Hey guys! I know it's been a long time and I'm really sorry for that, but I've been working hard these past couple of days to get this chapter ready. We're really close to the end now so I hope you guys stick around for it. Anyway I hope I don't disappoint with this chapter. Let me know what you think! Enjoy!
Warning: Violence
Roan was breathing heavily as he pushed himself quickly through the trees with Raven in his arms and two Azgeda rebels following behind him. The mechanic had passed out shortly after him and Lexa had freed her. He needed to get the injured girl to a healer and he needed to speak with the leaders of the Commander's army.
Indra, Zora, and Luna were all seated inside a small tent. Their army was approaching Saipan and they were growing close to the city, but they stopped to give their army a short break and wait for some sign from their Heda.
"Not long now before we reach Saipan," Indra stated.
"What exactly is the plan for when we get there?" Luna questioned.
"Lexa left us in charge of her army. She wanted us to get close to Saipan and prepared to launch an attack. She said she would return to us to give us our orders and if she doesn't return by dusk we are to attack," Zora replied.
Luna opened her mouth to ask another question, but a commotion outside caught their attention and they left the tent to find out what was going on.
It didn't take Roan long to reach the army. Thankfully they were already close to Saipan. He burst into the camp immediately catching the attention of the guards on watch. Octavia was the first to reach the Prince, but she barely acknowledged him as her eyes focused on what, or rather who, was in his arms. "Oh my god, Raven!" Octavia exclaimed. "Abby. Someone get Abby!" Octavia yelled as she took in the currently unconscious and injured form of her friend.
"I'm right here," Abby yelled as she rushed onto the scene. "Jackson, Nyko get her to my tent, now!"
The other two healers did as they were told, gently taking the unconscious girl out of the Prince's arms and carrying her away to the medical tent.
"What the hell happened?" Octavia questioned as Indra, Luna, and Zora all appeared from behind her.
"There's no time," Roan said through heavy breaths. "We must go now."
"Slow down," Luna said, "Come with us and tell us what happened." She ordered and led the group back into their tent to discuss.
Roan impatiently stood in the tent, with the two other Azgeda rebels, before the four women and he quickly explained what had happened, and then told them the plan. "The city itself is not currently occupied. Nia has required just about everyone to be present for a public execution, which she has set up outside the walls of Saipan. She wants not only her people to see, but yours too, because she knows at the very least you have scouts in the trees that will be able to see what she's doing. Lexa is planning on interrupting Nia which means that they'll both be on the stage and both of them will be arguing, trying to gain the support of the crowd and make the other look weak."
"These two," Roan motioned to the two rebels behind him, "Will lead some of your army through Saipan and into the crowd. That way the Commander will have vocal supporters. Once people start voicing their support for Heda, more of the Azgeda citizens will feel comfortable enough to show their support as well. Once we get the people on Heda's side we will be able to end Nia's show and put a stop to her rule once and for all," Roan explained. The plan was pretty vague. Him and Lexa and the others hadn't had a lot of time to come up with a plan, and they weren't entirely sure what Nia's intentions were up on the stage, but they came up with the best plan that they could.
"What about the rest of the army? We won't be able to sneak everyone into the crowd," Indra questioned.
"The rest of the army will continue moving closer to Saipan. I don't know that this will end without a fight, so we will need an army ready to move just in case. Look, we need to move now, we don't have a lot of time."
"Ok then. Let's do it," Zora agreed, knowing that there wasn't any time to discuss details, and she quickly left the tent to gather some men to get into the crowd.
It didn't take long for the army to split into the necessary groups and for everyone to be ready to move. Once they were set, they quickly took off on their way to Saipan.
/
The crowd was silent. Clarke was on her knees in a sign of surrender and the Commander was staring down at her with a look that, to most was calm and unaffected, but to Clarke was shock with a tinge of fear. The tension in the air was thicker than anything anyone had ever experienced as all were focused on the kneeling blonde.
At first, the silence was deafening, and then Nia's cruel, harsh laughter cut into the silence like a knife.
"Why am I not surprised that the Commander of Death is the most dangerous assassin alive," Nia drawled, a vicious smirk on her face. Clarke's move was unexpected, but she could play off of it. All she had to do was get the crowd on her side and get them to turn against Lexa.
Lexa's gaze slowly drifted from Clarke to Nia, and if looks could kill, Nia would be a goner. "Don't pretend you didn't know," Lexa spat. Her anger was at a level she had not felt in a long long time. She hated this woman more than she could ever hate anyone or anything for what she did to Clarke, and now she hated her even more because Clarke was in a dangerous position because of her.
The two women were locked in a stare down and neither of them noticed that the crowd watching them was slowly growing larger. Even those in the crowd didn't notice as their attention was solely focused on the three women on the stage.
"Wanheda was a free citizen of Azgeda. I wasn't watching her every move. She was my guard when I needed one, nothing more than that," Nia defended, and Lexa scoffed at the blatant lie.
"But you," Nia continued. "You didn't even know that the girl listening in on your meetings, the girl you let near innocent men, women, and children, the one fighting beside you and your army, the girl you let into your bed, was a wanted assassin. The most deadly assassin in your coalition. The one you swore to capture and lay to rest." Nia cocked her head to the side, "Or did you?"
"No!" Clarke spoke for the first time since her reveal, pushing herself up to her feet. "She had no idea who I was," Clarke said. She wasn't going to let the people think Lexa lied to them and put them in danger. "I kept it a secret. She didn't know-"
"I knew," Lexa said loudly and firmly, so everyone in the crowd could finally hear the truth. Clarke's head shot to Lexa's, her eyes wide at the admission. Lexa looked at Clarke with a soft look in her eyes, "I will not lie to my people any longer."
"I knew Wanheda was The Shadow," Lexa admitted to her people, and she was met with loud gasps of surprise. "I put my faith in her because I knew she would never hurt me or my people. Queen Nia tortured her. Stabbed, scarred, and mutilated her body. Forced her to serve the Queen's bidding by threatening her people. She used the last man of the mountain to do it."
The crowd jeered at the mention of the mountain. If Nia had joined forces with one of them, it would be seen as the ultimate betrayal. "Nia threatened to kill every last member of Skaikru with the same weapon that destroyed TonDC, so Wanheda became The Shadow to keep them safe. That's why I trusted her. I knew The Shadow was not a threat to any of my people."
Nia could see the crowd was listening to Lexa, and she needed to stop them from turning on her quickly. "You lie!" She yelled.
"She speaks the truth!" A voice said from the crowd, and it split as Prince Roan walked forward with the other clan leaders who supported Lexa behind him. "You forced Wanheda to serve you just as you forced me," Roan declared while glaring at his mother. "The people don't deserve to be treated the way you treat them mother. I won't let it stand any longer."
"You could never be King," Nia scoffed, knowing that was the direction her son was leading. "You're too weak. Just as the Commander herself is. Too naive and weak to lead her people well. She was too afraid to stand and fight at the mountain, she lied to her people about The Shadow, all so she could keep the woman she has fallen for safe, but by doing so she put everyone else in danger. The Commander is a fool and is not fit to be the leader of this coalition," Nia yelled not only at her son, but to the entire crowd that was watching. She could tell that she had some support, and the clan leaders of those who had sided with her were all nodding along with her as she spoke, but she wasn't sure if it was enough.
"You will not speak of the Commander this way," Indra snarled from her spot on the stage behind Roan, her loyalty to Lexa ever strong.
"I will speak of this girl however I want. She is no leader, and I will prove it when I end her life," Nia laid down a challenge, a bit informally, but a challenge nonetheless.
"You have no right to challenge Heda-"
"I accept," Lexa declared before Indra even finished speaking. "Two hours, and we will end this once and for all."
Nia smirked as she nodded and started to walk off the stage, but before she left she stopped and turned around. "Accepted. Oh and Commander, don't forget about your new prisoner," she said as her eyes looked to Clarke.
The blonde was staring daggers at Nia, but made no protest as two guards came from behind her, each taking a hold of one of her arms. She kept her gaze locked on Nia as she felt a rope secure her wrists behind her back and the then the two guards pulled her away forcing them to break eye contact. She followed the guards as they led her off the stage and away to where she assumed would be her new cell until a decision could be made about her fate.
/
Clarke's hands were freed when she was when the two Trikru guards left her in her cell. It was a much nicer cell than any she had ever spent time in in Azgeda, and she was actually surprised a prison cell this calm and well maintained existed in Saipan.
She was seated on the single bench that was in the cell, her back leaning up against the walls. Her entire body ached from her recent torture and her mind felt heavy from the recent events up on the stage.
She was tired and in pain and concerned not only for her future, but more importantly Lexa's. She had accepted another challenge against Nia, putting her life in danger once again. Damn her and her unwavering loyalty to her people.
Her thoughts started to spiral to all the outcomes that could come of the recent fight, but before her thoughts got too dark, the creaking of her cell door sounded and in walked the subject of Clarke's thoughts.
The door closed behind the Commander, leaving the two women alone in the cell and Clarke rose to her feet, fighting back a wince, and took a step towards the woman she loved.
Lexa could read the pain on her lovers face and from her body language so she took the few remaining steps forward and the two crashed into a loving embrace, Clarke holding on tightly as Lexa wrapped protectively around her while making sure not to harm Clarke in any way.
The two remain wrapped around one another until Lexa finally pulled away. "You weren't supposed to tell anyone who you were," she admonished softly.
"I'm sorry," Clarke whispered. "She had Ontari in the trees, it was the only way I could keep you and the Shallow Valley prisoner safe."
"But not you," Lexa said. Clarke's decision to reveal herself had put the blonde in a very difficult situation, and Lexa had no choice but to hold the blonde as her prisoner until she could figure something out.
Clarke nodded slowly. "It doesn't matter. You're what's important. I'm a killer Lexa, and no matter how you look at it, that's what I am. I'll get what I deserve."
"Hey, I won't let anything bad happen to you." Lexa promised with determination. "We will figure something out Clarke. I swear it."
Clarke smiled sadly and reached up with her left hand to cup Lexa's cheek. "I love you," she whispered as she brought their lips together in a loving kiss.
"And I you," Lexa breathed when they broke apart to breathe.
"Now," Clarke spoke again, this time her voice slightly more disapproving, "What the hell are you doing agreeing to Nia's challenge."
Lexa sighed, already having known that the blonde would not be fond of her decision to accept. "This all ends with her death Clarke. Accepting her challenge is the quickest way to reach that end with the smallest loss of life," Lexa explained.
"It's not going to be that simple Lex," Clarke said. "She fights dirty."
"People like her always do," Lexa acknowledged.
Clarke sighed. She didn't like it, but Lexa made a good point, and she knew Lexa was more than capable of winning. "You better not die out there."
A small grin formed on Lexa's lips. "As you wish."
Clarke exhaled a quick laugh and wrapped her arms around the brunette once again. "Be safe Lexa. Beja," she whispered into Lexa's ear as she held her tight in their embrace.
"Always," Lexa replied holding onto Clarke tightly.
"I need to be there Lexa," Clarke said after a few minutes of the two just holding each other. "I know I'm still a prisoner, but I need to see what happens."
"And you will," Lexa agreed. She squeezed Clarke a little tighter for a moment before finally separating. "For now, I must go," Lexa said.
Clarke nodded and pulled Lexa in for one more kiss. "Kick her ass for me," Clarke whispered against her lips.
Lexa smiled as she captured Clarke's lips in a heated kiss one more time, "For you, ai hodnes, anything."
/
After Lexa had left Clarke's cell, she spoke with Indra, Luna, and Zora for a bit before she went off to meditate and then stretch her muscles to prepare for her upcoming fight.
It wasn't long before the time for the fight came. The challenge had to happen a little outside of Saipan as the city couldn't house Azgeda and all of the Commander's army.
A ring had been formed in a large clearing and everyone was present to watch as the two leaders came to their final confrontation.
Lexa had kept her word for Clarke to be present at the fight, and the blonde was standing in the front row, but her hands were bound in front of her body and two guards were stationed behind her.
Lexa couldn't keep her eyes off of her love as she stretched her muscles and waited for the fight to begin.
She didn't have to wait long until Luna stepped into the ring and the crowd grew silent. Lexa stood tall and confident as Nia came up to stand beside her. The two warriors faced the Floukru leader, both of them decked out in their formal warrior gear and war paint and strapped up with multiple weapons. "Hashta soulou gonplei, bilaik won hedon noumou: do souda wan op deyon," Luna began, reciting the same thing that Titus would have said if he were here. She raised "Yo na jomp in."
The two opponents took a few steps away from each other as they unsheathed their weapons and prepared to fight. The voices of the crowd grew louder once again as everyone waited in anticipation for someone to make the first move.
Lexa began to circle her greatest enemy as Nia adjusted her grip on her sword and faced the Commander. "You're going to die today Lexa," Nia taunted, trying to get a rise out of Lexa.
Lexa didn't take the bait though as she kept her eyes locked on her target, studying her every move, looking for a weakness.
Nia's eyes narrowed as Lexa continued to study her and eventually, the Queen grew tired of waiting. She charged at Lexa with a flurry of blows, each of them blocked by the Commander's sword.
The Queen took a step back after her failed attack and began to study Lexa again. The two went back to circling each other as they waited for their moment.
Nia knew this would be a difficult challenge. She would never admit it out loud, but she knew that Lexa was a formidable opponent, and she knew she needed to distract Lexa in order to get the advantage. "When I'm finished with you," Nia started taunting her again, "Clarke will be next. I've heard her screams more times then I can count, but I never ended them." Nia could see the anger darkening her opponents expression and continued pushing, "I will make her scream in pain until she can't scream any longer. I will make her beg for her death and then I will take my blade and remove her head. Much like I did to someone else, if I recall correctly."
Those were the words that made Lexa snap as she snarled loudly and lunged towards Nia with a quick, powerful, but slightly unorganized onslaught of strikes.
Nia backpedaled as she moved to block all of the Commander's blows, but not without one strike making contact and slicing into her upper arm.
She grunted in pain as she was able to separate herself from Lexa and take a moment to regain her breath. She could see the frenzied look in Lexa's eyes her eyes widened as the Commander came at her again, just as quickly and just as aggressive.
Nia was quickly realizing that poking the bear may not have been her wisest move. An angry Lexa was one that nobody wanted be on the receiving end of a stare from, let alone a sword. And even more dangerous than an angry Lexa, was an angry and protective Lexa.
Nia wasn't going to give in though and when she was knocked onto her back, she grabbed a handful of dirt and launched it at the Commander as she used the distraction to roll to her feet.
Lexa had expected the move, and was able to move out of the way, but it gave Nia time to return to her feet and launch her own attack which had Lexa playing defense.
After another round of exchanging blows the two women found themselves caught in a deadlock, but Lexa was the one to break it and she delivered an elbow to the Queen's nose and her sword sliced down the Queen's back as they moved passed each other.
Nia howled out in pain and turned around to glare at the Commander, and their fight continued.
/
Clarke was watching the fight closely from the sideline wincing when Lexa took a hit and smiling when the Queen took one. She watched as the two went back and forth, occasionally exchanging words, but mostly just exchanging blows.
Clarke watched as Lexa delivered a punch to the Queen's jaw, sending her stumbling backwards before she was able to regain her footing.
Both women were breathing heavily, covered in a sheen of sweat and a few cuts and bruises, but the Queen was definitely looking worse than Lexa.
After Nia took another hit from the Commander she created some space between her and her opponent and made a motion with her wrist. To most, the motion would look like Nia was stretching, maybe adjusting her grip on her sword, but Clarke knew better. It was a sign.
Her eyes immediately left the two women fighting as she scanned the area for who Nia could have possibly been signaling, and a she almost missed it, but a glint of metal from a distance up in a tree caught her eye. There was no time to react, so Clarke did the only thing she could. "LEXA, MOVE!" she screamed.
Lexa's eyes had been trained on Nia, but Clarke's order hit her ears, and she didn't even need to think about it, her body rolled to the side and she only felt a small pain as an arrow nicked the flesh on her side. It wasn't the best feeling, but it was much better than what would have happened had Clarke not warned her.
Once the the crowd realized what had happened, all hell break loose as the few remaining warriors loyal to Nia charged into the ring to protect their Queen and kill the Commander.
The coalition's army however, was quick to react, as they had been ready for something like this to happen thanks to the last challenge that Nia had cheated on.
Lexa's vision of Queen Nia was disrupted as warriors charged into the ring to fight, so Lexa turned to find the one person she needed to make sure was okay.
A sense of dread filled the Commander's stomach as she realized Clarke's hands were still bound and she was weaponless. She immediately took off in the last direction she remembered the blonde being, needing to be by her side.
She weaved through the warriors all around her as she approached Clarke's last location and a flurry of blonde hair caught her attention.
Clarke was face to face with a man much larger than her, holding an axe, ready to kill. "Clarke!" She yelled as she sprinted towards the defenseless blonde, who turned out to not be as defenseless as she looked.
Clarke ignored the call of her name from behind her as she focused on the man intent to kill her. He charged towards her and raised his axe, poised to kill.
Clarke waited for the exact moment to launch herself up in the air, flipping her body over her opponent, and holding her hands out and apart to use the blade of his axe to slice through the ropes around her wrists.
Clarke landed on her feet behind the man she had just used to free herself and then she snapped his neck before he could even turn around.
Lexa watched the blonde, in awe of her skill, before she saw Clarke drop to her knee and reach for her side with a wince. Lexa immediately sobered up and sprinted to her love's side. "Clarke are you alright?"
"I'm fine Lexa," she said as she pushed herself up to her feet.
Lexa's eyes scanned the blonde's form, catching sight of blood staining her shirt on her left side. She must have reopened one of her previous wounds. "Lexa, I'm fine, really," Clarke said again, regaining the brunettes attention. "This fight isn't over yet. Ontari was the one who shot you with that arrow and I need to go after her. You need to find Queen Nia."
"No," Lexa argued, her protective instincts on overdrive. "I'm not leaving your side."
"You have to," Clarke argued back. "You said it yourself, this all ends with Nia's death. You need to end this, and I need to end Ontari."
"Clarke, everyone knows you're The Shadow now. You're not safe from anyone anymore. Anyone wanting revenge could go after you. Plus you're still injured."
"Lexa, you have to do this. I will be fine, I promise. Do this. For your people, for me, for Costia, for yourself. You need to do this."
Lexa stared into the stubborn blonde's eyes and knew that she was right. She looked deep into her lover's eyes. "May we meet again."
Clarke reached out to squeeze Lexa's hand, "We will," and then she was off.
"Heda! Nia is trying to flee. We must catch up to her. This way," Indra yelled as she ran towards her Commander.
Lexa nodded and turned to follow Indra as she led the Commander through the battlefield in the direction the scouts had spotted Nia fleeing. They met up with Zora, Luna, Roan, Octavia, Lincoln, Bellamy, and a few others as the group pushed forward to find the Queen and finally end this.
/
Clarke had grabbed a sword and picked up a few extra knives from the bodies on the ground as she made her way towards the last place she had seen Ontari.
She knew the assassin would have been the one Nia trusted most to take a shot like that from such a far distance at Lexa, and she was ready to end Ontari's miserable existence once and for all.
She took down a couple of Ice Nation warriors as they charged towards her on her way, until finally, she reached her destination.
She stopped just below the tree Ontari had made her shot from and scanned her surrounds, just barely spotting a figure in the shadows and rolling to dodge a dagger thrown at her head. Her body was bleeding and aching, but she ignored it as she came face to face with one of the three women she wanted to see dead.
"I've waited a long time for the opportunity to kill you," Ontari sneered as she stepped out of the shadows.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Clarke replied, her eyes locked on Ontari as the brunette slowly moved closer towards her. "Unfortunately, I don't think you'll succeed."
Ontari smirked, "We'll see about that," and then she lunged.
The two assassins went back and forth, both knowing the other's moves too well. They could read their opponents next move before the other even made it, blocking their opponents attack as one tried to get the upper hand.
The upper hand seemed to belong to Ontari though, as Clarke's tired and injured body grew slower and weaker.
Ontari brought her sword down on Clarke who used her own sword to block the attack and the two weapons were locked together in between the two bodies.
Ontari used all her strength to push forward and Clarke could tell she wasn't going to be able to win in this game of strength. Her body was burning and her muscles were trembling, teetering on the edge of folding and letting Ontari kill her.
Clarke knew she couldn't let that happen though, but she knew that in order for her to win, she was going to have to absorb a good deal of pain.
With her last remaining reserve of strength she redirected Ontari's sword toward her shoulder and let her arms give in to their fatigue. With Clarke's sword now out of the way, the force Ontari had been applying pushed her sword forward and right into Clarke's upper shoulder.
She cried out in pain as the sword dug deep into her flesh and she was eye to eye with a smirking Ontari. "You're finished," she said with a confident smirk, only for it to drop and her eyes to widen as she felt a searing pain in her abdomen.
"Yu gonplei ste odon," Clarke grit out, trying to mask the pain in her voice, as she twisted her knife and watched the life fade from Ontari's eyes, and the assassin dropped to the ground in a lifeless heap.
Clarke stumbled backwards for a moment, the sword still lodged in her shoulder, as her vision went a little blurry. She knew she needed to return to the battlefield and find someone who could help her or she would die here in the woods beside Ontari.
She used the little energy she had left to wander back onto the battlefield, but there wasn't much of a battle left. The coalition army had greatly outnumbered those on Nia's side. Even some of the citizens of Azgeda had fought against their own Queen.
Clarke ungracefully stumbled around until she finally reached a group she recognized to be a mixture of Skaikru and Trikru. She caught the eye of one of the healers who she thinks is Nyko, but her vision is too blurry to tell, and then everything went black.
/
Lexa ran through the trees with her entourage at her back until they were stopped by a group of Azgeda warriors. The symbols on their uniform marked them as Nia's royal guard. There were a good number of them, but not too many for Lexa's friends to handle.
"We've got this Heda," Zora said as she unsheathed her sword. "Go find Queen Nia."
Lexa looked back at the group that had followed her and they all nodded, confirming that they had the situation under control, so she waited for the two sides to begin fighting before moving past them and back on Queen Nia's trail.
She followed the signs of Nia's retreat and knew she was close. Nia was around here somewhere. She continued down the path she knew Nia had gone until she was blocked by a woman standing on the path. Lexa didn't know who she was, but she immediately disliked the woman, for a reason that was more than the fact that she was defending the Ice Queen.
"Stand aside," Lexa ordered, knowing it wouldn't work, but figuring it couldn't hurt to try.
The woman didn't respond verbally, but she smirked and pulled out a jagged looking knife and it was the only response Lexa needed to know this woman wasn't going to listen to her.
Lexa unsheathed her sword and then the woman charged at her. They went back and forth a little before the woman's knife made contact with Lexa's skin, causing the brunette to grunt in pain. The woman laughed. "You know, this knife sliced into Wanheda's flesh more times than I could count. Her screams were always the loudest when I used this to mark her flesh over and over again."
Lexa's entire frame tensed as her mind put the pieces of this woman's identity together. Severna, the bitch who had tortured Clarke mercilessly.
Lexa saw red and she let out a fierce battle cry, startling the Azgeda woman. Lexa moved with speed unlike ever before and Severna didn't stand a chance. She did her best to defend herself, but the Commander was too powerful and her sword sliced deeply into the woman's stomach.
Severna dropped to her knees, a choking sound coming from her throat as blood dribbled down her chin. "Nau yu wan op," Lexa growled lowly, not giving this woman the warriors sendoff to send her spirit on to the next life.
A few seconds later Severna took her last breath and Lexa's attention shifted to the Queen. She continued down the path she had been following, leaving Severna's body behind to rot.
It didn't take long for her to spot Nia as she continued to flee. Lexa reached into her boot where she kept her spare dagger and launched it through the air, and the blade sunk into the flesh of Nia's back.
The Queen cried out as she fell forward and then she rolled over to a sitting position, but by the time she turned around, Lexa was on her.
Nia looked up onto the hard face of the Commander and she knew it was over for her. "Fine then," Nia growled. "Finish it."
"No," Lexa said as she stared down at the Ice Queen. "The people deserve their justice. I will not take that from them, no matter how badly I want to kill you," Lexa growled and she smashed the hilt of her sword onto the Queen's temple.
I hope you guys liked it! please let me know what you think. I have my own ideas but I really want to know what you guys think. How do you think Clarke is going to get out of her situation? How do think this story is going to end? I really want to hear your thoughts. One thing I will promise is that this story will have a happy ending for Clexa so don't worry about that. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you all enjoyed what I wrote!