The Dropship campsite had been complete pandemonium since the daring rescue attempt of Clarke and Bellamy, and when the search parties finally returned to base they found a whole new kind of chaos to tame. It would be a n unproductive day as everyone was amok, there were men and women demanding Jaha do something, anything, to keep them safe. Some demanded to let the delinquents go, right now, some demanded to surrender to Lexa, and some were just as stubborn as the chancellor himself saying they needed to fight back.
Council politicians attempted their jobs of calming the rabble, but one group in particular was led by Diana Sydney. She had an agenda of her own, and had been waiting for the right time to officially start her campaign. She planned on overthrowing Jaha and hoped that Bellamy would tell the Grounder Commander Lexa about her attempts to free him and Clarke. She knew the Grounders would be back, it was only a matter of time. Perhaps getting the population under control and putting Thelonious in custody would put her in good graces with the Commander and put her in the position of chancellor once more.
When she had enough people in her crowd eating up her speeches and feeding into her mindset, she decided to light the fuse.
"We had the chance for peace," she projected, "the hundred sealed it for us, and we gave into fear! People say, 'if something is too good to be true, it usually is', but in this case, in this one in a million case we truly had the best situation. And we lost it due to paranoia! We cannot allow this again!" The crowd cheered and hollered. "I believe we have a chance to be safe again. We must give the grounders what they want and follow the terms they set, that our children struggled to put together for us. We must free the hundred! It is the first step we must take!"
"Free the hundred! Free the hundred!" the crowd chanted and grew louder, moving towards the processing center that had been established a few hours earlier. The Hundred were being held here. Patrolling guards who heard the commotion made their way. They couldn't possibly have citizens going against the chancellor. They pushed and pulled within the rowdy crowd, trying to arrest those within, even trying to make it to Sydney. But the crowd wouldn't have it and a riot broke out. Arkers, fueled by hysteria, began to fight the guards, pushing against them and shoving them to the ground. The guards tried to get back up on their feet, but there were more citizens than them, and were overwhelmed immediately. Arkers ripped guns out of their hands, pulled off ammo belts, and began bashing the stocks of rifles into the faces and abdomens of the authority. More guards made their way to the anarchy, trying to help their fellow soldiers, but too were overrun. Catching glimpses of the turmoil, Jaha was escorted away and into the drop ship with a handful of armed guards, the door sealed from the inside.
When Clarke, Lexa and Bellamy had made it to the rendezvous point of the responding Grounder infantry, no time was wasted. However, to Clarke's disappointment, the military camp was being led by Manu, the Ice Nation ambassador.
"Heda," Manu greeted, placing his hands on his hips, "It is a pleasure to come to your aid. Although, I must say, I saw this coming. I told you Skaikru would rebel."
"Now is not the time for I-told-you-so, Manu. The problem is not Skaikru, but their leader, Jaha. He's on a desperate measuring contest, if I've ever seen one," Lexa grunted, not taking Manu's boasting.
"Of course, Heda," Manu smirked.
"Have your warriors ready as soon as possible, I need to see all the officers to discuss or plan." Lexa had ignored Clarke and Bellamy during this exchange. She planned on leaving them out of the battle too. "See to it that Clarke and Bellamy check in once more with a healer. I want to make sure that they are on their way to a quick recovery."
Manu partially bowed at the command.
"Lexa," started Clarke, as Lexa began to put distance between them. "Bellamy and I want to go with you to fight."
"You can't, Clarke," Lexa answered, stopping her retreat. "The both of you not fit to fight. Besides, you are the only Skaikru leaders I trust. When this is all over, I need to make sure I can place you back into power. I can't do that if one of you dies." The Commander turned back around and resumed walking away, leaving the two Arkers in Manu's care.
The Azgeda man lead them to a tent where healers were preparing their satchels full of bandages, leaves, and tonics, ready for the clash at the dropship. Manu sent Bellamy to have his spine and neck examined first, while Clarke stood beside the ambassador, a thick tension obvious to them both.
"I know this battle must mean a lot to you, Clarke,' Manu spoke softly, not turning to look at her, but instead kept watching Bellamy a few feet away. "I'm sure the reason why you want to fight is to make sure certain people that you care about don't get hurt… or worse. Am I right?"
Clarke swallowed, feeling parched with annoyance. "Where are you going with this?" she answered back, using the same cautious volume Manu used.
"Well, as much as I don't trust your people as a collective whole, I personally can't stand the idea of someone not being able to fight for their own cause. In the Ice Nation, if a warrior wants to fight, we don't deny them that wish. I won't get in the way of you fighting for what you want to be a part of, the Heda shouldn't have either, but… sensitive politics. I will tell the Heda that I let you and Bellamy rest at this camp, but if you wish, I will have you come in with the rear lines, far away from her in the formation."
"You would really sneak us in?" Clarke asked, intrigued but still knowing better.
"Of course."
"Is it because you want us to die?"
"Clarke," Manu huffed a laugh, "I already told you why. Everyone knows that if a person wants to fight, they can die. You want to fight, therefore you can die, that's just the probability of battle. It has nothing to do with some ulterior motive."
Clarke studied his face. There was a twitch in his smirk, but Clarke assumed it to be just a part of his natural mischievous nature.
"Again… you would sneak us in and not tell Lexa? What if she finds us?"
"Then you tell her you escaped. It's not that hard, Clarke."
Clarke felt herself flush a bit, bothered.
"I will sneak you in because my Azgeda culture controls so much of me. I only ask one thing in return."
"Which is?" Clarke asked, knowing this was coming.
"Many Azgeda will wear their clan symbol on them somehow during battle. Whether it be painted on their skin or clothes, or etched into their sword. If you are going to war with us, respect our war customs. Go find yourself a chest-plate and etch the Skaikru symbol on it, or just draw it on yourself to be quicker. Think about it…" Manu began to separate himself from Clarke, walking away. "Tell Bellamy that he has to wear his crest as well if he wants to join. I will come back before we leave…"
Back at the Ark Dropship, Sydney's reign was short-lived. Fear returned to the hearts of the Arkers. Fed up with taking shelter in the ship, Jaha had sent some of his guards out to exercise power. They did so by shooting any Arker with a gun, since many had stolen rifles after assaulting the authority during the brief riot. The bodies were left on the ground. No one was allowed to move them.
All of the Hundred that had been freed from their "cells" or community service stations were in the process of being re-shackled.
Diana Sydney was taken captive. A public execution to deal with later, Right now, Jaha had to focus on rounding up his people, and prepare for any retaliation from the Grounders.
Before Jaha could even feel remotely comfortable about his perimeter defenses, the Arkers began to murmur and shout, crying that a Grounder had been spotted. A hefty amount of yards away, the Grounder Lincoln galloped out of the tree line and into the billowing tall blades of grass. In his hand he waved a white flag with the Trigeda symbol on it. He galloped up and down the field, creating a loop.
"Arkers!" he shouted, still trotting back and forth. He was making it hard for any sharpshooter to snipe him with his constant movements. "Our Heda Lexa, Commander of the Twelve Clans, extends her wings of protection for those willing to acknowledge her as their leader. This is your last chance. Any Arker who leaves now and comes with me to the forest will not be harmed, but accepted into our community. This is your last chance. Those who remain, will not face much mercy."
The camp grew quiet as Lincoln waited, and all that could be heard were the galloping of his steed's stamping hooves. Arkers looked at each other, wondering who would move first, if anyone would move.
Waiting in line to be shackled with the others, Octavia Blake saw Lincoln and wasn't going to be offered twice. Not looking towards anyone, she took off, running past shocked eyes. She was halfway towards Lincoln when others began to take off too, following the infamous sibling.
Lincoln kept his sporadic trot going, even as Octavia ran towards him, he had to make sure he was always a moving target.
Then gunfire cracked across the sky and an Arker tumbled to the ground. Those in the camp began to scream, retreating further and further from the outskirts of the camp, huddling in the middle in a frightened show of obedience to Jaha.
Then another went down by a bullet, then another. Lincoln watched Octavia fall to the ground, unharmed, but clever, hoping to be mistaken as a casualty. He looked at her apprehensively, but she mouthed to him to retreat.
Straightening up in his saddle, he held the Trigeda flag up as he continued to gallop. "The Heda shall know of this! Take heed, the war has begun! Your death comes!" He spurred his horse with his heels, pressing deep into the animal's side, and took off back into the trees.
"Set up a sniping perimeter and a front line of riflemen!" Jaha commanded frantically.
Guards amassed in their ordered areas, the sound of a thousand hooves and chants approaching from the trees…