It had been two months since Clarke had passed her trials. She had gone on a few more assignments, all done without any issue. She had just returned from her latest mission and was alone in her room. She had just taken a bath to clean herself off and changed into more comfortable clothing for sleep. She was about to lay down and get some rest, but she stopped when she heard knocking on her door, "Come in," she called.
The door opened and Dak walked in. It wasn't strange for Dak to come over this late at night. The two of them had grown close, and they had shared each others bed on more than one occasion. She did care for him, but it wasn't going anywhere. She was still haunted by green eyes and the woman they belonged to. Clarke hated that Lexa had this effect on her. After talking with Dak, she had slowly started to forgive Lexa for what she had done, but she wasn't fully over it, yet almost every night, Clarke would see those green eyes in her sleep. When she wasn't dreaming about death, she would dream about the kiss they had shared all those months ago and she remembered the feelings that existed within her whenever she was around the brunette. Lexa made Clarke feel strong. She made her feel safe and protected. It was strange because those were the last things she should be feeling, especially when it came to the brunette, but she couldn't help it. Lexa had always told Clarke that she was strong, that she was capable. She always helped Clarke move forward instead of holding her back like everyone else did. She needed that in her life and she appreciated Lexa for it. That didn't stop Clarke from blocking out as much of her feelings towards Lexa as she could. She knew they couldn't be together anyway, not after everything she's done, and she's not even sure if she would want to be with Lexa. Clarke was still angry. She was trying to forgive, and she mostly had, but there was still that feeling of betrayal. That little bit of pain and anger that existed deep within her gut that kept her from forgiving the girl completely. She had built her own set of walls around her heart. She had to after everything she'd been through, and those walls were just strong enough to hold the feelings Lexa invoked within her at bay.
Dak knew what was going on between the two of them. They both deeply cared about one another but not in the way that you would care about someone you loved. Often times he would go to Clarke's room or vice versa and the two would just talk. They usually talked about those they had killed. The both of them had learned to accept death, they had even learned how to block out the feelings they had when it came to killing, but sometimes they just needed to talk about it. Other times, they would just seek each other out to find release and forget about everything, just for a little while.
This time however, when Dak entered Clarke's room, it was different. He wasn't there to grieve or to unwind. Clarke sat up straighter on her bed when she saw the look on his face, "Dak, what is it?"
Dak moved over to Clarke and sat on the bed beside her, "I was given my next target." Clarke waited for Dak to continue, but he hesitated. Clarke could feel her heart rate start to pick up. The two of them had grown used to killing and they had learned how to block off most of their emotions, so the hesitation Dak was showing was a little concerning. She raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue, and he did. "It's someone from Skaikru."
"What?" Clarke asked and she stood up from the bed. "Who? Why?"
"His name is Mark Henry. He is a trader who often travels between Arkadia and Polis. He got in an altercation a few weeks ago with an Azgeda soldier and the Commander dismissed the issue with no form of punishment for either side. Queen Nia wants her own punishment and she wants to send a message. She wants people to know that no one can mess with Azgeda and get away with it," Dak said.
Clarke was pacing beside her bed in front of Dak. She didn't recognize the name of the unlucky Skaikru man. For a moment she felt relief that it wasn't someone she cared about, but then that relief was replaced by guilt. Even though she didn't know him, he was still Skaikru, and he was going to die by Dak's hand. She couldn't ask Dak to spare the man. Even if Dak would have agreed to, Nia would just send someone else to do it, so no matter what Mark was going to die. Clarke took a deep breath, "Why are you telling me this?" Yes, the two of them had grown close, but there was no reason for Dak to come here just to tell her he was going to kill someone from Skaikru. There was more to this.
"I'm going to Arkadia. I want to leave a message behind and tell your people that you are alive," Dak revealed.
Clarke froze in her pacing and stared at Dak wide-eyed, "Dak you can't do that. If Queen Nia finds out she'll kill you, and what she has over me, over my people, she'll kill them all."
"They deserve to know you are alive, and you don't deserve to be here. I will do what needs to be done and leave behind a simple message. When Skaikru knows you are alive, they will find a way to get you back and you won't be here anymore," Dak explained.
"I don't matter," Clarke said. "Dak, she has the launch codes to a missile that will kill all of my people. Leaving behind a message is too much of a risk. I will continue to serve Queen Nia, and that's it."
"She doesn't have the codes. The last man of the mountain does," Dak revealed. Clarke's eyes widened slightly at the news, "Come on Clarke, think. If the Mountain Man gave the code to Queen Nia she would have no use for him. He would be dead. He offered Queen Nia his knowledge as long as she provides him with her protected and is allowed to watch you suffer. I think you have suffered enough."
Clarke ran a hand through her hair. "So what, you want me to kill Emerson?" Clarke asked. Dak simply nodded. "Dak, you've trained me really well. I'm highly skilled, but the only person guarded more heavily than Emerson is Queen Nia herself. There is no way I could get around all his guards to make that kill."
Dak stood up from where he was sitting on the bed and held Clarke's gaze, "You are one of Azgeda's greatest assassins. You can do it, and if you can't, then the two of us together can. This may be the only opportunity for anyone to inform your people about you. Let me leave a message for Skaikru. While I am gone, you watch the last Mountain Man. If you get an opportunity to kill him, then take it. If you don't, then when I return, we can discuss everything you have learned about his guard detail and we can find a way to kill him together. Once he is dead Queen Nia will have nothing on you. Your people will come for you and you will be returned to them," Dak tried to convince her.
"She has everything on me Dak," Clarke said back. "I'm not the person I once was. I can't just return to Arkadia and pretend like nothing happened. Pretend that the people here aren't suffering. And what about you? Am I am supposed to just leave you here, leave Roan here and just go?"
"Nia's army is loyal to her Clarke. The villagers may suffer. Prince Roan and myself may suffer, but there is nothing that can be done here. We are Azgeda and we are ruled by our Queen, but Clarke kom Skaikru does not belong here," Dak said as he held his gaze firm on Clarke's. He needed her her to listen to him.
"Clarke kom Skaikru is dead!" Clarke yelled. "She doesn't exist anymore," Clarke admitted quietly as her gaze fell to the ground.
An uncomfortable silence filled the room, the only sounds the heavy breathing of both Clarke and Dak. Dak reached out and raised Clarke's chin so their eyes met again. "Clarke kom Skaikru is not dead. She has changed, yes, but she is not dead," Dak's words were sincere and Clarke felt a spark ignite within her. Maybe he was right, but that didn't change the fact that she was different. She couldn't just return to her people and pretend like nothing had happened, Queen Nia would still want to control her, putting her people in danger, and she couldn't leave Azgeda behind to suffer. "Clarke, Nia having control of you is dangerous. She clearly has plans for you. I'm not certain what they are yet, but I have heard some talk. Queen Nia wants to control the coalition and she wants to use you to do it. I don't know how, but I'm guessing she has some sort of plan. You know she would not be a fair ruler if she were to gain control of the coalition. A lot of innocent people would die. You need to get out of here before she can use you to do that," Dak tried desperately to convince. Clarke needed to listen to him for the good of herself and the good of everyone.
Clarke mulled over what he was saying. Dak was close to Nia and he was good at eavesdropping on conversations he wasn't supposed to be a part of. If he believed Nia was planning something, then Clarke believed him. This was still a risky move though. If Nia found out they could die, Skaikru could die, or there could just be and extremely painful punishment, none of which were good options. However, if Nia had a way to take control of the coalition then that wasn't a good option either. If Clarke was the key to Nia's plan, then she couldn't be here. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she came to a decision. "Fine. Leave the message. I will watch Emerson while you're gone."
The corner of Dak's lips turned into a relieved smile, "Good. I will leave in a few hours. It won't take long for me to return."
"Dak, this is dangerous. A lot could go wrong," Clarke said, worry clear in her tone.
"I know, but I want you to get home. I want you to be free, and I want the coalition to stay strong," Dak admitted.
Clarke stepped forward and pulled Dak into an embrace. "Be careful Dak," Clarke whispered. Dak nodded and slowly backed out of the room. Clarke watched as he left before releasing a heavy sigh. This was not going to be easy to pull off, but they were going to try.
/
Queen Nia sat in her throne. She had delivered her most recent assignment to her best assassin, Dream Eater. He had yet to disappoint, but Nia was wary. She had assigned him to train Wanheda, and he had done a good job, but she had noticed how close the two were becoming.
This was the first time Nia would be sending an assassin to Skaikru. She wanted the job done properly, so she knew that he was her best choice, but his relationship with Clarke may be an issue. That is why she had her second best assassin kneeling before her.
The girl's dark brown hair went down a little past her shoulders. She had a scar in the center of her forehead and some across her cheeks. She was a ruthless assassin, but she could be reckless. The name given to her was No Mercy, which was pretty self explanatory. Unlike Dream Eater and The Shadow, her victims suffered before she finally gave them their death.
The assassin had her head bowed to her Queen as Nia spoke, "I have given an assignment to Dream Eater. I want you to follow him. Make sure he does his duty to me without stepping out of line," Nia said. She continued to explain exactly what she wanted to happen if Dream Eater tried to betray her. When Nia was finished, the assassin bowed her head and left to do as she was told.
/
Clarke left the sectioned off part of Saipan where she lived and walked into the biting weather of Azgeda. She wasn't yet used to the extreme cold, but her body was starting to adjust. She left her home and entered the main part of the city. When assassins were in public, they were to disguise themselves, so Clarke was wearing the usual blue and grey clothing of Azgeda. Clarke herself had special instructions. Some members of Nia's army were allowed to know that Wanheda was among them, but most were not. Whenever Clarke left her room she had to cover her hair in some way to hide her blonde locks, and if she was ever asked, she could not say that her name was Clarke. Clarke usually twisted her hair in braids and she would twist some black fabric into her hair as well to hide some of the color. She also had a hood on that she used to cover her hair and most of her face.
Dak had left for Arkadia a few days ago. It shouldn't be long now before he returned to Azgeda. Clarke was nervous about him leaving behind the message for her people, but there was nothing she could do about it now, so she tried to block out the nerves and complete her own task. She had been watching Emerson for a while now. All she needed was one moment when he was alone so she could end him and end the threat to her people, but that moment never came. Emerson was always by Nia's side and when he wasn't he had an extremely unnecessary amount of guards with him. Although if Clarke really thought about it, it wasn't an unnecessary amount. She was trained as an assassin and he was her only threat. If she could kill him, Nia couldn't hold the use of the missile over her and she could escape Azgeda, so the guards he had to protect him were necessary. Clarke was just frustrated. In the short amount of time she had been here she had grown to be one of Azgeda's greatest assassins. She had yet to fail on a mission, always finding a way to get to her target. That's why this was so frustrating. No matter how long she spied on Emerson, she couldn't find a way to get close to him and make the kill.
Clarke walked through the bustling city life of Saipan. The villagers who lived here were the safest in all of Azgeda. By no means did that mean they were safe, but they were much better off from the poor villages of Azgeda, and the people here tried to make the best of their lives. Of course the people in Nia's army enjoyed themselves and the power they had over the villagers. Clarke hated how Nia ruled. Apart from the obvious reasons, Nia was not kind to her people and she gave the warriors in her army far too much power. The people suffered greatly for it, but again, there was nothing Clarke could do about it. Clarke made her way through the market, leaving the most populated area of the city, to find Emerson. Clarke had learned Emersons schedule after watching him the past few days, and she knew where he would be at this time, so she found a safe spot for her to settle down and watch for her opportunity.
She spent hours watching, but her time never came. The guards protecting Emerson were too many and too well trained and they never left an opening for Clarke to take advantage of. Eventually she gave up watching and made her way back through the market. She knew Emerson's timeline, she knew where he slept, and she knew when there were guard changes. She would just have to wait for Dak to return. Then, she could fill him in on everything and hopefully the two of them would be able to kill Emerson before it was too late.
Clarke made her way back towards her building to get to her room, but before she could enter her building she was stopped. Clarke narrowed her eyes at the person who was blocking her way. "Ontari," Clarke greeted hositly. The two of them hadn't gotten off on the best foot. Ontari was ruthless, she enjoyed killing, and Clarke did not like her for that. Anyone who enjoyed taking the life of another was not someone that she wanted to be around.
A devilish smirk grew across Ontari's face and suddenly Clarke didn't feel too good. "You should be more careful," she said, the smirk never leaving her face.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Clarke said back, her heart now pumping wildly in her chest.
"Oh? So Dak didn't go to Arkadia with a plan to inform Skaikru of your whereabouts?"
Clarke felt sick. Ontari knew. This was bad. It only got worse when Ontari reached for the bag at her feet. Clarke hadn't seen it at first, but now her eyes were glued to it. Ontari threw the sack at Clarke's feet. "Oops. I guess I made a mistake then."
Clarke had a feeling she knew what was in the bag, but she needed to see. Slowly, she bent down and picked up the bag. She reached inside and her heart dropped. When she removed the item from the bag, she was met with Dak's lifeless eyes staring straight at her. Clarke barely managed to keep herself from vomiting. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, she wanted to kill Ontari, and she was about to, but something even worse happened to prevent her from her kill.
Queen Nia appeared from the cover of the shadows to her right and made her way over to Clarke. There were two guards behind her and they were each dragging a body behind them. Nia motioned to the first guard and he threw the body of a man at Clarke's feet. She looked at the body and she didn't recognize him, but she did recognize the Skaikru symbol on his clothing. "Do you know who this is Clarke?" Nia drawled.
Clarke kept her eyes on the man and shook her head. "No my Queen," Clarke said.
"His name is Mark Henry. Dream Eater was sent to kill him, but it seems he had another reason for being in Arkadia," Nia said. She held up a piece of paper. "He wrote a letter, informing Skaikru of your presence here in Azgeda." Clarke said nothing. She was trying to hard to keep from vomiting or passing out or both at this point. "He was also seen going into your room right before he left for Arkadia. Tell me, did you know about this?"
"My Queen, I can explain," Clarke tried, but she knew it was no use. She was caught.
"No need," Nia cut her off. "I am disappointed Clarke. I thought we had an understanding." Clarke didn't say anything. What was there to say? Dak was dead, Mark was dead, and soon she guessed she would be dead. "Punishment for disobeying me in such a manner is usually death, however I still have a use for you, so I will not kill you."
"Thank you for your mercy, my Queen," Clarke said. She knew she needed to grovel, she needed to do whatever it took to stay alive and keep her people alive, so she would say whatever Nia wanted to hear.
"You're not getting off that easy Clarke," Nia said and she motioned for her other guard to step forward. He too brought the body he was carrying towards Clarke and dropped it at her feet.
This time Clarke couldn't stop the tears from spilling out of her eyes. "Monroe," she whispered, recognizing the body immediately. Clarke fell down to her knees right in between the two Skaikru bodies. She couldn't take much more of this.
"That is your punishment for disobeying me. Her death is on your hands, and a death by No Mercy certainly could not have been pleasant," Nia said as her eyes met Ontari's for a moment before returning to Clarke. "So Clarke, tell me, are you ever going to disobey me again?"
Clarke shook her head and spoke as firmly as she could, "No my Queen. I am sorry for being so foolish. You have my service, you have my loyalty, you have my blade. I will do whatever you ask of me." Clarke gave herself over fully. Nia now had full control, Clarke had no fight left. Whatever was asked of her would be done and that was that.
Nia smiled and nodded her head, "Good, I will leave you then. Report to me tomorrow morning for your next assignment."
"Sha my Queen," Clarke whispered, before Nia, her guards and Ontari left her. Clarke stayed on her knees, her head bowed to the ground before she let out a gut-wrenching wail. She took a few deep breaths and then gathered herself. She spent the rest of the night building a pyre and she put the two bodies and head onto it. She lit the pyre and watched as the three bodies were burned before she returned to her room. Her sleep that night contained one of the worst nightmares she had ever had. Dak was the forefront of it and she couldn't get the image of his eyes out of her head. They were so cold, so empty, and it haunted her.
After she woke from her nightmare she went down to the training pits alone. She spent the rest of the night training, and she could feel something in her snap. Those walls around her heart locked and they weren't going to come down as long as she could help it. Clarke could feel her heart hardening. She wasn't going to feel this weak ever again.
When morning hit, Clarke met Nia in her throne room. She was given her assignment and followed it without question, without thought, and without emotion. Clarke kom Skaikru was now dead, and The Shadow was all that was left.