Creeping through the trees under the cover of night, the Trishanakru ambassador headed straight for a nearby cave which was used for communications that his clan wanted to go unnoticed by Lexa and her warriors and guards.

Without warning someone caught him by the arm and yanked him around to face them, "What the hell do you think you're doing Jon?" His older brother growled.

"I have news that couldn't wait." He hissed back. "Heda shared plans to travel with the council this morning. We won't get a chance like this again to get rid of her."

"Lexa knows that someone is attacking natblidas, there's no way she's just taking a trip whilst her precious children are under threat."

Jon shook his head with a grin, "Of course not, but she believes that she already knows who is responsible for the wound Ontari kom Azgeda suffered and she is going to kill them."

"Who does she think is responsible?" His brother asked with interest.

Reaching into his inner coat pocket, Jon pulled out a small folded scrap of paper with a pencil drawing of a fierce looking woman with an ugly scar cutting through her eyebrow. "This is who she's hunting. A disgraced member of the Trikru who had been vocal about dissolving the laws that state only a nightblood can become the Commander. Heda is riding out at first light."

Nodding in satisfaction, his brother stepped away from him, drawing his hood up over his head, "Leave it with me brother. And Jon, stop calling that bitch Heda, she is not our Commander."

Lexa pushed her horse hard as she rode through the trees towards the border into Azgeda land.

She had insisted on leaving alone even though her ambassadors had protested, all except for the ambassador for the Glowing Forest Clan, which had only strengthened her resolve as she became even more sure that Ontari had been exactly right in her theory.

Octavia and Lincoln had tried to insist on following her in case anything went wrong but she had refused them, adamant that everything had to be perfect to catch the people threatening her family red handed. And she was unwilling to risk their plan falling apart because the assassin saw warriors hiding in the trees.

Slight trepidation gnawed at her as she headed ever more swiftly towards what she knew would be an ambush, but Lexa pushed it aside, firm in her conviction that she had made the best possible decision to protect her people.

Which was why when the arrow flew straight at her she was ready, throwing herself sideways from her horse and quickly bouncing back up to her feet.

Ducking down low, she darted for the cover of a large boulder at the side of the road, situating herself so that no more arrows could be sent her way. The would be assassin would be forced to move on her position which would enable her to take him down and draw out a confession as to his leader's plans.

Lexa knew that she had gravely miscalculated the simplicity of her plan when she heard a voice calling out to her, Jay, the Clan Leader of the Glowing Forest People and also the brother of their ambassador on her council.

"Lexa come out, you can't escape from me."

"Who said anything about escape?" She growled, charging at him with her knife in hand, only to be stopped when someone tackled her from the side, around her waist and to the ground.

Jay smiled at her as his warrior, who currently had their knee pressed painfully into her sternum, raised their sword ready to bring it down at her heart.

"I'm not a fool, I would never move against you alone, even in a surprise attacj."

Even with the warrior above her making it difficult to breathe, Lexa have a brilliant smile, "You are a fool. I knew it was you, I just needed to confirm my suspicions before I struck at you myself."

Jay just scoffed at her, "And how do you propose doing that once you are dead?"

"My fight's not over yet." Lexa bit out before there was a deafening bang and the warrior pinning her slumped to the ground beside her, blood pouring from gunshot wound.

Standing up, Lexa pointed the gun at Jay, her gaze calm and steady, her gun hand not wavering a millimeter as she stared the Clan Leader down.

"Our people are not allowed-" Jay started, unable to move past the shock of seeing the Commander using a Skaikru weapon.

"Now the mountain men are dead and gone there is nothing to stop my using this weapon. My wife has vowed never to fire a gun ever again, but that doesn't stop her from being a wonderful teacher." Lexa said conversationally as Jay just held up his hands helplessly.

"What do you want from me?"

Lexa tilted her head slightly as she considered him, "Just your death."

All he felt and saw was a sudden pain in the side of his head and then the grass as he fell face first into it.

That night Lexa lay beside Clarke peacefully as they prepared to go to sleep, trailing her fingers up and down Clarke's arm as the sky girl attempted to sketch a few more lines on a drawing of Lexa.

"Clarke just lie down, please?" Lexa said sweetly, practically pouting at her until Clarke gave up, rolling her eyes as she set aside her pad and shuffled down to lie next to Lexa properly.

Sighing as she settled her self face to face with her wife, Clarke's forehead creased slightly ass she thought, "So what are you doing with the rest of the clan then?"

Lexa hummed thoughtfully as she lazily draped her arm over Clarke's waist, "I don't know yet. Once their leaders have been killed tomorrow then I will have to make a decision but I'm thinking of allowing them to remain as a singular clan as long as they agree to a strict set of terms of what they can and can't do."

"Well," Clarke said softly, "Make that choice tomorrow, tonight just get some sleep."

"Sha Clarke." Lexa murmured before trying and failing to hold back a yawn, "I love you."

"And I you." Clarke answered, placing a kiss on the top of her head before Lexa's eyes dropped closed properly.