Chapter Three: False Starts

The following morning, Lexa woke to find Clarke still in a deep sleep next to her. She managed to untangle their limbs without waking Clarke and rose out of bed, crossing the tent to pour herself a cup of water. She necked the liquid and breathed in, standing a while with her eyes closed.

There was little noise coming from outside the tent, meaning that she was likely one of the first people awake in Camp Jaha. She decided that it would be a good time to go and get some fresh air. There wouldn't be so many people around to throw cold looks in her direction. It wasn't that she couldn't handle their hostility. She'd seen worse from her own people and being the Commander meant she had developed a very thick skin. Although when her own people disrespected her, she could choose to punish them if she felt it necessary. She had no power over the Sky people themselves. Technically they were still squatters in her territory and she could at least demand that they leave, but of course she had no will to. That rendered any authority she had moot. But that instinct towards demanding respect was difficult to turn off. Lexa worried that she would end up showing too much disdain. Doing that would further diminish the likelihood of her ever being forgiven. That would make Clarke continue to feel unwelcome too and that was not an acceptable outcome.

Lexa dressed quickly and casually, leaving her trench coat open. She left the tent and found Aldrin already awake, standing guard,

"Aldrin, join me for a walk."

"Yes, Commander."

Lexa was at least confident that she didn't need to leave Clarke guarded whilst she slept and Aldrin fell into step next to her.

"I should thank you for coming Aldrin. It can't be pleasant for you either to be somewhere so hostile," Lexa spoke quietly in trigedasleng to avoid being overheard,

"It is my duty to be here at your side, Commander," Aldrin replied dutifully.

They continued to walk about the camp in silence for a while, surveying the walled-off area critically,

"Tell me Aldrin, what do you see?" Lexa asked.

"Commander? I see a basic camp. There is nothing remarkable."

"Exactly. The sky people have been here for a whole pass of the seasons. Yet the Camp looks barely any different from when it was first established. They know they are likely here to stay but have not begun to settle. Why?"

"They lack the skills. And the people power."

Lexa nodded grimly, "It is as Clarke feared. The Sky people are struggling. Though I'm sure they'd be too proud to admit to it. But unless we can convince them to accept our help and to start trading with the clans, the Sky people will fail."

Lexa and Aldrin came to a metal outbuilding. Lexa peered inside, technically ignoring the terms Abby had set about her not entering any building in the camp without supervision. Inside she saw a measly stockpile of dried fruit and nuts. If it was meant to be an emergency food supply it would not do much to help. A small sack of beans with a green shell caught Lexa's attention and she picked one up. She could not think of their name in English off the top of her head.

"If you're looking for breakfast, our smoke house is next door," came a voice from outside. Lexa exited the outbuilding to find Marcus Kane, "Those are our emergency rations," he finished.

Lexa held up the bean still in her hand, "Are you aware that these must be cooked thoroughly before you eat them?"

Marcus wrinkled his brow, "No I wasn't."

Lexa shook her head and dropped the bean on the floor, crushing it with her boot, "Your people need help, Marcus."

"I know. That's why I'm glad to have found you awake. You are invited to attend the council meeting this morning."

Lexa raised her eyebrow at this unexpected turn of events.

"Let's just say that Abby Griffin can be very persuasive when she has mind to be," Marcus explained. Lexa knew that it must have something to do with whatever happened between Clarke and her mother yesterday.

"I'm sure. I will come to the meeting, Marcus. I'd ask that you allow my bodyguard as well."

Marcus nodded, "Of course. If you'd both follow me, the rest are waiting on us to begin."

The council meeting took place in the highest point of the Ark ruin. Marcus led Lexa and Aldrin into the circular room and motioned for them to take a seat around the table. It and the chairs around it were the only furniture in the room.

Abby was already sat down and both Bellamy and Octavia was there as well. She also recognised Miller from the assault on the door of Mt Weather. The other man she did not know.

Marcus took the seat to Lexa's left, Aldrin sat to her right. There was a silence in the proceedings, a tentativeness until finally Abby spoke up,

"Commander Lexa, thank you for agreeing to join us this morning,"

Lexa bowed her head in respect to Abby, motioning that she recognised the woman's authority. "Thank you for inviting me to attend," she replied simply.

"I am keen to get to business, but for your benefit we will have introductions. I know you already know Marcus, Octavia, Bellamy, Miller and myself,"

Lexa looked towards Octavia as Abby said her name. Octavia met her gaze and looked disgusted, her jaw tensing as if she was holding back a tirade of words, none of the likely to be friendly. Lexa looked away and focused on the face she didn't know.

"Then we have Sinclair, our chief engineer." Abby finished.

Lexa gave him a nod in greeting. Then she turned towards Bellamy. It seemed almost strange to see him again. They'd only spoken once and yet she had heard about him so many times. Bellamy, the man who infiltrated the mountain and made it possible for the army to reach the front door. He was someone that Clarke held great esteem for.

"Bellamy. I have heard a great deal about you, despite the briefness of our first meeting," Lexa said to him. He looked at her. His expression was quite unreadable even for someone with her skill at picking up on people's thoughts simply by scanning their expression,

"Likewise," came Bellamy's reply. Lexa kept her expression blank too. It didn't surprise her that she'd been a topic of discussion among the Sky people in the past year. She wondered how many times her name or title had been mentioned. How many times it had been used as a curse.

"I would thank you for your bravery, Bellamy. I hope you have received the gratitude owed to you by your own people. But know that it was not just those at Camp Jaha who benefited from your actions. Hundreds of people from all twelve clans are now safely back where they belong. Thousands more need not worry about the threat of the Mountain ever again. You helped to make that possible." Lexa now turned her attention away from Bellamy and she addressed the whole table, "With the Mountain Men gone, my people are enjoying a newfound peace. The Alliance between the Clans remains stable thanks to stronger trading agreements between them. I hope for a future where the Sky people can benefit from this too."

Octavia sniggered but was quickly silenced by a look from Abby. Still, Lexa wondered how long Abby's authority would hold over Octavia. It was like waiting for a lightning strike that you knew was coming but could do nothing to avoid.

"Thank you Lexa, that brings us nicely to the start of the meeting." Abby said. "To give you a brief summary of previous council meetings, our main concern is with creating a more permanent settlement. Conditions in the Ark ruin are cramped, indeed we could still be in space for the room we have here. However, lack of skills and people are making this necessity seem like a pipe dream."

Lexa nodded in understanding, "By the time you have sent enough people to gather food, there are not enough left to build. And vice versa. Also those people who can hunt still have only a rudimentary knowledge. There is much you must learn if you are to survive on the ground. And so far you have had nobody to learn from."

"Yeah, maybe because those people we were relying on abandoned us at the foot of Mt. Weather-" Octavia threw at her.

"O-" Bellamy began to warn his sister but she did not heed him,

"Maybe because we don't want anything to do with people who left us for dead when we had a deal. We were already working together for each others benefit and you chose to blow that,"

"I chose," Lexa replied in an icy voice, the voice of the Commander, "To save as many people as I could without unnecessary bloodshed. I chose my people because I am their Commander. You are a skilled warrior, Octavia. But do not for a second think you know what it is to be a leader. Do not think that you can judge me."

"No Lexa, I can judge you. You know why? Because you're not my Commander and you have no authority here,"

"You mean to suggest you would show me any more respect if I did? Are you telling me that you respect Abby, or respected Clarke, for the things they have done, have sacrificed to protect you? Come Octavia, speak true." The words came as naturally to Lexa as breathing, cold and laced with dark wit. "And technically I do still have authority here. Need I remind you that your Camp is still in Trigeda territory?"

Octavia sprang out of her seat and tried to launch herself across the table towards Lexa. Aldrin made a move to lunge back but Lexa halted him with a hand against his chest, pushing him back to his own seat. It was Bellamy that got up and held Octavia back in the end and once she was standing upright again he lead her out of the room in silence.

Lexa turned back to Abby and she kept her head held high. She knew she had spoken out of turn but she was still the Commander of the Trigeda and she would not show any shame.

"Regardless of how your people feel about mine, we still have much we could gain from one another. If you will not deal with me then use your daughter as a liaison. The twelve clans will manage without learning new skills from the Sky people. We have done without your techniques for a long time. But the Sky people will not survive without accepting help from us. You know that, Abby."

"I do," Abby said, "Which is why I'm very sorry at how this meeting played out." Abby did not keep the disappointment from her voice and she rubbed at her temples and grimaced. Lexa saw Clarke in her mother and it spurred a jolt of regret to rush through her. She'd done exactly what she had feared she would- turned to the facade of the Commander when she needed the sincerity of Lexa.

"I want to send people to help. To teach you how to survive here. But until I am confident that those people, my people, will be safe here, I cannot do that."

Abby gave a nod.

Then Miller spoke up for the first time, "The difficulty will be convincing the younger population, what is left of the one hundred."

Sinclair nodded his agreement and spoke, "Most of the adults recognise our desperate need for help. But the kids survived down here without us for long enough to make them overly confident."

Lexa wondered how strange it must be for these men to be saying such things to her, when she herself was closer in age to those 'kids'. She knew that it was pointless for her to stay here now that Bellamy and Octavia had left. They were the ones who needed convincing that she and her people could be trusted. They needed to see that she was here to help keep them safe. If only they would go and speak to Clarke, they could very well have been convinced already.

"If you would excuse me Abby, I see no reason for me to intrude on the rest of the meeting. Until all of your people are willing to work with mine, it would be fruitless."

Abby made a motion to communicate that Lexa was free to go and so Lexa and Aldrin left the meeting room and made their way back outside. Lexa wanted to find Clarke immediately but she pushed the urge aside. Maybe what she need to do was not to appeal to Clarke again, but to simply stay away for a while. That way, Clarke would be forced to either stay in the tent alone, or go out into the camp.

As Lexa left the Ark ruin the first thing she saw was Bellamy, Octavia, and Lincoln too. Lincoln was holding tight to Octavia, obviously it had taken a joint effort from him and Bellamy to calm her down. Lexa regarded Lincoln carefully, he looked well. It was the first time she'd seen him since arriving at Camp Jaha, although she had expected to find him here. He was one of the Sky People now. No doubt his presence had been a lifeline for the camp, but one man cannot teach everyone how to survive.

Lexa tensed as Lincoln opened his eyes and met her stare. She was thankful that he didn't break the hug with Octavia so that she remained turned away from Lexa.

"Lincoln is here," Aldrin said next to her in trigedasleng, he too was looking in that direction,

"I expected as much."

"Maybe you should speak with him. He might be able to convince the Sky people that you mean them no harm."

"The last time we saw each other, I had him tethered to a tree awaiting judgement."

Aldrin gave a shrug, "Then maybe you could apologise."

Lexa looked towards Aldrin with mild consternation. It really wasn't his place to suggest the Commander go dolling out apologies to anyone, much less a traitor. Still, Aldrin had become a close and trusted confident and so he was allowed these little moments, within reason.

"Or at least tell him that you took no action against Indra for freeing him. I am sure he would appreciate knowing that. It could bring him on side," Aldrin continued, confirming that he only had the Commander's best interests at heart with his out-of-line suggestion

Lexa considered this. "You may have a point, Aldrin. But we must wait. To say anything now wouldn't seem sincere. Not after the meeting."

Aldrin nodded in understanding.

"We should ask the guards for our weapons. We can find a place outside the camp to spar," Lexa said.

Aldrin offered a smile at the suggestion, " A good idea Commander. It was tense in there. Letting off steam would do us both good."

Lexa agreed with Aldrin's assessment.