That evening was the meeting with the Grounders. Lexa, their new commander, rode up to the camp gates with her guards all around her. Behind her, were a few of the other important members of their tribe. The group was escorted by the camp's guard, each carrying their weaponry. The Grounders were welcomed into the hall which housed a long table, with dinnerware lined up on top of it. The Grounders sat on one side and Abby, Kane, and some of the other campers sitting opposite them.
"We are here tonight to began discussions on the proposed truce agreement between our camp and the Grounders." Abby began the meeting. "First we will share a meal together."
Everyone began to take some food, and drinks were poured.
"I propose a toast." Abby said standing up. "I would like to thank the Grounders and their people for agreeing to this meeting in order to discuss a possible future as allies. Let us all drink to future peace between our people and continued cooperation among the two groups." Everyone in the room raised their glasses in the air.
"Tonight we celebrate our newfound peace, tomorrow we plan a war." Lexa added, referencing the plans to go and rescue people being held from both camps at Mount Weather.
After taking a gulp of the drink, one of the Grounder men fell over on the ground, twitching, eyes closed. Lexa's guard immediately raised their weapons at the campers.
Clarke stood frozen as she saw the scene unfolding in front of her. All of a sudden out of the corner of her eye, she saw an arm reaching across, pushing Kane, who was standing next to her, back. The arm knocked the drink out of her hand before she was able to even consider what had just happened. Clarke looked over to her side, past Kane who was starting to push the table aside to make room, and saw Bellamy staring at her. They locked eyes, and Clarke saw her own shock and fear reflecting back at her in Bellamy's eyes.
"You have tried to poison one of our own! There will be no union of our tribes. The war we fight will be against you!" Lexa spoke in a commanding voice over the chaos ensuing.
Abby who was bent over trying to help the poisoned Grounder, looked up with a defeated look on her face. "I'm sorry." She said.
"I see what is happening here. We sentenced the one you called Finn to death and this is how you repay us? By once more killing our people?!" Lexa yelled with a look of pure rage on her face.
"We didn't do this!" Clarke tried to argue.
"Why would we do this when we just sacrificed one of our own people to ensure that this truce worked?" Bellamy replied. "Clarke just killed our friend and you think we did this? to what?...Spite you?" He practically spat out the words angrily. He looked over at Clarke who flinched and had a nauseated look on her face. He looked apologetically at her. She shook her head, indicating to him it was fine.
Across the room, Abby was watching the two and noticing again how they managed to say so much to each other with so very little words.
"We will find out who did this, and you will hand them over to us or there will be no alliance! And we will be the ones who put them to death this time!" Lexa commanded.
The Grounders took the body of their fallen and left the camp.
Abby and Kane immediately started discussing who may have slipped the poison into the Grounder's drink.
"It must have been some kind of revenge. Someone wanted revenge for what the Grounders did to Finn." Abby thought out loud.
"It had to be Raven…unless it was Clarke." Kane said looking over at her.
"Mom, Raven wouldn't do this and I didn't do it either!" Clarke argued.
"If neither of you did it, then who did? Raven is the most obvious suspect." Abby said.
Clarke shook her head, got up and left the room. She walked outside, in hopes of getting some much needed fresh air.
"Hey, are you alright?" Bellamy asked, following her out.
"No. If it's not one thing, it's another." Clarke sighed.
"We're going to figure this out." Bellamy said confidently.
"What if they try to do to Raven what they did to Finn? I can't lose another person, Bellamy." She looked up at him with a frightened look on her face.
Bellamy took her face in his hands and turned her head to look at him.
"Nothing is going to happen to Raven...or anyone else." He said in a low gruff voice, staring into her eyes. They maintained eye contact for a few more seconds.
Clarke smiled half-heartedly at him and he let go of her face.
"Hey, what was up with you knocking my drink out of my hand?" Clarke asked him.
"I was worried that you were going to drink it and end up like that dead Grounder. You weren't really reacting so I wanted to make sure you didn't drink it just in case." Bellamy answered with a shrug.
"Thank you. Always protecting me." Clarke said with a genuine smile this time.
"You're welcome. Now come on, you need to get some rest. Why don't you go lie down and I'll tell your mom where you went." Bellamy said as he walked back into the room.
Clarke walked back to her tent trying to solve the puzzle in front of her. She laid down on her cot and hoped for sleep to finally come. She had not been able to sleep well for the past few nights and was exhausted, yet all she did was toss and turn on her bed. Finally she got up and sat down outside on one of the logs.
A/N: I know this chapter was really short, but it was necessary to write, and hopefully A bit fluffy. Thank you for reading and reviewing! Next chapter coming soon!