I really hope you guys are liking this story so far. I love hearing from you guys! This is the last chapter before everyone meets up again and I'm really excited for what's to come. Clarke and Roan are one of my brOTP's and I really want to incorporate them into my story. I hope you guys like it!

It had been nine months since the death of Dax, about two years since Clarke had left Arkadia. The person she is now has very few similarities to the person she once was. After Dax's death and the two Skaikru, The Shadow had gone on many more assignments. The Shadow was now the most notorious and feared assassins in all of the clans.

Everyone knew the name The Shadow, but that was all that was known. No one knew what clan this person belonged to. No one knew who they were, why they were an assassin, how they picked their targets. It wasn't even known if they were a man or a woman. The Shadow was essentially that, a shadow.

The victims of The Shadow were usually all killed in their sleep, but sometimes if the circumstances weren't right, they would be killed when they were awake. It didn't matter how many guards were assigned to The Shadow's victims, no one ever saw her. If they saw anything, they saw the slightest amount of movement, but were unable to make anything out of it.

The Shadow was the greatest threat in all of the land owned by the Commander. The Commander had placed a bounty on her head, one of the biggest to have ever been placed, and still no one even came close to catching a glimpse.

Clarke heard the rumors about herself often. She was good at blending in and good at eavesdropping on even the most secret of conversations. Dak would have been proud of her skills. Clarke wasn't the biggest fan of these rumors of course. People feared her, which they should, but it didn't make Clarke feel any better about herself. She was proud of the skills she had obtained. Proud of the fact that she was alive, still standing, but that was all she had to be proud of. She was literally the monster that most people told their kids about when they told scary stories at night. She had become the very thing that she had fought against when she was facing the mountain.

Nia didn't take it easy on her either. She was constantly tested, constantly sent out on assignments, and even the slightest mistake or any sign of disobedience and she was tortured. The torture didn't last as long as the first round had, but that didn't make it any less painful. At this point, Clarke had learned how to block out most of her pain, which she knew wasn't a good thing. If she didn't notice her pain she wouldn't know her limits and it could get her killed. It almost did once. She had taken up training with some of Nia's warriors. She fought almost ten all at the same time. She was supposed to stop the match if she got too badly injured, Nia wanted her skilled, but not dead. She had sustained some nasty blows during the fight, but they had barely registered with her, she was so used to pain. She had taken down all of her opponents before she passed out from blood loss. Woke up a few days later and got yelled at by both the healer and Queen Nia herself. That didn't mean she didn't feel pain. She could block it out for a while, keep it from registering in her mind, but it was there, and it sucked.

Clarke was just returning from her most recent assignment. She made her way back to her room, which she hadn't seen in quite a while. She put up her things and rested for a very short while before she walked to the training grounds. Roan was out there with his opponent, and they were the only two people out there. The compound that she stayed in along with Roan and some of the other assassins in Azgeda was cut off from the rest of Saipan. They were allowed to leave it, but always had to disguise themselves or just make sure they weren't seen by anyone. Assassins and Roan were the only ones allowed in the compound other than Nia and the few warriors that she trusted enough to allow entry to train with the assassins or her son. Roan was in the middle of a sparring match right now with one of those guards.

Clarke took a position where she could see the fight clearly without being seen herself and watched the match. It was clear that they had been going at it for a while. Both were covered in sweat, breathing heavy, and they had a few cuts and tears in their clothing. Clarke watched as the two of them went back and forth. Roan's fighting style was a treat to watch. Every motion he made was precise and all his movements were fluid. The guard he was fighting was putting up an impressive show, but after awhile he began to falter. Roan started to find his weaknesses, taking advantage of the times the guard would slip up, and before long, Roan had the guard disarmed and a sword to his throat. The guard left the pit, grumbling to himself as he left. Roan made his way over to the edge of the pit and picked up a waterskin, but he didn't leave.

Clarke made her way over to Roan, coming up from behind him. "You've gotten much better with moving silently," Roan commented not bothering to turn around and face Clarke.

"If I didn't want you to know I was coming, you wouldn't," Clarke said back.

Roan let out a chuckle, "I do not doubt that."

"You up for a real challenge?" Clarke asked as she pulled her sword from the scabbard on her back.

Roan turned to face her this time, putting his waterskin back on the ground, "The Commander of Death herself wants to fight me. I would be scared, although I don't see you winning considering you won't actually be allowed to kill me." The corner of his mouth was pulled up into a smile and Clarke could read the humor in his eyes.

She rolled her eyes. "Keep talking like that and I just might," she shot back.

Roan laughed as he reached for his own sword and stepped out into the pit to face her. He rolled his shoulders as Clarke spun her sword in her hand to loosen her wrists. Then, the two began circling each other. Both of them had mastered the skill of patience, so if one of them didn't attack soon, they would end up circling each other all night, so Clarke made the first move. Roan easily blocked it and him and Clarke switched sides of the sparring pit.

Roan just smirked at her and Clarke rolled her eyes again. They began to circle each other again, this time Clarke waited until Roan made the first move. Roan came at her with a flurry of strikes, all of them blocked by Clarke and they again switched sides of the pit.

The fight continued like this for a while, occasionally, each of them would get their own hits in, but none major enough to give the other a victory. After a while of back and forth, Roan found the opening he was waiting for and he took it. He used a move that Clarke wasn't expecting and managed to disarm her. Before Clarke could react, Roan tackled her to the ground and held his sword to her throat. "I win," he said as he was straddled over her.

Clarke smirked up at him. "Not quite," she said and she applied a little more pressure putting her assassin blade up against the inside of Roan's thigh, right where the femoral artery was.

Roan felt the pressure up against his leg and knew that he was just as dead as she was. "I guess it's a draw then," Roan said as he returned to his feet. He reached out his hand and pulled Clarke up to her feet and both of them brushed themselves off. After that, they made their way to a tree outside their building and sat down. The weather was cool, but in Azgeda it was cold more often than not, and this was not nearly as bad as it could be. "I haven't seen you in a while," Roan said. "Your target giving you trouble?"

"Hardly," Clarke replied, taking another sip from her waterskin. "My most recent assignment had four targets. I had to travel through Azgeda and two other clans to get to them."

Roan raised an eyebrow, "Four targets? Were they high profile?"

Clarke nodded, "I would say three of the four were. One was an Azgeda rebel. They were trying to start a rebellion against your mother. He was an easy kill. After him I went to Rock Line where I had to take out Maximus, one of the generals, and Daniel, advisor to King Brock himself. After Rock Line I went to Shallow Valley where I took out Seth, their top general."

"Two generals and an advisor? Those couldn't have been easy kills, and I've met Seth myself once. His skills were unmatched to anyone in Rock Line, and their people are pretty good fighters," Roan said.

"It wasn't too difficult. Seth was overconfident about his own abilities. He didn't have many guards on him. The other two were heavily guarded, but I got passed them," Clarke said with the shrug of her shoulders.

"You have grown to be quite the asset for my mother," he added.

Clarke sighed, "Unfortunately."

Roan could sense Clarke's discomfort so he changed the subject, "You fought well today."

"I am the most skilled assassin for a reason," Clarke replied.

"True, but most of the work of an assassin is done in the shadows, no pun intended," he said with his trademark smirk. Clarke rolled her eyes again, which is something she found herself doing often when she was around the prince. "I'm serious though. Not many people are able to compete with me for very long."

"You are the greatest warrior in Azgeda for a reason," Clarke complimented easily. She knew Roan loved it when people fed his ego, and a lot of times it annoyed her, but sometimes she would give in and say what he wanted to hear. Not that it wasn't true. When it came to combat, Roan was the most skilled in all of Azgeda, probably one of the most skilled in all of the coalition. Not many could keep up with him, even fewer could beat him. Clarke generally lost to him, as he was right, most assassin work is done when the target isn't expecting it. That didn't stop Clarke from working her ass off to become skilled in combat. You never know when you may need to know how to fight, especially when it came to Clarke or Wanheda or The Shadow or whoever the hell she was.

Roan nodded his head and he puffed out his chest a little, "That is true."

Clarke hit him playfully on the shoulder before asking her next question, "Your mother wants to speak with me later today. She usually doesn't call me in so recently after I've returned from an assignment. Do you have any idea what she wants?"

Roan shook his head, "I have a meeting with her in a little bit. The Summit is coming up and I'm assuming she'll want to talk to me about the role I'll be playing in it. Maybe she wants to talk to you about it too."

"Maybe," Clarke said. "But she's kept me hidden for so long. Why would she want to reveal me now?"

Roan looked at her with mirth in his eyes, "Have to come out of the shadows at some point."

Clarke had to bite back a laugh at that one and was prepared to say something snarky back, but she was cut off by one of Nia's messengers, "Prince Roan, Queen Nia will see you now."

Roan nodded and he stood up from his place under the tree. He said goodbye to Clarke and followed the messenger to speak with his mother. Clarke watched him leave and then she made her way back to the training grounds. No one was around to spar with. Not many people wanted to spar with her even they were around, so Clarke made her way to the archery range. It was a good choice of weapon by an assassin if they needed to make a kill from a distance and Clarke was quite a good shot, but it was generally not her weapon of choice.

She spent a few hours out training on her own before a messenger arrived for her. She made her way to Nia's fortress. As she was entering Nia's throne room, Roan was leaving. They made eye contact and Roan gave her a nod before they passed each other and Roan left the room.

Nia was seated in her throne as usual. Emerson was standing to her right and his guards were on either side of him. Nia had a few guards by her throne and the rest were lining the room. Clarke made her way into the room and stopped a few feet short of Nia's throne. She sunk down onto her knees and bowed her head, "My Queen," she said.

She raised her head to look up at Nia but couldn't help noticing the evil smirk on Emerson's face. Oh how she wanted to kill him. She had thought about it many times, but he was just too heavily guarded and Clarke didn't want to take the risk of failing her assassination attempt and getting more Skaikru killed. She pulled her eyes away from Emerson and looked at Nia, waiting for her to speak. "Do you know what the annual Summit is Clarke?" Nia asked.

Clarke nodded her head, "It is a festival held every year to celebrate the end of winter and the coming of spring."

Nia smiled, "That is correct, but there is more to it. It is a time for all of the clans to gather and discuss what they are expecting from the coming year and talking through any trade agreements or disputes that may exist among the clans." Clarke nodded her head in understanding, but didn't speak. "The Summit usually lasts a few weeks. The meetings include the leader of clan, the ambassador, and two guards of that clans choosing. I would like for you to be one of those guards along with my son."

Clarke bowed her head, "I will do whatever you ask of me my Queen, but if I may?" Nia nodded allowing Clarke to ask her question. Clarke opened her mouth to speak, but then paused before glancing around the room. Nia seemed to get the message and she dismissed all of her guards except her closest ones, who already knew who Clarke really was. When the room was cleared out Clarke spoke, "I am only an assassin, I am not trained as a guard. And is it really a good idea to bring The Shadow out into the open?"

Nia laughed, "You are more than capable of being my guard, and I am not looking for The Shadow as a guard. I want Wanheda."

"Of course my Queen," Clarke said, accepting Nia's request without further question.

Clarke was prepared to leave but Nia seemed to have more for Clarke to do, "I need you to do more than just be my guard." Clarke nodded her head. "The Commander has feelings for you." At those words, Clarke felt her blood run cold. She opened her mouth to speak, but Nia raised her hand to stop her, "Don't bother denying it. I had my spies during the time of the mountain. You spent much more time with the Commander than was necessary. Plus, the Commander still searches for you. After two years, she still sends out search parties in the hope of finding you. Even your own people gave up looking, but the Commander has not."

Clarke swallowed thickly. She was unaware that Lexa had been searching for her and she couldn't help but feel a little sense of happiness at the fact before it was replaced by dread of what Nia was going to ask her, "What would you have me do my Queen?"

Nia sat up a little straighter. Her lips turned up into a heinous smile and Clarke swore she saw humor in those normally cold eyes, "I want you to make her suffer. I want you to show her everything that you have learned. I want you to let her know all that you have been through and that it was all because of her, all because she left you on the mountain." Clarke could feel herself begin to panic a little, but she knew that she had to follow every order that her queen gave her. "I want you to get close to her. Get her to let down her walls. Find out information about her and the clans and weaken her to the point where I will be able to strike her down," Nia finished.

"As you wish my Queen," Clarke said although there was a slight strain in her voice. It was slight enough for it to go unnoticed by Nia and the others, but Clarke could hear it. She needed to get a hold of herself. She couldn't let her body betray her in this moment.

"And Clarke, if you mention one word about the last Mountain Man or the missile, if you make one move to disobey me in any way, I will kill all of your people, and then I will kill you," Nia threatened.

Clarke bowed her head even lower than before, "You have my loyalty my Queen. I will not disappoint you."

"I should hope not. We leave tomorrow at dawn, make sure you are ready by then," Nia said, dismissing Clarke. Clarke got to her feet quickly and made her way to the door. She needed to get out of there and get some fresh air. "Oh and Clarke?" Nia called from her throne, stopping Clarke's quick escape, "I want Wanheda as my guard, but I expect The Shadow will be making at least one appearance." Clarke simply bowed her head again before she made it outside. Clarke was breathing heavily. The weather had dropped after the sun had gone down and the cold of the Azgeda weather was showing her breath in white clouds in front of her face. Her breathing was much more rapid than it should be and she was starting to see black spots in her vision.

She was sure she was going to pass out, but then she felt a hand on her back. Roan came up from behind her and was rubbing her back, helping her to calm down. He led her back to her room and he was finally able to help her calm down. "Are you alright?"

Clarke just nodded, not yet trusting her voice. Roan gave her a few more minutes before she spoke, "She wants me at the Summit. We're her guards." Roan nodded, already knowing this after his meeting with his mother. "She wants me to be Wanheda in public, but she wants The Shadow there as well. It's dangerous for assassins in Polis, there are many more guards looking out for them. I'm not worried, but she will have me with access to any of the clans most important people. I could start a war if she ordered me too."

Roan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He sat down on the bed beside Clarke, "You and me are in this together. She has her own hold on the both of us and we have no choice but to do what she says. Clarke, I know you hate killing, no matter how much you have closed yourself off to your feelings, you hate it. I will be there for you the whole time and we will get through this together." He put his hand on her back and pulled her close into his chest. Clarke had changed a lot from the girl he had met on the balcony all those months ago. He knew what his mother had done to her, but he also knew that the real Clarke was in there somewhere. There was nothing that could be done for either of them, but Roan was determined to be there for her, and he knew that if needed, Clarke would be there for him.

They stayed like that for a little while before Roan left Clarke to gather her things and get some rest. He returned to his own room to do the same. In the morning, the two of them met Queen Nia and her riding party at the front of the gates of Saipan. Clarke noticed that Emerson wasn't among the medium sized army that was heading to Polis which meant she would have no chance of taking him out while they were there. She pulled herself up onto her horse, a beautiful black stallion that she had named Shade. This horse had been with her on many missions and helped her with her quick escapes to avoid being seen by any of her target's guards. Roan climbed up onto his horse beside her and when everyone was settled, the group began their journey to Polis.