Hey guys, I'm really glad you all liked the last chapter. I'm going to be honest, I didn't really do much editing on this one because I wanted to get it up on time so I'm sorry if there are any mistakes. I'm really struggling with some writers block so this chapter is kind of short and I'm not going to make any promises on when the next chapter will be up but I'll do my best to make sure you aren't waiting long. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy this one!
Warning: Torture
Clarke whimpered and rolled over, her brows creasing and lips turning into a frown. Lexa was beside her and reached out to gently run her hand through the girl's hair. "Clarke," she said softly. "Clarke, my love, wake up," she said again a little louder.
Clarke's eyes shot open and a strangle whimper escaped her lips. Lexa wrapped her arms protectively around the blonde and whispered comforting words into her ear. "Shh, it's alright. It was just a dream. I'm here. You're alright."
It took a few moments, but Clarke was able to calm herself down enough to breath normally. She pushed herself tighter into Lexa's embrace, seeking contact and comfort from the woman she loved. "I'm sorry," she mumbled into Lexa's chest. "Bringing up those memories again… they haunt me."
Lexa kissed the top of her head, "I know."
The two stayed wrapped up in each other for a while, just holding each other until Clarke finally, hesitantly, spoke. "My story yesterday really didn't scare you away from me?"
Lexa leaned back and put both hands on Clarke's cheeks holding eye contact, "You know nothing ever could. No, Clarke, you didn't scare me away. That feeling of acid burning your stomach, like your blood was on fire, when all you can see is red, I've felt it. I've lost control of my monster before too."
Clarke kissed the heel of Lexa's palm, and looked into her favorite green eyes that looked to be locked in some sort of memory. "It was after I lost Costia," Lexa barely managed to say her name without cracking. "I had just lost her and I was in so much pain and I was so angry. Nia killed her for no other reason but the fact that I loved her. She beheaded her and she left the head at the bottom of my bed. When I found it… I was distraught. I stayed in my room, with no one allowed to enter for a week. I cried myself to sleep every night and I mourned her. After that week, I left that room with a mask on. I was calm and confident and every bit of a strong leader, at least on the outside. That day I left my room, I ordered my army to mobilize. At this time, I had allied over half of the 12 clans. I took my army and we marched on Azgeda. We attacked villages, and killed everyone, and I was at the forefront of the attack. I killed every member of Azgeda that I saw. Azgeda lost a lot and so did my army, but I kept pushing. I was so blinded by my rage, I didn't care, I didn't even notice how many people were being hurt because of me. One day we attacked a village, but somehow, Azgeda had been expecting us. It was a bloodbath. I called for a retreat, but it was too late. So many of my own warriors died, not to mention those in Azgeda, and it wasn't even their fault. The people in Azgeda are not bad people. I knew that, but I lead an army to slaughter them anyway. Anya was able to talk some sense to me, and I was finally able to see through my rage. Costia wouldn't have wanted me to do what I was doing. These were my people. They may not be a part of the coalition yet, but one day they would be. I owe my people everything, I owe them protection, but instead all I brought them was death. I needed to fix it, I needed to be a stronger, better leader. So I pulled everyone out of Azgeda, and I spent my time working hard to being that leader, to giving everything to my people, to making her proud. Less than a month after my attacks, I had added the twelfth clan to the coalition. I had achieved mine and Costia's dream of peace. It was the right way to honor, instead of being led by my rage, and it was the best way for me to be the leader that everyone needed me to be."
"She would be proud of you," Clarke whispered.
Lexa smiled sadly, "I hope so."
"She would be. You have become a fantastic leader. You have saved your people countless times, and you still fight for them to this day. You realized your mistake, you fixed it, and you made life better for your people. She would be just as proud of you as I am," Clarke said earnestly.
Lexa looked at Clarke with a look of awe on her face, "I love you."
Clarke smiled, "I love you too."
They stayed silent for a few moments before Lexa spoke, "About today, I get that you need to be the one to talk to Emerson. You can get to him in ways no one else can, but you don't have to do this. I can do it. I've done it plenty of times in my life, and I'm sure I will have to do it again in the future."
"I know," Clarke said quietly. "But I have to do this. We need answers and we need them now. I won't let anyone I care about get hurt because Nia wants to make me suffer. I know how to torture. I know how to get the answers that I need. I just need you to trust me, and let me do it."
"Then I will," Lexa said. "It's time we get to it." The two of them crawled out of bed and started getting dressed for the day. It didn't take them long before they were up and ready. They ate breakfast together in silence before making their way out of their tent.
They headed straight for the prison tent, where Indra and a couple of guards were waiting. "If you want to stop at any point Clarke, then do it," Lexa said.
"I will," Clarke promised before turning to face Indra. "You ready?"
The older woman nodded and then entered the tent. Lexa leaned in and kissed Clarke on the cheek before taking a few steps back to give Clarke some space. Clarke took a deep breath and faced the entrance to the tent. "Okay Clarke, you can do this," she whispered to herself before opening the flap and stepping in.
/
Clarke walked into the room and scanned the tent. There was a table set up with all the tools that Clarke had requested and Emerson was still tied to the pole in the center of the tent. He was bruised and bloodied, clearly beaten from Indra and Lexa's previous torture. It wasn't anything major, hence why they didn't get any answers, but the look on his face clearly showed that he was in pain.
When he noticed her arrival, he tried to stand taller and look less in pain than he really was. "Welcome back," Emerson said, voice strained. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I want answers," Clarke said coldly.
Emerson scoffed "And why would I tell you anything?"
Clarke smirked, "Because otherwise, it's going to hurt."
Emerson tried to laugh, but it only jostled his injured ribs and he had to bite back a wince. "You know," he grunted. "When Nia first told me that the massacre of the rogues was led by you and not Ontari, I didn't believe her. But then I saw you, I saw the look in your eyes, and I knew it was true. You were broken. We broke you."
Clarke swallowed as the memories surfaced, "You're right. You did. I was broken, but I learned how to put the pieces back together. And I'm not completely healed, but I'm getting better. You broke me, but you didn't beat me. Now, I want answers."
Emerson frowned, not getting the reaction he was hoping to get by bringing up the massacre, "So what? You're going to torture me?"
"Unless you talk," Clarke said blankly.
"Do you even feel regret for what you did to my people?" Emerson tried changing directions.
"No," Clarke said simply. "I don't regret saving people, and I never will."
"You killed hundreds of my people," Emerson growled.
"And your people killed thousands," Clarke growled back.
"Those savages don't deserve to be free while we were trapped in the mountain," Emerson yelled.
"And who gets to decide what they deserve? You? What gave you that right?"
"They're savages," Emerson seethed, spit flying from his mouth. "They're aggressive, uneducated, and undeserving."
"Why? Because they don't use technology? Well maybe that's a good thing, because technology is the reason the Earth went to shit in the first place," Clarke said.
"How could you possibly ally yourself with savages?"
"What makes them savages? Your people were the ones who kidnapped them. Took them from their children, their parents, their husbands and wives, mothers and fathers. You took them, tortured them, drained them of their blood, and then you threw them away like trash where they were eaten alive by people that you drugged and turned into monsters. To me, you sound way more like a savage than they do," Clarke snarled.
"We did what we had to do," Emerson yelled, failing to see the darkness of his people.
"I'm done arguing with you Emerson. It's time for some answers," Clarke said as she walked to the table in the room and picked up a small knife, rolling it a few times between her fingers before stepping away. "What is Nia planning?"
"I'll never tell you," Emerson said.
Clarke walked up to him and grabbed his hand. She put the tip of the blade underneath his finger and applied a little pressure, just enough to make Emerson aware of what she was about to do. "Last chance."
"No," Emerson said.
Clarke didn't hesitate. She used the knife to rip the fingernail clean off his hand. He cried out in pain, but he wasn't going to let Clarke beat him.
Clarke continued to question him, Emerson continued to refuse to answer, and Clarke continued to punish him for it. Indra stood silently in the back and watched, impressed and honestly a little scared, although she would never admit it, over what Clarke could do.
When Clarke had removed all of his nails and broken a few of his fingers, she stopped and walked back to the table. She considered her options before her gaze zeroed in on a mallet. She knew this tool well. It was one of Severna's favorites. It shattered bone much easier than one would expect. Clarke wrapped her hand around the wooden handle and tapped the mallet in her palm a few times before moving back towards Emerson.
His breathing was heavy and his arms and hands were trembling, but he was still trying to fight her. When she approached with the mallet, he tried to pull away, but his bonds weren't letting him go anywhere. "This will all stop, if you just tell me what Nia is planning."
Emerson swallowed thickly but he stayed quiet. He watched as Clarke readied her mallet and he closed his eyes. At first nothing happened, but then he heard a sickening crunch and the most intense pain he had ever felt came from his knee. He released a gut-wrenching scream and tears began leaking out of his eyes. Clarke had shattered his knee in one swing.
"I warned you," she said emotionlessly. "Tell me what I want to know and this will stop."
Emerson was panting, "Ne-Never," he grunted out.
Clarke returned to the table and grabbed a dagger, sharpened to a deadly point. She stalked towards him and when he refused her next question, the blade pierced the flesh on his stomach, then chest. He screamed in agony as Clarke continued to draw the blade across his flesh.
After what felt like hours, she took a step back and returned to the table. She grabbed a vile of some yellow liquid and turned around with a cold smirk, "This is really going to hurt. I suggest you talk before I use it."
Emerson glared at her with as much strength as he could muster, which wasn't much, and Clarke got her answer. She uncorked the vile and poured it into the open wounds on his flesh. Emerson screamed again and his body writhed as the poison entered his wounds. His entire body started to trembling. He had never felt a worse pain in his life.
His screams echoed through the tent until his voice was raw. He felt like he was being burned alive and he knew he couldn't take much more, and he didn't. Clarke didn't have to do much more to get him to talk. "Tell me what Nia's plan is."
"O..Okay," he panted, voice strained. He told Clarke everything he knew about Nia's plan and when he was done, he was begging for her to stop.
"I shouldn't make your death quick. You don't deserve it. But I'm tired of letting you breathe." And with that, she plunged the blade of her knife into his throat. His blood shot out from his neck, covering her body and he choked for a few seconds before the life faded from his eyes and his body slumped against the pole.
Clarke took a deep breath as she watched him take his last strangled breath and then turned around to a slightly shocked Indra. "Gather Lexa and her generals. We need to discuss what he told us and make a plan," Clarke said and then she stumbled out of the prison tent.
She rushed from the tent, ignoring the looks she was getting from those in the camp and made her way into the trees. Luckily for her, she made it far enough away before she couldn't hold back and she expelled everything from her stomach.
A few moments later she felt a warm hand on her back, rubbing soothing circles and the voice of her lover filtered in through her ears, calming her. After a few minutes, she finished heaving and few more moments of collecting herself, she stood up straight. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Of course," Lexa replied softly. She had been camped near the prison tent the entire time Clarke was in there. She kept some space between her and the tent,but she never let the entrance out of her sight. She had heard the screams Emerson had made ring throughout the camp and knew that whatever Clarke had done would have an effect on her. When she saw Clarke stumble her way through the camp she followed her to check up on her. "Did he tell you anything?"
"Yes," Clarke answered. "I asked Indra to gather the important people here. We should talk about what I learned."
"And we will, but first let's get you cleaned up."
Clarke didn't argue and she let Lexa guide her to their tent. She cleaned the blood from her skin and changed her ruined clothes, which she decided to just burn instead of clean and reuse. Lexa helped her to get cleaned up, and provided silent support for the blonde witch Clarke was grateful for.
When she was cleaned up enough, the two exited the tent and entered Lexa's meeting tent, where some of her generals and some members of Skaikru were waiting. Lexa took her seat at the head of the table and Clarke took a seat beside her.
"What did the last mountain man say?" One of Lexa's general's questioned rather impatiently.
All eyes in the room fell on Clarke who sat a little taller in her seat. "We all know which clans are allied with Nia. She has few on her side than we do, but the clans that support her are bigger and they have larger armies than the clans on our side do," Clarke started. It was true. There were seven clans in support of Lexa, but clans like the Glowing Forest and Floukru were smaller and they tried to be more peaceful than not. Trikru helped even out the numbers being the largest clan in the coalition, and the weapons that Skaikru could provide would be helpful, but the numbers were not quite in their advantage. "She has Azgeda, Podakru, and Sankru to the north, Rock Line and Blue Cliff to the west and Shadow Valley to the south. Nia's plan is to surround the clans that support the Commander, leaving her with a choice. We can spread out to cover all fronts, which will spread our army thin, especially with our weaker numbers. Nia will break through and make her way to Polis where she will take over. Or, we can stay close to Polis, and Nia's army can attack and take over the other clans and then close in on Polis with the added number of people she forces to fight with her."
The room seemed to consider her words before Lexa came to a conclusion. "We can't spread out our armies, but we can't let her take over the other clans either. We need more numbers, more support. We need to get gain back support of the clans that have allied themselves with Nia."
"And how do we go about that?"
"We reinstate new leaders. We remind the people of the peace we once had and we remind them that they can have it again, but not with Nia in charge," Lexa answered.
"I think you're right," Clarke said. "Shallow Valley would be the best place to start. We're close to it now, and King Zayn doesn't have a lot of support. We talk to his people, gain back their support and find a new leader who will support us. Nia won't have her army to the south and the addition of Shallow Valley will help us in this fight."
"We'll need more numbers to take over another clan," Octavia supplied from her seat beside Lincoln.
"Skaikru will be happy to provide our services," Kane said.
Lexa nodded, "Indra, send riders to TonDC and the nearest villages. Tell them to mobilize their warriors and have them meet us at Arkadia."
"Sha Heda," Indra replied before leaving the tent to do as Lexa asked.
"Abby and I will ride to Arkadia tonight and gather those who can help," Kane said.
"Do it," Lexa answered. "We will meet you there tomorrow."
Kane bowed and then exited the tent to head back to Arkadia. "As for the rest of you," Lexa started, "Get ready, we leave tomorrow."
The room all agreed and quickly exited the tent, leaving a tired looking Clarke and Lexa behind. Lexa grabbed Clarke's hand and led her out of the tent and back to their own tent. She led Clarke to the back where her tub had been filled with warm water by her servants per her request.
"Let's get you cleaned up," she whispered before she started to strip Clarke of her clothing, and then she stripped herself. She stepped into the bath and pulled Clarke in with her. Lexa leaned up against the end of the tent and Clarke sat between her legs with her back pressed up against Lexa's front.
Lexa reached for her soap and gently rubbed it across Clarke's body and through her hair, cleaning the girl as thoroughly as she could. Clarke relaxed into the bath and let Lexa take care of her, cleaning her skin and making her feel free of the blood that stained her body from her actions earlier in the day. Once her skin was clean, Lexa moved to her hair, massaging the blonde's scalp and cleaning her completely.
When she was done she wrapped her arms tightly around the blonde's midsection and held her tightly, and Clarke melted into the embrace. "Thank you," she whispered.
Lexa responded by leaving a trail of kisses across Clarke's shoulder and neck, tracing patterns on the blonde's thigh under the water. "I know what you did today was difficult. If you want to talk about it, I'm here and I always will be. You are so strong Clarke and I am so proud of you."
Clarke let out a shaky breath and rested her head back on Lexa's shoulder. She didn't want to talk about it and she was glad Lexa was providing her the opportunity without forcing her. All she wanted was for Lexa to hold her, and the brunette seemed content to do just that.
They stayed in the water until it grew cold and then the two stepped out. They dried each other off, leaving gentle kisses on the others exposed skin, before making their way to the bed. They didn't bother putting clothes on and they both climbed under the warm furs.
Lexa wrapped her body protectively around the blonde and Clarke pushed back into the brunette wanting to have as much skin contact as possible with the only woman who gave her strength and made her feel safe. "I love you," Clarke whispered quietly but strongly to her love.
Lexa kissed Clarke's shoulder and wrapped her arms tighter around the blonde. "I love you Clarke. I always have and I always will."