BeserkBookWorm (on AO3): You would be correct, her ancestor is very important to both the Grounders and the Arkers, but that's all I will say now. She has some extra rounds in her pack, but not an unlimited amount. While she may eventually hunt down some of the bunkers, it won't be until the 100 come down. She doesn't really need them right now.
MJandSports (on ): Yeah, they didn't waste any time, but you have to consider that they consider it a grave insult for anyone else to claim to be Queen. While Clarke isn't claiming that, others are on her behalf. Plus, she was still weak and bedridden, which made her an easy target of oppurtunity.
As a side-note, I shamelessly rip off a scene from Braveheart in this chapter. Why? Because it's awesome.
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Nothing Is True
Chapter Five
Power Plays
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Clarke resisted the urge to frown, sigh, or otherwise express her irritation as she left Lexa's bedroom and felt the identical twin ravenettes, Kara and Kira, (whom had not strayed from their posts beside the door in the three days that had passed since her arrival, and the prompt assassination attempt against her) fall into step behind her. The two sisters were, according to Costia (who was really rather cool, despite being an absolute pervert) two of the best and most loyal warriors the Tree Clan had to offer. In fact, she confided, they were at the top of a very short list to join the Commander's, Lexa's, personal bodyguard. While that was reassuring and even flattering, she was hardly a child incapable of protecting herself! Hadn't she proven as much already?
Speaking of which...she kept her discomfort hidden at the sight of her three human kills, their decaying corpses hanging by their wrists from the posts imbedded in the ground near the center of the village. As disturbing as the sight was, she had come to, well not peace, but at least a neutral balance over what she had done. After, of course, waking up, getting the details, and throwing up for a couple of hours.
Still, she took comfort in the fact that it had been entirely necessary for her continued to survival, not only in that moment but the future as well. Once the news circulated amongst the clans, helped by an announcement Lexa planned to make at tonight's feast, that members of the Ice Nation who had tried to murder her and been slain at her own hand, her position would be strengthened significantly.
"Kira, Kara, when was the last time that the two of you had something substantial to eat?" she asked, turning away from the sight to look at the pair of twenty-something year-olds.
"We're fine, SkaiPrisa. Our duty is to defend you." Kara responded stoically, and Clarke snorted, folding her arms under her breasts as she stared at the two.
"So it wasn't anytime recent, then?" she guessed. When silence was her only answer, she rolled her eyes and started towards the cooking fires. "I'll take that as a no. Well, I'm hungry, so I guess you'll just have to join me for breakfast, since it would be rude not to eat while I do so."
Despite themselves, the twins couldn't help smiling slightly at her back despite their irritation with her relaxed attitude and odd ways. As the only two people outside of the Heda's closest advisors to interact with the Sky Princess, they had quickly learned that she had a soul of iron. After her initial, emotional first-kill breakdown had passed, she had mastered herself admirably and had grilled them for hours on every subject she could think of. She had never been shy about expressing her own convictions, arguing even with the Commander when she felt that it was needed.
One such conviction was that the people around her were to be as healthy and happy as she could make them. This, they guessed, stemmed from her knowledge and gentle nature as a healer. It also meant, however, that she insisted on them eating as often as possible, and getting 'plenty of rest'. Which in her opinion was a lot more than they had ever had before.
Following the blonde as she threaded her way through the hustle and the bustle of TonDC and its inhabitants preparing to either attend the feast in polis, or protect the village until Heda's return. Both observed with approval as those that saw her coming stepped out of her path, inclining their heads in a slight bow of respect.
Both hastened to close the small gap between them and their future queen when a warrior of the Rockkru, the Stone Clan, stepped deliberately in front of her. Residing in a canyon close to Polis itself, members of the clan were known for two things: their physique and their tempers. They were also a clan that more often than not supported the Ice Clan in the Senate, and thus were considered more exceptional a threat to Clarke.
"Can I help you?" Clarke asked evenly, hand drifting with casual purpose to rest on the butt of her hand cannon, a movement and implicit threat that was neither missed nor misunderstood by anyone. The RockKru warrior dropped a large rock at her feet, which she glanced at before returning her attention to his face. "You ah...you seem to have dropped your rock."
"A test of strength. You who would claim to be the SkaiPrisa, our future Kwin, killed the pauna with a coward's weapon. A weapon of the Mountain Men." he spat the name with contempt and hatred. Staring down at her, he continued. "Amongst my people, the throwing of stones over distance signifies strength, worthiness to be accepted as a warrior of the tribe. Prove to me your strength."
"I doubt that I could pick that up even if I wasn't as injured as I am, three days of recovery or not." Clarke folded her arms over her chest, and the crowd murmured as the warrior sneered at her, puffing out his chest to make himself even bigger. Clarke, however, was utterly unimpressed, and he was compelled to speak.
"As I thought. A weak, pale child like you could never be Kwin. Pathetic, utterly pathetic." He spat on the ground at her feet in contempt, getting quiet snarls from her guards and hisses of indrawn breath from the crowd. Both of those reactions told Clarke that she had just been insulted rather gravely, and ignoring the challenge would be not only foolish, but dangerous.
"Tell me, oh strong and mighty one: could you crush someone with your throw, if you were able to him them?" she asked with a sly smirk.
"I could crush you like a worm." He growled at the slight to his prowess, and Clarke's smirk broadened slightly as she turned to play to the crowd.
"Would you all like to see this big, strong, manly warrior throw his rock at me? See if he can crush me like a worm? Go on, go on." She waved her hands in a brushing motion, the crowd stepping back in response until there was a yard's clearance on either side, forming a long corridor.
"Your guard dogs..." he started, glancing at the fuming forms of Kira and Kara, their hands clenched tightly on the hilts of their weapons, eyes stormy and bodies vibrating with anger. Anger directed at him for his insult to the SkaiPrisa and threats of harm. Clarke, however, simply raised her hand to the twins, silently commanding them to withdraw, though they did not go far. Frowning, he spoke again. "Attacks against you mean death. The crowd..."
"Will do nothing!" Clarke responded, beginning to look and sound irritated. Raising her voice, she addressed the onlookers in a tone of voice that brooked no argument or disobedience. "No one is to interfere in any way, shape, or form! Anyone who disobeys will be punished swiftly!"
"You'll move..." he protested feebly, and Clarke scoffed at him in disgusted contempt at his continued attempts to avoid the circumstance he had not only instigated, but allowed himself to be baited into accelerating.
"I'll not, but I am beginning to wonder if you've the guts to do it! You call me weak and pathetic, and yet all I or anyone else in this crowd have heard from you is feeble excuses and empty words! No, will you do what you said you would or shall you crawl home to nurse like a child?" her taunts struck true, and the warrior stiffened and growled as his anger got the best of him.
"Fine. When they toss your corpse into the woods for the beasts to feast upon, the Mountain Men will know true fear." He snarled, bending down to heft his boulder and carry it a good half-dozen yards away. As he got into position, Clarke bent down and picked up a smaller, fist-sized stone of her own, bouncing it lightly in her palm as she waited for her opponent. Neither of them saw a mounted Lexa, Anya, and Indra appear at the gate, their elevated positions on their mounts giving them a clear view of the proceedings.
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"What in the Maker's name is going on here! What does she think she is doing!" Lexa hissed angrily, pulling her horse to a halt just inside the village's gate. She, Indra, Anya, and Gustus, along with a group of warriors, had been patrolling a portion of the route to Polis, mostly the area around TonDC, to ensure that the Mountain had no scouts in the area that could report the upcoming departure of so many generals and warriors. Information that might result in either the traveling group or TonDC itself being attacked and potentially suffering catastrophic damage and/or losses.
"Heda, the Stone warrior challenged the SkaiPrisa's strength and mocked her. She has challenged him to hit her with the rock that he holds at range. She commanded that no one is to interfere." One of the warriors guarding the walls said respectfully, hearing his Heda's angry question.
"Did I not order that no one was to make any moves against her? Did I not explicitly state that anyone who tried to harm her or abuse her would suffer a fate that would be spoken of with terror for generations?" Lexa bit out, eyes blazing, and the warrior grimaced infitesimally, very much wishing that anyone else was in his place. However, honesty and warrior's courage drove him forward enough to reply to the irritated woman.
"He did not, not truly. He taunted her, mocked her and her ways, tried to make a fool of her before the village. However, she turned it onto him, mocked him in turn until his anger led him into blundering. Now he cannot back out without dishonoring himself greatly." He responded, before bowing and retreating several feet down the wall.
"So, she intends to humiliate him publically, though I am quite unsure as to how she will." Anya hummed in understanding, placing a calming hand on Lexa's arm, leaning in closer. "She needs to be able to lead, Lexa, and to do that she must prove herself to you and to our people."
"If she is harmed in the slightest, blood will flow!" the incensed brunette growled in response, forcing herself to do nothing as the Stone Clan warrior took a short running start before hurling the boulder at Clarke, who did nothing besides blink as it went sailing over her shoulder. She stared at the confused warrior before hurling her own, fist-sized rock at him.
Lexa exhaled softly in relief and them smirked as her generals laughed around her. Clarke's throw had struck with perfect accuracy, smashing into her victim's face and sending him to the ground. Approaching his fallen form, Clarke's words were easily heard by all in the shocked silence of her victory.
"The true strength of anyone, man or woman, warrior or villager, lies not within their arms but their hearts and minds." She chastised both him and the crowd at large, turning slowly to gaze around at them all. "Strength without purpose, without a cause, and without restraint is nothing more than wasted, useless power. Become strong, yes, learn how to fight and protect your people, but also learn how and when to use that strength, use those skills for the greatest and most beneficial of long term effects."
Gesturing to her two very impressed bodyguards, Clarke left the Stone Warrior holding his bleeding face, the muttering crowd parting once more before her as she forged ahead towards the alluring smell of food, leaving a village of baffled but oddly impressed people staring after her.
"Your Kwin was damned impressive there, Lexa." Anya said with great cheer and amusement in her voice as they observed the trio sit down to eat, steadfastly ignoring the continued attention that they were receiving from the people around them. "She handled that extremely well. Not only did she make a fool of him, but she didn't even grant him the mercy of death. He will now have to live with that shame until he can redeem himself. Word will spread and her popularity will rise, even the Stone Clan will be impressed by her courage if nothing else."
"Maybe so, but that oaf that challenged her is going to suffer for disobeying me. If a few barbs from another are enough for him to become so angry that he cannot remember or heed the orders of Heda..." Lexa let the sentence trail of ominously as she dismounted and strode towards Clarke and her companions purposefully, leaving a group of amused generals behind, as well as a low-ranking warrior who was suddenly far happier guarding a patch of wall then he had been ten minutes earlier.
At least up here he was out of the Commander's way, by the Maker!
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Clarke started slightly Lexa veritably slammed into the seat across from her, clad in armor, features marred by a dark scowl. A sharp look at the twins had them scrambling to withdraw from earshot, an action mirrored by those milling about nearby, creating a large swath of emptiness around them, a calm around a storm. Raising an eyebrow slightly, Clarke sighed and leaned back in her seat.
"Alright Lexa, what did I do now?"
"You put yourself at risk for no good reason whatsoever! What I just witnessed was utterly unnecessary, and very foolish!" Lexa snarled back softly. Though impressed with how the blonde had handled the situation, she was still incensed that it had been needed, though she recognized that little fault for the event had lain with Clarke.
"He insulted me publically, called me weak and cowardly. Correct me if I am wrong, but if I hadn't done something to counter that, it would have been political, and possibly literal, suicide to not respond." Clarke rebutted, taking another bite of her meal, and Lexa could not help but stare at her in poorly-disguised shock. Feeling her gaze and not receiving a response, Clarke glanced up. Noticing the Commander's expression, she rolled her eyes and smirked. "C'mon Lexa, I may not know much about the ground or your people, but from what you've told me and what I've noticed myself, it really wasn't all that hard to figure out the 'rules' for life down here."
Of course, Clarke had several other reasons for knowledge, those being history classes for ancient warrior cultures, but she wasn't going to risk insulting her new-found friends by telling them she was navigating their world using information from history books that portrayed such things as barbarous, animalistic, and all together to be looked-down-upon. Besides, she was finding that, as harsh and brutal as these people were, they seemed honest and honorable. At least, most of them, obviously they were going to have some bad apples, the group which tried to kill her being an obvious example.
"Despite all of my efforts and expectations, I can never seem to cease underestimating you, Clarke Griffin of the Sky People." Lexa finally responded with a faint smile. Glancing at the sun, she continued. "We must start for Polis now if we are to arrive with enough time to show you the city before your victory feast. It is, after all, a nine hour ride."
"You do realize that I've not idea how to ride a horse beyond those basics which I've read in books, right?" Clarke asked nervously, and Lexa laughed softly and gave her a small smile, an expression of emotion unusual for the reserved warrior when in public.
"I do, but it is simple enough to teach you how to travel at a moderate pace. Harder, faster riding and mounted combat can come later, after...everything." she responded, nearly letting slip that the Senate was waiting in the near future. One step at a time, she continued to remind herself in a mantra-like fashion. The ancient writings were clear, that the SkaiPrisa knew not her true nature and that she was to have her eyes opened and body awakened by the First Ones. Not even the Heda could violate this, and certainly not the squabbling, corrupt civilian politicians of the Senate.
Speaking of which, she had no doubt that Clarke would be bombarding herself and her generals with questions of all sorts during the long journey to the capitol, even if only to break the endless monotony that she no doubt envisioned before them. She would have to ensure they were all careful about answering those questions without lying or revealing too much, too soon. It would be an awkward and delicate balance to keep, but it was one that had to occur regardless. Perhaps they could keep Clarke answering questions instead?
Musing over possible plans, the young commander of thousands of warriors pulled her younger companion to her feet, her bodyguards dutifully trailing behind, as she drew her towards the stables. She had just the mount for Clarke, and wanted them to meet as soon as possible.
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Blake Residence
The Ark
One by one, the group of girls arrived at the Blake's, each eagerly anticipating he chance to learn more about Clarke and her situation, not to mention rebelling against the Council in a small, relatively safe fashion. Once they were all settled in, perched on beds, or chairs , or even the odd lap, Octavia called the group to order.
"Alright, first things first: how the hell did you lot figure out the deal with Clarke? That was kept so far on the down-low even the rumor mill hasn't heard about it yet, and probably won't unless someone 'in the know' let's slip." She asked bluntly from where she was leaning against the wall at the front of the room, Raven slouched down next to her.
"She told me what was going on after she reamed the Council over you, Octavia. She asked all her friends to try and get to know you after she...left. Since you kinda know Raven already, that just left the rest of us, so when I saw you in the Skylight I decided to take the opportunity and do as I promised." Fox responded, smiling despite her worry for Clarke. "Our moms work together at the med bay, so we've been friends for ages."
"Fox started telling the rest of us one by one with Clarke's approval, before it all went down. I mean, no one really likes the Council, especially people smart enough to see the writing on the wall." Mel continued, gesturing around the room and somewhat to the Ark at large. "It was obvious to most of the population that there were problems with the Ark when Makarov made everything a death sentence, criminal power trip or not."
Makarov, of course, referring to the Chancellor that had served before Diana Sydney. A russian descended from a powerful, wealthy, and almost assuredly criminal family that had footed a large portion of the bill to help build the Ark. Ironically, he and the majority of his family and faction had been executed en masse after ArkSec had discovered a massive black market and gambling ring under their control. The law he had instituted to consolidate his power, and lessen the load on the Ark's systems, had led to his death.
"Well, you're right. Clarke's dad was floated for trying to tell people the truth of what is happening. The Ark is dying. In less than two years, the oxygen systems will begin to suffer catastrophic, cascading system failures. Clarke was going to tell everyone this after her dad was killed, but she got busted before she could. She convinced the Council (I've no idea how) to send her to Earth trained and equipped instead of the Skybox." Octavia explained, getting gasps from the group. While they had guessed that the systems were wearing down after a century of endless use, they had never imagined that the issue was as severe and rapidly approaching as it seemed to be.
"Obviously, despite training and equipping her, this is supposed to be a death sentence for her. However, I did find out that they are restoring one of the full-size dropships, with plans to send a hundred or so more people to the ground. I'm sure we can all guess where those people are coming from." Raven added disgustedly, and murmurs of 'The Skybox' went around the room earning a nod from her.
"The good news is, we have a time frame to basically guarantee we get to the ground. So, I'm going to offer (and I suggest that you agree) to show you all the training books that Clarke left me after she finished with them. We can use one of the empty and less-traveled storerooms to train and get stronger in. Then, when we get to the ground, we can help Clarke instead of being burdens. Hopefully, with her, we will be able to escape the Council's grasp entirely. A new world, a new chance, and new beginning. For all of us." Octavia watched the group carefully for any dissent or potentially traitorous thoughts, but she needn't have worried over it. The gathered girls all responded eagerly, chattering happily as they began to discuss possible training locations.
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Marcus Kane was not pleased, no indeed. Instead of watching the populace for true, legitimate threats to the peace and safety of the Ark, he was using his resources and skills to spy on a group of teenage girls.
True, said girls were friends and followers (he used that word deliberately, he knew how much respect and hero-worship the blond got from those girls) of Clarke Griffin, which in and of itself made them less than average. True, he knew damned well that Blake and Reyes had their hands on training manuals and such he had 'forgotten' to require from Clarke. True, the girls were no doubt fully aware of, and furious over, what had been done to their leader. Hell, he was positive that they were plotting some sort of rebellion on her behalf even now. He wouldn't be surprised (indeed, he fully expected it, Reyes and the younger Blake were both highly intelligent and cunning) if they were planning on getting themselves arrested and sent down with the other Skybox teens. Raven Reyes would have undoubtedly heard about their refurbishment of the drop-ship from the mechanics involved, even if it was Top Secret. On a place as small as the Ark, everyone knew everyone else, and anything labeled Top Secret was usually known to half the population within minutes. Abby would no doubt be quite pleased if she knew of the loyalty her daughter inspired amongst her peers, and despite himself Kane was proud of his star pupil as well.
Kane frowned as he thought of the fiery and passionate Head of Medical. He had always admired the Griffin family, for their history of devoted service to the Ark and its people, for their constant kindness and good humor, and for their ever-unwavering, unshakable morality.
It was unfortunately that unshakable morality that had gotten Jake Griffin killed. He had refused to back down, unwilling to let the people of the Ark remain ignorant to the true scope of the rapidly approaching disaster that would spell the end of their race. Even after his death, his cause had lived on within his daughter, who had come even closer to success than Jake had. It was only due to his need to adjust a feed from a security camera that had brought him into the CIC at the right time to catch her.
The girl's meticulous memorization of patrol and command shifts had provided her with nearly a ten minute window of free reign, a gaping hole in their procedures that he had immediately plugged...once he figured out what had happened. After all, the girl had been less than inclined to fill him in on how she had done it.
Though he would never admit it, he had had trouble sleeping for weeks after arresting her and putting her in house arrest, jumping at shadows and even the faintest of sounds, totally convinced he would wake up with a Columbian Necktie, courtesy of one intelligent, sneaky, and angry blond teen.
He had been partially correct. He had, in fact, awakened to the sight of Clarke, face shrouded in the shadows, sitting at his room's small table toying casually with a large, lethal looking combat-style knife...
Flashback!
His eyes flew open, mind ticking away immediately as he tried to evaluate his surroundings and decide what had changed, for he knew something had.
"Good Morning, Marshall Kane." A terrifyingly familiar voice said softly, and he shot up in bed, eyes landing on the form of Clarke Griffin, lounging in the chair beside his table, face hidden by the shadows, the long, dark form of a military combat knife turning in her hands. "I mean morning in the most literal terms of course, it's about two."
"How the hell did you get in here?" he snarled, fear thrumming through his veins. He had posted guards outside his door as a precaution, and he would have heard two grown security operatives fighting Clarke if she had passed them by force.
"Your guards were kind of easy to distract, to be honest. A few sparks, a little bit of electrical zapping sounds, and a loud bang followed by smoke was all it took to send them scurrying away to see what was wrong. It will probably take them ten minutes to figure out the small electrical fire did no damage to anything important beyond cosmetics, and another five to get back here. More than enough for me to finish things up here." The teen responded casually, and Kane felt his throat tighten at the dark half-smile that spread across her face as she regarded him.
"You plan on killing me, Clarke? Get revenge for your father?" his voice, he was proud to say, had far more strength within it then he actually felt, not that he was going to let her know that. He would die with his head held high, damnit!
"No, no. As much as I love my father and want him back, you were just doing your job, your duty. It's a small consolation, but a consolation nonetheless. What I am here for is to make some ultimatums. Ultimatums about me going to Earth now instead of being in house arrest until you send the rest down in two years."
Kane couldn't help but stare at her in abject confusion and disbelief. She couldn't possibly have known about the Council's plans for the convicts! They hadn't even started to allocate the resources for repairing the drop-ship yet!
Seeing his look, Clarke snorted in sardonic amusement.
"If my father couldn't fix it, it can't be fixed. That means that we have to go to Earth if we want to survive. Given the way you and the rest of the Council act, there is no way you will send adults with jobs running the Ark to see if you can survive the homeworld. Logically, you need expendendable scouts, and that means you fuckers are going to send the kids in the Skybox down. Well, I want to be the first wave. Just me, before you risk half of the next generation stupidly." She answered the questions he hadn't been able to verbalize, and he blinked at her as he came to the realization that Clarke was very much her parents' daughter.
"Any particular reason you've got a death wish, Clarke?" he asked, still very much shocked. "We have no idea if Earth is even the slightest bit survivable, never mind what might be down there. Not to mention the fact that if I propose this to the Council, your mother will have my head on a silver platter."
"Tch. Leave my mother to me, Kane." She said with a smirk, getting to her feet and padding away silently. "You just get the rest of the Council on board. Shouldn't be too hard."
"Wait! Why are you doing this?" Kane called out softly, desperately curious, and she gave him a small, sad smile.
"This is something my father would have done." Was the only reply she gave before slipping from the room. Not a minute later, Kane heard the booted feet of his guards return to their posts, and he shook his head in disbelief as he resettled himself and closed his eyes, though he knew sleep would be a long time coming.
Flashback Ends!
True to her word, Clarke had somehow handled her mother, who had recused herself from the Council vote to send Clarke to Earth, her only involvement in the discussion being her demands that Clarke be trained and equipped properly. Demands that he and Chancellor Jaha had been quick to support, overriding and silencing the few that had blustered about such efforts being a waste of time and resources.
She had proven an incredible pupil, far beyond anything he had ever witnessed, mastering everything he put before her with amazing speed and stubborn single-mindedness that were as frightening as they were inspiring. She soon became a better fighter than the entirety as the Security Corp, a well-respected and even somewhat feared combatant that had both devastating speed and the ability to deliver punishing blows. When the time had come for her to be sent to Earth, he had found himself distinctly regretful, fully believing he would never see her again.
Now he was just disappointed, and bored. With Clarke gone, he was reduced to spying on her little pack of friends and the many, almost faceless sheep of the Ark, most of whom were too terrified of being floated to breathe without asking for permission. He corrected his earlier musings. Not only did he expect Clarke's friends to be planning something, he hoped they would. At least they would keep his life interesting for the next two years.
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Throne Room
Ice Queen's Palace
Ice Clan Territory
"So, they decided to take things into their own hands. They moved without orders and have severely damaged our position." Nia, Queen of the Ice Clan and arguably the person Lexa hated even more than the Mountain Men, sighed from atop her throne. Six foot three with hair so black it almost looked purple, she was wearing heavy armor and a long, broad fur cloak. Before her dais knelt one of her many couriers, scouts that specialized in traveling between Polis and her capitol of Gaithers here in the northwest as fast as possible. He, like all of his kind, was a small man built for stealth, speed, and endurance instead of raw strength or durability.
"Yes, Majesty. The Sky Girl killed three of them herself, while the Commander's lover Costia subdued the fourth. Heda Lexa plans on displaying what is left of them at the feast and telling all the tale as a warning." The scout confirmed, and Nia hummed in understanding. The team of warriors they were referring to had actually been intended to kidnap Costia, so that she could be tortured and sent back to Lexa in pieces. Either she would have told them all of Lexa's secrets, or Lexa would have become vulnerable and reckless in her sorrow. Either way, killing the chit and sending the Commander's spirit into a more...pliable host would have been easy. Then, her dominion over the clans would have been a foregone conclusion, an easily accomplished goal.
Instead, now the Commander was on her guard and suspicious (freshly suspicious, that is, the girl had always mistrusted the Azgeda, and with good reason) of any Ice Nation warrior or civilian. Her political position now made significantly stronger by not only possessing the Skai Prisa, but possessing a Skai Prisa that had managed to kill three elite warriors, despite being bedridden and insensate.
"Fools..." she finally hissed, rising to her feet with lethal grace, and she began to pace slightly on the dais that held her Frozen Throne. She needed to regain the advantage, or at least draw even once more with Lexa, but how was she to accomplish such a thing now?
She would have to be at the feast to celebrate the SkaiPrisa's arrival and subsequent slaying of the yong pauna, that much was certain. Whereas before her subordinates foolish choices she could claim that duties kept her too busy, to do so afterwards would simply act as 'proof' that she was involved in an official capacity and feared leaving her fortress and entering the range of any physical reprisals. Reprisals that would surely come in the form of her nation being burned to the ground and absorbed by the other clans if she didn't show. With such proof as her dead soldiers and her absence, not to mention the support of the One Who Is Promised, it would be laughably easy for Lexa to convince the Coalition to strike out and obliterate her with ease. It was infuriating, but she would have to kow-tow to the chit and the Senate, likely offer a concession or two, and put a hold on any other plans intended on elevating herself to her proper station.
"Pass along to the Captain of my Guard that he is to prepare a party of warriors and mounts to escort me to Polis." She commanded the still-kneeling scout, who bowed and scrapped his way from the room, leaving her to her thoughts. How to placate Lexa? Riches and materials alone would not suffice, Lexa had plenty of both and would view it as an insult or a bribe attempt, not to mention far from complete compensation.
Hmm...
Her eyes brightened, her decision made. Four men had attacked, four lives would be offered in return. She strode from the room quickly, commanding a guard to gather a party and scour the city for every untainted girl of Lexa's age from the prominent houses. She would pick the four prettiest and most intelligent, most charming, to serve as gifts to the Skai Prisa, whom legends said would claim many women as her own. That would satisfy them in more ways than one, and perhaps she could use the offerings' families against them later on, force them to spy on the Commander and her generals if appealing to their clan loyalty was insufficient.
Yes, the stupidity of those warriors was problematic, but it had given her a far greater opportunity to make use of. One that might even hasten the fruition of her plans.
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And another chapter posted :D Tell your friends about this story, people, while I love the fanbase I have I want it bigger! This story very much still seems to be a niche, and I want to share it with more readers :D
