Hey guys, I'm so so sorry I took this long to post. Life is crazy and my mind has been struggling with creating the perfect ending for this story. I really want it to be worth it. I hope you guys like what I've come up with. Please let me know what you think down in the comments, it really means a lot to me. Enjoy!
Nia was seated in her throne at the head of her war table. The leaders of the clans still sided with her were all there arguing over what the next best course of action would be against the Commander and her army. They had just taken over Dreshal and there were only a few small villages left between them and Saipan. They would be here soon.
Nia listened as the leaders threw out their own ideas. None of them were good enough. There wasn't much left that could be done. The Commander was closing in and there was nowhere to retreat, not that Nia would ever do that anyway.
She was irritated. The people allied with her were all idiots and Lexa was more powerful and moving quicker towards Saipan than she had expected. She didn't have a lot of options left to take down the Commander.
Nia was prepared to silence the arguing when the doors to her throne room burst open and King Zayn came striding in with a man bound and bleeding from a head wound. She watched as Zayn walked in with his head held high. She rolled her eyes at his ignorance and arrogance.
She knew that Zayn no longer had control of his people, but Zayn didn't. The scouts with him were his most loyal and they still followed and served him and his scouts are the only reason why Nia has allowed him to live. Zayn didn't care about his people and since Nia hadn't given him any orders, he hasn't sent any messages to his people back in Shallow Valley. Because of this he hasn't checked up on them and he remains very unaware of the fact that he has no power.
Zayn walked in with a smile on his face. His scouts had captured some Trikru scout that had been captured outside of Saipan. Zayn was happy to bring the Queen his prisoner and get in her good graces.
He kicked his prisoner in the back of the knee and he collapsed to a kneeling position. Zayn bowed to Nia, "My Queen," he started. "Apologies for being late to this meeting, but I have captured one of the Commander's scouts that was spying from just outside of Saipan."
Nia smirked as she looked down at the prisoner. He wasn't Trikru and Nia was about to have a field day with this moron of a King. She stood from her throne and slowly walked towards the prisoner, circling him once before stopping directly in front of the King. "Tell me King Zayn, what clan is this man from?"
"Trikru my Queen," he replied maintaining eye contact, as best he could, with the Queen.
"No, I'm afraid he's not. Look closer."
Zayn tore his eyes away from Nia to look at the prisoner still on his knees. He took in the coloring of the furs the man wore and recognized the design of a necklace the man had hanging around his neck. His eyes widened as he recognized what clan this man was from.
Nia watched as realization and fear dawned on the King's face and she smirked. "That's right, this man is from the Shallow Valley. The clan that is now ruled by Queen Zora."
Zayn's head snapped towards Nia at the information with wide eyes. Nia stalked closer to him, "You're a failure of a King, a failure of a man, and you are now useless to me," she paused. "At least, you're useless alive." Before Zayn could even blink Nia forced her dagger right through his throat. His blood splattered out onto her face and the walls behind him and he made a few choked gurgling sounds before his body collapsed into a heap on the ground.
Nia turned from the body and didn't spare it another glance as she spoke to her guards, "Take the body. String it up in front of Saipan. I want everyone to see it and know that no one fails me without suffering the consequences."
Two guards quickly moved to pick up and remove the body to do as they were told. "Take the prisoner to a cell. I'll deal with him later." Two more guards came and lifted the prisoner, leading him to his cell.
The rest of the room was silent as Nia retook her throne before finally one of them spoke. "Queen Nia, what are we going to do? What are your orders?"
"Prepare for a public execution," Nia ordered.
"What would that accomplish?" he asked. "The Commander and her army are nearly here, we need some plan to attack or defend ourselves."
"The Trikru army won't face much more resistance before they reach Saipan. Their army includes the weak traitorous citizens of my clan and the remaining coalition army. I can't do much to defeat their army, but if I can defeat their leader, the army will crumble. This execution will discredit Lexa kom Trikru. Her army will learn that she is not who she says she is and they will come crawling to a leader who is more capable," Nia said, her arrogance clear in her plan.
The people in the room cleared out shortly after that, all but Ontai and Nia remained. Ontari walked towards her Queen, "You plan to use Wanheda to discredit the Commander," Ontari stated and it wasn't a question
"No. Wanheda is not going to be able to help us. But The Shadow, she can," Nia said.
Ontari's eyebrow rose, "She will never agree to work for you again."
"She will. That obnoxious Skai girl will provide enough incentive," Nia said with confidence. "I'll need you in the trees during the execution. If Wanheda disobeys me, if she tries anything, kill her."
Ontari smirked at the order, "With pleasure."
"Good," Nia smiled. "Now let's go prepare our executioner."
/
Lexa was pacing in front of her throne. Her army had just successfully taken over Dreshal and now that everything had settled down she was in her war tent with too much on her mind. It had been a few days since Clarke had been taken and Lexa's mind hasn't strayed from the blonde since. She knows that Clarke and Raven must be struggling right now, and the fact that she can't help is really getting to Lexa.
The only good thing is that they are very very close to Saipan which means they're close to finding Nia and ending this war, and they're close to finding Clarke.
Lexa didn't have much time to herself before Zora, Octavia, Bellamy, Echo, and Lincoln entered her tent. Lexa stopped pacing and waited to hear their update. "Heda, Chief Joanna of Delphi Clan has just arrived. All clan leaders that are allied with you are now all present."
Lexa nodded, "Good I will speak with them later. What else?"
Echo was the next to step forward, which was a little bit of a surprise as the Azgeda girl had avoided speaking to mostly everyone just to keep a low profile, but Lexa was willing to hear what she had to say. "Heda, I know you have no reason to trust me, but I think I can help."
Lexa raised a curious eyebrow, "Go on."
"Queen Nia is terrible leader. She treats her people very unfairly."
"I already know this Echo. How is it that you can help?" Lexa asked.
"There are people who don't support her. A rebel group among Azgeda full of spies and warriors. It's not large enough to fight back against Nia and her guard on its own, but it is a decent size. Let me go ahead into Saipan and find some of them. They may have knowledge that can help us win this war," Echo requested.
Lexa inclined her head as she thought over the request. The knowledge would be useful, but could she trust Echo? Could she trust the information that Echo could possibly return with? If Echo failed and was caught how big would the consequences be?
"They may be able to help us find Wanheda," Echo added softly after a moment of no response from Lexa.
Lexa's eyes scanned the girls face before her need to find Clarke won out, "Fine, ride ahead and find out what you can. Return as soon as you have any useful information."
Echo bowed her head. "Sha Heda," she said and she turned to leave the tent with Bellamy right behind her to say a proper goodbye.
Lexa watched as they left and took a deep breath before moving and dropping down into her throne. She was stressed and she was hurting and she trusted the three people remaining in the tent enough to show a little of those feelings.
"We will find her Lexa," Zora said softly but with determination knowing that Clarke was the reason Lexa was in so much pain. "We're almost there."
"What if it's too late. She's been a prisoner for days. Nia could have killed her by now," Lexa said with a tinge of fear.
"No way," Octavia piped up. "There's no way that Clarke or Raven would lose their fight to that bitch. They're both still alive and we're going to find them."
Before Lexa could respond, Indra's voice rang out from outside the tent, "Heda, the clan leaders are present and waiting to meet with you."
Lexa sighed and sat up straighter in her throne, any previous emotion showing on her face slipping away behind her usual mask. "Send them in."
The tent flap opened and all the clan leaders entered and Octavia and Lincoln both left.
They spoke for a while about what their plan was from here. Dreshal was the last village in Azgeda that would pose much of a threat to Lexa's army, so the next move was to take over Saipan. There they would be able to find and stop the Queen and those allied with her and end this war. The deadzone to the far north would serve well to keep Nia and her army from retreating, so the two armies would meet head on and one would come out victorious. Hopefully it wouldn't be too late to find Clarke and Raven.
By nightfall, Lexa exited her war tent, clearly exhausted, but staying awake was better for her. At night her dreams would be overcome with images of what Nia could possibly be doing to Clarke and Lexa would rather be tired than haunted by those images.
She walked through the large Azgeda villages, checking on her warriors and the civilians of the village. Many of them were thankful that Lexa was here and were willing to fight by her side to end the reign of their evil Queen. She should have done something about Nia long ago, but at least she's doing something now.
She froze when she heard feet running in her direction. She reached for her dagger and turned to meet whoever was approaching, but stopped when she saw it was Octavia. "What is it?" Lexa asked in concern.
"Heda, there's someone here who wishes to speak with you. Come with me," Octavia said before turning around and running back in the direction she had come.
Lexa's brow furrowed in confusion, but she followed Octavia anyway, interested to see who was requesting her presence.
Octavia led Lexa to the prison tent and the Commander became even more intrigued by who would want to speak with her. Octavia took post at the entrance beside Lincoln who was also standing guard and Lexa slowly entered.
The first person she saw was Zora who was standing near the entrance of the tent glaring at whoever this prisoner was. When Lexa looked to see, she could feel her blood begin to boil. "You," Lexa snarled and she stalked towards the prisoner, punching him in the jaw and then grabbing him by the throat. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you."
"I'm here to help," he choked. "I know where they're keeping Clarke."
"You are the one who turned her over to your Queen, Prince Roan," she said with venom in her voice. Lexa had found the royal insignia on a piece of torn fabric at the scene where Clarke had been captured and remembered Clarke mentioning that Roan was the only warrior who was still able to beat her one on one.
Roan looked down at the ground and away from the Commander's eyes. "I know. I shouldn't have done it, but my mother still holds my love and child. I couldn't risk their safety."
Lexa's grip eased up but her glare was still firmly in place, "And why would you risk them now?"
Roan took a few deep breaths before speaking, "They'll never be safe with my mother in charge. You and Clarke are their best chance. And Clarke… I hate myself for what I did. She doesn't deserve any of what my mother has done to her. I want to help."
Lexa took a step back from the Prince, "How can I trust you?"
"There isn't much I can do to prove it. All I can say is that Clarke trusted me. I need you to do the same."
Lexa scoffed, "Clarke trusted you, and you handed her over to your mother."
"She said she understood. It doesn't make what I did right. Please, Heda, I want to help. I need to help. I can take you to where they're keeping her. Please. For Clarke." Roan basically begged.
Lexa's eyes scanned his face and body language and what she saw was a man who was telling the truth. She nodded, "Come with me." She turned to Zora, "Find Indra and gather Bellamy, Octavia, and Lincoln. Bring them to the war tent."
A short time later, Lexa and all those she requested were gathered and informed of Roan's offer to help. "Heda, this could be a trap," Indra stated, her eyes narrowed on the Ice Prince.
"I know, but I have to try. I have to find her," Lexa said.
"What about your army? You just spoke to the clan leaders today and made a plan to move on Saipan," Zora said.
"I will leave you and Indra in charge. The army trusts you, as do I," Lexa replied.
"What about Echo? From what she told me, she could find some really useful information. What if you aren't here to receive it?" Bellamy asked.
"Echo? She's alive?" Roan repeated.
Bellamy frowned, "You know her?"
"Yes. She was a great spy for my mother, but more importantly helpful to me. There is a group of rebels in Azgeda. I was never able to meet with them because my mother always had eyes on me. Echo was able to bring me information. I asked her to help me with something a while ago and I never heard back from her. I thought she was dead," Roan explained.
"Well she's not, and she's trying to meet with some of those rebels to get us some information," Bellamy said.
"That information could be very valuable," Roan said. "Some of the rebels are actually high up in my mother's ranks. They may know something important," he said to Lexa
"I can ride out to find her," Bellamy offered. "I'll find her, tell her what's going on and you can pick a place for us to meet. We'll meet you there and figure out what to do with any information she may have."
"Entering Saipan will be very dangerous for someone from Skaikru," Roan warned.
Bellamy shook his head, "Doesn't matter. Clarke and Echo, they're worth it."
The group spoke further, coming up with a plan before Lexa, Roan, and Bellamy all gathered their horses and left Dreshal to travel to Saipan. They had some people to save and a war to win.
/
Raven groaned loudly as she slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry and her entire body was aching in ways she didn't even know was possible.
The light in the room was dim, but to her, it was blinding. She groaned again as she blinked and tried to clear up her vision and ease the headache she was feeling.
"Raven?" She heard a voice call from across from her.
Raven looked over at the blonde who was chained to the wall in front of her. "Clarke?"
"I'm here," she said. "You're ok."
"How long have I been out," Raven croaked.
"A while," Clarke answered. She wasn't sure on time because Nia hadn't let them out of their cell sine they'd arrived. Who knew how long it had been.
"What happened," she asked, her memory of recent events wasn't very clear at the moment.
"Nia tortured you to get to me. She stabbed you. You almost bled out right in front of me," Clarke said, her voice wavering slightly.
Raven closed her eyes and willed herself to remember what had happened the last time she was awake and somehow, she was able to put her jumbled memories back together. Her eyes shot open, "Please tell me you didn't agree."
Clarke looked at Raven sadly. "I- I had to," she whispered.
"Clarke, she said she wanted to use The Shadow. She's going to have you kill someone."
"I know," Clarke hung her head.
"Clarke, you can't kill anyone else. Especially not in my name. I won't let you."
"I'm not going to," Clarke replied. "I'm not going to kill for her. I'm not going to let her use me anymore. I'm done."
"So what are we gonna do?" Raven asked.
"I'm going to kill her or I'm going to die trying," she paused. "Either way, she can't use me anymore."
"No, Clarke. No. That's not happening," Raven argued.
"What other choice is there Raven? I'm tired of killing for her and if I disobey she'll kill you. I'm not going to let either of those things happen," Clarke said with determination.
"We'll figure something out Clarke-"
"There's no time Raven. At anytime now Nia is going to walk through that door and give me an assignment. I'm going to do whatever it takes to kill her or I'll die trying. That's all there is too it."
"No, we just need-"
Raven was cut off by the sound of the door unlocking and opening and a smirking Nia and Severna entered. "It's time Clarke," Nia says and Severna moves to unchain Clarke's wrists.
Her body dropped heavily to the ground as she's let free and Severna quickly ties her hands behind her back before standing her up and leading her out of the room.
"No. Clarke listen to me. You can't do this," Raven begs as Clarke is ushered out of the room.
"Goodbye Raven," Clarke says and then the door closes and Clarke is gone.
/
"She's in this building," Roan says as he leads Lexa to the room he last knew his mother was keeping Clarke and Raven. He had led Lexa into a Saipan through a secret entrance that not many knew about in the back of the village. It's the reason why they missed the huge execution platform that had been set up outside the entrance of Saipan and they missed all the citizens gathering around it.
The building didn't have many guards around it, but Roan didn't seem to think much of it. He led Lexa into the building and up a few flights, taking out the occasional guard they passed on the way until they came up to the door he was looking for.
Roan pulled out a key he had snagged from one of the guards he killed and he unlocked the door, walking in with Lexa behind him.
Raven's head shot up at the sound of the door being opened and she sighed in relief at seeing Lexa. "Oh thank god. Get me out of here," Raven said and she watched as Roan walked over and began to unchain her wrists.
"Where's Clarke?" Lexa asked as her eyes scanned the room, stopping on the wall where two chains, similar to Raven's, were hanging and a blood splatter painted the wall and floor.
"Nia took her, and Clarke is about to do something that's probably going to get herself killed. We need to move. Now." Raven said.
Roan finally unlocked the chains and Raven leaned heavily against the wall as she rubbed her wrists. Her entire body was screaming at her to let her rest, but Clarke was in danger so she was ignoring it.
"What are you talking about?" Lexa asked, her heart rate picking up in fear.
"I don't exactly know. Nia said she wanted to use The Shadow for another mission. Clarke didn't want to, but Nia almost killed me. The only reason she didn't was because Clarke gave in," Raven explained.
"Clarke won't do what my mother orders, not anymore. She won't kill for my mother again." Roan says.
"I know. She said she'd either kill Nia or die trying. We all know that Nia is going to be prepared for that. Clarke's beaten and in pain, her hands are tied, she has no weapons, and Nia is sure to have her own weapons and tons of guards with her, which means Clarke is going to do something suicidal. We need to move before that happens," Raven said, but when she tried to stand her legs gave out. Roan was quick to react and he scooped her up into his arms. "Thanks," Raven mumbled into his chest.
"We need to go," Roan said turning to Lexa.
She nodded, "Let's go where we said we'd meet Bellamy. Hopefully he's found Echo and she can tell us where Nia's taken Clarke."
The Prince nodded and led the way out of the prison, Raven still held firmly in his grasp.
They travelled quickly but carefully through Saipan until they made it to their meeting point. Luckily for them Bellamy and Echo were both there waiting.
"Raven!" Bellamy said as he ran to Roan who was still holding her. His eyes widened as he took in the state of his friend, his sister. "What the hell did she do to you?"
"Oh you know. Just your usual torture techniques here on the ground."
"My Prince," Echo bowed her head as Bellamy and Raven continued to talk.
"Echo, it's good to see you. I didn't think I ever would again," Roan said.
"My apologies on that," Echo replied.
"Enough," Lexa said, ending both pairs as they were reuniting. "We don't have time for this. We need to find Clarke."
"About that," Echo said hesitantly.
"Spit it out," Lexa growled. She knew she was running out of time and she needed to move quickly.
"Nia has set up for an execution just outside the gates of Saipan. She's required everyone in Saipan to attend and she knows that your army is on the way and scouts are already in the tree lines. The execution is set up so that everyone can see it," Echo explained.
Lexa's face drained of all color. "No," she whispered
"They're going to execute Clarke," Bellamy said his hands tightening into fists.
"No," Raven whispered, putting the pieces together in her head. "They're not. Clarke is going to execute someone else."
/
The platform was set and everyone in Saipan was gathered around it. The leaders of each clan allying with Nia were seated in a throne on the left side of the platform and an empty throne was there waiting for Nia.
Clarke had dressed in The Shadow's gear, minus any weapons. She was hoping that she would get a chance to take Nia out, but in her head she knew it was near impossible. She was bound, with no weapons, and in so much pain she was struggling to stand on her own. Plus, was surrounded by eight of Nia's best guards, all ready to move if Clarke did more than blink. She was in no shape to be attempting to assassinate a queen.
She was also very aware of what Nia wanted her to do when she stepped on that stage, and she knew that she was not going to do it. Clarke was going to publically refuse serving Nia and she was going to die for it. It was really the only option left.
Nia walked over to Clarke with a smirk, "It's time to show everyone whose side you're really on."
"You won't win," Clarke growled back, as she was held back by two of the eight large guards.
"We'll see about that," Nia smiled and she stepped up onto the stage. The crowd all silenced themselves and bowed their heads as Nia appeared on the stage. "Citizens of Azgeda," she addressed them all in Trigedasleng. "Our war against the coalition and the Commander is almost at its end, and we are going to come out on top. Today, we are going to weaken the Commander's army by taking out one of her men, but I would also like to show you how poor of a leader Leksa kom Trikru is. She is a liar. She puts the life of her people in danger, and in just a moment I'm going to prove that to you. But first, bring out the prisoner."
The crowd jeered as the Shallow Valley scout was brought out across the stage by two guards. His hands were tied behind his back and he had a small limp, but other than that he looked relatively ok.
Nia raised her hand to silence the crowd and the jeering stopped. "Now, the executioner," Nia ordered.
Clarke's hands were untied and she was pushed out onto the stage, still weaponless. She heard the crowd gasp and a few yell as they all seemed to understand who this mysterious figure in black was. The Shadow. The assassin who had killed so many. The one who had allied themselves with the Commander who had agreed to allow the assassin to work with her even though she was a threat. The one who now stood before them ready to perform an execution for Queen Nia.
Clarke walked slowly across the stage, fighting to ignore the pain caused by every step, her head held high and she stopped when she stood beside Nia.
Nia smiled down maliciously at Clarke before turning back to the crowd. "Leksa kom Trikru believed The Shadow allied with her. She decided to trust this assassin, ignoring the previous bounty she herself had placed, and put all of her people in danger. She is not a smart leader, but I, I am. I am the leader that you all need. Fight for me and we will rid this world of that foolish Commander and control the coalition," she turned to Clarke. "You may proceed."
Clarke swallowed thickly. Ready to refuse the Queen's order, but was stopped by her favorite voice. "STOP!" Lexa cried and she stepped up on the stage, disarming and killing a few of the guards on the stage who tried to block her path.
She was wearing an Azgeda cloak that had covered her head until she removed it, which is how she was able to maneuver her way through the crowd and towards the stage. That and the help of Echo and a few of her fellow rebels.
She made her way onto the stage. She stood on the right side of the platform while Nia, Clarke and the other clan leaders sat on the left. The Commander was standing in front of the man that Clarke was supposed to execute and Bellamy and Echo stepped up onto the stage behind her.
Lexa knew that Indra and Zora were leading her army to Saipan. They would be close if they weren't already here. She just needed to buy them some time, and she wanted to try and get the people of Azgeda to turn on their Queen.
"I am Heda Leksa kom Trikru," Lexa started, her voice as calm and regal as ever. "Commander of the twelve clans. Commander of the blood. You are done here Nia. Your reign is over. You are done treating your people like animals and you are done murdering so many innocents."
Nia just laughed, loudly, at Lexa's words. "No Leksa. You are done here. You are a weak and foolish leader. It's time Azgeda shows you and everyone else who's best."
Nia turned to Clarke. "Finish him," she said loudly motioning towards the scout who was bound and on his knees.
Clarke was about to protest when Nia whispered in her ear. "Ontari is in the tree line. One misstep and your precious Commander dies. Choose wisely."
Clarke glared at Nia, but she does nothing to attack her, she wouldn't win and she won't risk Lexa's life. She nods her head slightly and slowly walks across the platform in the direction of Lexa and the prisoner.
"Raven is free and safe. I'm here. You don't have to do this," Lexa says softly as Clarke approaches, looking straight into the blue of her eyes.
"I won't put anyone else's life in danger," Clarke says and she walks over to the rack that was set up for the execution and she grabs a sword. Nia was too far away to attack, but it didn't matter anyway because her guards would get in the way and stop her before Clarke had even reached the Queen.
The entire crowd held their breath as they watched the events unfold in front of them. The Shadow holds a sword and she stands in front of her target, but not facing him. Instead she is facing the Commander, who doesn't look at all worried about the fact that a notorious assassin is standing in front of her with a sword in her hand. The two are standing very close to each other, seeming to have a conversation, and everyone waits in anticipation to see what both warriors will do.
Clarke adjusts her grip on her sword's hilt. Her eyes travel to the man she is supposed to kill and then back into the green of Lexa's eyes. She doesn't want to kill this man, but she also can't kill Nia, and she can't let Lexa be killed either. She knows what she has to do.
She stares into her favorite pair of green eyes that are begging her not to do something dangerous, but Clarke has no choice. "I'm sorry," she whispers and she takes her sword, lays it on the ground in front of the Commander, drops to a knee and removes the hood covering her hair and face.
The crowd gasps as the identity of The Shadow is revealed, easily recognizable because nobody has hair like Clarke. Clarke stares up into a pair of shocked green eyes and her gaze never travels as she speaks with a loud, firm voice, "I laik Wanheda, Klark kom Skaikru, Mountain Slayer, Commander of Death. I am The Shadow, and I turn myself over to the Commander."
Bet you didn't expect that!
How do you think Clarke is going to get out of this one?