A/N: There is a chance that this might be the last part of this story, I'll have to see how this part ends. This is the final part of the idea that has led to the previous two chapters, hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the continued support with this, I didn't think I could write it, but I was convinced to give it a go, I think it turned out pretty well. Read, review and enjoy!
Chapter Seven.
Lexa awoke to an empty tent, she hadn't wanted to sleep as deeply as she did, but the lack of sleep she'd had over the previous few days had finally caught up with her. When she had fallen asleep Clarke had been next to her. Looking around the tent everything was in order, nothing was where it shouldn't be, so Lexa assumed that Clarke had decided to head inside. The Grounder Commander walked from her tent, the sun hadn't yet risen, the fires from the previous night were nothing more than smouldering ashes, something was wrong. A feeling of dread slowly started building in her stomach, it was too quiet. Looking from the building to the fence Lexa's breath caught in her throat. There beyond the fence, stuck on wooden spikes, were the 50 warriors they had posted. It didn't look like there had been a struggle, if Lexa didn't know better she would think that her warriors had climbed onto the spikes voluntarily. With her jaw clenched she walked over to the warning system the Sky people had and hit the button, causing an alarm to sound throughout the camp. As everyone started to exit the building, to find out what the matter was, the Grounders all assembled near Lexa.
"How…" Abby asked, in complete shock that no one had been woken.
"The Ice Nation." Lexa replied calmly.
"Where's Clarke?" Bellamy asked.
"Wasn't she inside?" Lexa asked.
"I thought she stayed with you…" Abby said, looking around for Clarke.
At that moment a horse could be heard, everyone looked in the direction of the sound. Near the side fence was a horse, on the horse were two people. One woman that the Sky people had never seen before. Sitting in front of her, hands tied behind her back, head hanging forward, was Clarke.
"Missing something Commander?" The woman asked.
"Let her go…" Lexa replied, "Get that gate open!"
The woman laughed as the gate slowly started to open.
"I thank you again for the gift." The woman said as she turned the horse round, facing the direction she had come from.
"No…" Lexa said.
Lexa ran toward the gate, silently cursing the time it was taking to open while keeping her eyes on the woman on the horse. Slowly the woman started to guide the horse away.
"No…" Lexa said again, "I will hunt you down!"
"You said that once before Commander," the woman called back, "it didn't happen then, and it won't happen now."
The gate opened and Lexa started to run out as the woman picked up speed on the horse. Lexa was stopped by an arm around her waist.
"You follow her, they will kill you, Lexa," Bellamy said, using all his strength to hold Lexa still, "we'll find her, I promise."
Lexa brought her elbow backwards with some force, hitting Bellamy square in the side. Her actions had the desired effect and he let her go, but the woman was long gone. Clarke was long gone.
x-x-x
Clarke slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head, she looked around herself. She was in a tent, tied to a chair. Her hands were tied behind her and her ankles were tied to the chair legs. Looking directly ahead she saw a woman sitting on a chair looking back at her.
"Good sleep?" the woman asked.
"Where am I…?" Clarke asked in reply.
"You're currently our guest." The woman replied.
"The Ice Nation…" Clarke said.
"We're using you as bait," the woman continued, "the Commander dies, by Ice Nation sword, the truce agreement is null and void. It will not be passed on to the next Commander, the peace agreement between the 12 different Grounder Clans will fall apart."
"She won't come for me," Clarke said with a laugh, "she isn't going to risk the lives of her people to rescue me. You of all people should know that. You may as well just kill me and get it over with."
"You two left the Grounder capital with 200 warriors," The Ice Nation Queen said, "200…"
"Because the hill is an important strategic position," Clarke said, "the warriors are there to protect the hill."
"The hill is not that important," she said, "it would be if we were planning to stay in the area."
"Why else would you be here?" Clarke asked.
"Why waste lives when you can cause instability and stand back and watch the fall out." The queen said.
"How do you know all this…?" Clarke said, her eyes starting to feel heavy again.
"I have my sources." She replied, "Get some rest Clarke, it's going to be a long day for you."
x-x-x
"The food was poisoned." Lincoln said rushing into Lexa's tent, "they were left unconscious, that's why there was no warning."
"How could someone poison their food?" Raven asked, "How only those 50 warriors? It makes no sense."
"They had already set up the tents and had their own food beyond the fence," Lexa replied, "that food could have been poisoned and it wouldn't effect anyone who didn't eat it… a spy…"
Everyone looked at her.
"They knew we were here," Lexa continued, explaining it to everyone else and herself, "they poison the food of the 50 warriors camping beyond the fence, they kill them… they get in here, and they take Clarke… there is a spy amongst my people."
"So they will know when we go for Clarke," Raven said, "We are going for her, right?"
"Yes." Lexa said, with no sign of hesitation.
"Hedda…" One of her generals said.
Lexa sat down on her chair.
"Out…" She said, pinching the bridge of her nose, "everyone but Indra and the Sky people…"
The generals and other trusted warriors filed out of Lexa's tent.
"I can't order my people to follow me when I go to find Clarke," Lexa said, "I cannot order them to risk their lives to save someone they have no loyalty to… they have loyalty to me, but not Clarke. I can ask them to come with me, to fight by my side, but I cannot order it."
"I will get a small group together," Indra said, "we will go for Clarke. You need to stay here Hedda, if you die in the battle…"
"I know what will happen Indra," Lexa said, "But I cannot sit by and do nothing, not again."
"Your people need you Lexa," Indra said, "without you all progress we have made will be lost…"
"Enough," Lexa said interrupting her, "I remember that speech word for word from the last time. You can advise me on what you think is right, I trust you with my life, but you cannot make me think this is a good idea. I will not stand by and do nothing, I will not let someone else get tortured and killed for me. Those are scars that never heal."
A stunned silence passed over the tent, Lexa was angry. The force of her anger wasn't something that the Sky people had ever seen before. They had seen her angry when she believed that they had tried to poison her, but this was beyond even that.
"I want a small unit, no more than 10 warriors," she said, "people you trust without question. We need to be able to leave the camp without attracting the attention of the spy."
"We're coming with you." Raven said.
"I expected as much," Lexa replied, "which is why I want no more than 10 warriors, we need to keep our numbers down as much as possible. Too many people on the move will attract too much attention. We need the element of surprise. The only chance we have of getting Clarke out of there alive is if they don't know we're coming."
x-x-x
Less than an hour later the small group were making their way through the forest. For all of her objections, Indra was still by Lexa's side. The Commander was grateful for her support. She hadn't been surprised when they'd had to turn down a lot of the Sky people when they were selecting the 10. Most of the surviving members of the original 100 wanted to go after Clarke, but as thankful as Lexa would be for the extra numbers, she knew that it would be more dangerous for everyone, and it would mean death for Clarke. Plus, if things did suddenly go bad, and they failed in saving Clarke, Lexa wouldn't have sacrificed too many lives.
They hadn't been moving for long when they spotted the first signs of the Ice Nation, an abandoned camp area that had been used for the night. The fire embers were still warm in Lexa's hand, she knew they weren't too far behind.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
A/N: Not the last part, there will be at least one more.