Finally, got this one down lol. Sorry for the delay. Hopefully, this makes up for it.


"Let me get this straight," Clarke said slowly as she sat across Bellamy. They were now in her room after having extinguished the fire. Madi, who had been found by Luna, was sleeping on Clarke's bed.

"You were attacked by someone you thought was Echo, but it was actually that Azgeda woman?" Clarke finished and Bellamy nodded languidly. His wounds had been healed, but he was clearly still drained from the day's activities.

"Her name is Maine," Bellamy said before scoffing, "If you believe her anyways. She definitely knew Echo and she knew I thought she was Echo. I hate to admit it, but she's strong. It felt like she was toying with me the whole time."

"It just frustrates me," Bellamy said as he ran his hands through his hair, "I feel like I'm useless. Raven and Octavia are a lot stronger than me and that's without mentioning you. That Duos injection was wasted on me."

On some level, Clarke had known that Bellamy was upset over the abductions, but this sounded like something that had been building for a longer time. How long exactly was still a mystery to her.

Bellamy was and had always been sure of himself. It was one of his defining traits. He took pride in whatever achievements he got whether it was killing a deer or saving someone's life. Even at his worst, Bellamy had always had a raging fire to his words and actions.

That was all gone now.

"Look," Clarke said drawing on similar conversations she had had with Luna, "You did make mistakes. You were overconfident and rash. You burnt a building down and abandoned Madi in the middle of Polis."

Clarke expected some pushback, but she received none. In fact, Bellamy seemed to accept the criticisms wholeheartedly, a stark contrast to before the Mountain. His gaze dropped to the floor with the weight of his missteps being thrown in his face.

"But that's just who we are as humans," Clarke said causing Bellamy to look up at her, "I know Echo was important to you and if I'd seen one of you or Madi or Luna, then I'd drop everything and go after them too. Your mistakes today do not erase your deeds of yesterday."

That was a sentiment Luna had imparted to Clarke during her worst days after the Mountain. It was, sometimes, near impossible to see the good that some of your actions brought into the world. Especially if you're haunted by guilt.

Ultimately, the worst that had come, thus far, from Bellamy's actions was a burnt down building. The rest could and would be fixed. Bellamy wasn't a monster. Clarke knew a monster when she saw one and she wouldn't let Bellamy wallow in his guilt any longer.

He wasn't a monster like she was.

"We can fix all of this," Clarke said with more confidence than she actually felt, "Things won't escalate any further."

"I hope so."

There was a knock at the door and it seemed to awaken Madi. Clarke had a feeling she had been feigning sleep, but that was not too important for now. Clarke opened the door and she was greeted by the carefully calm faces of Raven and Octavia.

Or at least, Raven was calm. Octavia dropped her facade the instant she saw Bellamy rising from his seat. She barged past Clarke before walking to her brother and pushing him back into the chair behind him.

What the hell?

"Have you learnt fucking nothing?" Octavia growled as she stood over Bellamy.

Clarke called out Octavia's name to quell her anger (and due to the bad language) but the younger girl didn't seem to register it all. Her entire posture was tense as she glared at her older brother. Raven had closed the door behind her which probably wouldn't do all that much to muffle the sound.

Worryingly, Clarke could see crystal begin to spread across Octavia's hands – a sign of Octavia losing control of her temper. It was eerily similar to Raven causing a hurricane after finding out Finn had cheated on her.

An image of a sword punching through someone's back flashed through Clarke's mind before she forced it down. It was clear that Octavia wasn't as put together as Clarke had initially thought or the frustration of the situation was getting to her.

Either way, Clarke had to find a way to calm Octavia down and she had a feeling, Octavia would bot be placated by mere words. Octavia seemed eager to prove Clarke's point as she cut off any words from Bellamy.

"You weren't thinking!" Octavia shouted in his face slamming a crystallised fist into the table, "You weren't thinking when you shot Jaha. You weren't thinking when you destroyed Raven's radio and got hundreds of people floated in their sleep. You're still the same monster as usual!"

This had gone on for long enough. Madi was beginning to look uncomfortable and Raven was averting her gaze entirely. Clarke had to stop this before it went any further.

Octavia was about to slam her fist into the table again, but Clarke sped over and caught the fist in her hand. Octavia turned over to her and to Clarke's slight surprise her hostility didn't decrease at all.

"Are you going to order me to stand down, Chancellor?" Octavia's tone seemed to be deliberately provocative. She seemed to want a reaction from Clarke.

"You need to cool down."

Octavia raised a brow at Clarke's brusque tone, "How are we gonna do that, Commander of Death?"

"We're going to fight."


It had only taken a firm order to one of the many tower attendants to be guided to one of the training grounds near the Tower. There was a lot of foot traffic and Clarke assumed the public was free to watch the warriors train.

It was probably reassuring for the citizens to see what some of the warriors were capable of. It was also probably an effective intimidation technique as well. People would be far more agreeable if they saw what warriors were capable of doing.

"Is this really how you want to play things?" Raven said as she scanned the growing crowd around them, "We don't need to solve everything with fighting."

"I know that," Clarke said as she too took a look around at the crowd, "Octavia knows that. She wants this, though. You know how she can be like. I think it's just the pressure of everything and she's feeling like she's not helping."

"This isn't helping."

"She just needs to vent," Clarke said as she met Octavia's gaze, "I can let her vent and still be perfectly fine afterwards. Plus, she probably has an issue with me dropping everything and leaving so we need to get this out the way. We can't leave the city so we do this right now right here."

Raven's face twisted at the mention of Clarke's departure from Arkadia and was clearly remembering her role in it. It was clear to Clarke that there was still some stuff to work out, but Raven was a lot more reasonable than either of Octavia and Bellamy.

That was why Clarke was waiting to broach the subject with her. It wasn't because she still felt guilt over killing the lifelong love of one of her friends. Not at all.

"What are the stipulations?" Octavia called out to Clarke from across the field.

"You should head back to the tower and stay with Bellamy and Madi,' Clarke said as she noticed a few generals amongst the crowd, "Call me paranoid, but I'd feel better if you were there with them."

Raven nodded as she looked at the generals who had shown up. Erid, the Sankru general met Clarke's gaze and her face seemed to settle into a frown. The other two were Livia and Mason– the Delfikru general.

Mason seemed to be the only one that wasn't openly hostile towards Clarke. From what Clarke had gleaned from Luna and Kane, Delfikru were not as militant as the other clans and were thinkers more than they were warriors.

Delfi's capital was apparently filled with various innovations that would grab Clarke's attention if Luna were to be believed. Mason nodded politely at Clarke before turning her gaze towards Octavia who was still waiting.

"You'll know when it's over," Clarke said and she gave a look to Raven who left almost immediately. The atmosphere wasn't quite as intense as the gauntlet, but even then Clarke knew people were itching to see her fight. It would be good to show why being on the other side was a bad idea.

It was a good thing Octavia could handle it.

Octavia made the first move as she raised her hands. They were already crystallised and she fired a storm of shards. Clarke swung her hands in a pushing motion firing a burst of air from her hands.

The shards scattered all across the field and Clarke was thankful, it was lowered into the ground to prevent damage to the crowd. They did not need any more complications.

Octavia didn't take to this to well and she fired a strong shockwave towards Clarke. The shockwave was fast, but Clarke was faster as she stomped on the ground. A rock wall intercepted the shockwave and absorbed it entirely.

Clarke raised her hands to the wall and there was a beat of inactivity before a loud crack echoed through the air. Shards of rock were fired from the wall at a rapid pace and Clarke could hear the sharp sound of the rocks slamming into Octavia.

The wall soon crumbled into nothing and Clarke was able to see the crystal and rock shards laying across the ground. Octavia was in her full armour and it was encased in cracks all over her body. The girl in question was still standing her arms covering her head.

Clarke fired a psionic blast and Octavia only had time to look up before she was sent flying into a wall. There was a groan from the crowd as Octavia made a deep imprint into the wall. However, Octavia wasn't willing to quit as she gingerly stood up once more. Her armour regenerating as she did so.

Octavia's anger seemed to be taking the better of her as she charged Clarke head-on. Octavia moved a lot faster than what Clarke had seen from her before. However, it was still slow compared to the speeds Clarke could reach.

She chose to close Octavia down and they engaged in a fistfight as they met each other halfway. Clarke was weaving her way around Octavia as the girl struck out with crystallised punches, kicks and even blades.

Clarke did not attack at all as Octavia did her best to find her way through Clarke's defence. It was easy for Clarke to see that Octavia had been trained.

She moved with a grace and fluidity that all Grounders seemed to have. It was probably Lincoln and Echo's doing. Octavia finally managed to land a hit as she faked a palm strike before firing a shockwave.

Clarke was able to block it, but she was still sent backwards. She was hurtled into the air and a few more shockwaves sent her up and further away. Clarke was able to adjust her landing with a few bursts of air and she landed deftly on the ground.

Her body ached from the force of those shockwaves. Octavia seemed to realise this as she smiled rather cruelly at Clarke. Her words were easy for Clarke to hear, but were swallowed up by the general chatter of the crowd.

"I trained so hard for this," Octavia murmured and there was a slight hint of exhaustion in her voice, "For months, everybody was just asking where you were. Or wanted your advice or input or whatever else it was. But you weren't there. You just left to run around with some strangers you don't know."

Clarke knew Octavia was talking about Madi and Luna and despite it all, she still fell for the bait. She fired a stream of fire that washed over Octavia. The crowd let out a startled gasp, but Clarke ignored it as she sped towards Octavia.

The younger girl was flickering in and out of sight and her armour had retracted. Clarke had never forgotten the fact that the delinquents' powers were ruled by their body and their emotions.

Octavia was stumbling around as nausea took over and as soon as Clarke saw Octavia's armour fade she attacked. Octavia tried to counter, but she was too sluggish to get close to landing a hit.

She slapped aside Octavia's weak punches before delivering a punch into her stomach. Octavia gasped as her lungs were voided of air. Clarke swept Octavia's legs out from under her before pointing her palm right at Octavia's face.

She put her boot on Octavia's stomach. Her shirt was completely soaked through from sweat. Blood was streaming down from her nose and it melded into the sweat already on her face.

"Are you done?"

Octavia scoffed, but she said no more as she nodded slightly. Clarke took her foot off of Octavia and held out her hand to Octavia who took it after only a moment's hesitation.

"I'm sorry I left you guys in the lurch," Clarke said as she noticed the crowd around them begin to disperse, "Things were...are complicated."

Octavia still seemed to be unsteady on her feet, but apparently she was no longer angry, "I know. I'm sorry. I was just feeling nervous about everything and then the building thing happened so you and Bellamy were easy targets."

Clarke had figured as much. Octavia wasn't one to repress her feelings and would often find destructive ways to deal with them. This was an inconsequential spar and so neither of them were worse off for it.

"I feel so sick," Octavia said as she bent over, with her hands on her knees "Is that because of your fire? That was really bad, Clarke. I lost control of my powers almost immediately."

"Heat exhaustion affects your mind and body," Clarke said alluding to the weaknesses of Octavia's powers, "I think it was the nice way of punching through your armour."

"What's the other way?"

"Punching through your armour."

Octavia let out a weak chuckle her voice raspy and dry, "Funny...Ugh...I think I need to lie down and I'm not keen on walking up like 50 flights of stairs. Can't you make a portal?"

Clarke made a portal and she decided to take another look at the crowd. The three generals from earlier were still present and were openly staring at Clarke. Livia, most of all, seemed to have a predatory edge to her demeanour and Erid was just as hostile as before. Once again, only Mason seemed even somewhat friendly.

"You coming?"

Clarke turned away from the generals as she faced Octavia, "Yeah, let's go."

Clarke walked through the portal and despite never looking back she could still feel the gaze of the generals boring into her back. That spar may have patched things over with Octavia, but it only opened up more questions about the generals.


Raven felt like she needed to clear her head after the hectic events of the day. Octavia and Clarke had returned from their spar/therapy session and now Clarke was nursing Octavia back to health.

Night had fallen without any word from the Grounders and the anxiety was beginning to wear down on everyone.

Bellamy and Madi were also there and that freed Raven up to go for a walk. Usually, when she had a lot on her mind she would just bury herself in her work and bury whatever was on her mind.

That obviously wasn't an option right now so a walk through the tower and maybe Polis would do her some good. It probably wouldn't, but the further away from Clarke she was then the better.

Clarke and Bellamy had always been on pretty much the same page so it was rather simple for them to solve the little issues they'd had. Octavia had also not had any major disagreements with Clarke that weren't solved. The point often needed to be beaten into Octavia's head, verbally or physically as it were.

By all accounts, this meant that Clarke and Raven would broach the whole Finn debacle. They had been rather civil, if not friendly, and Raven had to admit that Clarke saving her life had something to do with it.

The gratitude she felt was mixed with the anger and rage and fury that thinking of Finn's death, or execution to be more accurate. Clarke had easily become Raven's closest friend within the delinquents especially after Finn being exposed and Roma dying.

Their dynamic has been warped after Clarke had killed the Reapers at the dropship and they had taken a few steps forward in the Mountain only to take a few dozen backwards afterwards.

Despite how antagonistic she had been to Clarke, it had hurt to lose a close friend.

Raven had ultimately been the one to push Clarke away and it hurt to see Clarke be so warm with Luna, a virtual stranger to them all, and then be so awkward with Raven. If anything, it only made Raven feel more lonely.

It wasn't only Clarke, though. Octavia and Lincoln had been joined at the waist for months now and despite what they thought Bellamy and Echo were embarrassingly obvious. The other delinquents like Jasper and Monty also tended to stick with each other and so Raven often found herself on the periphery of things.

Raven wasn't even sure what she needed or wanted Clarke to do. The time apart had healed the wound somewhat, but Finn was still a sore topic. She wasn't sure if she'd flip out or immediately forgive Clarke if she apologised.

She'd just have to wait and see then. Raven would wait for Clarke to bring it up. She hoped it would be one of those things that got buried and forgotten, but things were not always that easy.

A creak from one of the rooms got Raven's attention and she used her X-ray vision to scan her surroundings. The floor that Skaikru had been put on was said to be empty, but Raven would rather be cautious than dead.

The sound was revealed to be a bird trapped in one of the nearby rooms. It flew around the room for a while before exiting through the window which was pretty much a hole in the room.

None of the rooms had any actual windows anymore. Raven could only assume they had been blown out when the bombs fell. It made the rooms rather chilly if you slept above your blanket which made sense considering how high up they were.

Raven kept scanning the floor out of curiosity and boredom. She did not expect to find anyone or anything on this level and so she was surprised when she caught movement in a far-off room.

It was a very fancy room– about the same as Clarke's actually. The woman inside seemed to be staring at what looked like paintings on the wall. The woman turned to face Raven and to her surprise, Raven recognised her face.

"Costia?"

It was the girl that Clarke had carried the whole way to Arkadia back when the thing at the Mountain went down. Raven had been somewhat curious about the whole thing and especially so when she had been handed to the Commander.

She had tried to get more information from Lincoln and Echo, but it had been like trying to get blood from a rock. All she knew was that Costia had to have been held in high regard.

The Commander had seemed shellshocked to see Costia according to Octavia which only made Raven more curious about their dynamic. Were they comrades? Lovers? Enemies? Family?

It made no sense for her to be holed up in the tower with an entire floor to herself.

Costia was still running her fingers up and down the numerous portraits that were all over her room. Raven tried to focus on the paintings but there were too far for her to really see them.

Raven turned away from Costia reluctantly as she decided to explore a bit more of the tower. She would probably get into trouble for doing this, but a little reconnaissance could go a long way.

Raven crept down the stairs while keeping her X-ray vision active her eyes glowing an eerie yellow. She made it to the level where the meetings were held when she peered through the many empty rooms to spot the Commander speaking to someone.

Raven scanned the floor and she was relieved to find it devoid of any guards or servants. The walk to the meeting hall was still tense, but she was, at the very least, able to focus solely on being silent and not worrying about someone finding her.

Finally, Raven was close enough to hear the voices of the Commander and whoever she was speaking to. Their voices just bled through the slightly open doors to the hall.

Raven's X-ray vision revealed that the Commander was sitting in her throne. A storm of anger and frustration made itself known within Raven before she quashed it down. This could be important.

The other person in the living room was wearing a hood and she had her hair done in large black and white braids. Raven could see that this stranger's eyes were glowing a bright pink as she stared off into space.

Raven crept closer, but she stopped in her tracks when Lexa looked directly at her through the walls. A cold feeling spread throughout her body and Raven was worried that Lexa was sure Raven was spying on her.

It was the longest ten seconds of her life before Lexa finally looked away as the other woman jerked back to life. Lexa's posture was still loose and so Raven was sure Lexa didn't know she was there. Thank goodness for small miracles.

"What did you see, Gaia?" Lexa said unknowingly providing Raven with the other woman's name.

"The days ahead are unclear, Heda," Gaia said her voice deeply troubled, "There is too much we do not know. I see many paths branching forth. Many results in your death or the Coalition's failure if not both."

Raven felt her heart thumping in her chest as she heard Gaia speak. This couldn't be true. Could Gaia see the future? That was beyond anything Raven had seen on Earth, thus far. Was it possible?

Raven's more rational side came out as she broke down what Gaia had said. It was not exactly precognition, but it was more being able to see the consequences of various actions taken. The future was not set in stone and there was information Gaia was missing so it clearly wasn't infallible.

Even then, for Lexa to ask for her help, Gaia would have to be extremely trustworthy. Raven hadn't even seen the woman before today and a meeting at this time of the night had to be of the utmost importance.

All in all, Raven was unsure of what to make of the accuracy of Gaia's abilities, but nevertheless she hung onto every word of Gaia's conversation with Lexa. It was the next question that made Raven gasp.

"Is Skaikru essential to saving the Coalition?"

"It is unclear..." Gaia said pausing for just a moment, "There have been times where Wanheda–"

"Clarke."

"My apologies," Gaia said after the abrupt interruption, "There have been times where Clarke won alongside. There have been times where you fell, but she lived to win the war..."

That sounded promising to Raven, but she should have known better than to be optimistic as Gaia let out a weary sigh. Gaia seemed to be nervous as she looked back at the Commander.

"However," Gaia murmured, "There were times where Skaikru betrayed you or sided with your enemies. In these events, it would usually be Clarke who would kill you on the battlefield or in Polis or...elsewhere."

Raven barely had time to register the embarrassment on Gaia's face before she continued, "Other times, the other Skaikru with her in Polis would be the ones to kill you. Bellamy, Octavia and more often than not–"

Raven took a step back and she left the area as quick as she could. A feeling of shame and anger and embarrassment filled her as she filled in the blanks on her own. Gaia had to be talking about her.

Perhaps her distaste for the Commander hadn't been a subtle as she had thought. The idea that she would kill the Commander for her own petty revenge during a war was ridiculous.

That's not who Raven was. Clarke had brutalised Diana during their first meeting at the Exodus ship. Clarke, again, had burnt hundreds of Reapers right down to ashes. Clarke had killed Finn on Lexa's orders and then she had gutted the Mountain Men all on her own.

Raven was not like Clarke.

Despite it all, Raven could still feel the part of her baying for a chance at Lexa. If Lexa's people had been more peaceful then none of this would have happened. If Lexa's people had beaten the Mountain Men, Skaikru would have had an easier transition to living on Earth.

Her very soul was screaming at a chance to get her revenge on Lexa. Clarke would probably never forgive her, but Raven doubted they could or would ever get to a place where they were close friends again.

She wasn't sure what to make of that.

Raven paused as she came to the level below the meeting hall. She was getting further and further away from Skaikru's level as well as having plausible deniability on her side. If she got caught now then that could derail everything.

Raven's X-ray vision was in full effect as she scanned the current floor. The rooms on this level actually were occupied and it was a bit surreal to walk past Luna as she sat cross-legged on her bed.

There were still a lot of empty rooms, Raven could guess that these were used as buffers between the clans. The people in each section were dressed in similar clothing depending on their clan.

These sections were also separated by vertical hallways that had a lot of boarded-up doors if any at all. Raven could only assume that after hundreds of years some rooms became unusable.

One of the first clans that Raven had passed had been Azgeda and she had had the pleasure of seeing Ontari and some random Azgeda warrior throw themselves at each other.

Her X-ray vision had shut off on its own upon seeing...that.

It was definitely Raven's day though as the few people she encountered in the hallways didn't even seem to care about her which made sense. She wasn't as famous as Clarke or Indra so most people wouldn't recognise her or they may have even assumed she was a tower servant.

Finally, Raven came to the end of the clans and it was Trikru that was placed on this end of the floor. Azgeda was on the complete other side which was probably for the best.

Echo and Lincoln had had a lot to say about the Trikru-Azgeda relationship which was almost as passionate as their relationship with the Mountain Men. The sheer hatred and animosity had been built upon centuries of bloodshed and treachery.

Azgeda and Trikru could barely stand to be in a room with each other. Lincoln and Echo were a deviation from the norm, but they had both said it was very rare for members of both clans to have even a civil discussion.

It was that knowledge that made Raven particularly worried about what she was seeing in front of her. Indra and Nia were in a room and they were talking to each other. That made no sense and yet Raven could see it as clear as day.

They weren't facing each other directly. They were both staring off into space as they spoke. Raven obviously couldn't read lips, but the conversation seemed to be extremely...peaceful...which was wrong.

Nia and Indra hated each other. Raven would have been less surprised to find one bathing in the blood of the other. Yet, here they were having a chat in the middle of the night.

Against her better judgement, Raven approached Indra's suite hoping to get an idea of what they were talking about. The entire Trikru section was empty which begged the question of where they all were.

A dark idea fought its way into Raven's mind and planted itself right in there. Could Trikru actually be working against Lexa? That had to be impossible. It was as crazy as Skaikru having to fight Clarke. It made no sense at all.

And yet the proof was right in front of her. They may have been too quick to dismiss the threat of Trikru. Arkadia was on their land after all and Skaikru had done an amazing job of cultivating the surrounding lands. Maybe they wanted it back or something.

Raven focused on Indra and Nia as she walked towards the former's door. She was right by it when the sound of glass snapping reverberated through the air. Raven only had to look down to see pieces of glass scattered across the floor.

Indra and Nia both turned towards the door at the same time and it felt like their eyes pierced Raven's soul. It was Indra who moved towards the door turning her back on Nia. Raven sped back the way she came from and she dove down a side hallway.

The doors were all boarded up on this hallway and Raven cursed as she saw Indra begin to open the door. There was no way she could bust this door open without being caught.

"Fuck it," Raven pointed her hand at the door while keeping half an eye on Indra who had just unlocked her door. Her hand morphed into a cannon and she was about to blow the door when there was a soft pop behind her.

A hand covered her mouth and wrapped around her waist before she felt her surroundings morph around her. Raven blinked as she realised she was in an unfamiliar room. She tried to elbow her captor, but her elbow was blocked before she was pushed forward.

Raven aimed her cannon at her captor only to frown as she came face to face with Anya. The Trikru warrior's gaze was focused on Raven's cannon even as she raised her hands in submission.

"Is this how Skaikru thanks those that save them?" Anya said before flitting her eyes to Raven's, "Indra would have had your head for spying on her."

"You knew I was spying on her?" Raven couldn't hide her shock her hand-cannon moving slightly. Anya was silent and Raven sighed as she realised the other woman was focused on the weapon again.

Raven disassembled the cannon as it melded back into her skin. Anya seemed intrigued by that, but she eventually nodded looking back up at Raven.

"You were obvious with your spying on the Commander as well," Anya said smiling when Raven's face dropped into a deeper frown, "You need to look behind you more. A lot more."

"Why didn't you expose me?"

"The conversation you had overheard was not important and you would only put Skaikru in a worse light if I exposed you," Anya said before flicking her eyes towards Raven's hand.

"I would rather Skaikru have a good relationship with the Commander before the war. You, of all people, being caught with a weapon would make that difficult."

"What about me?" Raven said feeling insulted by Anya's insinuation.

"Your hatred for the Commander is obvious," Anya said with enough edge to make Raven twitch, "Some of the more observant generals and Heda herself would be able to see it. What did she do to you?"

Raven remained silent as she clenched her hands into fists. Anya may have been one of the nicer Grounders, but that didn't mean she was entitled to a detailed breakdown of Raven's life.

"It's none of your business," It was a reflexive answer and probably a bit too harsh for the person that had saved her from Indra's fury. Her voice was scratchy both from thirst as well as anger which only punctuated her curt answer.

Oddly, Anya didn't seem put off by Raven's abrasive answer as she walked towards a table with a jug on it. Raven watched as Anya poured out something into two cups on the table.

Anya offered one of the cups to Raven and she took it reluctantly. Her throat was feeling a bit dry, but she waited for Anya to take a sip which the older woman noticed immediately.

"You are too paranoid," Anya said before taking a deep swig of her cup, "Clarke is a lot more open than most of you Skaikru."

"Yeah, she's just perfect," Raven scoffed before taking as deep a drink as Anya did. It was only now that she realised the drink was, in fact, alcohol and not water. Her body burned as the alcoholic brew surged down her throat.

"I thought this was water," Raven said drawing a dry laugh from Anya.

"You were getting too angry," Anya said refilling her cup before sitting down at the table, "As I said before, our people need to work together to survive the storm. Drink some more, it will help you relax."

Raven took a much smaller sip from the fiery brew as she sat down at the table. Raven stared directly into Anya's eyes which, similar to her own, were a dark brown. Anya's gaze was less stern than Raven had ever seen it probably due to the olive branch she was extending.

Screw it.

"So what is life like down here?"

It was the least Raven could do. Other than the fact that Anya had probably saved her life, it was nice to talk someone that didn't walk on eggshells around her like pretty much everyone in Arkadia did.

As Anya began with a story about life in Trikru, Raven was starting to see what everyone(read Bellamy, Clarke and Octavia) saw in the Grounders.

Or maybe it was Anya, in particular.


This was the moment of truth.

Lexa had deliberated with her people on the attacks and now was the time for the final judgement to be passed. Clarke wasn't sure how the upcoming meeting would go.

They had received an invitation to the meeting hall and Clarke just knew it was an important meeting today. She hadn't seen much of Luna as she had been helping Lexa and Clarke didn't quite feel comfortable with roaming the tower.

Raven had disappeared for hours on end, but in the end Clarke had found her neatly tucked in her bed. Clarke hadn't heard Raven return at any time of the night so it was a bit odd, but Raven was fine if not a little hungover.

Clarke had no idea how or where Raven had gotten alcohol from and she had a gut feeling she didn't want to know either.

Clarke decided to let her hair hang loose and she walked out the bathroom into the main room where everyone was waiting for her. Raven was clutching onto a cup filled with water with one hand while the other massaged her forehead.

"Seriously, Raven?" Octavia said as she took in Raven's hunched over form, "You got alcohol and you didn't share? That's low–even for you."

"Last I checked you couldn't hold your alcohol," Raven muttered without looking at Octavia, "Remember Mount Weather?"

Octavia scoffed and was about to retort when Bellamy interjected, "Who's going with Clarke today? Maine might be out on the loose today and we need all hands on deck."

The three of them, as well as Madi, had to be on red alert in case anything happened. Clarke was very wary of bringing Madi to the meeting. Clarke had confidence in being able to defend herself and Madi, but the risk was almost too great.

"I'm not going," Bellamy said his expression sour, "If that bitch pops up again, I want to be first in line to knock her down."

Clarke was upset at Bellamy's choice of words, but in the end she chose not to react. Clarke knew Bellamy well and she was sure he had already been dumping on himself since Maine had escaped. It was pointless to pile on at this stage.

"Fine, I'll go with Raven and Madi," Clarke said shocking everyone, but especially the youngest room.

"Why me?" Madi said and she looked a bit anxious which was very understandable.

Madi was so mature for her age, far more than Clarke had been, but she was still a child. There would be moments where Madi would let her youth show and this was one of them.

Madi was fearless in the face of immediate danger like when she had nearly been abducted or when she had saved Clarke. This was different though. Luna had told Madi many stories of the Coalition and Madi had her own knowledge of what the Grounders were like.

Clarke walked over to Madi and cupped the girl's hands, "You're strong, Madi and not because of your blood. You need to believe in yourself. Luna and I gave you everything we know so you would be safe. You know I'd do anything to keep you safe."

Madi didn't seem entirely moved by Clarke's speech her face still pinched with worry, "I know that. I'm not scared for me."

Oh. Oh.

"You're worried about me?" Clarke said feeling like an idiot and she had to blink her tears away as Madi's gaze dropped to the floor, "I can take care of myself, Madi. You don't have to worry about me."

Madi wasn't appeased by this as she shook her head and tried to pull away from Clarke. Clarke was able to resist that and she gave a silent look to her friends who seemed to understand as they all filed out.

"You almost got killed by that man in Trikru," Madi whispered as she hugged Clarke tightly, "I was so scared...everyone in my life has disappeared. My parents, my village, everyone...I don't want the same to happen to you."

This time, Clarke could not stop the tears from flowing. She knew Madi struggled with her last demons. Clarke wished she could just heal the scars of the past, but that wasn't how it worked. Time and love were the only things that could help and they were out of time.

Clarke stepped back and cupped Madi's face in her hands. Tears were flowing down Madi's cheeks and Clarke used her thumbs to wipe them away.

"I love you, Madi," Clarke said with as much seriousness as she could muster, "I know you worry about me and I wish I could tell you that everything will be fine, but you're too smart for that."

"I will always do my best to come back to you, Madi," Clarke said staring into the girl's eyes, "You're my family. No matter what happens today, I will never stop fighting for you to have a peaceful life because that's exactly what you deserve."

Clarke pulled Madi into a hug before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. There was no need for any more words. Luna was the wordsmith between the two of them and Clarke was jealous of how Luna could cut through any defences with her words alone.

Clarke only knew how to speak from her heart and oftentimes it wasn't quite enough. Nevertheless, her words seemed to have resonated within Madi. Clarke truly wished she could tell Madi that everything was going to be fine, but that wasn't the world they lived in.

There was an urgent knock at the door and Clarke finally stepped away from Madi who seemed much better than before. She wiped the tear tracks from both their faces before giving permission to let whoever it was in.

"We need to go," Raven said her tone very urgent, "Now."

"What?" Clarke said her shoulders flooding with tension, "Is something wrong?"

"I went to speak to Anya, but she found me first," Raven said and that shocked Clarke before she quashed the feeling, "The meeting is happening right now. It got moved up."

The meeting wasn't scheduled for a while yet so for it to have been moved up didn't fill Clarke with a lot of optimism. She turned to Madi who seemed surprised, but she managed to school her expression after a look of concern from Clarke.

"Where are Bellamy and Octavia?"

"They've gone to the hall as well," Raven said, "Anya's advice."

Clarke gave one last look to Madi whose face was now resolute in the face of whatever they were about to face. Clarke turned back to Raven biting down on the anxiety from this development.

"Let's go."


Clarke knew that this meeting would be unlike any of the other ones, the second they step through the door. The room was packed. If Clarke had to guess, every clan's delegation were in the room. What had been a very spacious room was beginning to feel crowded.

Clarke walked at the head of the group as they made their way to the centre of the room. The layout of the generals had been changed. Instead of being either side of Lexa's throne, they were now six each on the path leading to the throne.

That had to be deliberate.

The very first person Clarke saw was someone she had only caught glimpses of until now. The Ice Queen Nia caught Clarke's eye and she met the older woman's gaze without flinching.

This seemed to amuse Nia as she smiled with no real warmth behind it.. The parody of a smile distorted the scars across Nia's face, but it did nothing to affect Clarke. However, when Nia's gaze flitted purposely towards Madi and then back up to Clarke, she was unable to stop her fist from clenching.

Nia's smile grew into a full-blown grin at the sight before Clarke forced herself to turn away. She caught the eye of Luna next and that was a sight for sore eyes. Luna was stiff and upright in her chair, but Clarke was still able to see the ghost of a smile on Luna's face.

That smile died as she looked over Clarke's shoulder towards Bellamy and Madi, but Luna seemed to regain control of herself a second later. It was no moment too soon as a young woman with silver and black hair in elaborate braids walked into the room.

"My name is Gaia," the woman, Gaia, sounded and looked very angry at what was happening as she spoke, "I am the new Flamekeeper. Rise for your Heda."

The last bit was directed to the generals in particular who were the only ones lucky enough to be seated. Ontari was the only one on her feet already as Nia occupied her seat, but that changed as starting with Luna, the generals rose one-by-one.

Lexa walked into the room from a side door and she didn't even glance at Clarke as she came to a stop at her throne. It was then and only then that Nia rose out of her seat in an exaggerated and slow manner.

Lexa's eyes seemed to darken and Clarke bit her lip as she saw that Lexa had applied her warpaint. Lexa looked over the crowd until finally her gaze landed on Clarke. Her gaze seemed to exude many an emotion before she finally addressed the crowd.

"Who is responsible for this?"

Clarke could sense the unease in the room ramp up and she stepped just a bit closer to her friends. She was ready to open a portal to Arkadia on a moment's notice so they would be safe. This many people crammed together would be a disaster if it came to blows.

"The generals had received word of a plan involving Skaikru and they would not stand for it," Nia said stepping out of line with the generals, "Naturally, I called the meeting to dissuade you from your foolish plan."

Clarke was able to hear Octavia whisper three words to herself that encapsulated what Clarke was feeling. What plan were they talking about? Clarke eyed the people around them just in case any were about to make a move.

She'd make them regret it.

Everyone in the room was still standing, but no one would dare take a seat while it was this tense. Lexa adjusted her stance as she cocked her head slightly.

"You defy your Heda?" Lexa's gaze was predatory as she looked at the generals, "Does Nia speak for you all?"

Remus from Boudalan was the one to speak. His dark hair and stern face gave him a look of perennial seriousness. Clarke didn't know much about him, but he had definitely been one of the more neutral generals during their fight.

She had only managed to trap him in a pyramid of stone which led to Remus being disqualified. He would definitely be an issue if they had to face each other again.

"We simply wish to know if what you are considering is true or not, Heda," Remus said his tone a tad less biting than Nia's and Lexa's had been.

Lexa seemed to weigh up his words before her gaze settled on Clarke once again. It was even more deliberate than the last time. Lexa's gaze was pinned on her as she opened her mouth to speak, but right there and then Lexa was interrupted.

"She wants to add Skaikru to the Coalition," Nia said seemingly relishing in cutting the Commander off.

There was a series of murmurs and curses and other such noises. Clarke was surprised not only by Nia's boldness, but also by the offer. Some of the Grounders were also wary of the offer as they stared at the group of five outsiders.

"You better have a way out of this," Octavia whispered in Clarke's ear, "If not then I'm definitely taking that ice bitch with me."

"Just stay close," Clarke said just loud enough for only them to hear, "Don't do anything stupid."

Lexa raised her hand, but the room remained as disruptive as before. Oddly, it was that more than anything that made Clarke realise that Lexa had lost a lot of respect from her people. Clarke exchange da nervous glance from Luna who looked ready to lash out at a moment's notice.

Luna gave her a minute shake of the head and Clarke knew what it meant immediately.

Do not interfere.

"Silence!" Lexa punctuated her shout with a stomp on the ground, "I believe Skaikru is innocent of all crimes and I believe someone within the Coalition is trying to discredit them. The cowards behind these attacks would be foolish to carry on with them should Skaikru be a part of the Coalition."

"Is that the real reason you wish to induct Skaikru?" Nia said walking forward from her seat before glancing deliberately towards Clarke her tone devious, "Or is it something more?"

"Klark kom Skaikru," Nia seemed to appraise Clarke as she gestured towards her, "Skaifaya, Wanheda, killer of the Maunon and leader of the sky people."

"Leksa is afraid of Wanheda," Nia didn't seem to flinch as a few tower guards took a few steps forward, "Klark beat all generals, one after the other. Of course, it was not a death battle, but it is still very impressive."

"She is so impressive, the mighty Leksa gave land from her native Trikru to Skaikru," Clarke spared a glance towards Lexa whose jaw was tensed as she glared at Nia, "Not one clan was offered that. You gave us two options. Join or die. Yet, we outnumber Skaikru by thousands and you chose to give them trading rights and miles of fertile land."

"Erid," Nia said to the Sankru general, "What was your leader told by Leksa when he requested a part of more fertile land?"

"Lek– Heda refused," Erid said glancing at Lexa before looking at the crowd, "We asked for a sliver of what Skaikru has and we were denied. Skaikru does not deserve what they have been given and they certainly do not deserve to be in the Coalition!"

The noise following Erid's speech was deafening. Some insults and taunts were hurled their way, but Clarke chose to ignore that in favour of scanning the crowd for any threats. People were getting way too riled up.

"Sankru is given higher priority than any other clan when it comes to natural resources!" Lexa had seemingly had enough, "Your people were dying after Azgeda and Ingronarona poisoned your oases. Did you forget it was the resources of Floukru and Trikru that saved your people, Erid?"

Erid seemed to have lost all her bluster, "No, Heda–"

"Did you forget that it was me who saved the lives of your army when Azgeda attacked?"

"I–"

"You do not know what you speak of," Lexa cut Erid off again cutting her down to size, "Trade with Skaikru has benefited most, if not all, the clans greatly. Every choice I make as Commander is for the betterment of our people. Inducting Skaikru is exactly the same."

Lexa was breathing a little heavier after she was done talking. Her chastisement seemed to have sucked the fight right out of the room. Clarke was sure her wonder was obvious as Lexa seemed to take her in, her eyes almost fully black now.

Everyone seemed to have been swayed by Lexa's passion and brutal honesty.

"Lies."

Almost everyone.

"You are not doing this for us," Nia said scowling as if she'd stepped in something, "That is the biggest lie you have said all day. You are doing this for her."

Of course, Nia, as evidenced by her pointing finger, was referring to Clarke.

"What now," Bellamy muttered under his breath and Clarke could taste his annoyance for Nia's grandiose demeanour.

"I believe Wanheda has some sway over our mighty Heda," Nia spoke slowly but that only seemed to add to her words, "Why else would she go so far for a people numbering less than a thousand?"

"Is it fear?" Nia said as she stalked towards Lexa who was still standing in front of her throne, "Do you think you could not beat her if worst came to worst?"

"Is it guilt?" Nia said staring directly into Lexa's eyes, "You left her alone with our greatest enemies and she beat them instead of working with them. Does that make you feel like the pathetic leader you truly are?"

Clarke caught sight of Lexa's fists tightening at her side. She looked towards Luna who met her gaze and once again shook her head. Nia's next words were soft. So soft Clarke instinctively enhanced her hearing to hear what was now a private conversation between Nia and Lexa.

"I know what it is," Nia whispered confusing the occupants of the room, "You didn't kill me after I sent you that fake head of Costia. You punished Anya for failing to keep her safe. Yet, when the Sky Princess brings back your former lover, you try to kill her."

"Ontari told me everything," Nia's words were dark and evil like some sort of poison, "Klark dove between Costia and your sword and you froze. You did not freeze when you killed my youngest daughter in front of her children. You did not freeze when you killed any of your fellow novitiates. And you did not freeze when you cut down all the civilians between you and your army's target."

"The reason you are doing all of this for Skaikru is the same reason Costia sleeps on a different floor to you," Nia smiled right in front of Lexa's face, "You want her. No...that is too simple. You are weak. You could never handle your station. You need her. How pathetic. I'll make her death as slow as you made Vega's."

Lexa had heard enough. Clarke was the first to see a dagger drop out of Lexa's sleeve and at the same time Nia seemed to be reaching for a weapon within her robes as well.

A fight could not and would not break out in here. Not if Clarke had her way.

Nia and Lexa had drawn their respective daggers and were clearly about to attack each other. Clarke sprinted to the two leaders and she was able to step in between them and catch Nia by the wrist of her dagger arm.

The dagger cut into Clarke's skin, but the cut was healed immediately even as black blood spread over the blade. Clarke pushed the ice queen back with her free hand as she let go of her grasp on the arm holding the dagger. Nia stumbled back amidst the clamour that Nia's attack had caused.

"You are not fit to be Commander!" Nia said her voice losing any and all poise as her face flushed from a mix of anger and humiliation, "Even now you need Wanheda to protect you!"

"Issue the challenge," Lexa said as she glared at Nia who smirked upon hearing Lexa's words.

"It is not only me who is dissatisfied with your rule," Nia said as she gestured towards the generals, "We believe your reign has come to an end."

"Who stands with Nia?" Lexa said and it was one, two until finally six generals stood behind her.

Ontari was not a surprise and if Clarke were being honest neither were the majority of the others. Quint and Livia were both firm in their dissent for all things Skaikru especially when it came to Clarke. Erid, too, had been open about her distaste for the favouritism Skaikru had apparently been shown.

The only true surprises were Remus who Clarke would have expected to side with Lexa and Sagan who definitely did not fit the profile of Nia's crew. The other generals had not moved at all which was reassuring for the most part.

"You believe I am not fit to lead," Lexa questioned her generals drawing curt nods, "So which one of you will fight me?"

"None of them will," Nia said quickly as if she had been expecting this, "You could kill the generals and cripple the clans that were brave enough to stand against you. No, we have other warriors who are not as high-ranking but just as strong as the generals. Do you accept, Lexa?"

"Heda, it would be my honout–"

"Enough, Akeri," Lexa said as she dismissed the Lake Clan general, "I will do this on my own. No one fights for me. I will fight all your warriors and cleanse the Coalition of their filth."

"Strong words," Nia said unperturbed by Lexa's insult, "I hope you remain so confident when you face them all at once."

Clarke gasped once she heard that. Lexa had to fight them all at once? This was a deathmatch and Lexa was outnumbered by six to one. Clarke knew it was no small order to win this one and Lexa could come out of it seriously hurt.

"You are all dismissed," Lexa said drawing Clarke out of her thoughts, "The challenge will be at the pit by noon. That gives you over two hours to send your men to their death."

Clarke stared at Lexa who seemed unafraid of what laid ahead. She stood tall as slowly the room began to empty out. Soon, only Luna, Gaia and Skaikru were left in the room.

"You must be out of your mind," Luna said as she stormed towards Lexa, "This will only push the clans further apart no matter the result. Conflict is not the answer, Lexa."

"I am not like you, Luna," Lexa said her voice a mix of anger and sadness as she met Luna's furious gaze, "I will always fight. That is why I am Heda. If I die, my spirit will choose the next Commander correctly."

"I do not care about who the next Commander is," Luna practically spat in Lexa's face, "I care about you. Seven Commanders have fallen to the challenge including him. Are you really so careless about your own life?"

It was quite a novel experience for Clarke to see how Luna and Lexa interacted. They obviously valued each other a lot, but they were like night and day when it came to certain topics. Luna, as strong as she was, hated conflict which was obviously in opposition to Lexa's beliefs.

Luna had obviously been burnt by the beliefs that the Grounders held while Lexa was still a stickler for most of them. It bothered Clarke that Lexa was so flippant about her upcoming trial. Nia would pick the group of people with the best chance of beating Lexa.

That didn't sit well with Clarke at all.

"Clarke," Bellamy said walking up to the three women, "We should probably go."

Clarke was about to respond, but she was forced to act as Luna reached for Bellamy. Clarke stepped in between the two of them turning her back to Bellamy.

"You left Madi alone!" Luna was practically shaking with anger as she glared at Bellamy, "She could have been taken or hurt or killed! If something had happened to her–"

Clarke put her hands on Luna's shoulders which at least drew her attention away from Bellamy. Out of the corner of her eye, Clarke could feel Lexa staring at her whilst Gaia took the chance to speak to Lexa.

"Bellamy, you guys should go back to my room. Now. Don't speak or stop for anything or anyone."

"Yes, ma'am," Bellamy said as he went back to tell the others. Soon, they were gone as the large doors closed with a loud boom. It was now only the two of them as well as Lexa and Gaia in the room.

"Luna, please don't blame him," Clarke said turning back to the matter at hand, "He knows he made a mistake with Madi, but this isn't what we need right now. There's bigger issues ahead. We have to remain calm and work together."

"How can you say that?" Luna said while Bellamy chose to remain silent, "First you were in danger, then Madi and now Lexa. Everyone I hold dear is in danger and you want me to stay calm?"

"That's exactly what I want," Clarke said with no hesitation, "You're important not just to Floukru, but to Madi, to Lexa and to me. I don't want you to get angry and do something that could backfire on you."

Clarke was able to catch Lexa's eye as Gaia walked away, their conversation seemingly over. Lexa's eyes flitted back and forth between Clarke and Luna before her expression seemed to tighten up.

"You're right," Luna said and it was one of the few times Clarke could tell Luna was just exhausted, "I do not like where things are going. My people have been here before. It always ends the same way."

There was a flash of movement to Clarke's right and she frowned as she saw Lexa walk away briskly clearly not in the mood to speak to anyone. Clarke would have to find her before the challenge began

"How?" Clarke was a bit distracted, but Luna seemed to miss it as she gave the answer Clarke knew was coming.

"War."


Author notes:

First things first, sorry for the massive delay. Life has been a little rough for the past few weeks and I mean rough. I won't bore y'all with the details, but money was pretty tight lol.

I was also lazy though so that's my fault, this sat on about 4K words for a few weeks and then I stopped again at 6K words.

I managed to include a POV from Raven who is one of faves and she'll have a bigger role than anywhere previously in the story which is nice for those of you that like her.

I also gave a small snippet of Madi and Clarke having a small heart-to-heart with each other. Kids are hard to write, but I feel like Grounder kids, in general, are pretty mature. Perks of a post-apocalyptic world that is ridden with strife and war.

The next arc is really heating up and the next chapter is a BIG one. There's one arc after all this and that one will be juicy as all hell so stick around.

Please tell me what you thought and I made a subreddit in case you have any general questions for me or anything really that you don't want to include in your comments.

It's r/whiteleopard1124 and my username is leopardchief.

Anyways, I hope you guys and your families stay safe. This virus is a worsening problem so try to be part of the solution and not the problem.

Stay safe, happy belated birthday to America for all my American readers. Let's hope you guys make it to the next one.