"What if your generals have betrayed you?"
Matthew turned to glare at the man that had spoken, "They won't, the order was to attack at dawn, the sky is only beginning to lighten and our entire army has to mobilize and move on the city."
The other two who were with him nodded along in agreement. A brother and sister pairing who had sworn to lay down their lives for him if it was necessary and they followed him unquestionably.
That moment, they heard a horn sound in the distance and Matthew gave a smug smile to the warrior that had spoken, "See? Now, Lexa is likely to head straight for the battle so we have to move quickly to cut her off. So, let's go."
Ducking out of the door, he quickly started jogging along the streets, with the city suddenly thrown into confusion about the impending attack they went unnoticed, blending in with the crowd of non-warriors also heading towards the inner city for refuge.
As they started through the market, they saw the tower open and the guards rush out, running towards the gates to aid with the fighting. A grin spread across his face when he realized that the Commander wasn't with them, which meant she must still be in the tower because they had been scouting around and overheard that she had been caught up in meetings all night and had fallen asleep, exhausted at the first chance she had gotten.
Once the guards were fully cleared, Matthew motioned for his three warriors to follow him as he darted across the courtyard and through the door, quickly closing it behind them.
"Wow, you have to give it to her, she's got taste." The female warrior noted, looking round at the banners that Lexa had hung to decorate the ground floor of the tower, in the narrow beams of light let in by the windows.
A soft chuckle echoed around them, "Thank you, it's nice to know I am appreciated before you try and kill me."
"Lexa kom Trikru." Matthew smiled at the darkness, "I've come for your throne."
"So I've heard." Came the dry response, before they heard her click her fingers and suddenly light flared up around the room to reveal Lexa sat on her throne in front of the elevator, with Ontari and Octavia on either side of her, joined by Raven and Lincoln.
Just one glance at her and it was blindingly obvious now that she was the Commander, her braids were impeccable and the red sash she wore to show her station was draped down over the arm of her throne. And unlike when she was playing Irisa, her back was straight and her chin was lifted proudly, all the softness she had been hiding behind gone to leave a her eyes sparkling dangerously, as hard and as bright as diamonds.
Matthew was rendered speechless as he just stared at her, "You."
Holding her hands out, Lexa casually lifted her right leg and placed it over the other, leaning back comfortably in her throne. "Me."
The heard a heavy clunk and when they spun around, Clarke was pulling a key out of the lock in the door. Dressed in full armor herself, she needed no introduction as she deliberately walked through the three of them, the blue material hanging from her own shoulder fluttering around her feet as she walked.
Reaching Lexa, she dropped the key into her waiting hand, "Mochof Wanheda." Lexa murmured, just to make sure that they understood exactly what they were getting themselves into.
The four invaders shifted nervously as they stared at the intimidating united front they were being presented with, the Commander herself sitting as though they had come to petition her for a favor rather than murder her.
"So," Lexa smiled at them, "What would you like to talk about?"
"Talk?!" One of Matthews men took a step forward angrily, "No talking, we just want you dead, Matthew should be Heda, it is his right!"
Instead of rising to the bait, Lexa uncrossed her legs, leaning forward with interest, "Really? And by what logic do you make this argument?"
The man who had spoken looked perplexed but her continued on regardless, not understanding the strange turn their plan was taking, "The Trikru has rigged the Conclave so only their own become the Commander because they don't want to give power to other clans. Matthew is the oldest and strongest natblida not from your corrupt clan."
Lexa raised a delicate eyebrow at him before a smirk started to spread across her face, soon followed by a fit of laughter as she placed her hand to her side to calm down. When the last of her chuckling had subsided, she looked back at him, "I'm sorry, but your little argument is just so cute. To start, the last Commander and I may have been Trikru, but before that, the Heda was from Floukru. And as for the other part of your ridiculous argument, by your reckoning, it is Matthew's older sister who should succeed me."
Matthew's eyes narrowed, "My elder sister was murdered as a child by Queen Nia of Azgeda."
Shaking her head, Lexa twisted in her chair to look at Ontari, "My condolences Ontari, I didn't realize you had been brutally murdered as a child."
Octavia let out a bark of laughter before she could help herself and Clarke forced back a grin as well.
Matthew's eyes flicked to Ontari disbelievingly, "You're my-?"
Nodding, she pointed to her side where he had seen her night blood for himself, "Yes, and I am asking you to give this up now."
"Why should I?" Matthew shot back, "Join me, join me and we can rule together."
Even before she said anything, his stomach dropped as not a single one of the people stood around Lexa even looked passingly concerned that she might turn on them, Lexa herself just kept staring calmly ahead, her whole body completely relaxed.
"If you fight against Lexa, then you will be fighting against me, and you will be no brother of mine. You get one chance to kneel right now and beg for the true Commander's mercy." Ontari said evenly, gesturing to the floor in front of Lexa's feet.
"You came into my camp and lied to me for weeks about who you were." He said angrily, ignoring her words, "You are all going to die today, and if that is your decision then so be it. I have no sister." Matthew spat out bitterly.
Ontari's expression hardened as she drew her sword from her side, everyone else doing the same until it was only Lexa and Matthew who hadn't touched a weapon yet.
"I saw you in the camp Matthew." Lexa said softly, gracefully standing and drawing herself up to her full height which was still at least a foot and a half smaller than him. "You have honor, fight me now and no one else has to die today. We can end it here."
He appeared to be considering it, but then the woman who was with him grabbed his arm, "No way, she's trying to trick you, one of her people will kill you whilst we're watching the two of you fight, we need to do this together."
Gripping the hilt of his sword, he nodded at her once and then without warning she spun around and threw a knife straight towards Lexa's chest.
Lincoln stepped in front smartly, holding up a wooden shield that the knife hit, still sticking out as he tossed the shield to the side.
Octavia darted forwards with him and the two of them engaged the brother and sister in a deadly battle.
The third man ran straight at Ontari, honing in on the slight wince he had seen when she had drawn her sword, but he barely made it three steps before there was an arrow protruding from his chest.
As Clarke crossed over to make sure he was really dead, Lexa met Matthew in the middle of the room.
"So everything you said was a lie?" He shook his head tiredly as they stood less than six feet apart.
"Would apologizing make you feel better?" She answered, "You were planning an attack on my people, on my city, the moral high ground is not yours to take."
Staring at her, he stepped forwards as though he wasn't aware of what he was doing, and she let him because the sword was still hanging loosely at his side, his grip on the hilt light. "I thought I cared about you, and in the interest of that, an honorable fight between the two of us. Agreed?"
Lexa nodded but before they could draw their swords they heard a pained cry and Matthew turned to look instinctively as the girl he had brought with him screamed as her brothers body hit the floor, blood dripping from Octavia's blade as she drew it back.
Pain suddenly exploded in Matthew's stomach, spreading quickly through his body.
When he looked back towards Lexa, she was inches away, her hand still clasped around the knife she had just driven into his body.
"I betrayed the woman I loved to save my people, why would I do any differently for a man I care nothing for. I have never seen you fight, and I will not risk my people's future for some misguided sense of honor." She snarled, pulling back the knife.
As he fell to the ground, desperately clutching at the wound in his stomach, Lexa pointed to the girl on the floor, "Lincoln I want her locked up, but keep her alive for now. Ontari, I'm sorry to ask but-"
"You need his army to see that he's dead?" She asked, feeling quite detached as she watched the man who was her brother in name only die, "It is of little consequence to me, I didn't ever know him and he made my choice. All of the family I need is here, alive and well."
Striding to the door, Lexa quickly unlocked them before calling in a small group of guards to carry Matthew's body to the front gate to show to his people. As they left so did Octavia and Lincoln, taking the new prisoner to the cells where they could safely store her until Lexa could decide what she wanted to do with her.
Then they all followed as she led the way down to the front gates, which Lexa was pleased to see Indra had successfully held for her, not letting a single one of Matthew's men breach Polis' perimeter.
As soon as the people on the other side of the wall saw Matthew's body dragged to the top of it to be displayed to them, they fell into a shocked silence.
"Leave." Lexa shouted to them, "Leave and never return, because if you do? You will wish that I had killed you all now."
As they shifted indecisively, Lexa placed the flat of her boot against his body and pushed, causing his body to fall down into the first few ranks of his army.
That caused them to move, retreating from the Commander who was stood atop a wall staring after them as though she was planning to hunt them all down later and kill them anyway.
"Do you think it's over?" Clarke asked as she snuck forward to stand next to Lexa.
Shrugging lightly, Lexa watched the retreating forces as she spoke, "For now, but even if they do, it's not going to be anytime soon."