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The missile had begun it's descent as it broke through the clouds and an ominous whistling began to emanate through the valley like a death knell.

"I need to go,"said Clarke to the other two women and before they could say another word her wings had already spread out behind her.

Clarke took off in a violent burst of wind, but she didn't look back at Anya and Lexa as she did her best to intercept the missile. Her wings were flapping rapidly and powerfully and the wind was whipping at her face as she strained to catch up to the missile.

Clarke forced her eyes to remain open through the harsh winds and she looked up at the missile. Her path would allow her to place herself between the missile and Camp Jaha.

Clarke slowed to a stop and her wings stopped flapping as she instead expelled air from below her feet to keep her still. This allowed Clarke to finally focus on the incoming missile that was a scant few seconds away from colliding with her.

The whistling was especially loud from this position, but Clarke paid it no heed as she instead focused on her technopathy. The encryption on the missile was rather easy to break and it told her all that she needed to know about the missile and it was this knowledge that she had gleaned that ended up confusing her.

The onboard guidance system was very simple. It essentially guided the missile towards a previously decided spot. It's path was decided beforehand and didn't seem to account for objects in it's path considering the way it kept zooming towards her as if she wasn't even there.

Clarke spread her arms wide before a purplish sphere encased her body. The missile approached her and even seemed to accelerate as it bore down on her. The whistling had reached an even higher pitch and Clarke took a deep breath in preparation.

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"Is she crazy?"said Abby as her voice trembled as she looked at the airborne form of her daughter,"That shield won't save her. It's too small. "

Bellamy placed a hand on Abby's shoulder and squeezed softly before he said,"Clarke is strong. She'll be fine."

The positivity of his words did not reach his face at all and a deep grimace was set on Bellamy's face. His free hand tightened into a fist as the missile approached Clarke.

He had no idea what Clarke was planning because he too believed that the dome wasn't strong enough to protect her. It irked Bellamy that he was stuck down here with nothing to do, but watch as Clarke risked her life.

She could have just as easily made a dome around the camp instead of whatever inane plan she had cooked up. Clarke wasn't one to shy away from danger, but this time he feared she may have bitten off more than she could chew.

There were people running around him that jostled him and Abby back and forth as they rushed in various directions seeking shelter. It was utter chaos and Bellamy vaguely registered the words of members of the Guard trying to organise the masses of people running around.

He ignored the noise around him as he steered himself for whatever awaited Clarke. A lot of other people had turned their eyes to the sky – Clarke's dome hing like a giant star in the sky and momentarily distracted everyone in the camp.

It was this lull in the chaos that allowed him to hear Abby's gasp as she seemed to register something just as the whistling of the missile changed pitch ever so slightly. He turned towards the woman in question and he was rather stunned to see a smile on her face.

He turned back to the sky and he watched in surprise as the missile began to turn up from it's nosedive even as it streaked towards Clarke. It was a very gradual process as the missile seemed to begin to fight against the pull of gravity as it's rockets began to adjust their angle.

The missile's nose stopped tilting up almost as if something was fighting against the upwards motion and he felt a spike of panic as the trajectory was still aimed at Clarke's dome.

Luckily, the resistance seemed to fade away as the nose began to ascend and a horrible , jarring noise emanated from the sky as the missile grinder against Clarke's barrier before it shot upwards into the sky.

The nose of the missile had continued to rise until it was pointing straight up. The missile now resembled a rocket as it soared upwards into the skies leaving a trail of fire behind it.

The missile continued to speed away from it's intended target in an upwards direction. It continued to travel for perhaps 15 seconds before a jagged bolt of lightning shot towards the missile – a bolt that originated from Clarke's position.

To Bellamy's amazement, Clarke's aim was dead on and the bolt hit the missile with unnerving accuracy. The lightning bolt dissipated as swiftly as it appeared and Bellamy traced the bolt back to it's origin to see Clarke still in the air and he was just able to see her hand pointing outwards.

That was the last thing he saw before a bright flash appeared in the sky followed by the largest explosion Bellamy had ever seen in his life. The explosion was so powerful that for a few seconds night had become day.

The shockwave came virtually immediately after and even from this far away the power in it was still able to be perceived even though they were safe from any effects it may have had on them had the explosion been closer to the ground.

The explosion died down eventually and Bellamy had to try and calm everybody around the camp down as the realisation of how close to death they had come settled in. Bellamy was still quite shaken himself.

The explosion of the Exodus ship wasn't even in the same class as this one. Not even close. That missile had been aimed at Camp Jaha, but it was clear that the people in the Mountain were definitely trying to take everyone – Grounders and Arkers.

A few minutes passed as the Guard tried to get things back into order. The second attack of the day had rattled the entirety of the camp and order was slowly, but surely being restored.

The sound of something landing on the ground drew Bellamy's attention and he turned just in time to see Clarke's wings retract into her back. Her eyes changed from a chilling amber back to their usual blue and not for the first time Bellamy wondered what the depths of Clarke's power were.

"Clarke,"said Abby as she rushed her daughter in a similar manner to when Clarke had protected them against the Grounder's attack,"What were you thinking? You should have made a dome like earlier. If that missile hadn't moved up in time you would have died!"

Despite her harsh tone, Abby was right. Clarke despite not having any wounds on her she appeared to be exhausted as sweat poured down her face. The shockwave and heat must have done a number on her and that was discounting the effort needed to redirect the missile. That was all mixed in with Clarke escaping from the Mountain as well.

Clarke straightened her posture in the face of her mother's interrogation and said,"If I made a dome here then the a lot of the Grounders would have died. That missile was strong and there wasn't even any nuclear materials in it."

Her technopathy had told her as much. That bomb had been in the same league as the ones that were launched during the nuclear war. That is if the word of the people on the 12 stations at the time was to be trusted.

The implications were staggering of course. Clearly, the Mountain Men hadn't allowed themselves to stagnate after the apocalypse and had instead continued to innovate and develop technology. It made sense considering the fact that they had made the acid fog machine and Clarke was certain they could roll back the fog whenever they wanted.

Technology to that level must have surely been beyond their capabilities and if they had any more missiles like that this fight just might end badly for the Grounders and delinquents.

Abby didn't looked impressed by Clarke's explanation and she stayed silent as she allowed her daughter to regain energy before saying,"If the Mountain Men have such power then why are we fighting against them?"

It was a question that both threw a bucket of cold water over Clarke and yet caused her anger to bubble up. The cold part of her knew that they were at quite a disadvantage. The Mountain Men had superb defenses and didn't even have to deploy men to strike at the Grounders.

It was very likely that they had missiles just as strong as this one and they could probably launch them at anytime. The only reason they hadn't was because they had still needed the Grounders alive so that the Mountain Men didn't succumb to radiation poisoning whenever they were exposed to it.

However, things were different now. A vast number of warriors were in the valley including the Arkers, but most importantly so was Clarke and Lexa that was probably just too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Lexa was the leader of the Coalition and even if the Mountain Men made it out it was possible that their missiles and technology would not have sufficed no matter how many they were. The Grounders were spread far and wide and the Mountain Men couldn't exactly go around blowing everything to pieces.

The Grounders– Trikru at least– lived where they did because their villages (at least the ones Clarke has been to) were near water, fertile land and there were plenty animals nearby to hunt.

If the Mountain Men did try and bomb every single square inch of the Grounders' territory then it was likely that they would end up ruining the most bountiful and arable places to live in. This meant they couldn't exactly use their maximum firepower to win this war.

It would have probably been easier to win the war if she was on Dante's side, but Clarke could not and would not allow herself to do it. Some of the delinquents had already been harvested and were caged up waiting to die– if they hadn't been killed already.

There was no way she was going to betray them like that. They had only fought to the death against exiled Grounders and reapers. The Mountain Men had abducted the delinquents, caged half of them and essentially held the others as hostages to make Clarke do their bidding.

"No matter what you may think,"said Clarke finally as she looked to her mother, "The Mountain Men are monsters. The things they've done...I won't allow us to work with them."

Their argument had drawn the attention of the Arkers all around them and they had creeped closer as if to get a better view of the proceedings. It didn't escape Abby's notice that the majority of the adults as well as the upper echelons of the Ark sich as Jaha and Sinclair had moved behind her.

However, those people that she recognised to be of the working class and younger in age stood behind Clarke and to Abby's surprise and slight disappointment Kane also stood behind her daughter. There were also those that had been negatively impacted by the council such as Callie –her former best friend– who had been quit from her rank a few years ago as a councillor after the council had unanimously voted against her push to increase rations for the working class.

It had been the right thing to do objectively, but while they were on the Ark they had to what was necessary to survive. Their morality had to take a backseat in the face of their need to survive. It was as Jaha and Kane had often said.

First they had to survive and then they could work on deserving to survive. The Culling had caused both men to do a 180 in their approach, but now that they were faced with their destruction again it seemed Jaha had done a 180 ince again while Kane had stayed the course.

There were are who seemed undecided about where to stand and that included one Bellamy Blake. Abby had automatically assumed that he was going to stand behind Clarke, but they had clearly had a falling out of sorts as he stood between the two groups.

"I know honey, but–"said Abby after a long pause, but she was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Anya and the Commander in a cloud of smoke right in between her and Clarke.

Lexa eyed the mother and daughter standing in front of her and she seemed to almost ignore the crowd that surrounded her and Anya. She turned towards Abby and despite herself Abby wasn't able to stop herself from jerking backwards slightly in surprise and a little bit of fear as the eyes of the Commander peered at her. The warpaint on her face only added to the power and strength she was exuding.

This was the leader of the people that had survived the radiation on Earth for generations. She was also the leader of the people who had almost dropped what were practically meteorites on their camp. The thought of how strong she had to be was unsettling and her being in the camp did not bode well for them.

Clarke watched Lexa warily as she stared at her mother and it made for a very tense situation. Anya looked at Clarke and gave her a nod in greeting. A small smile grew on Clarke's face which was returned by the other woman. It was reassuring to see that Anya was still in her corner. It wasn't that she doubted Anya specifically, but the fact that Bellamy had not shown her his support in the standoff she had just had with her mother did not sit well with her at all.

She understood where Bellamy was coming from in all honesty. He cared about Octavia more than he did anyone else – himself included. It was why he was angry at her for leaving his sister in the clutches of the Mountain Men.

It was rather ironic that for both Blake siblings they were the other sibling's reason for their anger at Clarke. They were both justified, to a point, in regards to their feelings. Octavia's anger was misguided, but at the time she couldn't have known that the Mountain Men were actually their enemies and Bellamy being alive would probably take care of any differences she and Clarke have.

It probably wouldn't be as simple for Bellamy though. Clarke had chosen to leave his sister knowing she could die. It was a necessary sacrifice because Clarke knew she needed help to take down the Mountain and the missile was further proof of that fact. They might not have any powers, but that did not mean they were defenseless.

The fact that the Grounders, for all their power and strength, couldn't defeat the Mountain Men after all these years spoke volumes of their tactics and firepower. It was why although she empathised with Bellamy, she did not regret her actions. The delinquents would be safe so long as the Mountain Men didn't suspect them and they were probably too worried about the large army near their territory to look inwards all that much.

"I trust your people are fine, Chancellor Abby,"said Lexa suddenly and that only seemed to alleviate the tension in the air slightly.

"With no thanks to you,"said Abby in response and Clarke released a sigh. Her mother admittedly had no reason to trust Lexa especially considering they had been attacked by the Grounders under Lexa's orders just one hour ago.

Anya seemed to take exception to Abby's attitude and she took a step forward, but she halted in her movements as Lexa said,"That's enough, Anya. Tell Indra to make her way here. You shall go join the hunting parties. Your presence is no longer needed here."

To an ordinary observer, Anya did not appear fazed by the words, but having spent sufficient time around Anya it was rather easy for Clarke to see the humiliation and dare she say sadness that was barely visible in Anya. Anya's hands clenched into fists before they relaxed as the woman said,"As you wish, Heda."

Anya was gone a moment later and soon it was only Lexa that stood in the centre of the crowd. Clark remembered Anya saying how Lexa had punished her because of a failure on Anya's part years ago. It seemed that Anya being captured by the Mountain Men and assumed dead had supposedly done nothing to smooth over relations between the two.

It was saddening really as Clarke could see clear as day that the failure cast a shadow over Anya, but it was something Clarke had no involvement in and the best she could was to at least try to lend an ear to Anya. She probably needed one.

"What hunting parties?"said Bellamy suddenly and virtually everyone in the crowd turned to him.

Lexa turned to him to answer, but before anything could be said Clarke interjected, "The Mountain Men have been keeping eyes on us. It's how they knew to send such a strong missile. I tried to look for someone from up there, but I only saw your people fanning out."

"Clarke is right. We have found signs of scouts from the Mountain in the surroundings. That missile was a targeted attack on us all,"said Lexa as her eyes flicked over Clarke before she turned to address the crowd as a whole,"Our people may not have had the best of introductions, but it is imperative that we work together. The Mountain Men will stop at nothing to kill all of us. Clarke has already brokered an alliance with my people which I've accepted. The surrounding land up to a certain will be given to you as a gesture of goodwill. More information on the alliance will be given to you after we deal with the Mountain. "

The Arkers had begun to talk amongst themselves after Lexa had concluded her speech and Clarke was relieved to hear that there were murmurs of agreement. The Arkers knew that they were outgunned and the fact that the Mountain Men had tried to kill everyone in the valley probably played into Lexa's hands, but it was for the best.

There were sudden exclamations of surprise and delight that emanated from some of the crowd and Clarke turned to see what they were looking at. A party of Grounders were walking into the gates of Camp Jaha, but they all had various animal carcasses hanging on their shoulders as well as barrels and bunches of fruit.

The amount of food was more than enough for all the people of Camp Jaha and there would probably be surplus. It was only now that Clarke realised that the hunting parties Lexa was talking about weren't looking for the scout from the Mountain at all.

Lexa raised her hand seemingly asking for silence which was granted to her once the crowd noticed her movement,"Please accept these as a gesture of goodwill. The food will be prepared here and in the camps of my army. Tonight we celebrate our alliance!"

There was a chorus of cheers that punctuated the end of Lexa's proclamation and while it had started with the Grounders that had bought the food, it had spread to the Arkers near instantly. Fires were started up and down the valley and some of the Arkers –mostly younger children– had taken it upon themselves to approach some of the Grounders.

Clarke saw Lexa speak closely with Indra for a few minutes and it seemed to get somewhat heated before the older woman left once Lexa had dismissed her. Indra's face looked tight with emotion before she shouted orders in Trigedasleng to some warriors before leaving the camp. Clarke's flicked her eyes back to Lexa once Imdra had left and she watched as the Commander seemed to stare off into space. Lexa seemed to sense Clarke's stare on her as she turned directly towards her.

They stared at each other Clarke's curious gaze meeting Lexa's calculating gaze. Clarke was about to look away when Lexa nodded at her once and before turning on her heel and slipping away from the crowds of people all around her.

Clarke turned away from Lexa and instead enjoyed the sights and smells of the feast as she tried to forget the awkwardness of getting caught out like that.

Luckily, a distraction presented itself as she turned her eyes to the gate and saw Anya carrying two large deers all on her own over each shoulder. The enhanced strength that all of those with powers clearly shining through. Her face was set in a stoic mask as she began to make her way towards one of the tables set out for preparing the meat.

Clarke walked up to the older woman and reached for one of the deers. Anya practically threw the deer into Clarke's hands, but Clarke still caught it without much effort.

"Are your people always so rude when offered help?"asked Clarke with no real bite in her voice.

Anya smirked as she said,"Only to those that annoy us."

Clarke shook her head as she followed Anya to the tables where they put down their load. The operator – who like a lot of Grounders was very physically imposing –at the table greeted Anya respectfully as they traded some words.

"Anya,"said the man with a broad smile,"It is great to see you return from the Mountain. Tris had been rather upset to hear you had been captured. "

Anya smiled back and said,"It's great to see you too, Rylan. Tris was rather...emotional when we found her after escaping. I didn't know she had become so strong."

Rylan laughed heartily and once he calmed down said,"You said you escaped with someone else. Who was this–"

Rylan had turned towards Clarke while speaking to Anya and his smile died on his lips. He jerked back ever so slightly and his eyes displayed a guardedness that had been absent while he had been speaking with Anya. He didn't even allow Clarke to put down the deer as he practically scrambled around the table and quite literally took it out of her hands.

"Mochof, Skaiprisa,"said the man with fear and respect blending into his voice. Clarke was confused by the man's reaction and she was about to speak when Anya grabbed her arm.

"We'll speak more later on, Rylan,"said Anya as she pulled Clarke away,"Don't burn my meat."

The man smiled broadly again, but it didn't quite reach his eyes as they panned over Anya and Clarke before he turned his attention back to the meat in front of him.

Clarke pulled her arm free from Anya's grip before they eventually made their way to one of the fires outside of Canp Jaha. There wasn't anything to sit on so Clarke stomped on the ground and a perfectly rectangular piece of rock emerged.

She sat down on it and moved over for Anya to sit next to her as well. They sat in a somewhat uncomfortable silence as they watched the Grounders and Arkers prepare the food. Clarke couldn't help, but notice that everytime a Grounder walked past them they seemed to veer off course as if to avoid them. It happened without fail for a long time before Clarke finally sighed in frustration.

"Do I have something on my face?"said Clarke with some annoyance in her voice,"Everyone is avoiding me like I have the plague."

Anya snorted and said,"You astound me with your blindness."

Clarke raised a brow in confusion before she turned to Anya,"What do you mean?"

Anya met her gaze and said,"People are avoiding you because of what you just did."

"Did what?"said Clarke,"Stop the missile?"

Anya nodded and said,"Yes as well as stopping the army's advance. That strategy is a particularly effective one used by Heda to destroy cities and you stopped it on your own. What's more you deflected the strongest missile anyone has ever seen explode not even 10 minutes after stopping our advance."

"They're scared of me?"said Clarke in realisation.

Anya shrugged and smiled wryly, " You made a rather memorabl entrance. I wouldn't be surprised if some people are too scared to even speak to you."

Clarke was about to answer, but she was surprised to see a group of young children from the Ark approach them. One of the girls stepped forward nervously and she looked back at her friends who ushered her forward.

The girl finally stopped in front of Clarke and after a nervous glance at Anya she looked back at Clarke and said,"Thank you for saving us, Clarke. We brought you some food. "

Clarke was surprised by the gesture and she took the plate that was in the girl's hands and said,"Uh, it's no problem. Thanks for the food and you and your friends should probably go get some food. "

The girl beamed at Clarke before she pulled her into a hug. The girl then ran off to her friends who greeted her with smiles and cheers. The group of kids then made their back to camp without even a look backwards.

Clarke was about to dig in, but she turned towards Anya who had a small smile on her face as she looked up to the sky.

"What?"questioned Clarke as she felt a little embarrassed about the whole situation now.

"Nothing."

The faraway look on her face made Clarke think that there was more to the story and she was again reminded of the rather frosty relationship between Anya and Lexa.

In the end, Clarke held her tongue as she decided against verbalising her concerns. There were some things better left unsaid after all.

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Clarke was running.

Her surroundings were a vague, wooded blur as she ran as fast as she could and still her pursuers were practically on her heels. The sound of heavy footfalls as well as a litany of growls and screams thundered out from behind . The animalistic sounds her pursuers were making only made her push even harder as she fled for her life.

The pursuers somehow managed to gain on Clarke as she felt their finger begin to graze her feet as she ran. Clarke didn't look back as she focused in front of her and to her relief she was approaching a break in the woods.

Cold fear settled in as she felt fingers graze her back and there was even one firm hand that grabbed onto her hair. that almost stopped her advance. She pulled free with a hard jerk of her head, however, and kept running even as she felt the flash of pain that came with hair being ripped from her head.

The break was just a few metres and Clarke leapt for it her legs pushing her up off the ground and forwards. She was bathed in harsh sunlight as she burst through the tree line and in a snap she turned behind her facing the woods with hands held out ready to burn whoever was behind her.

The sounds of a stampede had died down and Clarke strained her eyes to search for any sign of her pursuers. The only sound that reached Clarke's ears was that of her own breathing that was hoarse and staggered.

Clarke cautiously rose to her feet and she began to walk back into the woods, but a flicker at the corner of her eye drew her attention. Clarke spun and instantly fired a blast of psionic energy at the blur.

The figure wasn't able to dodge the blasts and it was sent flying head over heels before rolling to a stop. Clarke advanced to the prone body of the figure.

When she had gotten closer, Clarke was able to see that it was a vaguely familiar man whose clothes were caked in dirt and soot. The stench of smoke and blood wafted off of him, but he appeared to be completely still.

Clarke kicked the man in his side and he didn't even twitch. She followed up with another kick and still the man stayed still. Clarke relaxed as she realised the man was dead and she sunk to her knees in pure exhaustion.

Her lungs were burning and she tried to slowly regain her breath.

That's why she was wholly unprepared for the man to suddenly spring up from his position and wrap his hands around her neck.

Clarke beat on the man's hands and struggled to no avail. Her vision was beginning to grow spotty and black as her air supply was cut off.

Blood began to drip from the man above her onto her face and one of her eyes was glued shut from the thick liquid. Clarke was finally able to get a good look at the man and she was horrified by what she saw.

A face covered in burns of various degrees with only a tuft of faded, blonde hair atop his head. His blood vessels were plainly visible against his skin and they expanded and contracted rapidly.

Clarke's struggles ceased as she recognised the fave of the man above her.

"Dad?"rasped Clarke and she was rewarded by the man halting his attempt to kill her.

"You,"whispered Jake Griffin with fervour in his voice,"You are not my daughter. You monster!"

Tears streamed freely from Clarke's eyes as the words of her father tore into her very being before she let out a scream of pure anguish. The choking hands on her neck tightened further cutting her scream off before all went black.

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Clarke sat up in her bed and desperately grabbed at her throat. It was after a few seconds that she realised that she had been dreaming. Clarke lifted a hand to her forehead only to find herself covered in a light layer of sweat.

She breathed in slowly and deeply as she tried to shake herself from the nightmare she had just had. Clarke spared a glance around her room and she let out a frustrated sigh as she took in the sight around her.

Every single object that hadn't been affixed to the floor– clothes, shoes, papers – was floating in the air covered in an ethereal, purple aura. Clarke closed her eyes and with a fairly quiet crash everything fell back to the ground.

Clarke had gone to sleep once the feast had died down and she had had to put up a brave face as she walked past a still tied up Finn.

She had forgotten about him completely in the aftermath of the attacks on Camp Jaha and he had obviously been moved away from the sight of everyone during the feast before being returned to his post.

The agreement with Lexa came rushing back to Clarke and suddenly her room felt stifling. She spared a glance outside and let out a relieved sigh at the sight of the slowly rising sun. There was probably an hour or two to go before the day would properly begin and the need for fresh air invaded Clarke's being like a virus.

She dressed in the armour that Anya had given her and pulled on her boots before making her way silently down the hallway. The amount of Arkers weren't enough to fill up the station entirely and so there were many empty rooms.

Clarke eventually reached the door that led outside and she took in a deep breath as the morning air eased her anxiety somewhat. The fresh air acting almost as a soothing balm as it eased her mind and pulled away the last vestiges of sleep.

There was hardly anyone to be seen except for Guards in the distance. Both Grounder and Arker which was a welcome surprise. Clarke reached the gate and almost instantly the tranquillity she was feeling evaporated as she took in who was standing guard at the gate.

"Where are you going, Clarke?"said Bellamy as he adjusted his grip on his rifle,"Are you gonna leave us here to die as well?"

Clarke clenched her fists in agitation as Bellamy's words cut into her. The guilt she had felt at leaving her friends in the Mountain coming back full throttle.

"Just open the gate,"said Clarke and she sighed as Bellamy shook his head and said,"Sorry. I can't do that. Your mother and Kane said you should stay in the camp for the time being. "

"Why?"said Clarke as any and all civility left her tone,"I just want to clear my head. Is that too much to ask for?"

Bellamy shrugged and turned his gaze away from her as he said,"Chancellor's orders. You know the leader of our people? "

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, Clarke,"said Bellamy with an edge in his voice,"It's just that you seem to be awfully content with making decisions for everyone despite not actually being in charge. Exiling Mbege. The meeting with Anya. The second meeting with Anya. The dropship and of course The Mountain and whatever alliance you've struck up with the Grounders. You can't just run around making decisions that will affect everyone else. Not everyone got lucky enough to get injected with your special nanobots. "

"You think I don't know that?"said Clarke with some anger in her voice,"At the end of the day, I'm the one who got slapped with this power and I refuse to sit around and take orders like some dog. I want us to actually be able to live in peace for once. No reapers, no bloodsucking mountaineers and no conflict with the Grounders. I don't really care if you hate me for what I do, but don't think I'll stop because you're a bit upset."

Clarke breathed slightly heavily as her words hung heavy in the air. Bellamy looked just as bad as she felt and he was about to respond, but Clarke put her hand up to stop him.

"I know you're upset about Octavia, "began Clarke,"but you need to get over it. There was absolutely no way we would have gotten out of there unscathed and it's safer for all of the delinquents if she's there to protect them. Raven knows exactly what's going on with those guys and I gave someone I trusted a radio to use in case of an emergency. You weren't in there and you don't know how I feel about all of this so please don't begin to lecture me about my choices. Are you going to open this gate or not?"

Clarke waited impatiently for a reply and when it seemed like one was not forthcoming she simply scoffed,"Fine."

Clarke's wings spread out behind her and in an instant she pushed off the ground leaving Bellamy behind in the booth at the gate as she took to the skies.

Clarke's eyes panned over the ground and her eagle vision allowed her to take in details that would have otherwise been imperceptible. For instance, there was quite a number of Grounders out on a hunt in the surrounding woods and she was even able to watch as an arrow was fired from a bow before embedding into the neck of a deer.

Clarke panned the forests and it was teeming with Grounders out on a hunt. The camaraderie displayed between the hunting teams made her heart twinge and she quashed the feeling before it could drop her mood further.

Eventually she spotted a section that was rather empty and had a river that snaked through it. She adjusted her flight path as she weaved through the air and soon she landed in the clearing gracefully.

Clarke knew that there was hardly anyone in the area which she was grateful for as she allowed herself to focus inwardly. It had been far too long since she had practiced using her powers, but now was less about practice and more about stress relief.

Clarke held up left hand and watched as it became enveloped in a purple light. The shift in colour if her powers had obviously been noted by Clarke, but there had often been more pressing matters to deal with.

Now, however, she at the very least had an excuse to investigate the change. It was with this thought in mind that Clarke raised her hand towards a tree and fired a blast. A second later the blast collided with the tree and the sound of wood snapping and cracking echoed out as the blast smashed into the bough of the tree and a few seconds there was a loud groaning sound before the tree fell to the ground.

There was no apparent change that had resulted from the colour change noted Clarke as she recalled doing the same amount of damage in her first fight while on Earth.

A few more testing shots revealed there wasn't any difference really except for the colour. Clarke still felt irritated by her argument with Bellamy and she decided on a more taxing way to burn that energy off.

Clarke walked over to the river and placed her hand on the surface. She focused for a second before pulling away and the water seemed to defy gravity as a long, pillar of water extended from the surface as it stuck to her hand.

Clarke let go of the pillar and it still stayed up completely under her control. Clarke focused intention on the pillar and tried to remember the sword Anya had been using.

It was with deft movements of her hands and fingers that the pillar of water turned into a replica of Anya's sword – just made out of water. Clarke tried to use her matter conversion to turn it into an actual sword, but she was surprised when nothing happened.

She tried two more times and met the same results. It was in her third attempt that she froze it before trying again to change it's structure. This time the sword didn't repel her efforts and she was able to morph it into an actual sword.

The sword felt light in her hand as she waved it around and she studied the sword for abit before trying to mimick the graceful movements she had seen from Anya before.

It was easier said than done, however, as often her grip would slip or her slashes wouldn't be quite as straight or controlled as Anya's had been. It didn't take a genius to figure out that based on her skill in swords alone, Clarke would have died long ago.

Her frustration kept building and her cuts became less slick and more choppy and stiff. Clarke was about to throw the sword away in frustration when a voice spoke up startling Clarke slightly as she turned towards the source of it.

The Commander stood at the edge of the clearing her face surprisingly devoid of warpaint despite her being in full armour.

How long had she been there?

Clarke was so surprised by Lexa's sudden appearance she hadn't quite hear what had been said.

"What was that?"said Clarke as she turned to Lexa who didn't seemed bothered by Clarke's inattentiveness as she repeated her statement.

"Your grip is incorrect and far too tight,"said Lexa before she added,"You have limited control when holding it like that. "

Clarke sighed in frustration and said begrudgingly,"So how am I supposed to hold this?"

Lexa drew out her own sword and she twisted her arm around a few times to allow Clarke to get the full picture.

Clarke copied the grip Lexa had and she had to admit that the sword felt a lot more comfortable in hand as she practised a few swings.

Clarke was surprised when Lexa kept her sword out and said,"Follow my movements. I'll help you when you make a mistake."

Clarke rolled her eyes as at the insult and she felt motivated to prove the other woman wrong.

It's a shame it didn't quite go that way.

"Your footwork is not steady enough. You'd fall over if you tried to block a blow."

"Stop. Too slow. Any warrior could dodge that."

"Stop. Calm your breathing. Frustration is your enemy."

"Stop. That is even slower than before. A child could dodge that."

It went on like this for what felt like ages. Clarke got told to stop, got told what was wrong and then got insulted. It was as frustrating as it was helpful and after an hour or so, Clarke could honestly say she felt like she could swing a sword without cutting herself.

She could also say that she felt like cutting Lexa with the sword. The insults while not really harmful were also just dredging up the anger she had felt from her argument with Bellamy and as time went on her movements became less fluid as a result.

After getting told for the fifth time to adjust her grip , Clarke rose out of her stance and put the sword tip down into the ground.

"Is it really necessary to add an insult after every mistake I made, Commander?"said Clarke drily as she turned to Lexa. Clarke knew that she should probably check her tone, but her nightmare and run-in with Bellamy had left her fresh out of patience.

Lexa didn't answer her question as she instead pointed to the battered trees around her and said, "Was it really necessary to destroy all these trees, Skaiprisa?"

Clarke took a look at the damage she had done and true to Lexa's words there was immense damage to some of the trees that surrounded them. It was a small dent in the vast forest that surrounded them, but clearly Clarke's anger had gotten ahead of her.

Clarke sighed deeply before saying,"I'm sorry about that. It's just been a long day."

Lexa's gaze turned quizzical as she said,"You are aware that the day has only started, Skaiprisa."

Clarke nodded and said,"Yeah, I know. I woke up early and needed fresh air and had a bit of argument with a friend before coming here. Also call me Clarke. I've had enough of that nickname."

"Okay, Clarke,"said Lexa as she put her sword into it's sheath, "So you came here to work out your frustration? What was your argument about?"

Clarke debated keeping quiet, but she knew that it was unhealthy to bottle up her feelings and finally she spoke,"We had some disagreements about my actions at the Mountain. His sister is in there and he feels betrayed and believes that I left her in there to die. Leaving her in there was the best option because the Mountain Men would have grown suspicious of my friends if a couple of us had left and this way they at least have people strong enough to protect them."

"So your friend is upset that you didn't take his sister with you even though it would have put your friends in danger?"questioned Lexa and she received a nod as an answer.

"Amongst other things,"said Clarke as she sat down and picked up a rock and began to toy with it in her hand,"He kept complaining that I was making decisions that affected everyone despite not being the leader of my people. He's a close friend, but he doesn't understand. Everything I've done presses down on me heavily. In my sleep or when I'm awake, there is no escape. They're times I can't even stand the sight of my own face."

A hand in her shoulder drew Clarke's attention and she was surprised to see the Commander crouched down next to her," We are one and the same, Clarke. We never asked for our power, but had them thrust upon us. To be a leader is one of the hardest things ever. You have to sacrifice things that other people get to have."

"Things like what?"said Clarke as she stared at the serene surface of the water.

"We sacrifice our friends, family and our own happiness so others do not have to. We give all of ourselves"said Lexa resolutely and Clarke turned to the other woman in surprise,"That's the burden of leadership. "

"That sounds lonely, "said Clarke as she stared at the other woman who had also turned to her. They stated at each other for a few seconds before Lexa finally responded,"It is what it is."

The other woman turned away from Clarke and she squeezed her shoulder ever so slightly before rising to her feet. Clarke didn't move as her grip on the rock in her hand tightened.

"I didn't ask for this,"said Clarke finally as she felt the edges of the rock dig into her palm.

"The wise never do,"said Lexa before her eyes spied a flash of yellow light emanating from between Clarke's fingers.

She was surprised to see a ring with a radiant, green gem as it's crest in place of the rock Clarke had just been holding. A ring of that quality could only be made by the Rock Line Clan and even they were made few and far between.

Clarke didn't seem to notice her eyes on the ring as she pocketed it before rising to her feet. It was no moment too soon as Anya suddenly teleported into the clearing.

She seemed surprised at the sight of Clarke, but she turned to Lexa and bowed before saying,"Heda, you're needed at camp. It's the prisoner."

Clarke twitched at those words and she rose to her feet before she said,"Prisoner? Finn? What did he do?"

Anya hesitated for just a second before she said,"He's taken Abby kom Skaikru hostage."

Clarke was about to charge off, but she was stopped by a hand on her arm. She turned and was met with Lexa's gaze, "You can't charge into every problem. Some things require planning. Anya, how did he escape?"

"I'm not sure how he escaped, Heda,"said Anya as her brow furrowed, "Rylan managed to hit him with an arrow so his powers are still inactive, but he still managed to escape during the changeover period of the guards."

"I see,"said Lexa as she reached into the inside of her coat and pulled out a container filled with some sort of paste,"Am I correct to assume he wants me?"

Anya nodded before she turned to Clarke and said,"You too. He seems to hold some sort of distaste towards Clarke for apprehending him and he has expressed his desire to kill you both."

Lexa had begun to apply the paste on her face in the pattern of her warpaint. Lexa was done quickly and despite the lack of a mirror she had still applied it perfectly.

"Let's go,"said Lexa as she grabbed onto Anya's shoulder.

Clarke looked at Lexa as she tried to gauge the other woman's intentions and just as she was about to speak she was interrupted by Lexa who said,"I haven't forgotten, Clarke. The kill is yours."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Finn,"said Bellamy as he held his hands up slowly,"You don't want to do this."

"Yes, I do,"spat Finn as he adjusted his grip on his machine gun as he kept it aimed at the back of Abby's head,"That Tristan guy killed Fox and then he's just supposed to get away with it? Then Clarke jumps me while I'm at the dropship and hand delivers me here? I'm sorry Bellamy, but this is what I really want to do. I'll put a bullet into Clarke's skull then another into that stupid Commander and if anyone tries to stop me then your precious doctor gets it."

Bellamy sighed before he dropped his hands and backed off. There was a large circle of warriors and Guard around him as he stood just outside the gates of Camp Jaha and despite being tired from being tied up it appeared that he still had control over his powers.

A lone arrow had managed to graze him once he had come out the camp screaming his demands. His intangibility had kicked only after that and it was with some luck that due to his grip on Abby, the rain of bullets, spears and arrows that peppered his location went through him and by proxy Abby.

Bellamy walked towards the supposed second-in-command of the Army. The harsh paint around her eye made for a rather intimidating appearance, but he ignored it all as he said,"Indra, how did you let him go? We gave him to you and now he managed to escape. Is this some sort of plan to frame us?"

Indra looked at him with a displeased expression as she said,"Know your place, boy. The Commander distinctly said your people are not meant to be harmed and her word is law. I would not give any orders to disrupt the alliance. "

"If not you then who?"said Bellamy as he turned his gaze back on Finn who seemed to be scanning the area wildly for any sign of the Commander or Clarke. Abby was on her knees with her hands tied behind her back. She seemed remarkably composed even as Finn pressed the barrel of his gun to her head.

"Perhaps it was one of your own people,"said Indra as she looked at the gun in Finn's hands,"We do not use guns after all."

The anxiety and stress that the situation caused Bellamy to feel very nearly boiled over, but before he could take any action Anya finally appeared with Lexa just a couple metres away from Finn.

A smile crept it's way onto Finn's face as he took in the sight before him. He tightened his grip on his gun before he spoke,"Where's Clarke? If she doesn't get here soon, someone will have to clean up her mother's brain."

Lexa stepped forward and said,"Your quarrel is not with Clarke. I was the one who sent Tristan and Tristan did something to anger you so you killed him. Clarke was only looking out for her people and what she did was not personal. You are making this worse than it has to be. Leave Abby out of this. She has done nothing wrong."

"I know that,"said Finn as he looked down at Abby, "I didn't want to get her involved, but it was necessary. You sent Tristan and he killed the woman I love and then Clarke makes an alliance with you and hands me over to you. As if Fox dying meant nothing. As if I meant nothing."

"Look Finn, Clarke–"said Bellamy, but he was cut off by the sound of bullets as Finn fired a few shots upwards.

"If anyone gets closer,"Finn growled as he stared down everyone around them and he let the threat hang in the air which was dead silent.

"So you want to kill me?"said Lexa and she received a nod from Finn.

"Okay."

"Heda,"said Indra angrily,"You cannot–"

"Enough, Indra,"said Lexa,"This is not your concern."

Lexa began to walk forward, but she was stopped by Finn who said,"Lose the weapons. All of them."

Lexa paused for a second before she complied with the demand. She removed her swords from their sheaths and dropped them to the ground. Her knives were next to go and they all dropped to the ground one by one.

Soon, Lexa was unarmed and she said,"Is this adequate?"

Finn's brow was creased with suspicion and concern, but he nodded regardless and said,"Get closer."

Lexa kept walking and soon she stopped a few feet away from Finn, the muzzle of the gun pointed right at her head. She looked at Finn whose eyes were still rapidly shifting around him as if he expected an attack.

"You said you wanted revenge,"said Lexa and she stood tall despite the very real threat to her life.

"Take it."

The crowd voiced their dismay, but they were silenced by a hand from Lexa. Bellamy watched as Lexa lowered her hand before she stared Finn dead in the eyes as she spoke firmly.

"Kill me."

Finn seemed to recoil almost before his eyes hardened and he adjusted his grip on the gun before he pulled the trigger. Bellamy closed his eyes on reflex as the staccato of bullets being fired reverberated through the air.

The crowd let out shrieks of surprise and fear until finally the sound of the clicking of an empty gun drew his attention. Bellamy slowly opened his eyes and braced himself for the sight that awaited him.

However, what he had expected to see was not what awaited him as he took in the stunning aight before. The Commander still stood tall, clearly uninjured and unruffled, as if someone hadn't just tried to kill her.

Her hand was held out in front of her and Bellamy let out a gasp of surprise as he noticed another crucial detail. Suspended in the air barely inches away from Lexa's hand was a bullet that still had some smoke wafting off of it.

There were more bullets all pointing directly at Lexa and aimed at various parts of her body. There were all a different distance, but none were closer than the one that was just over an inch away from her eye.

Bellamy looked at Finn whose expression of shock seemed to be reflected in every person in the crowd. Even Abby who had been calm throughout the whole ordeal looked stunned by the turn of events.

Suddenly, the bullets fell to the ground and not even a second later the gun was pulled out of Finn's hand by some unseen force before it landed in Lexa's open hand. The Commander hadn't once turned away from Finn until now and she threw the gun to the side before she finally spoke.

"Anya."

The aforementioned woman disappeared from her position and reappeared beside Finn and Abby. Finn was so confused by the sudden reversal he wasn't able to stop Anya from grabbing onto Abby and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"You are not the first who has tried to kill me,"said Lexa as the wind began to pick up as it pushed her and Finn's hair to the side as it swept through the crowd,"You also won't be the last. I doubt that I'll remember your face by next week. You will die alone and soon be forgotten by all those that hold you dear. That is the fate that awaits you and anyone foolish enough to pursue my death."

Throughout her speech Lexa had begun to advance and Finn had begun to backtrack. Tears had begun to fall from the boy's face and Bellamy felt some sort of sympathy for him as his plan crumbled all around him.

Lexa halted her advance to the surprise of everyone and she looked at Finn and said,"You have no one to blame, but yourself for your fate. "

Finn –and the crowd– seemed confused by the statement by the Commander, but for seemingly no reason Finn let out a whine of pain as his torso was thrust forward. Blood began to spread out from his chest and it also seemed to be dripping from the aor directly in front of him.

Bellamy was confused until a sword appeared from thin air it's point having been driven through Finn from behind. Blood dripped from it's edge sluggish before it was pulled out from it's place in Finn's chest.

The boy fell backwards from the motion and Bellamy was horrified to see who was behind the killing of the younger boy.

"Clarke,"rasped Finn as blood began to leak from his mouth,"I f-forgot about you."

The blood covering the sword began to leak down onto Clarke's hands, but she didn't seem bothered as she said,"It didn't have to end this way, Finn. You still had Raven. She loves you, Finn."

Finn eyes began to fade as the flow of blood from his wound seemed to slow,"I always knew you were a monster, Princess. You're more of a monster than I thought. "

Clarke's didn't bat an eyelid at Finn's words as she said,"I am who I am."

That was the end of their conversation as Finn let out a sigh of relief before going completely still. Clarke was still holding onto the sword that had killed Finn, but she cast it to the side as she saw her mother standing with Anya.

Abby didn't seem to mind the blood thay covered her daughter's arms as she ran to her before enveloping her in a hug. They seemed to exchange heartfelt words, but Bellamy was too far away to discern what was being said exactly.

Lexa had begun to pick up her weapons, a task which many warriors rushed to aid her in. Once she had all her weapons in her body she turned to the crowd and said,"Warriors, we make way for TonDC. It is there where Skaikru and the Coalition will come up with our plan to destroy the Mountain. We leave in an hour!"

Her speech seemed to have drawn the attention of Clarke who disengaged from her mother before she walked over to Finn's corpse and she lifted him up into her arms.

Her wings spread out behind her and Clarke was soon flying off to the north. Abby seemed surprised by the turn of events and she turned towards Lexa who stared after the shrinking dot that was Clarke.

"Where has she gone?"said Abby before she hastily added,"Oh and thank you for saving me, Commander. "

Lexa stared at the sky for a few more seconds before she turned to Abby and said,"There's no reason to thank me. You were put in danger because of me and in any case the plan to save you was your daughter's not mine. You should thank your daughter when she returns."

Abby was surprised to heat that Clarke had been the mastermind of the plan as it meant that Clarke had decided to kill Finn all on her own. She wasn't quite sure how that made her feel, but she pushed it aside as she asked,"Returns from where? Do you know where she's gone? Isn't the Mountain in that direction?"

"She said that when they had gotten here, Finn and her had buried the first of their comrades to die and she said that he would have wanted be buried with them,"said Lexa before she went on to say,"I would not worry about the Mountain Men. Your daughter is strong. She can take care of herself. You should be proud."

The Commander walked off leaving Abby alone in a throng of activity and as she saw Kane and Jackson begin to make their way to her she pondered over what the Commander had said.

Abby did not feel proud of Clarke at all. She knew that the only reason her daughter had so much strength was not because of the nanobots nor any of Abby's teachings. It was Abby's actions from exposing Jake to sending the 100 down that had forced her daughter to mature and strengthen.

Abby was grateful that her daughter was strong, but her heart burned with shame and sorrow for one reason.

No one needed to be that strong.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I don't understand, "said Quint as he slammed his hand on the table before him,"The acid fog is no more. With the army of the Kongeda, the Mountain would fall within the day."

"I already told you,"said Kane his voice thick with frustration, "Their missiles are strong enough to kill us all once the see us coming. We won't even make it to their doors before we're all dead."

"If someone from Skaikru was able to stop one of their missiles then I'm sure we don't have anything to fear,"said Quint as he smiled almost mockingly at him,"I doubt you can handle a sword and now you think you know tactics?"

Clarke bit back a groan as Quint's mocking laugh followed his insult. The day had been a pure and utter waste. Various ideas had been shut down and Kane had essentially been bullied by the other generals.

Kane wasn't present as Chancellor, but as the head of the Guard which was in essence the equivalent ranking of the other people around the table. There were 12 –13 including Kane– generals who were seated around the table with Lexa on her throne presiding over the meeting.

Anya had explained to her that the Coalition was still in it's infancy and as such, integrating warriors during a combat situation wasn't exactly doable without having representatives from each clan.

The 12 generals were the ones who along with the Commander came up with battle plans and tactics. They were essentially the liaison between their nations and the Commander during war. During peacetime, there were ambassadors who served a similar role except they dealt with things other than war which as trades, land disputes and so on.

There were three ways in which someone was able to become a general. The first option was that the leaders of the clan sat in as general, but as far as Clarke knew Indra was the only clan leader present.

The second option was for a warrior to be hand picked by their leader to preside over matters in their stead temporarily. The only representative that matched this bracket was the Floukru representative who apparently had been chosen to lead in place of the clan leader of the Floukru who was meant to be here, but had some issues to work out.

Finally, the third option( and this was one category that the majority of the people at table fell under) was to undergo a trial to become one of the 12 generals of the Commander. The process wasn't clear, but considering that all of the generals were pretty much considered the strongest warriors of their clans (aside from their leader) it was probably not going to be a walk in the park.

"We still need to heal the reapers,"said Clarke from her position behind Kane and everyone looked at her in surprise.

"You are not a general, girl. You do not have the right to speak at this meeting,"said Quint his maroon warpaint prominent on his face,"Heda, as one of your loyal generals, I ask if you could show the Skaikru girl out. She clearly has no respect for our customs."

A few of the generals spoke up in seeming agreement and Clarke turned her gaze to Lexa whose eyes only briefly met hers before she responded to the generals at large.

"Em pleni!"said Lexa as she raised her hand before dropping it down,"Clarke may speak out of turn, but she speaks the truth. Skaikru claim to be able to revert Ripas back into their normal selves. We would disgrace our people – past and present – if we did not deal with this issue promptly. First, we cure the reapers and then the Mountain will fall. "

Quint and the rest of the other generals who had been opposed to Clarke's presence were silent after Lexa's recrimination. Lexa turned towards Indra who sat immediately to her right and said,"Indra, as the leader of Trikru, you have by far the most experience with the Ripas and Maunon. What would you suggest as our plan of action?"

Indra's face didn't waver from it's stoic expression, but her voice held just the slightest traces of anger as she said,"Whatever was done to the Ripas has tainted their minds. They behave like animals more than man. They hunt in packs and once they find a target, they will pursue it endlessly. If we can get enough runners to draw them out from their tunnels and corral them somewhere then we can capture them and cure them."

"Heda,"said Quint as he almost cut Indra off which drew a dirty look from the Trikru leader,"Skaikru claim they're capable of curing the Ripas and yet we have seen nothing to prove this. It would be a massive waste of time and resources if we went through the trouble of capturing the Ripas only for Skaikru to fail to cure them."

"Commander, I–"began Kane, but he was interrupted by Lexa who said,"Quint's point is fair. Skaikru will have to capture and cure a reaper to prove that it is possible. That's all for today. Dismissed."

The generals all rose as one and after bowing began to make their way out with their guards, but Clarke remained in her spot even as Kane left the room. Clarke made eye contact with Anya who was giving her a curious look as she trailed Indra as they made their way out.

Clarke met her gaze and simply pointed outside with her head signifying that they would speak later. Anya seemed to understand what Clarke was trying to convey and she nodded before leaving. Soon it was only Lexa and Clarke remaining in the tent.

"I assume you have something to discuss?"said Lexa and Clarke nodded as she moved to stand opposite Lexa as she sat in her throne.

"I want to become a general, "said Clarke firmly and she was gifted with the sight of Lexa's eyes widening which was the largest reaction anyone had gotten out of her since they had met in Camp Jaha's valley.

"Is Kane aware of your wish?"asked Lexa as she stared at the other woman,"Are you even aware of what needs to be done to become a general?"

Clarke shook her head,"No, he isn't aware and no I don't know what needs to be done, but it's something I have to do. The other generals don't respect Kane. They think he's weak and all of his suggestions were ignored by everyone. "

It went unspoken that Lexa was being lumped in with the other generals and their treatment of Kane.

"He is weak,"said Lexa,"He's wise and brave, but he is weak. My people are warriors. Fighters. Someone like Kane would not command a lot of respect from us. Especially in wartime. The process your people choose their leaders does not inspire me with confidence in him. Especially considering the fact that one of your former leaders killed thousands of your own people while the other is leading a charge through Sankru territory on a fool's quest."

The mention of Jaha and his quest to find the so called 'City of Light ' did not sit well with Clarke either and even though Abby and Kane had both tried to dissuade him from it, the man had seemed dead set on his quest. The reason for Wells' death had hit him hard and now that he was no more Chancellor it seemed as though Jaha was on some mission to redeem himself of his past crimes or die trying.

Literally.

"Who else is meant to lead?"said Clarke and the look Lexa gave her essentially told Clarke her answer,"Me? No thanks. The last thing I want is to be Chancellor. Kane is the best man for the job."

"I disagree,"said Lexa as she rose from her seat and began to make her way around the table,"You and Bellamy were the ones who kept the first of your people safe and delegated dutieswhen you first arrived. You were the one who had managed to befriend one of my generals. You killed over a hundred Reapers in a matters of seconds. You escaped from The Mountain with my mentor and not only did you turn of their own against them, but you also crippled their defenses and have a way to speak with your people inside. You stopped an invading force of 1000 warriors. You negotiated a more binding contract than your own leader with me and even now you make moves to cement your people's standing and safety

You've done more for your people than Kane has since landing. "

Clarke felt a mix of pride and embarrassment at the glowing praise Lexa was pouring on her. Clarke could see why lexa would think she would be a better leader, but that was the last thing she wanted. Lexa had rounded the table entirely and was now standing mere feet away from Clarke.

"I did what I had to do,"said Clarke as her mind rushed over all of the choices she had made and she found herself echoing her words at the river earlier in the day,"I never wanted this."

"Often,"said Lexa and from this close Clarke had no choice, but to give Lexa her undivided attention, "It's not about what we as leaders want, but what our people need. We sacrifice so our people do not. I've learnt this and so should you. You need to harden your heart and learn to ignore your own needs and wants so you can cater to those of your people."

A heavy silence fell over the two of them and it was with more than just a little sympathy that Clarke realised just how it was that Lexa had formed the Coalition. Putting her people's needs over her own at every stage. It sounded so noble, but in truth it was probably more lonely than anything else.

"Is that how you built the Coalition?"said Clarke finally and she began to fiddle with the radio in her pocket as she saw the question register with Lexa,"You sacrificed your own happiness for your people? That sounds...lonely. "

Lexa's eyes seemed to peer into Clarke's being before the intensity faded almost instantly, "It's a lesson I had to learn. Years ago, I had someone close to me. Her name was Costia."

Almost instantly, a heavy ball settled in Clarke's stomach. Her mind already racing ahead as she recalled the strange tension between Anya and Lexa. Anya confessing to losing Anya's trust.

"I had met her during my time in Polis. She was from Trikru just like me, but she wasn't a nightblood. She was just a tower servant when we met when I was 15. You see no one befriended the novitiates as all, but one of them would perish in the Conclave. People were not willing to acquaint themselves with someone who might be called to their death at anytime,"spoke Lexa and it was softer than Clarke had ever heard her speak. Lexa's eyes seemed thick with pain and anger and so many other emotions as they swirled for dominance in her eyes.

"We spent time together whenever my duties weren't distracting me,"continued Lexa without a trace of emotion in her voice,"It was never enough for either of us and it distracted me from the very real possibility of my death at The Conclave. As the years went by, I became stronger and so did our relationship. I had a very, real chance of winning the Conclave and we had begun to plan for when I became Commander. There were others in my class who could have stolen the mantle from me when I was younger. Fortunately for me, when Heda Ash kom Trikru had fallen in battle, I was one of the strongest in my class. I managed to win the Conclave for my people and for Costia and unlike what had been predicted, our relationship hadn't ended with my death in the Conclave."

Clarke felt her heart clench as she listened to the sad tale as she already knew how it was going to end. She kept quiet out of respect, however, and from the knowledge that venting was always therapeutic. It was humbling and yet puzzling that Lexa seemed to be willing to open up to her like this, but before she could ponder on it more, Lexa had begun to speak again.

" For the first few months, "began Lexa,"We could not have been closer. She was mine and I was hers. I knew she would be a target so I trained her and helped her discover her powers. However, the state of my people's affairs hadn't gone unnoticed. Azgeda were constantly at war with Trikru and there were countless other skirmishes between the clans at some point or another. It was this all encompassing conflict that had driven me to make the Coalition. It took years, but soon only Azgeda remained out of the Coalition. My relationship with Costia had suffered as she had been very opposed to it, but once I had convinced the Yujleda – the biggest enemy of Trikru apart from Azgeda – to join my Coalitionfirst after Floukru, she had begun to push me on. She pushed me on, but I wasn't blind to her dissatisfaction. I was constantly in battles or travelling to other nations and there were times we wouldn't see each other for months on end. In the end, she had given me a choice during our last time together. "

"What question?"asked Clarke, fully invested in the story.

"She asked me to run away with her,"said Lexa,"Some of those in the Coalition had begun to wage war amongst themselves and the Coalition was on the verge of collapse. The short period of peace was gone and war loomed over my people. I could not allow that to happen so I refused even though my heart yearned for me to say yes. I explained why and we had a fight – our biggest ever. I had to leave the next day for a war camp near the Azgeda border. I had charged Anya with her protection while I was away. There had been a delay on my way to the war camp and so I arrived four days late. I was greeted with a wooden box that had my name carved on it. Indra had been the one to find it and she had left it in my tent."

"Inside the box,"said Lexa,"was Costia's head. The symbol of Azgeda had been etched onto her cheeks and her eyeballs were missing. She had been killed only because she was mine and Azgeda were trying to find out my secrets for some edge in the war. That same day, Queen Nia's son had walked into our camp and he had announced Azgeda's surrender and desire to join the Coalition. My heart burned with the desire to kill Nia and all of her people, but I knew if I did that there would be no peace for my people. I allowed Azgeda into the Coalition and the other clans welcomed their addition before pledging their loyalty to me once more praising me as the greatest Heda they had seen. "

"If I had ran away with Costia, the Coalition would have never developed to it's current strength and thousands of people would have suffered for it. Nia would have kept fighting a war even though she knew she was out matched by the Coalition's army. She had probably expected me to kill her son, but I recognised the anger in my heart and the love that I had held for Costia for what it was,"said Lexa.

"Love is weakness. I could never allow myself to stray again and that is why I stand before you today as the greatest Commander my people have ever seen. I've put all of that behind me and focused on improving the lives of my people. This is the fate that awaits those who like you and me yearn for the safety of their people and there is nothing that even people as strong as is can do about it,"said Lexa before her eyes closed for a few seconds before snapping open again,"To be Commander is to be alone."

Lexa took a step back and she turned away from Clarke and the room was silent for a few seconds before Clarke spoke.

"You're lying,"said Clarke and to her credit she didn't flinch as Lexa turned towards her anger gleaming in her eyes,"You say love is weakness, but your love for Costia gave you strength during the Conclave."

Clarke took a step forward as her confidence grew and Lexa took one backwards as if to distance herself from Clarke's words.

"You say you only listen to your head, but only a leader who empathised and loved their people would sacrifice as much as you have,"continued Clarke and again her stepping forward resulted in Lexa stepping back.

"You say you're over Costia getting taken under Anya's watch and yet all these years later you still have massive tension between the two of you. Anya isn't even sure if you trust her anymore,"

Their dance continued as Lexa backed way from Clarke's words, but it grinned to a halt as Lexa hit a table behind her.

"I've had enough of people telling me what to do and what to think,"said Clarke as images of Bellamy, Darah, Dante and her mother floated through her mind,"I refuse to believe that someone as wise as you could be so obtuse as to believe your people's happiness is contingent on you giving up your own happiness."

Clarke finally stopped mere feet away from Lexa who seemed frozen still. Clarke reached into her pocket and grabbed onto Lexa's hands with her own,"You are not alone. We're working together to free our people. I've already sworn a blood oath to work with you, Heda Lexa kom Trikru, and I don't break my promises.You've done so much for your people, Lexa. Soon, you'll be the Heda that freed her people from the Mountain. Why can't you have your own happiness?"

Clarke stared directly into Lexa's eyes and she watched as green eyes flit all over her face before they stopped on Clarke's lips. Clarke shifted minutely as she took in the intense look in Lexa's eyes before they looked back up into her eyes.

However, before either of them could make a move the sound of the voice of one of Lexa's guards, Gustus if Clarke remembered correctly, drew their attention from the faraway entrance to the tent causing them to jump apart.

"Heda,"said Gustus his deep voice reverberating through the tent,"Indra requests an audience with you. Should I send him away?"

Lexa looked back at Clarke and turned back to the tent entrance and said,"Yes, send her in a minute."

There was silence once again, but it was different from before as the reality of what had almost happened registered within their minds. Clarke finally decided to break the silence as she said,"I guess I need to leave. I'm sure she has something important she wants to say."

Lexa nodded and she remained quiet for a few seconds before she said,"You're right about what you said earlier. It is easy to lose one's way when you carry the burdens I do."

"I understand, "said Clarke and she honestly felt like she did. The fact that she still couldn't wear her father's watch that had been recovered from the dropship was evidence enough of that in Clarke's eyes.

Clarke's eyes dropped to the blood red ruby on her hand and she paused for a second before pulling something out of her pocket.

She held her hand out to Lexa who opened her hand and Clarke placed the ring with the emerald she had made earlier in the day on Lexa's palm.

"I wear this,"said Clarke as she gestured to the ring in her finger ,"So that I remember the people who I've failed while I was in charge. It helps me to remember to do better and to not forget who I'm fighting for. You could use it to remember what we,uh , discussed today if you want. "

Clarke stumbled over her words, but it didn't seem to bother the other womanLexa's eyes seemed to take in every detail of the ring before she put it on her right middle finger.

"Thank you, Clarke,"said Lexa once the ring was in place,"Also, you can have your trial tomorrow morning. You have to speak with Kame beforehand, but he is wise enough to recognise that it is for the best."

Clarke nodded as she received the green light for the trial and she was about to leave, but she still had one more question.

"What is the trial anyways?"said Clarke her hand already halfway reaching for the flap.

"It's one designed to show that you have the necessary strength and intelligence to deserve a seat at the table,"said Lexa.

"You have to run a gauntlet and should you be successful you shall take Kane's place at the table,"

"A gauntlet?"said Clarke confusion prominent in her voice,"What do you mean?"

"You have to fight all of the generals that are opposed to you joining in a series of one-on-one fights,"said Lexa and her eyes seemed to waver before she said the words that caused worry to permeate throughout Clarke's very being.

"Since you aren't officially in the Coalition, if you fail ,"said Lexa and she paused before adding," Your people will be annexed by the clan that manages to defeat you."

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Trigedasleng:

Yujleda – Broadleaf

Floukru – Boat People

Mochof – Thank You

Trikru – Woods Clan

Heda – Commander

Skaiprisa – Sky Princess

Em pleni – Enough

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Here's another chapter. We didn't get a look into the Mountain, but we got a very Clarke-centric chapter. I've added some meat to certain aspects to the lore such as Costia and the generals and of course the gauntlet.

Also, Lexa reveals one of her powers. For the longest of time, she was going to have magnetism and I hope that scene was as good as I felt it was.

I'm not the best at writing romance. Be gentle. I did my best and I think it turned out semi-decent.

As always, please review. I love your opinions and I do my best to answer all your questions.

Song rec:

Ed Sheeran ft. Justin Bieber – I Don't Care