeping Tris at the cabin of course and it had nothing to do with Anya.

Tris had probably been in more fights than Clarke had and even though she spoke with a maturity beyond her age at times – it was hard for Clarke to see her as anything, but a kid.

She knew Tris was dangerous and she also knew that the girl could have probably killed Clarke with her bare hands if Clarke didn't have any powers, but that wasn't the point.

The point was that when she looked at Clarke and saw her gangly limbs and young face it was hard to reconcile that with a fully fledged – or at least almost fully fledged – killer. The girl deserved at least a few more moments of peace and innocence.

Clarke was sure moments like that were far and in between for the Grounders and if she could prevent the girl from losing more of her innocence then at least she had done something right.

The girl in question turned to Clarke and said,"We need to burn the Maunon. Even they do not deserve to be left to rot."

Clarke turned to the girl in surprise and said,"You do not bury your dead?"

Tris recoiled at the question and said,"No. If we bury them their spirit is trapped within their corpse and they can never find peace. To the Trikru, the greatest insult one can ever commit is to bury their enemy's body and leave it to rot. Others clans believe differently, but all of the clans believe in allowing the spirit of the dead to move on."

It was times like these that made Tris appear far more mature than she appeared. The calmness and equanimity the girl spoke of death with was more saddening than surprising to Clarke. It reminded her that to Tris death was just another aspect of her life.

The girl may have looked like a child and have the the voice, but she was not a child in even the loosest of terms. The ground clearly had a way of maturing it's people quickly.

"Do we need to build a pyre for them?"said Clarke as she gestured towards the woods, but she was surprised when the girl shook her head.

"We only build pyres for our own people. We do not wish to imprison theirs souls, but it would be a disservice to our fallen clan members if we treated our enemies with the same reverence as them,"said Tris as she looked to the setting sun in the sky.

Clarke nodded and said,"I'll go take care of the bodies. You should wait here for Anya to come back. I'm sure she'll be back soon. "

The girl nodded in acceptance of the idea and Clarke rose to her feet before going off in the direction of Anya's skirmish with the Mount Weather guards. There was five of them and they all had suits on showing that the man Clarke had killed was speaking the truth about the bone marrow procedure.

Clarke made sure to detach the oxygen tanks as well the radios and tone generators the Mountain Men. Some even had shock batons that Clarke realise was commandeered from the stash the delinquents had after looting the Exodus ship.

Once all the devices in total were far away enough Clarke began to gather all the bodies to one central spot. A quick flick of the wrist and the bodies were in a rectangular hole in the ground.

Clarke stepped to the very edge of the hole before pointing her hands at the corpses before twin balls of fire burst into life on her hands. Clarke raised the temperature of the flames to their absolute maximum before she let loose with two blasts of fire.

Sweat dripped down from her brow, but Clarke was otherwise unaffected by the heat. The flames didn't spread to the other parts of the forest thanks to the hole in the ground and so Clarke was able to focus on her task entirely.

It was a hazy thirty minutes later that Clarke found herself walking back towards the cabin having made sure that all bodies were burnt to ashes before leaving them to be scattered in the wind. The radios of the Mountain Men were crackling constantly as a panicked voice kept trying to make contact with the patrol, but there was no response forthcoming.

Clarke was glad to see that the Mountain Men had brought their devices along especially since the radio and tone generators Clarke and Anya had stolen from the Mountain were lost during their fight.

Clarke walked back into camp and she was surprised to see Anya and Tris decked out in full armour. The two were in the process of attaching knives and swords to their bodies and were already looking in Clarke's direction.

Anya's eyes were once again filled with mistrust as she stared at Clarke. The woman stepped closer to Clarke and said,"You better leave. Now."

Clarke was confused and she voiced the question that was on her mind,"What do you mean? What's going on?"

Anya looked angry, but she seemed to calm down once Tris grabbed onto her arm. The woman took a deep breath in before saying,"A Trikru village was attacked. One of the generals in Trikru was killed and the branwada wounded innocents who tried to stop him. Apparently the boy used a gun and all attacks couldn't harm before he fled without a trace. The Coalition marches to his camp now."

Clarke felt a sinking feeling as she asked,"Who was it?"

Anya simply scoffed and said,"I think you know. Your people are located roughly 50 miles to the northwest. You should hand Finn over to the Commander before she decides to attack. You only have until daybreak before she will give the order to charge and I doubt your guns will save your people."

Ckarke felt frustration bubble up in her as Anya confirmed her suspicions. She felt both elated and dismayed to hear that Finn was alive. Elation because that meant the other delinquents including Bellamy and the Arkers were alive and well.

Yet, this felt hollow considering the fact that Clarke had to hand over one of the people she had sworn to protect to face his crimes.

"What will the Commander do to him?"inquired Clarke as she looked at Anya who looked ready to leave along with her second,"Will she not attack my people if I give him to her?"

Anya looked at Clarke with a serious expression on her face and said,"He will suffer a punishment equal to the crime. The traditional execution method of Trikru is death by a thousand cuts. The commander will deliver all cuts before ending it with a stab to the heart. However, if your people give him up then Skaikru will be absolved of all wrongdoing. Refuse and..."

"We'll be at war,"finished Clarke and her statement drew a nod from Anya.

"Make haste, Clarke,"said Anya as she looked at her,The lives of your people rest on your shoulders."

Clarke clenched her hand into a fist before saying with a hint of exhaustion,"What else is new?"

She was about to take off when Anya said,"I made a few changes to your clothes that you might find useful. Running on the ground now would be detrimental so it is better if you take to the skies."

Clarke reached to the back of her shirt and she was surprised to find two buttons on the back of her shirt. She undid them and she was surprised to feel two vertical slits that travers her back.

Clarke focused for a second before jer wings burst through the slits in the fabric seamlessly. Tris let out a sound of surprise and awe which turned into a gasp of surprise when Clarke turned back to them and her eyes had morphed into large circular shapes with yellow colouring and a black centre.

The eyes of an owl.

"I'll fix this,"said Clarke before she took in a gust of wind leaving the two Trikru members behind.

Clarke began to ascend to a suitable height before using her eyes to scan for any sight of Finn. She was able to see in the faroff distance a hulk of metal that must have been the Arkers camp and there was a large glow that surrounded it's base.

It was either one large fire or many small fires – torches probably.

Perhaps an army's worth of torches.

Clarke knew that Finn wouldn't have gone to camp for fear of being thrown to the wolves so she changed her direction away from the Ark and instead went to the one place she hoped she could find him.


"You let Finn go?"said Kane as he stared at Bellamy,"What on Earth possessed you to do something so stupid?"

Bellamy sighed as he looked down at the ground,"We wanted to find The 100. They just disappeared and you guys barely even cared about that. I couldn't go myself so I sent Finn to go find any leads. I didn't think he'd–"

"He'd what?"pressed Kane,"Go into a village and try to massacre it's residents? Now we have an army right outside our gates baying for the blood of our people, but Finn is nowhere to be found. "

"So now you care about our lives?"said Bellamy with anger,"Did you care when you sent us down here or when you floated Sector 17 in their sleep?"

"I did what we thought was best to survive,"said Kane firmly, "Everything was done to save as many people as possible. I don't think I need to remind you that you did your best to ensure that the entirety of the Ark didn't come down on two separate occasions. In case you didn't know, the disappearing wristband signatures and Raven's radio not working were the main motivations behind the Culling happening. Something you had a very large hand in. "

Bellamy looked away from Kane in shame as he was reminded of his past sins. Bellamy was well aware of what consequences his actions had had. He wasn't as blameless as he'd like to believe and it was whenever he was alone with his thoughts he was haunted by the choices he had made.

Kane calmed down as he saw the anguish and turmoil rise up in the boy and said,"The things we have done in our past don't define us. You and I have both wronged so many of our own people and those sins will haunt us as long as we live. The only thing we can do now is to make sure our people keep on surviving. The Commander seems partial to letting us into the Coalition, but we'll first have to..."

"Give them Finn?"asked Bellamy with a hint of derision in his voice,"What makes us so special that we get to decide who lives and who dies?"

Kane sighed gravely and said,"We are leaders, Bellamy. If we don't do this, who will? This is the cost of being a leader."

"I never asked for this,"said Bellamy as he rose to his feet.

Before Kane could respond his radio crackled to life.

"Marcus," said Abby as her voice sounded from the radio,"Get Bellamy out here now. We're going to need him."

Bellamy and Kane looked at each other before they both began to make their way to the outside of the Ark. They had to muscle their way through a throng of people, but once they muscled through they were surprised by what awaited them.

A large, monolithic mass of rock was hovering away from the camp. A dark skinned woman with black hair was standing at the helm of the army with her arm raised to the sky. The woman thrust her hand towards the gates of Camp Jaha and like a rocket the mass of stone began to accelerate directly towards the gate.

The residents of Camp Jaha let out a collective scream of terror as the rock surged towards their gate. Bellamy felt a tingling sensation of fear emanate across his body and guided by some mixture of stupidity and heroism he ran towards the incoming boulder.

He thrust both his hands out at the rock and pushed forward. The rock began to gradually slow down before it was stopped cold not ten feet away from him. The rock dropped to the ground with a massive boom that echoed like thunder across the entire clearing.

Bellamy felt sweat gather across the entirety of his body as he tried to regain his breath. The sheer effort required to stop the rock had been extremely trying on his body.

The sound of hooves drew his attention and he was surprised to see the woman that had launched the rock at their gates approach. The woman had warpaint in an intricate pattern around her eyes and she brought her horse to a stop right in front of Bellamy.

"What is your name?"said the woman and her voice was as harsh as one would expect from a seasoned warrior. Bellamy straightened up before saying,"Bellamy. Bellamy Blake. What's your name?"

"Indra,"replied the woman idly as of she wasn't standing in front of an enemy,"That was a warning shot. The Commander does not wish to shed more blood than is necessary. We just want you to hand over the coward."

Indra raised her hand up in some sort of signal and Bellamy was surprised to see a lot more of the large monoliths of stone rise up into the air, but this time there were on fire,"If we do not have him within an hour then you shall all burn."

The woman dropped her hand, but the monolithic boulders were still in the air floating precariously. Bellamy knew he could probably only stop about one more of those.

It had sapped at his energy to stop something that had been so heavy and moving so fast and he knew that stopping it was only half the problem. The flames that saturated the obelisks were another problem.

Bellamy turned his eyes from the dozens of meteorites before saying,"You'll get your man."

Bellamy turned his back and walked back to the gates. He heard Indra turn her horse and trot away presumably to report to the Commander.

Bellamy paid it no mind as he pondered on the whereabouts of Finn. Perhaps a few hours ago, Bellamy would have staunchly opposed giving him up, but with over two dozen burning masses of rock floating above Camp Jaha, Bellamy would be the first to throw the boy to the Grounders.

If only they could find a way to sneak a patrol past the army. The Grounders were convinced Finn was inside Camp Jaha and were being rather patient all things considered. They had formed a perimeter around Camp and there was literally no way in or out.

The only thing the Arkers could hope for was for a gift from above.


"Heda,"said Indra as she stood near Lexa at the crest of the valley that the Skaikru had made their home in,"It has been over an hour since I gave then the warning. They insult your power by ignoring your threat. The army grows restless. Give the signal and we shall send the fire boulders to kill them all for defying you."

"That's enough, Indra,"said Lexa as she stared impassively at the metallic monstrosity below her,"Skaikru and the army must understand that their lives are in my hand. Mine to take whenever I wish. If that is in an hour or a day or a year from now then so be it. They will accept it and so shall the army. I know you mean well so I will excuse your misstep. If any others in the army have similar concerns tell them what I have said and if they disagree then they are more than welcome to bring their complaints to me."

"Of course, Heda. I apologise,"said Indra before she bowed to the younger woman and left her alone.

Lexa waited for the woman to leave before a small sigh escaped her lips. Despite Lexa having chastised her, Lexa knew that Indra was right. Now was not the time to hesitate.

Skaikru had been living above the law for too long since their children had landed two moons ago. Any hesitation on her part would be seen as weakness and there were many who would relish the chance to strip her of her power.

Lexa's enemies had always been lurking in the shadows waiting patiently from the very second she had ascended for her to make a mistake. Countless enemies and foes had stood in her path thinking they had the upper hand and they had all fallen before her.

She had formed the Coalition through swift and decisive action. Hesitation was not something she was allowed to experience. Her mother had not allowed it. Anya had not allowed it and Lexa would not allow it now.

The thought of her mentor brought up a myriad of confusing and contradictory emotions within her. She pushed those aside and instead shouted an order to one of the generals of her army and the Trishanakru who was posted not too far away from her.

"Sagan,"said Lexa and the man turned to her in surprise. His hair shone from the light of the nearby fires and Lexa knew that despite his slight frame he was still one of her stronger and most trusted disciples.

"Yes, Heda,"said Sagan as he knelt before his Commander.

"Tell the 12 to prepare their men to charge. I shall take the lead of this regiment,"said Lexa before she left the man behind and began to walk through the crowd of warriors that were littered across the valley.

Lexa didn't need to look back to know that the man was making contact with the other 11 generals to coordinate their attack. One of Sagan's abilities was to speak into the minds of various people. It took a lot of energy, however, and so Lexa took charge of his regiment as he would be too drained to lead once his broadcast was complete.

By the time, Lexa had made her way to the front of the army her horse was already waiting for her and she climbed upon it. Her horse was the fastest by a long way in the entire Coalition and had been a gift from the Plain Riders when they joined the Coalition.

Lexa could feel the eyes of every person in the valley on her as she guided her horse a few feet ahead of the army. A quick scan across the valley showed that the other eleven regiments were ready and Lexa raised her hand which drew silence across the entire army before dropping it.

The tension hung thick in the air and it charged her being with the familiar, prevenient feeling she always felt before a battle. Lexa placed her hand on her sword and she drew it one smooth motion before beginning her charge as a battle cry tore it's way from her lips.

"Jus drein jus daun!"

Her army echoed the war cry before they charged the walls of the Sky People camp at full speed. The fire boulders were soaring above her head and soon overtook her as they sailed above her head at a speed that exceeded the kne set by the previous boulder that had been shot at the Sky People.

There was a sizeable distance between Lexa and her army as the cavalry and infantry trailed far behind her unable to keep up with the speed of her horse.

One of the boulders was already slowing down, probably the work of the man who had stopped the first one earlier, but it appeared as though he wasn't quite able to stop it and Lexa knew that it was going to collide with the large mass of people that were trying to seek shelter within their metal home.

Fools.

It was just when the fastest of the boulders were roughly one hundred feet away from striking the Camp that it happened. Her eyes spotted a vague, black and golden blur that shot straight past her and even sped past the boulders before it jumped over the gates of the Sky People.

Perhaps a second later, a glowing figure flew straight up from the centre of the camp before stopping in midair and spreading it's hands wide.

A vast, purple dome appeared over the camp of the Sky People. The boulders – 24 in total – all collided with the boulder, but to Lexa's surprise not one of the boulders managed to breach the wall and soon only the dome was remaining.

Lexa called for her army to halt their advance and soon silence reigned over the valley once again as Sky People and her own people looked at the dome in amazement.

The dome remained standing even as the figure slowly folded it's arms. From this close up , it was easy for Lexa to see where the figure was looking.

Right at her.

The sound of a horse pulling up next to her drew her attention away from the figure even though she could feel it's state boring into her and she was surprised to see Anya was the one who had rode up next to her.

"Anya?"said Lexa and she was sure the confusion that laced her voice was prominent across her face,"How are you here?"

Anya, for her part, looked equal parts amazed and amused as she simply pointed at the floating figure who Lexa could now see had wings keeping her in place.

"Her,"said Anya before turning to her mentor, "We escaped from the Mountain together."

Nothing could have prepared Lexa for that and she scanned her first for any signs of deceit, but Lexa was certain that Anya was not lying to her.

Lexa pivoted her horse before facing her army and she made sure to project her voice as she said,"Stand down! Anyone who disobeys loses their head."

There were slight murmurs from her army, but no one spoke up and soon all swords had been sheathed and all horses had been dismounted.

The figure seemed to exchange a nod with Anya bizarrely before dropping down to the centre of the camp as the dome dissipated in a flicker of purple light.


Clarke landed safely on her feet before dispersing her wings. Finn was still lying on the ground unconscious where she had left him. The boy had been hiding in an art supply bunker that he had discovered on their earlier days on the ground.

It was from there were Clarke had given Raven the supplies to mark down which delinquents had powers and which did not – another item that was potentially in the hands of the Mountain Men.

A gasp drew Clarke's attention and she looked up to see her mother, Kane and Bellamy looking at her like she was an alien.

"Clarke?"said Abby as tears began to stream down her cheeks as her eyes ran up and down her daughter's body in confusion. Clarke nodded slowly and she smiled slightly as the woman enveloped her in a hug which Clarke returned fiercely. Tears had begun to stream down Clarke's gave as well and Abby wiped them before whispering in her ear,"We thought you were dead. The corpses at the dropship they..."

"They were killed by me,"said Clarke as she cut her mother off.

Abby looked horrified and tried to pull Clarke into another hug. Clarke allowed it to happen before she pulled free from the hug. Her mother's pity had begun to feel suffocating.

Clarke nodded at Kane before she felt herself pulled into another hug this time by Bellamy. She returned the hug fiercely before pulling back.

Clarke looked at Bellamy and said,"I thought you were all dead. The Mountain Mem they–"

"The Mountain Men,"said Kane in shock,"How did you escape?"

Clarke turned to the man and said,"It's a long story. The Mountain Men aren't immune to the radiation levels of Earth so they wanted to use me to cure them and they took the rest of the delinquents as hostages to keep me in line."

"Why didn't you cure them?"pressed Abby as she looked at her daughter,"The Mountain probably has state of the art facilities and more than enough room for the people of the Ark. Surely being in there would have been better than the alternative?"

Clarke shook her head and said,"I didn't heal them because I didn't trust them. They were going to wipe out The Grounders, Mom. All of them and they lied about any of you guys being alive. Chances are they were going to kill me and the delinquents once I cured them all. They already kidnap the Grounders and bleed them dry for their blood or turn them into Reapers using some sort of drug. "

Bellamy looked startled at the news and said,"They make the reapers? So they sent them after us?"

Clarke nodded and said,"That's not all. They also kidnapped everyone in Mbege's camp. They kept them with the Grounders in these cages. They were so thin. I knew had I to get out and get help from the Commander. "

"You left them in there?"said Bellamy with anger tinting his voice,"You left Octavia in there? Why would you do that, Clarke?"

Clarke felt a bit of despair as she took in the furious look on Bellamy's face. Now both Blake siblings probably hated her.

"I had to,"said Clarke firmly as she began to advance on Bellamy,"Octavia and I...we aren't in the greatest of places at the moment and she wouldn't listen to me when I said the Mountain Men were suspicious. None of the delinquents wanted anything to do with me except for Raven. The others, including Octavia, were too busy drinking and fucking to notice the danger they're in so I couldn't clue them in. This was the way that had the best chance of working. The Mountain Men won't harm if they the delinquents are oblivious to what's going on. Their President wants to integrate them into the bloodline so they're safe for now."

Bellamy's face was still stormy and he didn't even grace Clarke with a response as he turned his back on her. Clarke was about to go after him, but she stopped when Abby placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Let him vent, Clarke,"said Abby as she looked at her daughter,"That's not important. What is important is the army waiting outside our fence. Do you think we could–"

Clarke shook her head and said,"I know we wouldn't survive a war against then. That's why I got Finn. He's the key to peace here."

Abby looked surprised by Clarke's admission and she looked down at the boy before saying,"You're just going to hand him over to die just like that? I thought he was your friend?"

Clarke stepped away from Abby before picking up the boy,"Finn can go intangible. All I need to do is give them to him. If he escapes under their watch then it's not our fault."

Clarke then walked past the two council members as she began to make her way to the gates. To her surprise, Jaha was standing at the gates and he turned in her direction and nodded.

"Clarke,"said Jaha before looking down at Finn, "I see you found the Collins boy. I suspect that the Commander knows as much too considering what she just did."

Clarke looked past Jaha and she was surprised to see that the Grounders' army had retreated back somewhat. Anya along with a few other guards were standing in front of a woman in black clothing that Clarke recognised as the woman that had been leading the charge.

The Commander.

She cut a daunting figure, but what was more horrifying perhaps was the presence of a wooden post. It had clearly been hastily constructed, but it seemed sturdy. It was then that Clarke realised what would happen.

The Commander wanted to kill Finn right here and right now.


Lexa stared at the girl that was approaching her with the body of a boy in her arms. Her face was devoid of any emotion and she never broke eye contact with Lexa after she had noticed the post. The girl was dressed like Trikru, but carried herself somewhat like Skaikru. Her steps seemed somewhat unadjusted to the uneven terrain.

The girl eventually reached the front of her guard, but she was stopped by Indra who intercepted her path.

"Who are you?"said Indra stoically, but Lexa could perceive the slight amount of disdain that was leaking into Indra's voice.

"My name is Clarke Griffin. I'm here to deliver Finn Collins to the Commander,"said Clarke as she answered Indra's question, but didn't even look in her direction as her eyes continued to stare at Lexa.

Lexa waved her hand and Gustus took the body of the boy before roughly tying him to the post. The boy had begun to awaken from the rough treatment and began to struggle, but it was for naught as Gustus managed to secure him before throwing a punch into the boy's stomach.

Finn let out a groan of pain before his struggles ceased. Lexa placed her hand on the hilt of her sword as she walked through the crowd of her guards.

Clarke noted that Anya seemed to eye her former second nervously before she moved aside to allow her through. Eventually the Commander stood in front of Clarke and her eyes didn't betray any emotion as she stared right into Clarke's eyes.

"Anya,"said the Commander and apparently Anya understood whatever it was the Commander was asking as she walked up to the two other women.

Anya placed her hands on the shoulders of both women before they disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Clarke was surprised to see that they had been teleported to the inside of a tent. The thing that stood out the most to her was the presence of a throne made out of gnarled and twisted wood and steel. An inundation of candles provided sufficient light to the the tent

"Stand guard outside, Anya,"said the Commander to her mentor and Anya nodded before walking out the tent.

There was silence for a bit as the Commander stared down Clarke and just as the silence began to enter a whole new level of awkward she finally spoke.

"Why did you do it?"said the Commander and her tone was slightly inquisitive.

Clarke was confused by the sudden question and said,"Excuse me?"

The Commander didn't seem ruffled by Clarke's question and said,"Why did you choose to escape with Anya and not ally with the Maunon. Your people are more like them than they are like us. Why would you ally yourself with my people when you know we haven't been able to beat them in over a century of constant war?"

Clarke's eyes flashed with understanding as she understood the Commander's question. Anya probably hadn't had the time to tell her of what was going on in the Mountain and it would be remiss of the Commander to not scope out Clarke's intentions.

"The prisoners that the Maunon take,"said Clarke and the Commander nodded to show that she understood,"Not all of them get turned into Reapers. "

Clarke paused before she continued to speak,"The others all get thrown into these small cages like animals. The outside air is like poison to the Mountain Men. It burns their skin and kills them which is why they have your people. Whenever one of them gets exposed to the air they bleed one of your people and use their blood to heal them."

The shock and anger in the Commander's was as clear as day for Clarke, but she was undeterred and said,"They wanted me to cure them so they could walk on the ground without their suits, but I refused. I didn't trust them. I eventually managed to stage my escape, but I found out that they had lied to me about some of my people surviving. They were in the cages too being used for their blood and when I left I thought they were safe, but now..."

"They seem to have found a cure,"said Clarke seriously and she saw the Commander's eyes narrow,"After Anya and I had escaped the Mountain we were tracked down by a patrol of their squad, but the leader of the patrol wasn't in the suit so once we beat them I interrogated him. It turns out they're using my people's bone marrow to cure themselves and I have no idea of knowing how long they've been doing this nor how many of them have been cured. What I do know is that we need each other. If the Mountain Men get out of their hole then we both know that it would only end in bloodshed. "

"I see,"said the Commander as her eyes seemed to ponder what she had just learned,"How do I know you aren't just a spy, Clarke? Maybe you were sent here to gain my trust before stabbing me in the back?"

Clarke wasn't offended by the question and said,"You don't. You don't have to trust anything I say. In all honesty, if our roles were swapped I wouldn't trust you either, but I know you trust Anya. She was your mentor before you became Commander and I know that you trust her judgement. I'm not asking you to trust me I'm asking you to help me save our people."

Lexa seemed to ponder the question before she nodded and said,"I suppose you're right. After I kill Finn, our people will reconvene at a location that is far out of reach of the Mountain Men before orchestrating our plan of attack. Your people will be inducted into the Coalition after the fall of the Mountain. You will come to Polis and receive the mark of the Coalition. "

Clarke felt slightly nauseous as she was reminded of Finn's impending torture.

Death by a thousand cuts.

Clarke only hoped that was a hyperbolic name.

Luckily, the Commander was still willing to let them into the Coalition which was great, but it would only happen after the Mountain.

That wasn't good enough.

"I want our people to be inducted before the fall of the Mountain, "said Clarke resolutely even as the Commander looked at her in anger.

"You are in no position to make demands, "was what she practically growled as she grabbed onto the hilt of her sword.

"It's not a demand,"said Clarke as she stepped closer to the other woman,"It's a trade. You and I both know that you need my knowledge on the Mountain. I've mapped out their entire facility. I destroyed their acid fog machine on my own. If you destroy the Mountain, you'll be the greatest Heda since Becca, but you need my help for that."

From this close up, Clarke was able to see that the other woman wasn't that much older than her at all. Perhaps a year or two, but she had already been leader of her people for years by now.

"I'm not interested in elevating my legacy, "said the Commander, "I only wish for peace."

"This will get you your peace, Commander"said Clarke firmly, "Your people will never know true peace until the Maunon are killed. They should have died a long time ago during the bombings, but they're still alive and they're casting a dark shadow over your people. Your people can finally step out of darkness and into the light once we get rid of them."

Her words seemed to have struck a chord within the other woman. She appeared to be lost in thought and she looked up at Clarke as she said,"You remind me of someone I used to know. "

Clarke was surprised by the rather innocent statement and she remained silent for a beat before saying,"Who?"

The woman seemed to snapped out of her daze at the question and said,"Never mind. What else do you wish for? Would I be wrong in assuming you want more than just an immediate induction into the Coalition?"

Clarke nodded and she said,"Yes, there is more. My people need training on how to survive on Earth and we also need land. I want your people to train them as well as give them some food and clothes. They won't survive without it. I know this can't be freely given, but we have things of our that we are willing to trade."

Clarke was surprised to see that the Commander didn't oppose to this demand and she realised belatedly that this had probably been agreed upon earlier with Kane.

"I also want to be the one to kill Finn,"said Clarke and this time there was pushback from the Commander.

"Absolutely not,"said the woman furiously and the anger radiating off of her was nearly palpable,"He killed one of our generals and wounded many others. His blood is ours."

"I understand that,"said Clarke patiently before she added,"However, it was at a time of conflict and confusion. We had just been attacked by the reapers and Finn was mourning the loss of his love who died in front of his eyes at Tristan's hands. Finn has always been...fragile, but that is not his fault. He wouldn't have done any of this if I had been there so I'll take the weight of his death on my hands. If you were to do it my people would grow to resent you, but if I do it then they will fall in line."

Clarke meant every word she said. She knew that the almost successful attack on Camp Jaha would have allowed seeds of hatred and mistrust to begin to grow and if Clarke did it then at least that negativity wouldn't be directed at the person who practically held their lives in her hands.

However, she knew that this wasn't a good enough deal on it's own.

"I know I said this wasn't a demand,"said Clarke before she looked at the Commander,"I would have to give you something of equal or greater worth to what I have asked for."

The Commander appeared to be interested in what Clarke had to say and her voice held a curious lilt to it as she am said,"What are you willing to give me?"

"Me,"said Clarke and as the Commander's eyes widened considerably she realised how her words could have been misread, "I'm willing to offer you my power. I'm strong. A lot stronger than most of your soldiers and I'm sure you could find a use for someone as strong as me."

The Commander looked a little shaken by the devout affirmation before she said,"You say you're strong, but how do I know you will be worth the risk of angering my people?"

Clarke didn't break eye contact with the Commander as she raised her hand and a knife made of ice coalesced together above her hand. The Commander began to withdraw her sword slowly, but she paused in shock as Clarke used the knife to cut her palm instead.

Instantly, blood as dark as the night sky began to leak out of Clarke's hand. The wound began to heal almost as soon as the cut was made and before long it was completely healed.

"I'm a natblida,"said Clarke as she allowed the knife she held to drop to the ground,"I know you know what this blood means. I'll never raise arms against you and will fight for you so long as you honour our agreement. Do not mistake me for being like one of your Trikru. I'll still reserve the right to refuse something or break our deal if I have reason to believe you have betrayed my trust. I won't be some lackey you can just order around. Do we have a deal, Commander?"

The Commander was still staring at the blood soaked knife on the floor before she looked back to Clarke. Clarke knew that there was at least one other natblida from her conversation with Anya earlier and if the blood carried as much weight as she was led to believe then it would probably be seen as beneficial by the Commander to have Clarke's loyalty tied to her even if the loyalty wasn't in the same vein as the one the Commander enjoyed with the rest of the people.

"We do have a deal, Clarke"said the Commander as her eyes finally looked away from the knife,"I promise that I'll always do my best to protect my people and you can trust me on that. I suppose for you to begin to trust me, however, we would have to be on a first name basis. "

Clarke realised she didn't even know the Commander's name. Luckily, the woman saved the embarrassment of having to ask as she said,"My name is Lexa."

The Commander – Lexa – took out a dagger as she said,"I'll allow you to kill Finn and your people will have what they want. Truthfully, I hadn't expected you to be a nightblood, but that is neither here nor there. Your promise was unique, but rest assured I won't treat you as a soldier to command. As leader of Skaikru and a fellow nightblood, you aren't mine to command."

Clarke nodded at the words, but her eyes were still on the dagger Lexa clutched in her hand. In a motion similar to Clarke earlier she cut her own palm open. As expected, black blood poured out the wound and it stained the shiny surface of the dagger.

"We bind ourselves in blood,"said Lexa before handing the knife to Clarke.

The slick, dark blood began to run over Clarke's fingers before she mirrored the action of Lexa and cut into her hand – thankfully a different one from before. She didn't bother with wiping away the blood because it may have been part of the ceremony, but the slight surprise in Lexa's eyes made it seem like she could have wiped it away if she had been inclined to.

Clarke consciously stopped her healing from activating before she shook Lexa's hand. They made eye contact as they shook on the deal before they finally separated.

Lexa used a cloth to wipe her hands clean before she offered it to a grateful Clarke. Clarke made sure that there was no trace of blood on her hand before she turned towards Lexa who had begun to wrap her hand having evidently cut a bit too deep into her palm.

"I can heal that,"said Clarke as she walked closer to the Commander and her hand lit up in green.

Lexa seemed somewhat sceptical of Clarke's offer before she offered the hand to the other woman. Clarke placed one hand below Lexa's hand to steady it before she brought the other hand on top. The wound healed in a matter of seconds and soon there wasn't anymore blood leaking out from the wound.

Lexa eyed her hand in surprise before looking back at Clarke. The air in the room had become just a little awkward as Lexa seemed to be looking at Clarke and through her at the same time.

Just as she was about to speak, a loud, distant boom echoed out from the outside of the tent.

Clarke and Lexa both ran out and nearly collided with Anya who was on her way in. The droning sound was coming from the sky and seemed to be approaching them from the direction of the Mountain.

It was only once it began to drop rapidly that Clarke recognised it for what it was a it left a trail of smoke behind it,"A missile. "

And it was headed straight for the Ark.


Hey guys I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I know I did. Please tell me what you think of it.

Okay, so I'm abandoning this story...just kidding I've invested way too much time intonthis to quit. My updates aren't frequent, but I think the chapter length makes up for it.

Now, I'll have to be honest with you here. I feel rather guilty for taking some of you on a trip for a ride about the pairing and while the final pairing isn't set in stone I feel like you deserve to know this.

There won't be any Bellarke in this one.

I have nothing against it and I do mean it when I say the final pairing isn't set in stone, but what I can tell you is that there won't be any Bellamy x Clarke. Sorry if I wasted anyone's time really, but it's taken me long hours of debating and pondering to decide whether or not I wanted to do it. I hope this doesn't ruin the fic for you.

With that being said, I haven't landed in the final pairing it might be Clarke x Lexa, Clarke x Raven or even Clarke x levers(just kidding...). I'm just putting this out there as a disclaimer of sorts I have so many good ideas for various pairings a lot of which I haven't introduced yet.

I want to pick a ship that I feel can fit organically within the story instead of fitting the story to the ship if that makes any sense.

So please don't leave if you love Bellarke or hate Clexa. It could even be that neither of them will be the final pairing.

Of course, once I land on the final pairing, I won't tell you since that might ruin it for some readers, but I just wanted to let you know that things are still undeveloped as far as that goes.

Please tell me what you think of this and again I apologise for taking any Bellarkers on a whirl. I wasn't originally going to say anything about it until the story ended, but I figured you guys deserve to know that's not gonna happen.

Cast:

Darah – Megan Ory

Sagan – Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Song rec:

Metric – Help I'm alive