A/N: I mostly use the italic for sentences written in English but meant to be in another language, be it Trigedasleng or Italian. And if there are no " " it's someone's thoughts.

I'm sorry if there are mistakes, English is not my language.

If you like it, please leave a review! Enjoy!

Here we go, finally!


Chapter Nine: Shocking new

Malaya drags Nyx back catching her arm. The two whisper for a while and then Malaya leaves looking angry.

"I'm sorry for your experience, Daire. You're really good at fighting, though." Wit approaches Clarke again.

Clarke nods and smiles mildly to him. "You're not bad yourself." When she turns to Nyx the girl is staring at her and for a moment Clarke thinks she doesn't believe her. But then the young warrior nods to herself and says she should go see how the others are doing.

Wit was still talking about the fight and about how great they have been against the soldiers, but when Nyx leaves he tugs Clarke's arm and starts to lead her toward the centre of the village again. "We should go find Asher, a lot of people need help, and we do too."

Clarke looks at her bleeding arm, the cuts that cover her hip, the wound on her leg and she nods, but as soon as they walk into the main street there are just too many people who need help now. So Clarke tells Wit to go find Asher and she stays to start helping. She's tired and needs to wash and bandage her wounds, but these people will be her priority.

There are children injured. Clarke can't believe that the soldiers really attacked harmless children. She tends to them first and most of them are good to go in little time, but some others will need a proper recover period.

Some people are dead and Clarke doesn't have time to deal with their beloved ones who are screaming and crying.

She finally sees Asher an hour later, she's helping a man who has a long cut on his back, luckily it's only superficial, and the other healer is tending to someone down the street. When Clarke walks to him, Aeryn walks in front of her and looks her over, a hand on her mouth.

"Daire, you're hurt! What are you doing out here? You need to bandage those wounds, they look bad!"

Clarke tells her not to worry gesturing with her hand that she will be okay, but she actually starts to feel quite not okay. She really needs to tend to her wounds, but all these people... "Come with me." Aeryn cuts her off.

Clarke is dragged inside the healer's house and Aeryn starts to clean her wounds with a wet cloth. She states that the cut on her leg is not deep, so it will be okay, and Clarke can confirm it herself. "But for the other wounds, specially the one on you arm, I'm gonna need Asher." she stands up and move toward the door. "I'll be right back."

"Aeryn wait. There are too many people out there who need Asher, and right now. Stay, I know how to tend to these cuts, I'll just guide you. If you're okay with that, otherwise I can do it on my own, don't worry."

The girl looks concerned and unsure if she should listen to Clarke, but eventually she walks at Clarke's side again and waits for instructions.

She's good and for Clarke it's easy to direct her. Not half an hour passes that they have already finished. Then Clarke tries to stand, but Aeryn pulls her down again. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Aeryn, those people need help and Asher can't tend to everyone alone."

"There is no way I let you go out there right now. You fought for them. You've already done enough. Now you need to get some rest, you should move to the bed."

"Aeryn..."

"No. Stop it. You own us nothing and you fought for us anyway. Now you're hurt because of that and I will not let you go and make those wounds get worse. Please. You didn't listen when we tried to make you stay in the forest, and I guess we should thank you for that, but now just take some rest."

Clarke knows she's not gonna win this one and there's concern in Aeryn's look so she slowly nods and lets the girl lead her to a bed. When she's lying down, Aeryn covers her to keep her warm and stands.

"I'm going out there to help, happy? You just get some rest, okay? Try to sleep."

The girl turns to go, but Clarke reaches out for her arm. "Aeryn, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the Mount..."

"Don't worry, Daire. I understand. It must be a very painful memory, I understand why you didn't feel like talking about it." she's so kind and open that Clarke is cursing herself all over again for lying to her.

"Thanks. Really, thanks for all."

"Okay, now let me go help those people you're so concerned about. I'll send Mawiyah to check on you later, fine?"

Clarke smiles and earns a beautiful warm smile in return. "See you at dinner, Daire."

Clarke finds herself smiling fondly after Aeryn has walked out of the house.

Mawiyah comes to see Clarke and brings her something to eat, Asher recommended that. And she's not alone. Wit is with her.

"How do you feel?" he asks.

"Like someone who's being forced to rest while she should be out helping." she then adds "I'm fine, don't worry."

He smiles. "Aeryn forced me to rest too. I've just woken up." he laughs a bit. "I'm happy to see you're okay."

Clarke looks at him and can see that under his clothes there must be some bandages on his arm and chest. "How are you?"

He nods and says he's fine and all in one piece.

"Yeah, I figured that out when we finished fighting side by side." she remembers him.

"Wit said you were great! Daire you didn't tell me you were a fighter!" Mawiyah jumps into the conversation as Clarke starts eating.

"Well, I guess now you know that someone can actually be both a fighter and a healer." Clarke grins at the little girl.

Aeryn's sister punches the air and nods excited. "Yes! I'll be just like you!"

At that Clarke's stomach turns. No, please, don't be like me. You'll be better, you'll be great. But she lets it go and goes on eating, the smile disappeared from her face.

"Nyx would like to talk to you." Wit speaks after a while. He looks at her, waiting for her approval before going on. "She wishes that you two could meet tomorrow. I can come with you, if you want."

"I'd like to meet her too. You still have to explain me how comes there are so many of you that can actually fight that good."

He grins. "I think she wants to tell you herself."

They resume to talk about little things with Mawiyah and soon after Aeryn joins them. Asher stops by only to eat something and then he's back doing his work. And that time Clarke manages to go with him. Aeryn scoffs at her and after she will scold her for doing too much and tiring her body, but Clarke knows Asher needs help. So eventually Aeryn will drop the subject and actually go with Clarke the morning after to tend to the injured ones again.

Wit is taking her to the north border of the village. They're walking through the poorest part of it, the one she visited with Aeryn once. But they go past it and make their way toward the forest. Clarke thinks she can trust Wit, but she's actually a little worried about going in the forest to meet the amazing warrior who has well proven herself to be lethal right the day before. If what she saw in Nyx's eyes before the girl left had been mistrust, Clarke could actually be getting herself in trouble right now. She has her gun tucked under her coat, but she doesn't think she could stand a chance against the dark haired girl.

She doesn't have much time to dwell on that thought anyway, because they soon reach a clearing and Wit stops.

"Don't worry." he smiles, probably sensing her distress. "I promise, you made a quite amazing impression on her."

She looks up at him and tries to control herself, she doesn't want to show him how she feels, not about this and not about anything.

"You seem a great fighter and we don't see a lot of them everyday."

Clarke doesn't get to answer, because for the second time Nyx beats her to it. "I'm glad you came. He's right, we don't see a lot of good fighters everyday."

The girl approaches them, leaving the shadow of the trees. "You said you improved you skill while travelling here. But that can't be all. You're too good, you must have learned before."

"My father was a warrior." and Clarke's father was so not a warrior who killed people, but he was indeed a fighter. He would have never gave up the things he believed in.

Nyx nods because Clarke's answer makes sense. "Why did you help us, though?"

And at this Clarke can be a bit more honest. "I'm sick of death and pain, I've seen enough of them. I wanted to help, I could say I needed to help." she looks Nyx in the eyes making sure the girl gets that she's being sincere. "And your people have been kind with me. It was fair for me to help."

Nyx doesn't break eyes contact for a long while and she doesn't speak neither. And when she says something she doesn't talk about Clarke's admission.

"I bet you're wondering who we are. Wit said you were curious about how we got so many people to fight the soldiers of the Queen."

Clarke slowly nods, unsure if the girl is actually going to tell her.

"I'm a rebel, Daire. We all are."

"She is The Rebel." Wit adds. "She's the first in the village who stood against the soldiers, we followed. She's the best of us."

"One of the bests." she says smiling mildly.

It's a beautiful smile, Clarke realizes that this girl is gorgeous. She's slightly taller than Clarke and her dark long hair highlights her grey eyes and they're bright and shining. Her skin is pale and her arms look strong. She's thin but her body gives out her fierce power. For a moment Clarke is stunned, but then she gets that Nyx is going on talking.

"We were only a small group at the beginning, but in four years we grew and now we have about a hundred people who joined us."

"Four years? How old are you two?" Nyx can't be much older than her.

"I'm nineteen summers and she's twenty winters." Wit says with a grin.

So Nyx was born in winter, it seems she managed to look like the season of her birth, Clarke thinks. And she was sixteen when she first faced the soldiers, not bad.

"How old are you, Daire?" Nyx asks with an amused smile.

"Eighteen" and then she quickly adds "springs. Eighteen springs."

"So you're the youngest here" Wit winks playfully.

Clarke shrugs and smiles back.

They talk until the sun sets, when Wit and Clarke have to go back. Nyx greets them goodbye and tells Clarke she would like to talk to her again soon, then she leaves into the forest without a sound, silent like the winter. Wit walks Clarke back to Aeryn's house and joins them for dinner.

That night Clarke goes over all the things Nyx has told her. That day she learned that a good half of the rebels live out of the village, in the forest. Though they will probably come nearer the village soon, because in winter is way too hard to live in the frozen forest. She was a kind of leader for them, but she didn't quite like it. However Wit told Clarke that Nyx is great and has been leading them from the beginning doing an amazing job. Clarke doesn't find it difficult to believe. He also told her that sometimes Nyx is bossy and too serious, but he said there is no one like Malaya. And so Clarke got to know that Malaya, Wit, Nyx and some others formed a kind of special team of the best fighters. Clarke could figure how that began. They where all teenagers when they got together to fight for their freedom and they were probably as excited as Mawiyah normally is. And it looks like Wit is still the most excited, though Nyx didn't look the same.

Clarke recognised in her the same weight she knows well. Responsibility. Nyx is probably the one who was most forced to grow quicker. Clarke learned from Wit that the girl has lost both her parents at the soldiers hands when she was twelve and her little brother, killed by the same people, when she was fourteen and she couldn't defend him. The soldiers have taken all the family she had and when a couple of years later they almost killed one of her closest friends she decided that they wouldn't have taken anyone else from her.

They have talked a lot that day and Nyx wanted to meet her again, Clarke wouldn't admit it, but she is looking forward to it. She enjoys Nyx and Wit's company and there is something about that girl, Clarke doesn't know what it is, but she's determined to find it out.


Indra is watching over the rebuilding of TonDC. It's going well and soon she'll follow Lexa to Polis.

The scouts update her about the skaikru. It looks like they'll make it through the winter. They are taking things out of the Mountain, though and Indra doesn't like that, she knows the Coalition wants the Mountain sealed. Everyone wants it shut down, instead the Sky People are using it for supplies, she figures, and weaponry. She understands why they're doing it, and it's actually clever of them, since it will help them through winter, but her people won't like it, and neither will the other clans.

Too many of their people have died in that Mountain, she wonders if Heda will force the skaikru to seal the Mountain. She's not convinced the Commander will, it would mean start a war, because there is no way the Sky People would accept some kind of deal or an alliance with them again. Not after the betrayal. But the Mountain can't stay open, the grounders will not give up on the matter.

She's directing some of her warriors building a house, when a scout comes to her, he looks torn, like if he were unsure whether he should be happy or worried to tell her the new. She orders him to speak and he says he overheard something from a couple of Sky People.

"They were wondering about where the Skai Prisa could be. It sounds like she left Camp Jaha after destroying the Mountain, but she might be alive." he maintains his face neutral, still not sure if this is a good or bad new. Personally he thinks it's a good one. But his general's face may change his mind. She looks surprised, then annoyed, and at last a shade of respect settles in her eyes. But eventually she seems worried and she dismisses the scout, telling him to keep watching the skaikru.

So the Sky Princess survived the Mountain. She really was stronger than Indra had thought, so the general doesn't think she could be dead now, if she made it through destroying the Mountain alone, she will surely make it through the winter. But the sky girl is not used to their winters, so she may as well die. The general respects her now, but doesn't really care enough to be sorry for her fate. What she cares about however is that she will have to tell Lexa, and she fears her Heda's reaction.

Maybe she shouldn't tell Lexa entirely. After all the Sky Princess might be already dead, so why giving Lexa hope? But she immediately scolds herself for thinking that, she will do her job and tell her Heda what she knows. She's not going to lie to the Commander, that would be madness.

She just hopes that Lexa will be reasonable and that she won't send warriors to search for Clarke or anything like that. But she already has a feeling it won't be easy to deal with the Commander. Indra knows what Lexa's feeling for the sky leader are, but she also knows Lexa needs to put them aside and lead her people.

She'll be in for a long day when she tell Lexa about this. The general sighs and goes back to the workers, she tells them to hurry, she corrects them, she scolds them. She needs a distraction.


Clarke has spent the last few days getting to know Nyx. She has spent a lot of time with Wit and her and Aeryn has joined a lot too. But lately Nyx and Clarke have disappeared in the forest alone more and more often. Nyx showed her the surroundings of the village, she taught her about the land and the dangers and Clarke learned how to move silently and which soils aren't safe. They also trained together and Nyx is helping her becoming a better fighter, she's helping Clarke becoming a warrior.

Clarke taught Nyx how to use a gun, she told Nyx, Aeryn and Wit about Mount Weather, and they already knew part of the story. When Wit had said that the Princess from the sky took down the Mountain on her own killing all the Mountain Men, Clarke had fallen silent. She hadn't missed Nyx's glare when it happened, but her ghosts were hunting her enough that she didn't care.

Sparring with Nyx was good, Clarke almost felt free. She could let the sword drain her emotions and her sorrow, she could pour her anger and self-hate into the fight and she trained with determination. Nyx said she was improving quickly and she was a fast learner, she was pleased with Clarke's results.

When Clarke and Nyx were alone they didn't talk much, except for Nyx teaching her about something, but Clarke felt as if Nyx understood her. Just like with Aeryn there was no need for Clarke to tell her anything, the girl seemed to know enough. It was good, almost healing.

But Clarke hasn't forgotten the rebels, and Nyx finally takes her to meet them.

They have walked for half an hour or so into the forest. From the trips of the previous days, Clarke can tell they are near a silent river that Nyx showed her, but she can only guess where the rebels could be hiding. The trees are left mute without the wind blowing among them and the cold starts to tighten his grip on the land. The yellow and brown leaves that had fallen are now only a mud under their feet, the colours darken, ready to vanish into a tender white when the snow will come, ready to become more transparent at every blow of the wind.

Only little noises come from the forest, but the trees are calm and their looks are wise. It's soothing, how they have been there for so long before Clarke and they have seen a lot of people being given birth and then death, loving and breaking, hurting and killing, they have been there for so long and have seen so many things that Clarke is just another human being. Not a monster, not more a killer than others are, just an insignificant human being who can't fight the world alone, and yet is trying, desperately, like everyone does.

It's the only place where she can breath. The woods in the south are not like these forests, their silence is different. These trees don't judge her, and there aren't enough little noises around to judge her either. Her life, her problems, her sorrow, her guilt are nothing for those great trees, ancient and strong against the winter.

When they reach a tree that doesn't look very different from the others to Clarke, Nyx stops her.

"Look up." she says calmly. But Clarke can't see anything. So she shrugs and waits for an explanation.

"I guess it's a good sign that you can't see anything. In summer our homes are the trees. We build little huts on the trees and we live there for the warm seasons, but in winter we can't afford that, the weather usually destroy our small houses and it is impossible to survive up there, exposed to the strong wind and the storms. So we have a shelter underground." the girl points to their feet and smiles at the confusion in Clarke's eyes.

"How? How did you build a shelter underground?" Clarke can't believe that these people had the equipment to do something like that. Specially on this soil that when it's frozen must be tough as rock.

"We didn't. We just found it, it must be from the Old world, I don't know what they used it for, but there are tunnels and rooms down there. It is as if they meant for it to be a shelter."

"Maybe it was, maybe they used it as a refuge from the bombs." Clarke replies.

"Yeah, maybe. However, we live there when the seasons don't allow us to live out here. Up there, where you couldn't see anything, there's a patrol, no one has ever found us, mostly because the soldiers don't really consider us a threat, but we want to be sure. There are other secret exits, but they're dangerous, and we would need time to get there, so it's safer to have someone watching the surroundings." Nyx explains, before crouching to the ground and searching for something. When she finds it, she uses the hilt of her sword to knock on the ground with force. But she's not exactly knocking on the ground, because soon someone knocks back, and Nyx gives a last hit with the sword. And then someone pushes open the door on the ground that's right before Nyx's feet. Nyx helps the man opening it, pulling it from the outside.

When Clarke looks down the only thing she can see is a dark pit from which a man emerges. The man looks at Nyx, then glances at Clarke and turns back to Nyx.

"Are you sure?" his voice is a low warning and Nyx clenches her jaw.

"Yes, I am. Now let us in." Clarke has never heard her voice so demanding. It sounds like the young warrior doesn't like to be questioned.

When the man finally retreats inside, they follow, Clarke first while Nyx closes the door. They go down a never ending ladder until they finally reach a floor. They proceed without the man in another dark passage and Clarke tries to keep herself right behind Nyx, afraid of bumping into something. When they finally reach a small hall there are torches hanging on the walls and Clarke feels a sense of familiarity. The walls look like made of the same metal from the Ark.

They are greeted by Wit and another guy Clarke doesn't know. Wit cheers at Clarke for finally being there and Clarke smiles at him while Nyx shakes her head at her friend's excitement.

"Okay, you'll totally get some shit for bringing her here, Nyx. But we are with you! Most of us are looking forward to meeting Daire!"

And maybe that's what ruins Clarke's good mood. Nyx rarely uses her name and Clarke can almost forget her lie. But Wit has just reminded her that she's lying at people who are giving her their trust, they have brought her here and they're risking a lot by doing so, and she hasn't even told them the truth they deserve. But Clarke is afraid of what their reaction could be if they knew who she is.

"Yeah, yeah. Calm down, little puppy. Does everyone already know that she's here?"

Wit shakes his head.

"Lucky us! Well, I think we should introduce our friends here." Nyx looks between Clarke and the other boy who's with Wit.

"Hi, I'm Chayim. I've heard a lot about you, Daire, Wit wouldn't stop talking. So you're a good fighter from what I've heard...no, sorry, an amazing talented warrior" Wit playfully hits his fried on the arm.

"Oh shut up, Chay! I just said I didn't expect her to be so good." Wit complains.

"Yeah, fine. However, it's really a pleasure to meet you." he smiles at her and offers his hand.

Clarke's first instinct is to shake it, but she remembers the grounder's customs. Though she's not sure Ice people have the same way of greeting, so she reaches his arm with her hand, but waits for him to move. And he takes her arm in a strong, but friendly grip. Clarke relaxes and smiles back.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you too, Chayim."

"Good, shall we go now?" Nyx cuts in.

"Yeah, sure. This way, Daire." Chayim gestures for her to follow him and Clarke glances at Nyx before walking beside him. Nyx nods at her and then settles to walk behind, alongside with Wit.

The passage is tight and mildly lighted by some torches.

"Turn before reaching the hall." Nyx voice reaches them from behind and Chayim calls an okay from over his shoulder.

Clarke feels short beside him, who's the tallest of the four of them but is also quite thin. His hair are very light, not even blond but almost white and his eyes are the colour of the water under the ice. They are so different from Nyx's grey ones, or Wit's mildly green eyes, his look ethereal. They could be similar to Aeryn's, but Aeryn's eyes shine of a bright light, his are dull, but not sad, they're like a crystal of which you can't really make out the colour.

Soon after Nyx's command, they turn right and walk some more before ending up in a very lighted big room. A lot of people are training and there are weapons against or hanging from the walls. Someone notices them and they wave in their direction, but the ones who are fighting don't even spare them a glance. They are all very concentrated and Nyx smiles proudly.

"This is our main sparring room. Here is where we try to get better, the battles against the soldiers are where we truly improve." she says seriously, stilling her look on Clarke near the end of the sentence.

They wait for Clarke to assist some fights, before showing her the rest. A lot of people come to meet the stranger from the south who fought the soldiers with the rebels, but Nyx sends all of them back to training soon after they start to tell Clarke how really good they are, how difficult it is to live like that, how they will beat the soldiers one day.

"They're fighters, not warrior. They still need to learn some behaviour." she tells Clarke.

But Clarke chuckles and tells her they're better as fighters, with their dreams and hopes. Nyx looks at her strangely after that affirmation, but she doesn't say anything.

"So these are your warriors, huh?"

"These are my team-mates." Nyx replies.

Clarke smiles at that, Nyx is a great leader for these people. The Ice girl shakes her head, knowing Clarke's thoughts, and walks away to a door. She opens it and waits for Clarke to fall in step with her.

Next Nyx shows her where they sleep, she points where they eat without taking her inside and she shows her some other passages that can take them near another village. It's amazing how long those tunnels are, they cover a very large area underground. Nyx tells her there are even some tunnels that pass under the village, but only one exit to get there. Only the rebels and one person from the village know where it is. Wit wants to show her, but Nyx says they will take her there after she meets the others. Nyx has gained their trust about Clarke, but she can't just tell her every secret before she even is one of them.

The young warrior really trusts Clarke, but she's not like Wit, she can't risk all of this. Though she already is risking.

There are a lot of people in the hall and they're all looking up at Clarke. There's a little platform in the large room and Nyx, Clarke and Wit are standing there, in front of almost all of the rebels.

Some of them don't agree with Nyx, they say she shouldn't have brought Clarke there, but everyone knows that Nyx had already discussed that with them, and the majority chose to trust the girl who they've been looking at for a lead since the beginning. They chose to trust the one girl who's been their very beginning.

Wit is talking, telling them who Clarke is and what a good fighter and healer she is, how much of help she could be. And some people cheer, some others protest, none of them really affects Nyx, who remains calm and silent beside Clarke. This last one, instead, is nervous and uncomfortable, two voices are fighting inside her and she is torn, she doesn't know what to do. She wants to stop Wit, to tell these people the truth, but she knows she would be in a lot of trouble if she did that.

Her pained expression must be more evident than she thought because Nyx lightly touches her arm and gives her a reassuring nod, but it's not reassuring at all for Clarke. It even makes things worse. She wants to be honest with Nyx, she likes Nyx, she trusts her and she thinks that maybe the girl would understand why Clarke lied.

But Clarke thoughts are interrupted when a voice breaks in.

"You brought her here even if we didn't all agree! You brought her here and decided to risk the lives of all of us! She is a stranger, and you think you know her just by spending some time with her? You are a fool, Nyx, I thought you were smarter than that." Malaya is standing in front of the big doors at the end of the hall. She looks furious and her hands are clenched into fists.

Nyx's expression hardens and Clarke can clearly see her clenching her jaw, like she did when the man at the entrance questioned her, but this time with more force. Clarke knows Nyx respects Malaya and the two girls are even friends, but when it comes to this kind of things, as such as trust or throwing themselves into fights, they almost never agree. Malaya is more rational and logical, Nyx lets instinct lead her more often than the other girl can appreciates. Clarke sees the passion that flows in Nyx and the cold calm that anchors Malaya at her mind. Nyx is calm, wise and her decisions have logic, but there's a fire in her that the girl can't ignore. Clarke has started to love that about the warrior. Nyx loves life, Malaya thinks in terms of survival, Nyx considers freedom more important than survival.

"She could be an enemy. The Queen could have sent her. She could be just a spy of the soldiers!"

"Since when the soldiers care about us?" Wits yells to be heard over the whispering that has now filled the room. People are starting to doubt their own decision to agree with Nyx.

"We fight them. You know how the Queen likes to handle rebels!" Malaya shouts back while she approaches the little stage.

"As if we were a threat for them! Last time, and let me remind you that Daire was with us, was only the third time we actually won. They don't consider us a threat! They laugh at us." but maybe that wasn't the right thing to say, because the other rebels don't seem to take well Wit's truth.

"If this is the seriousness we put in our fight, of course they laugh! We're not ever able to keep this place a secret! We talk about ourselves at any stranger that shows up in this village!" she is now standing in front of the stage and she decides to make her way up, reaching them on it.

"Enough, Malaya! We have talked about this. If you do not agree with me it's fine, but if you can't respect the decision we have taken all together we have a problem. And that problem is y..." Nyx has finally spoken, right in Malaya's face, but she's interrupted by a voice that has been silent for too long.

"You have the possibility of doing a lot. I saw some of you training, I saw a lot of you fighting, and you can be great warriors if you want to. I am not with the Queen, I am not a spy. I come from the south. I've been in the Mountain, I fought the Mountain Men. And I tell you now that just as we won against the Mountain Men, you can win your freedom back!" Clarke's voice gains strength as she gains resolution. She straightens her back, calling back the power she had when she stood against her mother in Camp Jaha, when she faced Lexa for the first time, when she led an army at the Commander's side.

"Do you want it? Do you really want to be free? Are you really sick of the soldiers? Do you want to take down your Queen and take a hold of your life? Do you want to have a say in what happens to your family? Or are you just here to play? Have you been playing heroes these years or were you trying to fight? Do you carry those swords because you like how they look on you, or do you want to use them to take back what is yours?" Clarke looks all of them in the eyes. They look angry, they look ready to cut her head off. Good. That's what she wanted.

"These lands! Tell me, who do these lands belong to? The Queen, or you? Will you let her have your lives, your families, your brothers and sister, will you let the soldiers hurt the people you love? Because from what I can see you have a great strength but you know not how to use it! You're here, thinking you'll make a difference if you just keep defending this village, but you are wrong!" Clarke doesn't notice the way Nyx is looking at her, surprise, pride and adoration written on her face.

"You can go on playing. Or you can become real fighters! You can take your swords and go back training, laughing and cheering at yourselves for how good you are. Or you can stay and hear me out. You can listen to me and you can be warriors fighting for what they believe in, people fighting for their freedom. What will you do? Stay here as slaves of the Queen with the illusion of being rebels, or will you actually become rebels? I can help you showing your Queen what a real rebellion is, I can help you win! I can stay here with you and guide you to your freedom, be it death or victory. You fight and it won't matter if you survive or if you die, because you have fought for your freedom, and that's enough to be alive. If you're alive your Queen has already lost! If you stay here, in a dream of what you'll never have, she will win."

Clarke feels a fire burning inside her and she knows her eyes are shining with flames. She hasn't felt this way in such a long time, it feels so good to be back!

Malaya is laughing, trying to hide her surprise at the girl who just talked like a real leader. "And you'll be the one leading us? You don't even know what you're talking about. You're not a warrior and you know nothing about real wars. You don't know how to fight battles and surely you don't know how to survive. Should we be enough stupid to listen to you, we would die at the first fight against the soldiers. Who do you think you are? You are no one, and I won't listen to a single more word of yours!" she reaches for her sword and Clarke sees Nyx placing her hand on the hilt of hers. The dark haired warrior tenses and Clarke knows she's ready to fight even her friend.

"I'm sorry Nyx." Clarke whispers for no one but Nyx to hear. She then turns to the people.

"I am Clarke of the Sky People. I am the Sky Princess. And I am the one who, alone, destroyed the Mountain."