Lexa arrived the evening of the landing. She had headed out the second she saw the streaks of the ships in the sky. The sight had dropped a stone in the stomachs of all her people, she knew it. Finalizing peace between these people from the sky was crucial. She donned a ceremonial tunic, that served both purposes of agile armor and relaying her status, and strapped onto her hip a long-sword. In her saddle bags she stored two bottles of their finest and strongest aged wine- a gift if all went well with the Ark Council.

She set on the journey with her usual group of officers, but assigned a dozen extra soldiers to accompany them. Ever since she found out about Clarke being her soul mate, the majority of her actions regarding Skaikru had been influenced by her lover, she knew this, but this time, Lexa felt she was able to minimize her soulbond's effects on her decisions here. The Skaikru Council coming from the sky was obviously not the same as the vagabonds they had sent to Earth to make camp. Based on Clarke's retelling of the Ark political culture, the lines were thin already- even the most sensitive of slips from Lexa could cause an outburst in the Ark Trading Post.

When she and her riders trotted into the camp on their steeds, all the new Arkers stopped their activities to watch in awe as they beheld the legendary Grounders. Uncomfortable, Lexa couldn't keep her eyebrow down as she looked down at all the ambivalent faces watching her. Not getting far into the camp, she came to a halt as two men with an air of authority stepped in front of her small band.

"You must be Commander Lexa," said one of them, with his hands composed behind his back. "I am Thelonious Jaha, Councilor of the Ark."

Since Jaha did not extend his hand in greetings, Lexa felt encouraged to stay on her stallion. Power games were in play already…

"This here," Jaha said, pointing to the man beside him, "Is Marcus Kane, he serves on the Council as well. Our other member of the Council is busy tending to our wounded elsewhere, her name is Abby Griffin, mother of Clarke, whom you already know."

"And where is she?" Lexa asked, boldly.

"Excuse me?" Jaha asked, his hands going back behind his back, yet leaning forward as if he struggled with hearing her.

"Where is Clarke?" Lexa asked again, this time projecting her voice. "Where is the leader of this camp?" Lexa knew she was getting testy too quickly, but something in her instincts felt anxious, as if something was wrong. Why wouldn't Clarke come out to see her arrival? Soulmate bond removed- surely the person who put this alliance together would have been present.

"The leader is right here," Jaha answered, implying himself.

"You were not elected by the people here."

"I was elected by all of my people who were old enough to do so. These are children here according to our laws. Clarke was elected to take care of them all, until we got here."

Lexa could feel everyone's eyes on her as Jaha tested her. Her anger was simmering. She was not used to such bold defiance. The only thing restraining her was the thought of Clarke, and Lexa knew it shouldn't. "And above you?" Lexa asked, trying one last move.

Jaha took a few steps forward to Lexa, whose stallion didn't budge. "There's no one above me," he said almost too softly, as if betraying a hint of fear.

Lexa scoffed with a hearty faux laugh, making her riders and everyone around her shift uncomfortably. That's all she needed to go off.

"This," Lexa began, pointing down to the ground underneath her horse's hooves, "Is mine. All mine. Not yours. You being the leader of a people in general, Jaha, does not give you the right to just take someone's lands for your own, and act like there's nothing wrong with it. To attempt to justify stealing land by thinking that you're doing it for your people." Both Grounders and Arkers listened a like in silence. "If your Council has made you believe that me and my people are the villains, because we took care of your people, then may any god out there have mercy on your naivety and stupidity."

Firmly jerking the reins of her horse's bridle, she began to turn her horse. "You have one day to restore Clarke Griffin to her station and recognize my overall status over your people. If you fail to do so, your people will simply cease to exist. You have your arrogant Councilor to thank."

And with that, Lexa ushered her horse and her band to follow her as she kicked off to a gallop into the woods, leaving the Arkers anxious with the Commander's proposal. Lexa's true motive, however, was not far off from what she spoke. However, what she really wanted to do was somehow rescue Clarke first, and then bring an end to this arrogance and defiance. It was time to put her job first now. Clarke would have to accept her soulmate for who Lexa was: not simply a firm and just leader, but an unstoppable warrior.

Meanwhile, in the dropship, the original hundred, minus Wells Jaha, who was exempt from the "new crimes" for obvious reasons, were chained up on each level of the, miserable. They were shackled with their hands above their heads, and it reminded Clarke of her time in prison, wondering if it was done to keep them from communicating with any soulmates which may have been on the outside.

Clarke grew anxious, knowing that her absence would certainly set Lexa off, especially with Jaha's new turn in his leadership personality. How could the man who used to befriend her family do this? The man who had mercy on her to give her charcoal to draw with in her cell. What happened to him?

She looked around herself and saw the all too familiar faces of her typical inner circle: Bellamy, Octavia, Finn, Murphy, Jasper, and Monty hung with her with a few others, looking around dejectedly. Clarke was just happy that Bellamy wasn't pouting "I told you so" to everyone.

"So what's going to happen now?" asked Jasper, breaking the silence.

"We're going to be put on trial for doing what they wanted us to do," Monty sighed. "They've always just wanted to get rid of us. It probably rubbed salt in their wounds to show people that we, criminals, could change. Float us in space, or execute us on Earth. It always came down to this. A new world never promised us a new way of life. Not this early on, at least."

"We're going to get out of here," Clarke said.

"And how is that, exactly?" Murphy asked. "We haven't been granted a meal, and I'm pretty sure they're not going to spoon-feed us. Chances are, after they're done shooing Lexa away- because I'm pretty sure that's what they're gonna do- they'll probably round us all up for a group trial, and we'll be dead by tomorrow at the latest."

"We're getting out," said Octavia this time, "My soulmate is going to come get us."

The level of the dropship went silent.

"Who?" Bellamy asked, the traditional air of a protective brother arising.

"Lincoln, I'm sure you've all met him at one time or another," Octavia stated boldly.

"A Grounder?" Bellamy asked, stunned by this oddly recurring theme. "Hell, mine's probably one too, at this rate."

"What do you mean?" curiously asked Murphy. "What do you mean by 'at this rate'?"

Bellamy bit the inside of his own cheek to punish himself for letting such a subtle comment slip. "Nothing," he replied, "I've just… I've just heard of others from our group finding Grounder soulmates."

Clarke felt her heart beating anxiously in her chest. She was tired of keeping a secret, and she found herself almost wanting Bellamy to spill it.

"Does Lincoln have a direct audience with Lexa?" Clarke asked, after taking a deep breath.

"Not direct," Octavia replied, "but he's not stranger to her, if that's good enough."

"It is," Clarke said. "We need to get something to write with, somehow. If you can't reach your soulmate, then I will."

Clarke could feel the ominous air of realization weigh in the room.

"You mean to tell me…" Octavia began, already in disbelief.

"Lexa," Clarke clarified, "I'll have to write to her too."