Disclaimer: All characters belong to CW. I own nothing.
"This place is shit but it's home." Octavia let out a heavy breath when she saw the main gate. They looked at the place they now called home. "I'm so glad we're home." She glanced over to Clarke who smiled as she felt the same way. This place was their home now whether they liked it or not because there was no where else to go.
"I think this is better than the Ark or we can always go to Mt Weather." Clarke said shrugging her shoulder. It was always an option even though the information they had about Mt Weather was from more than sixty years ago. How accurate was it was anyone's guess. It could be a better place to live than here. How long could they stay here? It wasn't big enough for all of them.
"Yeah this place is better than the Ark alright. Nobody in their right mind wants to go back up there." She would rather die here than going back. "Are you still thinking about Mt Weather? We don't know if it still there or if it survived the nuclear war back then. Should I remind you of your last trip? That bloody acid fog came out of nowhere and Monty got shot. Where does it come from anyway? I mean the fog?" She said. "Maybe we should forget about going there. Maybe it's a sign or something." Was she being superstitious? No. It was pure logic. Where there was trouble stay away from it.
"I have no idea but as long as we bring tents we'll be fine. This place isn't big enough for all of us. It's barely enough for us. What about our people up there?" Octavia had a point about their last trip but not about it being some kind of a sign. They had to find it so when the rest of their people came down everything would be ready. They stopped when they got close enough to the gate and Clarke yelled, "Open the gate!" She raised her arm to shield her eyes and turned her head to her side when a flash light was pointed at her face. After a few seconds the gate slowly opened.
"Unless we get the radio working they won't come down Clarke. They don't know we're still alive." Octavia said when she remembered the reason why Raven came down in the first place. "And oxygen is running low." She had nobody left on the Ark but she wasn't lacking in basic humanity.
"Then we will make the radio work." She looked up at the sky hoping for more time until they figured out how to make contact, with or without the radio. "We'll figure out something. We always do."
As soon as they passed through the gate a voice called up to them. "Clarke! Octavia!" They turned around and saw Miller ran toward them with a rifle slung over his shoulder. He looked relieved. "Guys you're back! Stay! I've got to tell her!" He gestured with both hands for them to stay right there and walked hastily to get Raven.
"To tell who about what?" Clarke murmured. "I'm going to get something from my tent then I'll go see Raven. I hope she has some luck with the radio. You can stay here and see what's up with Miller." Then she left to go to her tent.
"Whatever it is it can wait. I want to lie down for a while." A day walking was tiring but she made some interesting discoveries about Clarke which was worth it. Octavia looked around when she felt eyes were on her. She raised her eyebrows at the other delinquents looking oddly at her. "I'm back so get on with whatever you're doing." She said in a voice only she could hear.
"Raven! They're back!" Miller shouted from the door surprising Raven. He turned around and saw Clarke and Octavia were heading towards their tents. "Come on!" He gestured for Raven to hurry and then disappeared.
"Finn?" Raven said as she looked up from the radio on the table. She had been working on it since he was gone as a distraction. "Oh God thank you!" She said as she closed her eyes and sort of prayed. She had thought the worse when they didn't return when it was getting dark. She got up to her feet and rushed outside.
"Clarke! Octavia! Thank God you guys are okay! I'm starting to get worried! I thought-" Raven said as soon as she saw Clarke and Octavia but her smile slowly faded when she realised Finn and the others weren't with them. "Where are the others?" She frowned and when her eyes found Miller he shrugged.
"The others?" Clarke repeated her answer she gave Miller when he asked the same question. "I'm sorry I don't know who you mean."
Monroe came running towards them when she was told Octavia had returned. She had the same reaction Raven and Miller had. "Wait a minute! How come both of you came back together?" She asked confusingly, "You shouldn't be back together. Octavia where the hell did you go? We thought you were lost!"
Octavia who was listening silently stuttered for an explanation. "I uh—" She glanced at Clarke next to her. She hadn't thought about coming up with excuses. 'Think of something!' "saw some blue butterflies on our way back. They were so beautiful so I chased after them. I didn't think I'd go so far so I didn't say anything. Next thing I know you guys were gone. So I find my own way back and kind of bumped into Clarke. She was just being weird all by herself when I found her. If it wasn't for her I'd be lost." At this point she didn't really care if she made sense.
Monroe blinked rapidly, finding it hard to believe what she just heard. The others were looking at Octavia with wide eyes indicated they too find it a little bit unbelievable. Even Clarke thought Octavia could have came up with something more believable than that. "Are you for real? You were chasing butterflies?" She asked on behalf of the others.
"I've never seen one." She said and shrugged.
"Don't tell me you found something beautiful and chased after it too?" Raven shifted her eyes to look at Clarke, getting a little annoyed, "because it wouldn't be too hard for me to believe if it was Octavia but you need to come up with something better than butterflies."
"Hey! What's that suppose to mean?!" Octavia exclaimed. She should be offended by that comment. Raven gave her a why-are-you-so-surprise look while shrugging her shoulders and then shifted her attention back to Clarke, ignoring her. Octavia rolled her eyes.
Clarke didn't know how to say it. She did find something beautiful and she did chase after it but it wasn't it. It was a grounder girl. "Well I'm not saying you're completely wrong but pretty close." She pressed her lips together to hide her smile. Octavia smiled but slowly looked down at her nails when she noticed Raven was glancing at her. "I needed fresh air and some quiet. I lost track of time." She paused then continued, "No. I don't chase butterflies. That's something only Octavia would do." She laughed. Octavia punched her shoulder as a response. The joke wasn't funny.
The three of them exchanged bemused glances. They didn't understand some of what she just said. "Why didn't you tell anybody where you were going?" All of this could be avoided if only they communicated better. "So right now they're out there looking for nobody. I find it hard to believe Clarke. This isn't like you to just gone." Raven sensed something was not right.
"Okay right now I'm lost. Please tell me what's going on here. Who's out there looking for nobody?" Clarke furrowed her brow. She knew she was late but it didn't explain why they acted like this or why it was such a big deal. "What's up with all of these questions?"
"Yeah you got that right. You're supposed to be lost." Raven pointed her index finger at Octavia who gave an apologetic smile. "And you were supposed to be missing Clarke. Coincidentally walked in through that gate with Octavia who like I said supposed to be lost and without your search party. How far did you go to get your fresh air? Why couldn't they find you?"
"Wait a minute. Who said I was missing?" Clarke asked, surprised. "And what is this search party you're talking about?"
Raven closed her eyes while rubbing her temples. When she opened her eyes she saw Clarke and Octavia gave her a questioning look. "Okay here's what happened. Bellamy walked in on us, didn't have a care in the world what Finn and I were doing, because he couldn't find you. He thought you were missing or was kidnapped. I didn't have time to ask so I don't know how he came to that conclusion. Then he dragged Finn and Atom to go out looking for you. That's your search party." She held up her hands in frustration. She knew they were being hasty. "I should have stopped them!"
"Then they bumped into us on our way back and went completely nuts on Murphy because Octavia was missing. He blamed Murphy for losing her. Poor guy almost got punched in the face." Monroe took over explaining the situation. "I wanted to go with them but Finn told me to get back to camp to let Raven knows my group were going with Bellamy's. Oh and to give you the seaweed."
"He thought I was being kidnapped? Why in the world would he think that?" If it wasn't because of the seriousness of the situation Clarke would laugh right then because it was a ridiculous idea. She would have told someone before leaving if she could but she couldn't. But if she did none of this would have happened. Maybe she should have lied. "Okay I'm sorry I should have told someone but I was gone for only half a day. Didn't it occur to him that maybe I just need to be alone for a moment?"
"Well apparently he thought the grounder girl you brought home the other day somehow kidnapped you or had anything to do with you being missing." Raven explained. She continued when she saw Clarke rolled her eyes. "I didn't buy that either but you know Bellamy. Always think he's right. I didn't think he gave it much thought though. His common sense goes out of the window when it concerns you." She stated in a flat tone and then cocked her head to Octavia. "Or you."
"No! Lex—" Clarke shook her head then let out a heavy sigh. "She had nothing to do with any of this. She's innocent!" Why would he think Lexa had anything to do with anything?
Octavia nodded, agreeing with Clarke. "Yeah she has nothing to do with this but if you think about it carefully actually she did play-" Clarke cleared her throat and shot her a look to tell her to think of what she was going to say very carefully. "Well yeah Clarke's right. She's completely innocent and she had nothing to do with Bellamy losing his mind." She turned her head to her side and said, "She played a small part in this. You guys were on a date," she muttered to herself.
"That's pretty obvious now that you're here safe and sound." Raven scratched her chin, thinking hard. "We have to go after them before they do anything stupid. I have a bad feeling about this." She looked at Clarke hoping she would agree to it.
"This is unbelievable!" Monty said, surprising them. They turned to see him limping towards them. "I don't know how I'm going to built it but I'm making a walkie talkie for us. So next time whenever someone decides to go for a walk or chase butterflies we don't waste our time looking for them." He had asked Raven where Jasper had gone but her answer was somewhat vague, 'He's out with Bellamy'. It was never simple when it involved Bellamy so he eavesdropped on their conversation to confirm his suspicion. He looked at Raven and then Clarke. "We need to get more organized Clarke and you need to take charge. You can't let Bellamy in control of everything."
Clarke sighed. "Right now we have a more pressing problem to deal with." She knew he made a good point but they had plenty of time to go over this issue later. She wasn't keen on being a leader. She didn't want to. "Monroe did they tell you about their plans?"
"They didn't say where they'd go but last time I saw them we were about an hour from here." Monroe said trying to remember if they mentioned where they were going before she took off. "It's a slim chance but we could start from there."
Raven frowned when a scary thought dawned in her mind. "Could they be looking for you at the Grounder's village or something? Bellamy seemed pretty sure the Grounders are behind this. I think they'd probably give it a shot. Although I hope they didn't and I know Finn wouldn't agree to that."
"What!?" Clarke almost shouted. She bowed her head, covered her face in her hands and cursed. "This is—" She stopped and looked up. "Do they even know where it is? Could they really be that stupid to go pick a fight with the grounders? Isn't it enough that they try to kill us?" She started feeling guilty for sneaking out and cause trouble for them.
"Well there's a possibility for that. With Bellamy that's possible." She knew her brother very well. If he thought going after the Grounders could solve his problems he would totally do that. Octavia leaned closer to Clarke and whispered to her, "This doesn't concern her but do you think we can ask your girlfriend to help?"
Clarke shot her a look. "I told you she is not my girlfriend." She said with a low voice, afraid they would hear her.
Octavia rolled her eyes. "What's the point having a grounder girlfriend if you can't ask her for help? If they're indeed in her village then maybe she could be like a mediator for us or negotiate something? She knows her people better."
"Even if I wanted her to help I don't know where to look for her. Besides she doesn't speak English remember?"
Octavia glanced at her, a little disappointed. "You're not a girlfriend material, are you Clarke? Shouldn't you already know about this little piece of information? I didn't think today was your first date."
"I am a girlfriend material!" Why were they having this conversation right now? "This isn't the time and place. So shut up before they hear you." Clarke smiled nervously at Monty and Raven who looked suspiciously at them whispering at each other.
"I agree with Raven. I say we go after them." Monroe said. "I mean it's not like we have a choice right?"
"We are going to look for them but we need a plan. We're going to get them tomorrow." It would give them some time to come up with something. "And we need more guns."
"Tomorrow? Why not now?" Raven disagreed.
"We can't walk in the dark. We don't know what's out there. Besides we don't know where to look." Clarke argued. The others listened while weighing up their options. "I know you're worried about Finn but you know going after them right now is not the right thing to do. Think about what Finn would do. Besides we don't even know if they're there. The least we could do is not showing up on their turf in the middle of the night and looking like we want to have a fight with them."
Raven was quiet and staring down on the ground knowing Clarke was right. She knew Finn would do exactly what Clarke suggested. After a while she nodded and looked up. "Okay let's come up with some really good plans. I'm not ready to die yet." The others agreed.
"We will but after I check his wound." Clarke said as she pointed to Monty's leg. "Come on. Let's get back in there and get your bandage changed."
"My leg is fine. I'm going with you guys tomorrow." Monty said, determined. Clarke nodded then grabbed his arm to help him walk. "Thanks but I can walk just fine."
"See that's why I didn't tell you about Jasper." Raven complained.
Clarke couldn't sleep the whole night. She had been thinking about every possible way to solve this. They didn't know where they were, whether they made it to the Grounder's village. If they weren't they should be back by now. If they did could they still be alive? Why would the Grounders let them live? Would it be right to send a search party for them? What if they were dead and she would be sending the others to their death sentence. Either way she couldn't let it go just like that. She sighed. She tried to make the right decision for the sake of everybody but she felt like she failed to do so. Where could they find the Grounder's village? Where should they start looking? Finn was the best tracker they had but he wasn't here. She shook her head when she thought how quick Bellamy was blaming Lexa for kidnapping her in the first place and then probably went looking for her at the Grounder's village. She knew Bellamy didn't like Lexa but he could have made better decisions. She closed her eyes. Lexa. She was worried about her. She wasn't supposed to have ties with them but she was caught being with her. "I hope you're alright."
She heard footsteps next to her, on the outside of her tent. "Clarke? Are you awake?" Octavia whispered but she stayed quiet. "I know you can't be asleep so come out now or I'll come in." She waited for a few minutes before calling her again. "Clarke." She called again when there was no answer.
She stayed quiet for a few minutes but she knew Octavia was still there so she slowly got up and unzipped her tent door, poked her head out and looked around. She saw Octavia smiled. "I guess you have trouble sleeping too." She said as she moved to sit on her bed and Octavia followed her.
"Are you okay?" She asked when she looked at Clarke's worried face. As if she could read Clarke's mind she said, "If you think this is your fault just stop because it's not. They made the decision to be out there, not you. Yes it could've been avoided but things just get out of hand. It's something you can't control. Plain and simple. Nobody wants this to happen."
Clarke gave a short nod. "Nothing is ever simple Octavia and I was just thinking about Lexa."
"You miss her already?" She joked but it came out flat when Clarke didn't even get mad at her like she always did. "You want to talk about it?" Octavia asked concerned. Clarke had a lot going on in her head right now. She figured she could lend her ears if that helped. "I know we're not close enough to have a heart to heart talk but if you want to, you know you can trust me."
Clarke gave a weak smile. "I'm just worry about her. She was caught being with me. That can't be good. I don't think we're supposed to be seen together. I should've been more careful."
"Who saw her with you?"
Clarke sighed. "Her parents."
"Oh that's heavy. How did it go?" She asked curious.
"From their reaction I'd say it didn't go so well. I'd rather meet them under different circumstances or whenever we're ready. I don't think I made a good first impression. They kind of caught us by surprised. If you have found me ten minutes earlier you could've met them."
"Oh I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you. I saw you were talking to someone and curiosity got the better of me." She should have minded her own business.
"It's okay."
"So you think Lexa will get in trouble for that?" She watched as Clarke nodded. "You really like her don't you?"
"Octavia don't start." Clarke warned.
Octavia chuckled. "Okay not going there. A lot of things happened today. You need a break." She glanced at Clarke. "For your sake, I hope she's alright." She gave Clarke a sideways hug.
"Thanks."
"I'm on her team remember?" Octavia winked. "Sun is almost up. I'm going to see if they're ready. So whenever you're ready come out and find us." Octavia said before she walked out.
"I'm going to ask you one more time." Raven said looking around as they stopped. "Do you know where we're going or you just follow your guts?" She didn't know this place very well yet but she felt like they were walking in circles. The trees looked the same every where she turned.
"This should be the last place I saw them." Monroe looked around trying to jog her memory. She wasn't so sure. It was somewhere around here. "Monty what are you looking at?" She frowned when she saw Monty took interest in one of the trees.
"Guys look at this. Does this look like a bullet hole to you?" Monty pointed to the hole in the tree as he spoke. "It looks like they did find the Grounders or maybe the Grounders found them." There could be more shots fired. Considering nobody use guns except them, it was safe to assume the bullet was from one of their own.
"How did you even see that?" Miller said while walking to see it. The others followed and were impressed. There were holes in the tree but there was a foul smell that bugging them. "This smells like a dead body." He followed the smell and found a body that had started to decompose. "Urgh! That's your proof. I'm not going to see if there's any bullet hole in him." He covered his nose and walked away from it.
"If that's true then they could be shooting from there." Clarke pointed to her left. It was a wild guess. Identifying the trajectory of the bullet and the site from which it was fired wasn't her expertise but she couldn't be far off. "So assuming a grounder took cover behind this tree, if they make a run for it they could be heading that way." She tried to picture it in her head. "They couldn't possibly run the other way right?"
"This is crazy." Raven shook her head. "If the Grounders didn't already kill him I'll kill him myself."
"Get in line Raven." Miller yawned. Octavia was quiet. She knew not all of them liked Bellamy. They followed him because he stepped up when nobody would.
"I can't tell where they went by looking at the trail," Clarke looked down at the ground where she could see footsteps and trails. She wished Finn was there. "But I think they probably go that way. So if you guys have anything to say this is the time." She looked at them waiting if they had better suggestions.
"This plan sucks but it's the only one we have. So I'm with Clarke." Octavia spoke. "Just don't get lost." The others nodded, agreed.
"Okay let's go then." Clarke took one last look and then led the way.
Clarke gestured for them to be quiet. She cocked her head forward and they immediately saw a grounder woman with a boy. 'Thank God!' Clarke murmured. They stayed down and waited to see where they were headed. "Come on. Don't lose them." She said with a slow voice. The woman and the boy happily chatting, didn't notice they were being followed. They kept their distance and after walking for quite some time Clarke could take a deep breath.
"We found them!" Clarke said, squatted down as she watched the woman and the boy walk into the village. Octavia took a place next to her looking at the same direction.
"We'd be lost if it wasn't for the woman wouldn't we?" Raven said while her eyes scouting the village. She couldn't see clearly. "Hey I'm going over there to take a closer look." Monty, Miller and Monroe went with her.
Clarke turned her head to look at Octavia. "This is Lexa's village. That's her parents." She said while turning her head to see two familiar grounders talking to each other. The man walked away while the woman stayed there.
"Really? Which one?" Octavia asked.
"The one who is giving out orders." Clarke pointed to a woman who stood in front of quite a number of men, gathered with their weapons in hands. "Is she their leader?" From the way they listened to her she could be right. Those were warriors, not villagers.
"Clarke if I can give you one advice, don't go breaking Lexa's heart." She said as she looked at Lexa's mother. "That's one fierce and scary looking woman. I'm pretty sure she's a warrior but Lexa looks totally different, more gentle and sweet." She commented. Their first and second encounters were fresh in her memory. "Look at her goddamn sword. Just one swing is enough to cut off your head. How many people she had killed with that sword?"
"Thank you for your reassuring advice. I needed that." Clarke said sarcastically. Octavia glanced at her when she heard her tone.
"So if she were their leader is it going to help us or kill us?" Octavia asked. "You said she didn't like it when she caught Lexa with you. Maybe if Lexa's here she could help us."
"You should have seen her dad too. He was about to shoot me with his arrow and her mom was ready to cut me with her sword." Clarke chuckled. "I thought they would end me right then." She smiled when she remembered Lexa had stepped forward and defended her. "But I don't see Lexa anywhere."
"I saw them. They're here!" Raven said suddenly appeared, surprising them. "I saw two men guarding over there. We need to hurry if we want to do this." Raven said with Monroe next to her. They could be found if they stayed longer.
"Are you sure? I don't see them." Clarke looked at the village again but didn't see their friends.
"You can't see them from here." Raven said. "So let's go over your plan again. We sneak in and find a way to free them. We can't just walk in there and demand our friends back."
"Just walk in there? That's bullshit." Miller chipped in. "What makes you think they won't kill us on sight?"
"Because our friends are still alive. They could be waiting for us." Clarke said but then realised something. If that was the case then the Grounders were expecting them and it would be a bad move to try to sneak in. They could cause an entirely different problems.
"Waiting for us? Then we're walking into a trap. Is that what you mean?" Monroe asked but Clarke was deep in her thoughts to hear Monroe's concern.
Monty touched Clarke's shoulder. "Clarke?"
"Actually that is exactly what we're going to do. Raven's right. We're here with good intention, to get our friends back. We're not looking for a fight." Clarke tried to make them see her point. "If we try to sneak in they would think we're here to attack them but we're not. We negotiate. We still have our guns if anything happens."
"Are you sure?" Octavia asked. She got her point but it was still too risky.
"Yes I'm sure." She turned around and stared at the village. The others nodded. They were in this together.
"Clarke." Raven called her. She turned. "If their leader refuse to negotiate or let us go, kill him." Clarke frowned when Raven handed her a small knife. "Hide it well." Clarke nodded. She understood it was their last resort. She was hoping things wouldn't go that far. She didn't feel like killing the leader of the Grounders and potentially started a war.
"Okay lead the way." Monty said as Clarke took a deep breath before making her way forward. When they reached the main gate the Grounders immediately noticed their presence and within seconds surrounded them. They stood closely to each other with concern eyes looking everywhere especially when the tip of their swords were pointed at them. Clarke looked at them, faces full of hatred. They were talking something that she didn't understand but looking at their expression of disgust whatever they said weren't pretty. She knew they weren't welcome here.
"Let them pass!" Indra shouted. Her people were shouting and cursing but slowly stepped aside to let them through. All eyes were on them.
Clarke could see Lexa's mother at the back of the crowd, the one who gave the order. She walked forward confidently but only God knew how nervous she was. Whether they made it out of here alive was now depends on her. Octavia and the others slowly followed her steps while their eyes never left the Grounders. She stopped when she was at arm's length from her.
"Pat emo daun (search them)." Indra ordered and two men walked up to them and started searching. They had taken their guns, knives and everything that could be used as weapons.
"Em klir (All clear)." One of them said and stepped aside.
"We still have our guns if anything happens you said?" Miller said as he looked at their guns on the ground.
Clarke ignored him. "I want to talk to your leader." She said confidently. "We came in peace. We're here for our friends."
Indra glared at the intruder in front of her, understood every word she said. When the Commander told them to wait for Sky People's leader to come she never would have guessed it was the same girl she saw with the Commander. Was this part of the Commander's plan? She had been merciful towards Sky People but she couldn't have anticipated this to happen. She wasn't here when the attack happened. Sometimes she couldn't understand reasons behind some of the Commander's actions and decisions but she had her orders to bring them to their friends and that what she was going to do. She took a deep breath and ordered, "Bring them to see their friends!" She turned and walked.
The Grounders pushed and gestured for them to follow Indra which they did. From where she was standing Clarke could see Finn and the others were gathered together with their hands tied behind their backs, surrounded by a wooden fence. It was probably a place where they kept their livestock from the look of it. Clarke was glad when she saw them. Raven ran towards them but someone moved to block her from getting too close with Finn so she stayed back.
"Clarke!" Bellamy called her as soon as they got closer. He was on his knees like the rest of them. "What are you doing here?" He was surprised to see them.
Before Clarke could answer him Raven did. The man who was blocking her moved out of her way when Indra gestured for him to do so. "We're here to save your ass, you dumbass." She was angry. They were in this mess because of him. Murphy snorted from behind him. He knew this was a bad idea.
"But it's too dangerous." Finn said wishing that Raven had never come. He didn't think the Grounders were going to let them go. He had been wondering why they were keeping them alive but upon seeing Clarke and the others he knew the Grounders had a plan.
"Well it's a little late for that." Raven shrugged. "Don't worry we have a peace plan, like you always wanted."
"I'm going to try to talk to their leader." Clarke said as she looked at Finn. "Did they say anything? Any demands or whatever?"
Finn shook his head. "Even if they did I don't speak grounders." He looked at Indra who stood there watching them. "Bellamy shot a boy." He thought Clarke should know before she tried to negotiate.
"What?!" Clarke and Raven said it almost instantaneously. "Is he dead?" Clarke asked worried. This was not good. She thought she could bargain for their life before but now she wasn't so sure anymore.
"I don't think he's dead or we wouldn't be here alive." Finn said. "But last time I saw him he was on the floor. Be careful Clarke. I don't like that they just let you guys walked in here."
"What were you thinking?" Octavia asked, didn't really expect an answer from her brother. She shook her head finding hard to believe her brother would be so reckless. "Come here and shoot a boy?" She walked and whispered to Clarke, "Do whatever you have to do but please don't let him die. He's the only family I have." Clarke nodded without looking at her.
"That's the problem. He didn't think." Murphy said which drew a stare from Bellamy. "I told you this was a crazy idea."
Indra stepped forward and stood in front of them. Clarke turned to face her. "How's Lexa?" She couldn't help but asked. She was worried about her. If having a connection with her was not enough now they had invaded and shot one of her people. She sighed when the grounder kept staring but not talking. "Okay if you don't want to tell me that's fine. Are you their leader?" Somehow she hoped Lexa's mother understood her.
"Bring this girl to see the Commander." Two of the grounders men walked up to Clarke and grabbed her by her arms. "The others stay here." They dragged her to follow Indra.
"Hey! What are you going to do to her?" Bellamy struggled to break free but the man who had been guarding them hit him in the head with the hilt of his sword. He grunted in pain. The others stayed where they were.
Indra looked on. "The Commander wants them alive. Don't kill them unless you have an order." She ordered as she turned back and walked towards the Commander's tent. They let Clarke go when they stopped in front of the tent where Gustus was guarding. He never turned to look at Clarke. Indra had taken her place at the other side of the tent. She glanced over at Clarke then just like Gustus looked forward with their head held high.
Clarke figured this was their leader's tent and she was allowed to see him. She turned to look at her friends and then back at the tent. Her hand went to her waistline where she had the small knife hidden. She stood there for a few seconds to compose herself before she walked in.
"I don't care how big your army is, if you hurt any of my people I will kill you myself." Clarke said as she stormed into the Commander's tent. She didn't plan to give threats when she walked in but she just did. She refused to be intimidated by the Commander. She stopped as she stared at the Commander. She was taken by surprise to see a slim figure was standing tall in front of her, not a tall bulky man she thought it would be. She was standing with her back to her. "Arrogant!" She muttered to herself.
"From one leader to another at least show some respect and look at me when I'm talking." Clarke demanded the Commander's attention when the Commander stood there silently ignoring her, still with her back towards her. "Or are you just brave behind your grounder's army?" She said with a hint of mockery as her patient was running thin with her lack of reaction.
"Kill is such a strong word for someone like you." The Commander finally spoke but the familiarity of her voice made Clarke frowned. "As leaders to our people we have to make hard choices and that includes giving out orders to kill." She stopped then continued. "I never underestimated my enemies and I always take threats seriously though I don't think you're a match for me. Somehow I find it hard to believe you will kill me." She put her hands behind her back. "Mockery is not a product of a strong mind, Clarke of the Sky People." With those last words the Commander turned.
As soon as the Commander turned around Clarke couldn't believe her eyes. If her jaw wasn't attached to her face Clarke was sure it would drop to the ground. Her eyes didn't blink but fixed on the Commander who was standing in front of her wearing fully armoured gears just like the other Grounder warriors. Her eyes followed as the Commander took steps forward to stand a few feet away from her.
Lexa had an amused expression on her face. She let Clarke took the time she needed to process the new information while she used the opportunity to study her; her beautiful eyes were wide, unblinking, completely bewildered as she silently gazed at her and her sweet lips moved as she tried to speak but no words came. Clarke's reaction was exactly how she had anticipated it.
She swallowed a lump in her throat. "Lexa? You're the Commander?" She finally spoke when she could think again. She let out a long breath she didn't know she was holding. She ran her eyes over Lexa from head to toe then back up again. Was any of this real? How could she be the Commander?
"Do you always come out that strong to someone you never met before?" Lexa asked while never took her eyes off Clarke. She kind of liked it because Clarke looked strong and determined. Someone she saw as her equal even though she thought it wasn't the best way to confront her, making threats to your enemy before you know their weaknesses were reckless. She smiled when she saw Clarke was still in shock. "Clarke?"
"Uh I'm still processing." Her surprised had turned into something else. She was in awe of the girl in front of her. "Well not always, only to people who try to hurt my people." Clarke chuckled. She just wanted to give the impression that she wasn't afraid or that the Commander shouldn't taken her lightly. She wanted to be seen as a force to be reckoned with. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect my people." 'But look at her pretty face. What is that? A war paint or something? It looks good on her. Very good.' Clarke found it hard to focus.
Lexa nodded. She understood and admired Clarke for that, something she swore to do herself. "Your people came to my village, attacked us and almost kill a boy." Clarke couldn't argue when Lexa brought that up. They did but it was just a misunderstanding. When Clarke was silent, she continued, "I do understand that. I would do anything to protect my people too and that's why we're having this conversation."
"Part of this is my fault." Clarke said, finally got the chance to explain the misunderstanding. "He was looking for me while I was out meeting you. He thought you kidnapped me when he couldn't find me at the camp." She sighed when she heard how stupid that sound. 'And her hair looks different. Her braid looks complicated but it suits her. Gives her a sweet look. Not that she isn't before.'
Lexa tilted her head and with narrowed eyes asked, "Why would I want to kidnap you? Why would he think I would do something like that? He was the one who wanted to kill me."
Clarke had no answer for that. She couldn't understand why Bellamy thought of something like that but she figured it was probably out of jealousy now that Octavia had confirmed her suspicions. Bellamy did have feelings for her and sometimes feelings made people acted dumb. Telling Lexa about it wasn't a good idea. She was certain about her feelings but she wasn't sure about Lexa's feelings for her. "But he didn't mean to harm the boy. I can't let him die Lexa. He was just looking for me." 'And doesn't she look badass in that battle gear? She looks great in it. Everything looks perfect. She looks perfect.'
"Then he dies for you." Lexa said angrily. She remembered the way the man was looking at Clarke, only a fool wouldn't notice. She was wondering whether they were more than just friends. Was she jealous hearing he was looking for her?
Clarke sighed. She had been fooled by Lexa from the very beginning. Part of her wanted to smack Lexa on the head for lying to her face but the other part of her thought that Lexa had her reasons. The fact that there wasn't a single attack from the grounders spoke volume. If she wanted to harm them she could have done that the minute she escaped from the drop ship but she didn't. Lexa caught her eye as she walked to sit on her throne and they stared at each other for a moment. It was a special kind of chair, if you could call it a chair. To Clarke it looked more like a throne reserved only for someone held a higher power like the Commander.
"You and your people trespass our lands, my territories. I had to know your intentions." Lexa said while playing with the knife in her hands. "You have the right to know why I was here." She stopped to look at Clarke. "I was here to make sure things were in order, that my people had taken care of matters at hand."
"What was your order?" Clarke was intrigued.
"To kill every single one of you." Lexa said calmly as she looked at Clarke in the eye. She could see Clarke was surprised.
Clarke was taken aback by Lexa's confessions. She ordered her people to kill them. She was too shocked to respond but it was fool for her to expect anything less than that. The grounders had no reason to let them roam through their land and she gave the orders before they even met.
"The moment you thought I didn't speak English I was thinking it would be a good opportunity to learn everything I need to know about Sky People." Lexa continued when Clarke didn't say anything. "You need to understand that I had no intention to deceive you. I took the opportunity as it was presented before my eyes." She was speaking as the leader of her people. Clarke should understand her actions.
"We didn't know there were people down here." Clarke spoke after realizing that Lexa probably had called off her initial orders to kill them. "We thought we were the only survivors from Earth. We didn't even know that Earth was survivable. That's why we were sent down here to make sure it could before the others follow." She wanted Lexa to believe her. With Lexa being the Commander it could change their situation a great deal.
Clarke saw Lexa nodded. It was weird talking to her like this. She used to talk to Lexa but wasn't use to her talking back or even understood everything she said. A pang of realization came rushing and she closed her eyes and then opened them. "Goddamn it!" Clarke cursed under her breath. Her mind rewound to their first conversation, from their time at the drop ship up to their last encountered with Lexa's parents and the time when she was trying to explain her feelings. 'That was embarrassing.' She said to herself.
"I remember you told me about it, everything that you told me. I've heard what I needed to hear." Lexa said. "You spoke about wanting peace with us and I know that your desire for peace is true." She put her knife on the table. Clarke nodded, thinking the safety of her people came first, her embarrassment second. Lexa remembered about Clarke's conversation with the man and the others while she was tending to her wound.
"Is there any chance for a truce or maybe an alliance?" Clarke asked. She had to push for that to happen. It was the only way they could avoid bloodshed and ended the threat they faced from the Grounders.
Lexa's silent wasn't an encouraging sign. She looked to be deep in her thought before she said, "What can Sky People offer in return? My people will not accept a one-sided alliance. There should be give and take." Lexa told her terms. "We give you permission to stay on our land but you must give us something in return. A win win situation if I must say."
Clarke was thinking. There had to be something they could offer. She had seen the grounders and how they lived. She could hardly find any sort of technology in their village. "There has to be something we can offer Lexa. I know it. You're the Commander. You can talk to your people. You can convince them."
Lexa shook her head. "That is not how we do things here Clarke." Even if Lexa wanted to she couldn't. She had to bargain even though she had made up her mind about their alliance but Clarke didn't know that. She needed to know what exactly they could offer.
Clarke sighed. Right now they were still struggling just to adapt living on the ground. To think of something they could do to offer the grounders felt like too much to ask. They were just delinquents. Some of them had skills but she didn't know if it was enough for bargains or whether it was useful to the Grounders.
"I'm sure we could use your help in our war against the Mountain Men." Lexa spoke bringing Clarke's back to their conversation, giving Clarke something to start with. "After all you are more like them than us." She didn't exactly know much about them but according to her sources the Mountain Men were technologically advance, something she hoped Clarke and her people were good at.
"Who's the Mountain Men?" Clarke asked. It was the first time she heard of it but she didn't like the war part. She wasn't ready to put her people at war against whoever those Mountain Men were. They weren't train to fight. Bellamy and the others surely wouldn't agree to a war. They didn't even have enough weapons to defend themselves, let alone going to war.
Lexa forgot she hadn't told Clarke about the Mountain Men yet. She would when the time comes but right now she had to decide what to do with Sky People. "I will tell you about them later but we have other important matters at hand." Lexa got up from her chair. She walked to stand in front of Clarke.
Their eyes met. "I still can't believe my eyes Lexa." Clarke spoke first then biting her lower lip. "You look totally different. It's not a bad different but something else. I mean I still do see you as an innocent beautiful girl but seeing you like this really-" She just couldn't find words to express how impressed she was. She ran her eyes over Lexa's again. "God you even speak English." She was shaking her head. "And I was making a fool of myself all this time."
"You assumed I didn't when I didn't answer you. You can't possibly blame me for your own poor of judgment." Lexa defended herself but she was smiling. Her voice was soft and gentle, unlike a moment ago. The mood between them now had changed to something more casual. They had discussed what needed to be discussed between leaders even though there were some issues they need to work on. Right now they had other things to discuss.
Clarke laughed and pointed to her chest. "Oh so now it's my fault?" Lexa looked relaxed so she took a step to stand a little closer. She wasn't going to tell Lexa how watching her in her commander's gear was a big turn on for her. Who didn't like badass girlfriend right? She wasn't a big fan of books but she read stories about strong warrior woman characters back on the Ark. She never thought they existed but now she had found one herself.
Lexa nodded playing along. "I learnt a lot." She said and searched for her eyes. "But I must say being ignored was not a very good experience. I'm not used to that." Clarke had never paid attention to what she was saying. "You kept talking even though you thought I couldn't understand you but it worked to my advantage. So I played along." She shrugged her shoulders. "I learnt things about you." 'Like your feelings for me.'
"Hey what was I supposed to do? One of us had to talk or it would be like an awkward first date every time we go out. It's not like you talk that much." Clarke answered while laughing. "But I did pay attention to what you said but since I don't understand your language-" She shrugged. "It goes through here and goes out the other way." She pointed to her left ear then to her right ear. "I'm sorry if you feel that way. I didn't mean to ignore you. I swear."
Lexa smiled enjoying the moment. Things had turned out better than she had expected. She stared into Clarke's eyes and took a deep breath. When she was sure Clarke felt the same thing she made the first move. She stepped forward to close the remaining distance between them and reached for Clarke's face. Clarke seemed a little surprised at her sudden move but only for a second when she smiled back and put her hand on top of Lexa's. Lexa tilted her head to one side and she went for a kiss, closed her eyes feeling Clarke's soft lips on hers. The kiss was tender and sweet. She broke the kiss and tilted her head to the other side and aimed for her lips again. She found them and she could feel Clarke returned the kiss but only for a moment when she frowned as she felt Clarke was pulling back. She opened her eyes to see there was unreadable expression on her face. She felt a sting of heart break seeing that on the face of the girl in front of her. She had finally able to let herself cared deeply for someone again. She had finally able to let people in. She looked at Clarke, wondering what went through her mind. Was she having a second thought about them? She didn't utter a word just waiting for Clarke to say it. It felt like forever.
"The kiss." Clarke finally said, while licking her lips. "I'm just-"
Lexa's face fell. She never took her eyes off Clarke. Was there an error of judgment on her part? Clarke had told her how she felt about her but why was she looked confused? Was she wrong to assume Clarke had wanted the kiss like she did? Was it too fast for her? Could it be she wasn't ready? "I'm sorry if it was-" She said slowly.
"No no please don't be sorry." Clarke shook her head. "It's just—" She frowned like she was trying to find a perfect word for it. She bit her lower lip and glanced over to Lexa. She turned her head slightly to the side avoiding eye contacts.
Lexa was sure Clarke was having a second thought about them being together. She probably was just being polite not to say it outright. "I understand if you have changed your mind." She could not find a better reason why there was hesitation on Clarke's part other than she had a changed of heart. It took all she had to not show how hurt she felt. She had never felt so vulnerable like she was at this moment. She took a long breath and let it out. "I give you my word that our alliance will still stand."
Clarke wasn't paying attention to what Lexa was saying. She certainly didn't realise Lexa thought that she had a changed of heart. She murmured something to herself.
Lexa clenched her jaw and closed her eyes. She stood unmoved in front of Clarke. She was strong. She could overcome this feeling just like she did with Costia. She never thought she would fall for someone else after Costia but she did. She never thought she could get over the pain of losing someone she loved but she did. All these thoughts came rushing to her head helping her to cope with her new found emotions.
"Lexa." Lexa opened her eyes when she heard her name. A pair of blue eyes was staring at her. "Hey babe. What's wrong?" Clarke asked concerned. She gently placed her hands on Lexa's arm but she took a step back prompting Clarke to let go. She arched her brows at the sudden changed. "Uh what's going on?" She asked again when Lexa wasn't talking.
"Like I said I understand if you have changed your mind. Our alliance will not break just because this didn't work out." Lexa said with strained voice. She swallowed hard. Her shoulders tensed.
Clarke blinked while her head trying to grasp what was happening. Lexa stood still and offered no explanation. "What do you mean? What is it that didn't work out?" She was confused. Watching Lexa putting some distance between them and that tense look on her face worried her. She didn't come any closer to Lexa who didn't say a word but instead she was walking away.
"Hey." Clarke grabbed her arms. "Where are you going?" She said forcing Lexa to face her. "Why are you looking so hurt and sad all of the sudden?" She really had no idea. They were sharing kisses and now Lexa was like down and sad. "For God's sake Lexa! Talk to me!" She cursed herself for zoning out and not paying attention.
"You pulled back." Lexa said with a straight face. "You changed your mind about us but it's fine."
Clarke cursed herself again for the confusion. She chucked. "Oh my God! Lexa! Where did you get that idea? You really need to chill!" She couldn't help herself laughing. She was relieved. It was her fault for giving the wrong signal to Lexa. She shook her head. "I'm sorry if I made you think that I wasn't into this." She was smiling while her hands still holding Lexa's arms, afraid she would walk away without hearing her out. "I wasn't pulling back because I changed my mind." She shook her head again. "Not in a million years." Her explanation worked because Lexa wasn't so tensed anymore. "Believe me I want you too. I want to touch every inch of you. I want to feel you. I love the feeling your lips touching mine. God you have no idea Lexa how hard I tried not to do that the minute I walked in here. Watching you now really turns me on. I mean look at you!"
Clarke could see that Lexa was blushing which was a good sign. "I don't know much about your culture babe but I take it you guys aren't exactly accustomed to saying things like that huh." Lexa smiled while shaking her head. "It's just the kiss felt like a déjà vu." Clarke said what was bothering her.
Lexa frowned at her words but glad it wasn't what she thought it was. There wasn't someone else between them. "What do you mean?"
"Well when something feels like a déjà vu, it means that the feeling that you're having exactly the same experience as one you have had before." Clarke explained. "The feeling is so strong but we never kissed before. So I felt weird." She was sure of it.
"Oh." Lexa said when understanding came upon her. She had read Clarke's reaction to their kiss the wrong way. A smile slowly forming at the corner of her lips. She was almost grinning now.
"Is something the matter Commander?" Clarke raised her eyebrows, curious.
Lexa let out a small laugh but it sounded sweet. "Well I should have told you before. Actually I did tell you when you asked me the other day." Clarke frowned, didn't follow what Lexa was trying to tell her. "This is not the first time we kiss. We've kissed before." Clarke looked at her with wide eyes which only made Lexa enjoyed it more. "I told you you're going to pay for it."
"What?!" Clarke said, "We did? So I was right! It wasn't just a dream!" She almost laughed out loud. She knew it was real because it felt real. "So what else you didn't tell me?" Clarke asked. From the way Lexa was smiling at her there had to be something else. "Lexa?" She took Lexa's hand in hers.
"Yes it wasn't just a dream. It happened moment before I escaped." Lexa said, her eyes locked on their intertwined hands.
"God I feel so stupid!" Clarke groaned. "This is all because of the nuts!" First kiss was special and everybody remembered their first kiss but she didn't remember hers. "I couldn't remember the kiss. It was blurred memories, though I could tell I enjoyed it." She chuckled.
"No you're not stupid. As far as I can remember you're a great kisser." Clarke blushed at the compliment. Lexa cupping her chin in her hand and tilting her head up, so their eyes met. "The kiss was great. I loved it." She had to resist the urge to kiss her lips once more.
"Well if you say I am then I guess I am a great kisser." Clarke said playfully. "But I don't remember whether you're a great kisser or not. I guess you need to show me how good you are." She grinned when Lexa frowned then smiled when she understood what she meant.
"You were high because of the nuts. I let you ate them because it was an opportunity for me to escape and I knew it wasn't poisonous. We had a talk. I made the first move. I felt like I took advantage of you." Lexa said hesitantly. She thought Clarke had a right to know what happened that day.
Clarke smiled, erasing Lexa's doubt. "And I was a willing participant. There's no need to feel bad about it. Even if I wasn't high I would've done the same thing. I would kiss you back." She paused then asked, "This is off topic but before I forget, what about the boy? Is he still alive?"
"Yes he is but he's not doing so good." Lexa was told the boy had a slim chance to live. "Blood must answer blood. If he dies your friend dies."
"Are you being serious?" Clarke asked but she could see Lexa wouldn't budge. "Okay you cannot look more serious than that." She held up her hand but than ran them through her hair while Lexa stood there watching.
"I cannot simply change our rules Clarke." Lexa said trying her best to make Clarke understood that even though she was the Commander she had to obey the rules too. "The rules are there for a reason. That is our way."
"Yeah I know but he didn't mean it. It was an accident."
Lexa shook her head. "He is responsible for his own action."
"Urgh!" She groaned in frustration. "Okay let me see the boy. Maybe there's something I can do to help." It was her only chance. Bellamy was a dead man if she couldn't save the boy.
Lexa seemed to hesitate but agreed to let her see the boy. "Do what you can to save him or there is nothing I can do to stop your friend from being punished." That was all she could offer Clarke. "I've been lenient enough to your people Clarke. I don't want my people to think-"
"Lexa." Clarke cut her words. "I know. I'm grateful for that." She walked closer and took Lexa's hand in her. "You're a great leader and I'm about to find out if you're a great kisser too. I don't want you to ever change." Lexa smiled. "But thank you for giving us a chance." She couldn't ask Lexa to do more than what she had done.
Clarke reached out to caress Lexa's face. Her eyes darted back and forth into Lexa's. "Clarke." Lexa said softly and she closed her eyes at the soft and gentle touch. It had been a long time since she felt loved. Lexa opened her eyes, watching Clarke as she moved her hands further down to her neck gently pulled her closer while her lips parted. Clarke leaned in for a kiss. The moment their lips met, an explosion went off inside her body. This time there was no more doubt or confusion in her heart. The softness of Lexa's lips brushed against her mouth, almost making her legs gave way under her. Lexa couldn't resist deepening the kiss. Slipping her tongue out, she urged her lips apart to taste her fully and they were lost in each other.
"Why is she taking so long?" Raven whispered to Octavia next to her. She was right to think they weren't allowed to carry their weapons inside the village. At least Clarke had something to defend herself with in case things got rough with the Grounder's leader.
Octavia gestured for Raven to keep quiet. They weren't tied up because they came in peace but if Raven tried to do anything stupid they might end up like their friends. They could jeopardize whatever agreement Clarke tried to negotiate in there.
"If she won't kill their leader I will." Raven said impatiently. They had waited long enough. For all they knew Clarke could have been killed in there.
Octavia rolled her eyes. "Don't do anything stupid Raven. Let's just wait a little longer." She stopped when one of the grounders looked at her. Their worry grew stronger the longer Clarke was in the Commander's tent. She glanced over her shoulder and met with Bellamy's stare. From the look on her brother's face she had a feeling Bellamy was going to do something. She frowned and tried her best to tell him to stay put. What could he do with his hands tied behind his back anyway?
"Octavia." Raven called her. "We need to act fast." She said while looking around to see where the guards were. "I'm going to make a scene and when the time is right you run to that tent like hell." Octavia widen her eyes watching Raven nodded to Bellamy.
"Run to that tent like hell? Did you hear yourself?" Octavia asked. "Did you not see those people? Did you not see the swords and arrows they're carrying?" Just seeing the sword gave her chills. The two grounders guarding the tent looked like the god and goddess of the Grounders. She was no match for them.
"Just do whatever it takes to get to that tent. Just figure something out. Find out what's happening in there. Help Clarke." Raven whispered her plan to Octavia.
"This is the most stupid plan I've ever heard coming from you Raven and you know it. What if she's doing just fine?" Octavia shook her head. "I'm just going to get myself killed. How does that help our situation? What I am suppose to do when I get in there?"
"This is our only chance." Raven said. "Clarke may need our help. She could've been dead!" She signaled with her eyes to the others who seemed to be on board with that crazy plan. How did they come to this agreement without her noticing it?
"I'm tired of waiting! Bellamy! This is all your fault!" Raven shouted like a crazy person and kicked the wooden fence as hard as she could. The Grounders all turned to look at her. The fact that there were only two grounders stood between Octavia and the tent gave her some hope. The other grounders were all standing just behind them. The villagers wouldn't be their problems, she hoped.
"Shit! She's fucking serious!" Octavia swallowed hard watching the others had started to follow Raven's plan. She glanced towards Indra and Gustus who had their eyes on Raven. 'If I die here I swear I'm coming back as a ghost and haunt you for the rest of your life Raven!'
"Yeah! We wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't because of you!" Miller shouted and tried to get to Bellamy. The Grounder who was guarding them didn't stop him just grinning enjoying watching them. Murphy got to his feet and kicked Bellamy from behind.
"Hey!" Bellamy appeared to be pissed, got to his feet and pushed Murphy as hard as he could. Murphy stumbled backwards and used the wooden fence to help him balance himself.
Indra and Gustus didn't like what they saw. He followed Indra who was already heading towards those kids. Raven could see they were walking towards them and nodded to Octavia to get ready. Octavia didn't seem too pleased but had no choice other than waiting for the opportunities to make her run. Raven cocked her head to Miller and Monty to help Murphy in his act which they did. They grabbed Bellamy when he came closer to Murphy. Finn, Jasper and Atom all got up to their feet and pushed Bellamy and Murphy. It caused the fence to fall down. Monroe came to stand next to Raven while their eyes glancing over the grounders who seemed to be enjoying themselves, shouting and chanting words she didn't understand. They were all fell down to the ground and Bellamy struggled to get to his feet with his hand still tied behind his back.
"Quiet!" Indra shouted for the grounders to stop chanting. Gustus was standing next to her leaving the tent unguarded. Upon seeing them distracted Octavia slowly took a step back. The villagers were too distracted to pay attention to her.
Murphy managed to get up and pushed Bellamy back to the ground. Gustus had had enough of it he walked to them, grabbed both Murphy and Bellamy on their shirts and picked them off the ground. Indra came to stand next to him, chest heaving rapidly. Octavia decided it was the time to make her move. She walked a little faster and turned around but Gustus glanced over to his Commander's tent and saw Octavia was running towards it. "Indra!" He called and cocked his head towards the tent. Indra's eyes wide and immediately drew her sword and running after Octavia.
"I can make it! I can make it!" Octavia said over and over again. She stopped abruptly just inside the tent and Indra who was running behind, bumped into her almost knocked her down. They both picked a terrible moment to make their appearance.
"Oh." It was what Octavia could say at that moment. At least she managed to utter a word unlike Indra who was too shocked, her mouth opened, standing awkwardly in her Commander's tent with her sword in hand watching her Commander kissing the leader of their enemy. She knew they had connections but she didn't expect it to be more advance.
Clarke and Lexa weren't aware of their presence as they were deeply invested in each other. Indra and Octavia glanced at each other uncertain what to do. Should they silently walked out or interrupt the young couple who were lost in their own world? Or they could just stay and waited until they finish their business. Should they make a sound?
"Octavia! Clarke!" Octavia heard Bellamy shouted from outside. His shouting surprised them.
Lexa pulled from the kiss. "No." Clarke moaned. "Why stop?" She almost sounded like she was begging. "Why does this feel like a deja vu all over again?" She frowned when Lexa stared at something behind her so she turned around. Her eyes widen as she saw Octavia and Indra were standing at the door.
"Uh I think I should go outside and tell them you're okay before they all come in here and catch you two-" Octavia scratched her forehead. "I'm just gonna go outside." She gestured to the door and turned around while whispering to Indra on her way out. "You should too."
Indra uncharacteristically agree with the Sky Person, bowing her head and said, "I'm sorry Heda." She turned and left with an unreadable expression on her face.
Clarke and Lexa both exchanged glances. "What happened? How long have they been standing there?" Clarke asked, hearing the commotion outside. "What's that sound? Who's fighting?" She asked when there were shouts and yells that was now obvious to them in the tent.
Lexa stormed out of the tent without saying a word. Clarke sighed and muttered, "Why do people always have to interrupt? Urgh!" before she followed Lexa out of the tent.
"Clarke! Are you alright?" Bellamy asked when he saw her walking behind Lexa. "Hey if you hurt her I swear to God I'll kill you! Don't think I'm afraid of you!" He turned to stare at Lexa, frowning as he tried to remember where he had seen her.
"Bell! She's okay." Octavia hadn't had the chance to tell them Clarke was okay. Gustus had his hand on Bellamy. Lexa cocked her head and walked to Bellamy.
"Hod yu rein daun! (Mind your place!)" Indra charged at him. "You are in no position to make such a threat! You will be killed by my sword before you could even think about challenging the Commander!" Her chest moved rapidly. They were shocked to hear Indra spoke in English. "Heda Teik ai frag em op en dison laik odon! (Let me kill him and get this over with!)."
"Did I get a bad knock on my head or did she just speak English?" Jasper asked. The others looked at her, surprised. "Uh didn't I know her from somewhere?" He said but his eyes widen as soon as he recognised Lexa. "I'm a dead man."
"Chil au Indra (Stay calm Indra)." She shot a look at Indra then looked at Bellamy. "Is that a challenge?" Lexa asked casually but it still sounded like a threat. It was clear when she shot him a challenging look. Bellamy didn't answer but held her stare.
Sensing trouble, Clarke went to Lexa. "Lexa." Clarke said softly. 'You have a death wish Bellamy? 'Clarke said to herself while watching Bellamy stupidly trying to intimidate the Grounder's Commander. "Please don't do this." If this turned out badly it could jeopardize their alliances.
"He made his choice (Em don sad klin)." Lexa said as she looked at the grounders one by one. "This one is mine (Dison laik ain)." She turned and walked to stand at an open space. She nodded to Indra. "Breik em au (Free him)."
"Sha, Heda!" Indra moved while pushing Octavia aside to get to Bellamy. Gustus cut him loose as Indra grabbed his shirt and pushed him to walk. "You're a dead man." She whispered to Bellamy.
"Clarke! Do something!" Octavia was now standing next to Clarke while watching her brother being dragged to where Lexa was standing. The others could only watch.
"When the hell did Bellamy made a challenge?" Monty murmured. Jasper looked at him and shrugged.
Before Clarke could moved Gustus had stood in front of her. "It seems that the Commander is very fond of you but she will not blame me if I cut your leg off to make you stay right where you are." He threatened.
'Fond? Is that how you describe your commander's feelings for me?' Clarke said to herself. She didn't know whether Gustus would follow through with his threat if she did move. She could see Lexa had drew her sword, which she wielded with skill, and struck to right and left while leaving Clarke even more impressed than she already was.
Indra came forward and threw her sword on the ground in front of Bellamy and said, "Pick up the sword and fight." She stepped back and already looked like she was enjoying it.
Bellamy looked down where the sword was and swallowed. He glanced to them and to Lexa who was still waiting. Slowly he picked up the sword. The grounders cheered loudly and began chanting "Heda! Heda! Heda!"
"Go Bellamy!" Jasper shouted, giving his friend a bit of encouragement but his voice couldn't match the grounder's chants.
Bellamy held the hilt of his sword tightly. Tiny beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. His mouth was slightly open as he tried to control his breath. Lexa stared at him, anticipating his moves. He stood there before finally steadied the sword in his right hand knowing that the attack was going to happen soon. Lexa smiled when she saw Bellamy was ready. She made the first move. Bellamy was on the defensive trying to shield Lexa's strikes.
"That's pretty impressive." Murphy commented, nodding his head. "No wonder she's the Commander. Bellamy couldn't pick somebody else to pick a fight with. It has to be the Commander." He chuckled, couldn't bet on Bellamy winning this fight as he watched Bellamy trying to match the Commander's moves but he fell to the ground when the Commander tripped his leg. Sword fighting wasn't their thing but if it was guns then Bellamy might have better chances of winning.
Lexa threw away her sword when she saw Bellamy wouldn't pick up his sword. She slowly unbuckled her battle gear and threw them on the ground.
"What is she doing?" Clarke raised her eyebrows upon seeing Lexa removed her battle gears. She was now on her thin clothes. Lexa looked exactly like the first time they met but with less clothing. She could see Lexa's tattoos on both her arms and they looked totally badass. She didn't know Lexa had tattoos but if the other grounders were any indication, having tattoos was normal for her culture. "Can't blame me for mistaking her for just a sweet girl." She muttered as she took on Lexa's appearance. Her brain hadn't had enough time to process Lexa the Commander and now seeing her fighting was just too much for her brain to handle.
Octavia cleared her throat and leaned closer. "Clarke you're blushing. So whatever you're thinking right now just stop." She could guess what Clarke was thinking. "At least don't look so obvious." She sighed and glanced at Gustus for standing too close to Clarke.
"Oh." Clarke said as she ran one hand through her hair. She had never seen Lexa fought. She knew Lexa was very good with weapons but hand in hand combat was something else. Could she take down Bellamy? Lexa wouldn't kill him and Bellamy wouldn't make a bold move to kill the Commander.
"If you so much as look at her the wrong way, I will slit your throat." Gustus said suddenly. He heard what they were saying and he didn't like it.
Clarke glanced over to the tall guy she thought was Lexa's father and said with a raised eyebrow, "It's too late. I already did." She grinned. "And I might do worse." She said as she turned her attention back to Lexa. She might need to do something about Lexa's guard. Good thing he wasn't Lexa's father. She could see Gustus was glaring at her but she decided ignoring him was the best move.
"She looks like she didn't put much effort in that fight." Octavia suddenly said. From the way Lexa fought she was confident Lexa could take down Bellamy faster than that.
"Of course she didn't. If it were any one of us, not the Commander he wouldn't be standing there right now. Be grateful the Commander has mercy for you intruders." Gustus spat the words out.
"Of course." Clarke muttered but her eyes followed a man walking hastily to Indra who whispered something in her ears. Whatever news he just told her it had to be something bad because Indra's eyes widened and her face changed. She said something at him and he was nodding and shaking his head. Lexa could see them from the corner of her eyes. She turned and narrowed her eyes at them.
"Never take your eyes off your opponent!" Bellamy said when he saw Lexa was distracted. He threw a right jab that landed in her face. Staggering back, she saw when he followed it with a right hook and she was quick to recover, she sidestepped it, avoiding the punch and responded with her own punch at his face. He stepped back and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Lexa stared at him for attacking when she was distracted. She touched her lip and looked down to see some blood on her fingers. When she looked up she saw him smiling at her and ready to start again. Sensing something was not right Lexa stepped back.
"Heda!" Indra shouted over the noise. She walked towards Lexa who held up her hand up in the air to tell her people to be quiet which they obeyed. "It's about Artigas." She said as she stood next to Lexa while her eyes glared at Bellamy.
Lexa looked at Bellamy and said, "Show me Artigas." Indra nodded and led the way. Lexa's steps slowed when she ran her attention over Clarke's worried face. "Put him on a tree! No Sky person leaves this ground!" Gustus nodded and shouted. Two of them walked to Bellamy and grabbed him by his arms and dragged him to a tree.
It all happened too fast. Everybody was stunned. Clarke quickly thought it had something to do with the boy. She rushed to follow Lexa but Gustus stopped her to get close to Lexa. "Lexa! Please let me see him!" She begged and when Lexa slowly nodded she pushed Gustus's hand and while her heavy steps followed her. She was hoping she could save the boy.
Note: I hope their formal meeting was good enough for you guys :)