Clarke woke up with a muffled groan. She was lying face-first in her pillow, and her body ached terribly.
"Wakey wakey." A voice said jokingly. Clarke jerked up, ignoring the pangs of protest her body made at the movement.
"Oh, hey Jasper. What are you doing in here?" Clarke asked, relieved it was only Jasper and not someone else. He was sitting on the floor at the foot of her bed, and stood up when she woke.
"I was told to watch you, and wake you up." He replied.
"What do you mean, watch me?" Clarke asked him. She threw the covers of her bed aside and slowly inched her way off the creaky mattress. She shuffled over to her cabinet and grabbed out some pants and a cotton shirt.
"Octavia was worried about you, and she said Bell said something about you, I'm not sure. I just do what I'm told." Jasper explained, turning his back to Clarke so she could change. She grunted in response and pulled on fresh clothes. She pulled Jasper along with her out of the room, after grabbing her med kit so she could check up on the wounded from the battle. She walked briskly through the halls to the med bay, but was stopped when Jasper grabbed her arm.
"Captain says he wanted to talk to you the moment you woke up." Jasper said to the blonde.
"He can wait, I've got patients to check." She said sternly. Jasper sighed, readjusted his goggles, and relented. He could tell there was no way to sway Clarke, and he could always say something to the Captain about her waking up late or something. Clarke resumed her quick pace and pushed the doors of the med bay open. She took stock of the occupied cots, and saw Monty and Raven giving the wounded some water and bread. The two looked up at her entrance, and Monty smiled, giving her a small wave. Raven just nodded at the healer and then resumed her activity.
"Hey Monty. Everything good so far?" She asked, putting her med kit on a stray table.
"I think so. Nobody's died yet, so that's a plus." He said. Jasper chuckled, and walked over to his friend, putting his fist out for a fist bump-which Monty completed.
"That's always nice to hear." Clarke muttered. She pushed up her sleeves and went around, checking bandages and temperatures. At this point, she had to be careful to avoid any sickness or infections, since all of the wounded would be especially vulnerable since they'd lost so many fluids.
"Monty, can you mix up this herb into the water, then boil it and start to feed it to the wounded? It should combat any infections and help out their immune systems." Clarke said, handing Monty a bag of green leaves from her med kit. He nodded and took the herbs with him out of the med bay to boil them in the kitchens, Jasper following him. Jasper glanced at the two girls, who nodded for him to leave. Clarke realized just then that she was now alone with Raven. The girl who had been in a relationship with the man she'd slept with in prison. Great.
Raven silently helped Clarke change bandages and feed those who couldn't feed themselves due to their injuries. Raven looked like she was about to speak when Monty barged back in, the Captain hot on his heels. Jasper was nowhere to be seen, so she assumed he had jumped ship when Bellamy had found him.
"What are you doing here?" Bellamy asked sternly.
"I'm taking care of my patients, Captain." Clarke snarled. Bellamy rolled his eyes, but Clarke could see he was secretly happy she had thought to take care of the crew.
"You were supposed to come see me when you woke up." Bellamy said, as he walked around and giving encouraging nods and pats to the wounded.
"Yes, but this is more important than whatever you have to say right now."
"More important than my decision about what to do with you and Finn?" Bellamy said softly. Raven stiffened at his words, but stayed silent. Monty looked extremely uncomfortable.
"Give me ten more minutes. I'm almost done." Clarke said through clenched teeth. Bellamy sighed, but relented.
"Come to my cabin when you're done, Princess." He growled out, stalking out of the room, leaving the rest in an awkward silence.
"I'm gonna take a guess and say 'Princess' is the Captain's pet name for you? Cause otherwise that's just plain weird." Raven chuckled, breaking the tension.
"It's a long story." Clarke said with a smile. She knew that Raven could be a great friend, if they dealt with Finn. The rest of Clarke's time in the med bay passed mostly in silence, the three of them only speaking when passing instructions or asking Clarke a question about something medical.
"Into the lion's den I go." Clarke muttered after finishing everything she possibly could in the med bay.
"I wish you luck." Raven said with a mock-salute. Clarke smiled, and left the med bay. She leaned against the closed doors behind her and took a deep breath. So she had told Bellamy everything last night. No big deal. It wasn't like he could sell her out and give her back to her mother or anything. Clarke shook those thoughts out of her head, reminding herself that Bellamy wasn't Finn, and that the Captain had some sort of honor code.
Steeling herself for the worst, the nervous blonde made her way up to the Captain's quarters. She maneuvered around busy crewmembers making emergency repairs to the ship, receiving smiles and congratulatory waves and pats. Confused, she knocked on the Captain's door.
"Come in." Bellamy's muffled voice called. Clarke obeyed and slowly opened the door, cautiously entering the cabin. Inside she saw Finn leaning against the desk, anger clearly etched into his features. He had cleaned up, and was wearing fresh clothes and trimmed his hair. The stark difference between the man she saw now and the man she'd known in Walden made Clarke choke down bile.
"You wanted to see me?" She asked. Bellamy nodded, and gestured for her to close the door, which she did reluctantly. Finn looked over at her, and scowled. Clarke clenched her fist, her nails digging into her palm.
"I have come to a decision about you two." Bellamy said after a pregnant pause.
"I have thought it through, and come to a conclusion. Finn is a great fighter, and has been with us for a while, but my ship is full of fighters. What we do not have is a healer, at least not until recently. Clarke is a good healer, and she's been taking care of those who were injured yesterday while you've been moping around and pouting, Finn." Bellamy paused, and took a deep breath.
"When we dock to make repairs, you are to take your shit and leave. I don't have room on my ship for traitorous disloyal scum." Bellamy growled out. Clarke froze, her eyes wide with shock. Did Bellamy really just pick her over Finn?
"What the hell, Captain?" Finn burst, slamming his fist on the desk.
"I've been told that in a few short hours we'll be docked at Port Royal, and I expect you to be off my ship." Bellamy said calmly.
"Bellamy, are you sure? I mean, he's one of you. I can manage myself-" Clarke started, only to be interrupted by the Captain.
"This isn't just about what he did to you, Clarke. This is also about how he didn't stand with his crew in Washington and was content to just leave them locked up in those dirty rotten cells." Bellamy growled. Finn looked increasingly uncomfortable, and Clarke fidgeted nervously.
"But Captain, I was just-"
"Looking after yourself instead of your people. We stay together and we fight together, Finn. Or did you forget that?"
Finn had the decency to look ashamed.
"In a few hours we'll be at Port Royal, where we will make quick repairs and resupply. I expect you to be off my ship when we dock, Finn." Bellamy concluded. Clarke was wide-eyed in shock. It would've been simpler to just kick her out and keep the close friend who obviously had been with Bellamy and the rest of the crew for much longer.
"This is insane. You can't blame me for what I did. You do not understand what it was like in there. I had to get out!" Finn protested. His anger kept bubbling, and Clarke was afraid of what might happen if he burst. She'd seen what Finn could do when he was weak and starved in Walden, and she didn't want to find out what he could do when he was almost at full strength.
"We stick together no matter what. I need a healer, and that healer just so happens to be the girl you tried to kill for your own sake. Therefore I can't have you on board. Simple." Bellamy said tiredly. He rubbed his temple with his left hand and sighed.
"You don't even know who she is. If you knew you wouldn't be protecting her!" Finn exploded. He glared at Clarke, but she could've sworn she saw a glint of triumph in his eyes.
"I know, Finn. Just get your shit and leave. You're dismissed." Bellamy ordered. Finn balked, and stood in silence for a moment. Then he scoffed and stormed out of the cabin, slamming the door shut behind him angrily. Clarke rubbed her hands together nervously, unsure how to react.
"Umm, thanks? I didn't think you'd do…that." Clarke said softly. After years of being second choice and betrayed she was not used to someone being on her side.
"It's nothing, Princess. Just taking out the trash." Bellamy sighed. He looked exhausted.
"When was the last time you slept?" Clarke asked, her dominating healer side coming out.
"Who knows? Before the battle I think." He muttered.
"Bellamy, you need to sleep. Get a few hours of rest until we make port, I'll tell Miller to handle everything and I'll be busy taking care of the wounded. Just get some sleep, doctor's orders." Clarke said with a smile. Bellamy grumbled, muttering about all the work he had to get done under his breath. Clarke pushed him over to the adjacent room where his bed was and swept him inside, closing the door behind him.
"Just sleep! I'll send someone to wake you when we're close." Clarke said through the door. She heard a grunt, and then a soft thud, which she assumed was Bellamy falling onto his bed. She shook her head and bit back a smile. She was staying on the ship. She could stay with Octavia and Monty and Jasper and all of the crew. It was hard to repress the urge to jump up in the air and shout for joy.
When Clarke left the cabin, she found Miller and told him that Bellamy was taking a nap and he was in charge until they were close to Port Royal. Many of the crewmembers were hanging off the side of the ship to patch up a few major holes and cracks in the hull of the ship and the rest of the crew were restocking supplies and counting what they would need when they reached the port. Clarke didn't see Finn on her way back down to the med-bay, and she was glad. She hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid when they reached Port Royal.
Monty was still in the med-bay, but Raven was nowhere to be seen. The blonde healer didn't want to think about where the rowdy mechanic was, so she focused on showing Monty the basics of trauma treatment and patching up the crew. While she was healing those wounded in the battle, some other crewmembers stopped in to treat sprains or broken bones or mild cuts and scrapes from fixing the ship, or from previous injuries. Clarke was shocked at how little care the crew had seen, and was kept busy treating most of the crew on the ship.
"Hey Monty? Can you hand me the bright yellow herb in my bag as well as some rosemary?" Clarke called out. Moments later a hand appeared next to her with the requested items. She grabbed the bags, and muttered thanks. One of the crewmembers, James, had a bad infection from the prison. Clarke assumed based on the symptoms, ragged breathing and chest pain, that it was a mild respiratory infection and she was brewing a tea of antibiotics and remedies to treat it. The rosemary would be for flavor since the yellow herb was very bitter.
"Alright, James, drink this. It'll taste pretty bad but if you take it twice a day for a week or two the infection should pass. Come by every morning and evening for the tea." Clarke told her patient, handing him a warm mug of herbal tea.
"Thanks, Clarke." James said with a bright smile. He chugged down the tea with a grimace and handed her the mug. Then he walked over to see his friend Jess, who had been severely wounded in the fight and was lying on a cot unconscious. He grabbed her hand and rubbed it comfortingly, making Clarke look away at the intimacy of the action. She remembered how Finn had treated her like that in Walden, and she pushed down the pain in her heart.
"Clarke! Miller told me to come get you! We're close to Port Royal." Jasper called, running into the med-bay. Clarke looked up in surprise. She hadn't known the time had flown by so fast. Clarke finished up a few chores and treatments, then left Jasper and Monty in the med-bay. She had a feeling that the two best friends would do something stupid in her med-bay, but she trusted Monty to try and keep the patients alive. She quickly ran to her cabin to change into something suitable for walking around Port Royal, and quickly changed into a simple white cotton shirt with billowing sleeves that ended at her forearm and a navy blue skirt with a black corset holding it all together.
Clarke jogged up the steps to the upper deck, smiling when the sunlight warmed her skin. She would never tire of seeing the bright blue sky or feeling the warmth of the sun after being deprived of it for so long.
"Clarke!" Miller called. She turned to see him and the Captain standing at the helm, both looking nervous.
"What's wrong?" Clarke asked when she reached the helm.
"There's quite a few guard ships docked at the port." Bellamy said. He had changed into a dark blue tunic and black trousers with his tall tan boots. He wore a crimson overcoat, and the hat she'd seen in his cabin. It was all sweeping curves and lines, with bright colored feathers sticking out the back. It would've looked ridiculous on anyone else, but Bellamy made it work somehow. Clarke frowned and looked out to the port in the distance. She could see the flags sporting royal colors from a majority of the ships in the harbor.
"They must've heard about the prison break. Since this is so close to Washington they probably added more guards to look for fugitives." Clarke said. Bellamy frowned, and glared at the ships as if his menacing gaze could make them disappear.
"Miller, find the rescued crew and tell them to stay below. Our story is that we're merchants who were attacked by pirates and narrowly escaped, got it?" Bellamy said to his second. Miller nodded, and climbed down to spread the word.
"I need to go into the market to resupply my medicinal herbs and get more medicine and gauze. Some of the crew are in bad shape." Clarke said to the Captain, her mind flashing back to Jess.
"Do you really think you can walk through the market? Many of the citizens probably haven't seen the Royal Family, but some of the guards might recognize you." Bellamy said. It was true, the majority of the kingdom would not know what the Crown Princess looked like, but based on the large number of guards, there would probably be high ranking officers patrolling Port Royal. Those with a high rank might know who Clarke was, and could blow her cover and take her back.
"I'm going down there, whether you like it or not." Clarke spat. Bellamy looked over at her, his gaze sweeping up and down her body. He raised an eyebrow at her dress, but said nothing.
"You'll stay with Miller and Monty. From what I hear you've been training him to be your assistant." Bellamy said with a chuckle.
"I can go by myself. Monty needs to stay with the wounded in case anything happens while I'm gone. And you need Miller with you to resupply. I know what I'm doing, Bellamy." Clarke said imploringly.
"Fine, Monty can stay, but take Murphy with you then. You aren't going alone, Princess." Bellamy argued. Clarke scowled, but didn't argue with the Captain.
"Captain! We're ready!" Miller called out. He had a party of some of the crew to spread out and buy all of the supplies they needed as quickly as possible. Although they could pass as a merchant ship, if some of the guards came aboard they would figure out they were actually pirates.
"Raven!" Bellamy shouted, waiting for the fierce woman to show herself.
"Whatcha need, Captain?" Raven replied, stepping out from some of the crew and joining Clarke and Bellamy at the helm.
"What's the damage?" Bellamy asked.
"Well you haven't taken good care of my ship while I was gone. There's a few old cracks in the hull that need patching, and we'll need to patch up the mainsail, it looks like a few cannons shot through it. There's a hole in one of the masts, and chips all over. I'd say it's a long days work just to keep her from sinking. We'll have to stay at the port at least until nightfall so we can get her fixed up enough to make it to open ocean. After that, I should be able to fix up the rest while we're at sea."
Bellamy grimaced at the long list of repairs, but nodded. He instructed Raven to go ashore, even though she was a fugitive. They would have to risk it in order to get the proper supplies for repairs, which Raven knew best.
"Try not to blow anything up." Bellamy said with a smile to the mechanic, who smiled back at the Captain before descending to the deck.
"I'll get my bag and I guess I'll grab Murphy." Clarke said to Bellamy, making her way back to the deck.
"Princess!" Bellamy called. Clarke looked back at the intimidating silhouette of her Captain. He looked regal and dangerous with the sun shining behind him, casting a shadow over his form.
"Don't do anything stupid. I need my healer." He said dismissingly. Clarke smirked and replied, "Aye, aye, Captain."
"Where are we going now?" Murphy grumbled. He was not happy to find out that he was Clarke's escort, and after seeing him stare longingly at the few brothels they'd passed, Clarke was not happy to have his company either.
"I need more bandages." Clarke replied, for the thousandth time. Murphy gazed at a restaurant with hungry eyes, and then at a stand that sold caramel apples. Clarke rolled her eyes. She'd been shopping with Murphy for an hour now, and only needed a few more items before she could head back to the ship. Bellamy had instructed the crew to be back before nightfall, and Clarke was not planning on staying in the market any longer than she had to. Guards prowled the streets of Port Royal, and Clarke had seen a few familiar faces of high-ranking officers. She wondered if the new Captain of the Guard was around, but hoped not. Wells wouldn't understand why she had to leave, despite their close friendship.
"Murphy, if you want to go fuck some cheap, diseased whores, go ahead. I can manage." Clarke snapped, after having to drag her companion away from another dark corner where another prostitute stood seductively against the alley wall.
"You sure?" Murphy asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Positive. Just meet me by the ship. What the Captain doesn't know won't hurt him." Clarke said with a heavy sigh. She'd be able to move faster without her "guard" anyway. Murphy nodded, then disappeared into the crowd. Clarke couldn't blame the man for wanting to sate his lust. Sailing the seas as a pirate did not leave a lot of opportunity for sex, since many of the female crewmembers were too proud to fuck a pirate like Murphy. Humming an old castle tune, Clarke meandered around the marketplace, grabbing some fruit and herbs from street vendors. She visited a healer's hut and bought more herbs and supplies, finishing the list of things she needed. On her way back to the ship, about forty-five minutes after Murphy left her, Clarke stopped at a weapons shop. In the window were some fantastic rapiers, and the curious blonde wandered inside.
After borrowing practice swords and other old swords that had been laying around for practice, the Princess wanted a weapons she could call her own. Octavia said Clarke had decent sword fighting skills, but still needed some work. She still couldn't last longer than a few minutes in a duel with the Captain, but one day Clarke would beat the smug bastard.
"Hello little lady. Wanting a weapon I see?" An old voice croaked. Clarke jumped at the sound. She'd been distracted by some of the gear inside the small shop. There were oils that guaranteed a sharper blade and bejeweled scabbards.
"I'm just looking for a blade to call my own." Clarke replied. The shopkeeper was sitting behind a display case full of weapons. He had barely any hair on the sides of his wrinkled head, and his face was a mess of scars. One of his eyes was concealed by a nasty scar, and the other observed the princess with intelligent understanding. He was a burly man, but most of his musculature was diminished from age. Clarke could tell he had been a fierce warrior in his prime, and probably still had a battle or two in him still.
"I know what you need. Come." He croaked. His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't used it often and wasn't used to speaking.
"You have a beautiful shop." Clarke complimented, following the man further into the store. He pushed back a curtain and stormed into a back room, waving his hand for Clarke to follow. Although she hadn't known the man for more than a few minutes, Clarke felt a kindred spirit with him. Both he and she had been through many terrible traumas and had come out with a few scars.
"I just need a sharp blade to fight with. Nothing too fancy." Clarke said. The shopkeeper grunted, a deep rumbling sound.
"I know what you need." He repeated. He opened up a cabinet that held many gorgeous blades, concealed by their scabbards. The shopkeeper grabbed one of the medium sized ones, and balanced it on the tip of his finger. He nodded and handed the blade over to Clarke. She grabbed the blade, surprised at its lightness. She twisted it around in her hand, testing the balance and grip.
"May I?" She asked. The shopkeeper grunted again and nodded. Clarke gripped the golden hilt of the sword, eyeing the sapphire at the end of it. A golden curve of metal twined around the hilt, connecting the cross guard to the end of the hilt and shielding the wielder's hand in a web of gold.
Clarke pulled the blade free from its scabbard, a simple navy blue color with golden accents, and gasped in awe. It was a flawless silver blade, and looked incredibly sharp. The metal was cool to the touch, and seemed to hum in excitement at her touch. The blade tapered off at the end and curved slightly, barely enough to notice. Twisting filigree decorated the blade, and it looked as if the waters of the raging ocean had been turned to metal and forged into a sword.
"What metal is this? It's too light to be steel, but still has its strength." Clarke asked breathlessly.
"It's rare. It's known as Ookeanos in the language of the tribe that mines it. It comes from across the world, and the clan that makes these swords mine the best of the Ookeanos and spend years creating a single sword." The shopkeeper said. Clarke smiled in awe.
"It is said that Ookeanos is the ocean made into metal. The pattern in the blade is the metal itself." The shopkeeper said in a rumble.
"I can't possibly take this from you." Clarke said with a sad sigh. No doubt the sword was extremely expensive, and Clarke barely had a coin purse of Silvings left.
"Take it. You need it more than the lord who would come in here to have it as decoration. This blade needs to taste battle." The shopkeeper said, leading Clarke back out into the front of the shop.
"The rebel princess of Arc Kingdom needs this blade to restore balance and destroy the corruption in the capitol." The shopkeeper said quietly. He looked at Clarke with an understanding only someone who had been in Walden could have.
"I was a palace guard once, and I was lucky enough to be a guard to the Princess when she was little. I recognize you, my Lady." He whispered. Clarke was stunned. She thanked the man for not saying anything, and promised to purify the corruption in the kingdom, but she still could not take the sword.
"You can't possibly expect me to just take a blade like this!" Clarke exclaimed. It was worth a fortune! The shopkeeper just grunted, pushing the outraged blonde out of his shop. He handed her a fingerless glove and some oil and a whetstone and a belt to strap the sword to. Clarke, aghast at the shopkeeper's kindness, hastily pulled a handful of coins from her purse, holding it out to the shopkeeper.
"Take this! It's not nearly enough, but I can't just take this blade." Clarke implored. She held the sheathed sword tightly to her chest, and readjusted the bag of supplies on her shoulder. The shopkeeper grunted, and begrudgingly took the coins she offered.
"Go. Fight with it." He grumbled.
"What's its name?" Clarke asked quickly. The man smiled, and muttered out the name of the sword, which was engraved on the blade in the language of the land it had come from. It was a perfect name for a perfect sword. It meant "the heart of the sea" in the Old Language, and the familiar sound danced across Clarke's tongue.
"Inima Mare." She repeated, the "ehy" sound of the last word a breath of sea breeze on her tongue.
Humming and practically skipping in happiness, Clarke patted the sword dangling from her hip in contentment. It was nearly dark, and she was almost to the ship. She spotted Murphy hanging around near the docks, and waved to the grumpy man.
"What took you so long?" He asked angrily.
"I got distracted." She replied with a smile. Murphy just rolled his eyes, and walked down to the ship beside her. They climbed up the gangplank and onto the busy ship. Raven and many others were running around, carrying various woods or pastes to repair the ship. The light of the sun lowering on the horizon cast a golden sheen on the ship, which matched the joyful feeling in Clarke's heart. She had a kickass sword and was resupplied and had a place to call home.
"Captain! We've returned!" Murphy called out to the Captain, who was standing at the helm with Miller. He waved at them, and gestured for Murphy to join him. Clarke went down to her cabin to drop off her new sword before going to the med-bay to check on her patients and restock the medicinal supplies. She couldn't wait to show her new sword to Octavia, and to see the look on Bellamy's face when he saw the magnificent blade.
"Clarke! You're needed on the docks." Murphy called through her door. Clarke furrowed her brow in confusion. She was needed in the med-bay, not the docks. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Clarke abandoned the bag of supplies on her bed and stormed out of her cabin. Murphy smirked, and bowed in a way that came off sarcastic. With another scoff, she hurried up to the deck, and danced around the hustle and bustle of the crew. Bellamy was still at the helm, in deep discussion with some of the crew. Raven passed Clarke and said a breathy greeting before being dragged away again. The sun was almost below the horizon now, and the sky was alight in the reds and pinks of the sunset.
After stepping off the gangplank, Clarke called out to see what she was needed for. A voice answered her call from the dark corner of the dock.
"Over here! Someone's been injured!" The voice yelled. Clarke hurried toward the sound, her face a mix of concern and confusion. If someone had been injured, why not take them to the med-bay where she had the supplies to heal?
"Hello? Who's been hurt?" She asked into the darkness.
"I knew you couldn't resist. You're too good to leave someone to die." A familiar voice laughed from behind her. Clarke whirled around, her hand unconsciously moving to where her new sword should've been. Shit, she thought.
"You're mother wants you home, Clarke." Finn said, emerging from the darkness of the dock with a wicked grin. The panicked princess turned to run, and maybe find something to use as a weapon, but pain erupted at the back of her head and the world went dark.
"Octavia! Have you seen Clarke? I need her help at the med-bay." Monty asked. Octavia tilted her head in uncertainty and shook her head in reply.
"Shit. Where is she? I heard she was back." Monty cursed. Octavia feared for her friend's safety, and went to confront her brother.
"Bell! Have you seen Clarke?" She shouted at him, Monty hot on her heels.
"She went down below deck after getting back with Murphy." He replied, turning back to his work. Blueprints of the ship and maps were laid out before him with notations made in the margins.
"She's not here." Octavia said urgently. Bellamy froze, and turned to his sister.
"What do you mean she isn't here?" He asked darkly.
"I mean, Monty says she hasn't been to the med-bay yet. Which isn't like Clarke. She practically lives there nowadays." Octavia stated. Bellamy's jaw clenched.
"Raven!" He called out. The mechanic turned to him with an annoyed glare.
"When did Finn leave?" He asked.
"About an hour ago, why?" She asked. Bellamy just cursed in response.
"Murphy!" He bellowed, storming down to find the deceitful crewmember.
"Yes, Cap'n?" Murphy replied with a mock-salute. He was drinking some rum from a near empty bottle and laughing with a few of his cronies.
"Where's Clarke?" Bellamy growled. He had a sinking suspicion of her fate, but didn't want to jump to conclusions.
"I'm sure that Finn's taking her home by now." He chuckled, swaying drunkenly from side to side. Bellamy swung his fist at Murphy, knocking the drunk down with a cry.
"What the fuck?" Murphy shouted. Bellamy kneeled down and pulled him up by his collar, holding him up off the ground by his shirt.
"What did you do?" He asked darkly.
"Nothin'! I jusht told her she was needed on the dock, whish ish true! Finn wanted her off the ship and I got 'er off the shhhip! For a price of coursh'e." Murphy slurred, spitting out blood from his split lip.
"Where?" Bellamy growled, shaking the drunk in his grasp.
"He shaid shomethin' about the guard posht in the middle of the harbor." Murphy stuttered. Bellamy threw the drunk down onto the deck, and stormed over to his cabin. He slammed the door open, Octavia, Raven, and Miller close behind him.
Fuming, Bellamy grabbed two of his pistols and strapped a dagger in his boot. He straightened his sword and stomped out of his cabin.
"Bellamy! What are you doing?" Octavia exclaimed, grabbing her brother's shoulder.
"I'm going to get her back." He replied simply.
"What did Murphy mean when he said Finn was taking her home?" Raven asked. Bellamy sighed in exasperation. Raven was smart, and she knew Clarke was important somehow.
"You don't understand. Her mother was the one that left her in Walden for a year." Bellamy blurted angrily. Octave dropped her hand from her brother's shoulder in shock, her shoulders sagging. Miller's eyes widened, Monty gasped, and Raven huffed.
"Walden? Like, the camp Walden?" Octavia asked in astonishment. Bellamy nodded.
"And Finn, who met her in W-Walden, is going to take her back to the mother that let her rot in that hellhole?" Raven said in disgust. Bellamy growled in response. Miller grabbed Monroe, who was busy shouting orders to the crew. He muttered out instructions, and Monroe nodded obediently.
"Captain, I told Monroe to handle the ship." Miller said. Bellamy glared at his first officer, and shook his head.
"You need backup, and I'm not going to leave Clarke alone." Miller stated. Bellamy looked at Miller in surprise. He hadn't known his first officer had felt so protective of their new healer.
"I'm going too. Finn's my problem." Raven commanded, leaving no room for any argument.
"Fine. Miller, Raven, and I will go rescue Clarke and Monty will look after the wounded until we get back. Octavia, keep everyone calm." Bellamy ordered. Raven nodded, and ran down to grab her sword and a few throwing knives before joining Bellamy and Miller at the docks.
"What's the plan, Captain?" She asked when she joined the two men.
"We get in, we grab Clarke, we get out." He replied. Raven nodded, liking the simplicity of it. Together, the trio "borrowed" a small sailing ship and made their way across the harbor to the guard tower in the middle of the bay, where a few guard ships were anchored. The tower was a simple wooden structure built on a dock separate from the rest of the port, and the tower was where Clarke was.
Groaning, Clarke sat up, and rubbed at her aching head. Or she tried to, at least. Her arms were bound behind her back and from what she could tell, her legs were bound together as well. Clarke tried to see where she was, but she was encased in darkness.
"I was wondering when you'd wake up." Finn said, his voice echoing in the dark. Clarke could feel the roll of the ocean beneath her, and heard the creak of heavy footsteps on wood from above and she knew she was in the belly of a ship.
"What do you want, Finn?" She growled out. Light blinded her for a minute, and when her vision adjusted to the glow of a bright lantern, Clarke saw Finn sitting across from her, a sick smile on his face. She saw some barrels and crates around the small room. Clarke guessed she was in a small supply closet in a ship.
"I'm going to take you home. You're mother paid me to, and now I'm finishing the job. I should get paid a pretty penny for bringing the lost princess back to her castle on a hill, and I'll get a royal pardon." Finn rambled. Clarke could see that being held in Walden and then Washington had broken this once strong man, and she was afraid. She slid her legs across the floor, and felt the rope catch on something. She wiggled around as slyly as she could, and felt a sharp rusty nail by her feet. She fidgeted, and passed off the movement of the nail cutting the rope as fearful tremors.
"Finn, you don't have to do this." She pleaded. She felt the snap of the first coil of rope break, and she tried to stall for time.
"But I do. It's so cliché, but I have to do this, Clarke. I can't go back. If I go back, I will die." He whispered.
"I know, trust me I know. But this isn't right!" She implored.
"What's right anymore? Do you know what I had to do to survive? I loved you, but then I betrayed you to save myself! Who does that?" He exclaimed angrily. Clarke clenched her jaw at his confession, and tried to smile.
"Who we are, and who we need to be to survive are two different things." She said slowly. She felt the rope binding her legs sag, and knew her legs were free. She could improvise with the bindings on her wrists, but at least she could run now.
"This is why I love you, Clarke. But there's no changing the past. I'm doing this for you! Your mother loves you, and wants you home! It's what's best for you!" He shouted with a wide smile. Clarke looked into Finn's crazed eyes, the sorrowful lament of her soul reaching his.
"I won't go back, Finn." She cried, her voice shaking. "You don't know what awaits me at the capitol."
Finn shook his head and frowned.
"How could I know? All I know is that to get away from Walden, I need to take you home. And that's what I'm going to do." He said, grabbing the lantern and turning his back to Clarke. He made to walk to the door, but Clarke rose from the ground silently and snuck up behind him without a sound.
"No, you're not." She growled angrily. She slammed her head into the back of his, and kicked at his knees, knocking him down. The lantern bounced against the floor with a loud clatter, and she swung her leg out to kick Finn's head. She kicked him again and again until he lay still. Quietly, Clarke grabbed the lantern and smashed it against a barrel. The glass shattered, but the light stayed lit for now. Clarke turned and reached for a piece of the glass. She clumsily grabbed a shard, the glass biting into her skin. Using the shard, Clarke cut through the rope binding her wrists and went to the door. She listened for any noise, and after a few silent moments she slowly opened the door and peeked out into the hall.
Guessing from Finn's goals and the colors decorating the walls, Clarke assumed she was on a guard ship. With a curse, she left the closet and quietly walked down the hall. She found the stairs that led to the deck, and as silent as the grave climbed up. Once she reached the deck, she saw how dark it was and that the sun had finally set. She had most likely been gone for about an hour, and judging by the lack of guards patrolling the deck, she assumed it was suppertime. One guard was whistling and drinking from a pouch in his tunic. Like a dark wraith, Clarke grabbed the lid of a barrel on the deck and used it to knock out the guard. He sunk like a sack of rocks, and Clarke rushed over to the railing. Dread filled her gut.
They were sailing away from a wooden tower surrounded by guard ships, and toward the open ocean. The fact that Clarke couldn't swim weighed heavily on her mind.
She leaned her head against the railing with a curse and sighed. How the hell was she supposed to get off this boat? She heard a distant shout, and looked up to see a small sailing boat racing to the guard ship she was stuck on.
"Clarke!" A familiar voice called out.
"Raven?" Clarke shouted back in surprise. What were Raven, Miller, and Bellamy doing out in the harbor on that small boat? They waved at her and made strange gestures that Clarke couldn't decipher because of the distance.
"Wha-" She started, only to choke in pain. She looked down to see a dagger protruding from her gut, and the only though that crossed her mind was: not again.
"If I can't take you back alive, then your corpse will do." Finn whispered in her ear. He had snuck up behind her and stabbed her in the back, again. He pulled the dagger out, ripping away at Clarke's flesh and hope.
She coughed up blood, and sagged against the railing. She could hear Bellamy shouting her name in the distance, and she looked out to see the other boat containing her friends only a few hundred feet away. Clarke pushed back from the railing, and sagged against Finn, who stroked her hair and murmured what he thought, were comforts. She groped around and felt for the sword at his hip. With a groan, she turned to face Finn, tears in her eyes.
"I loved you, you know. But not anymore." She stuttered. Finn smiled gently down at her, not grasping Clarke's meaning. She shoved away from him and pulled his sword with her. The last look on Finn's face was shock as Clarke shoved the sword into his gut with a mournful cry. Choking, Finn fell against the deck, and reached out for Clarke, who collapsed next to him. She stroked his hair, like he did to her, and apologized over and over. Finn was choking on his own blood, and tears filled his eyes.
"It's going to be okay. I'm sorry." Clarke sobbed. Pain throbbed in her side, but Clarke grabbed the bloody dagger out of Finn's grasp and used it to stab his heart and save him from the pain of drowning in his own blood.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She chanted. The love she felt in her heart for the dead man in her arms died with him, and she pulled herself up against the railing. The ship was closer now, and Clarke climbed up onto the railing, crying out at the pain of moving. She looked back at Finn's dead stare and sobbed again.
"May we meet again." She whispered, letting go of the railing and falling into the sea. The cold hard impact knocked Clarke breathless. She knew that Bellamy and the others were too far away to reach her in time. They didn't know she couldn't swim, and they wouldn't reach her in time to save her from drowning if they stayed in the sailing ship. Clarke knew she had too much to do to die in the ocean and be forgotten, but she had to try something. She struggled to reach the surface, kicking and throwing her arms up to no avail. Despite her efforts, Clarke sank down further into the unforgiving depth of the sea.
The salt water mixed with her tears, and Clarke felt her body going numb. She knew that the water was filling her lungs, and that the pain of her stab wound and of drowning were almost unbearable, but she was numb. Her mind and body had gone frozen, and the dark abyss of the sea dragged her down deeper and deeper into its cold depths.
"Clarke!" Raven shouted out as the blonde fell from the railing and into the sea with a loud splash. Miller and Bellamy watched the water where she'd disappeared anxiously. A few moments passed, and Bellamy stripped his coat and boots with a curse. He jumped up on the edge of the ship, preparing to dive in after Clarke.
"It's been too long." He muttered, and then he dove into the sea before his companions could stop him. Miller and Raven could only watch and wait for their Captain to appear, with or without Clarke.
Raven was about to jump in after Bellamy when he burst to the surface with a gasp. In his arms was a bloody and frozen Clarke. Miller turned the ship to pass by him, and he and Raven pulled Clarke into the ship, and helped Bellamy climb in.
"She's not breathing." Miller said. Panting, Bellamy looked as scared as Raven had ever seen him, and she wondered who Clarke was to make the Captain react that way. She pushed Miller aside, and closed off the drowned girl's nose and breathed into her mouth. She then pushed her hand against her chest, over and over for a few minutes, and then she pressed her mouth against Clarke's and pushed air into the girl's lungs. She repeated this process three times before Clarke shuddered and spat out water from her lungs, taking a gasping breath of air. She choked for a few breaths, and then when her breathing had evened out, her eyes fluttered open. Bellamy pushed Raven aside and placed his hands gently on either side of Clarke's face, rubbing her cheek with his thumb and pushing away a few strands of hair from her face. Clarke panted, and gazed into the Captain's eyes. There was a surprising intimacy between the Captain and the Princess that surprised all who were on the ship.
"Stay with me, Princess." Bellamy murmured. He grabbed some cloth from a shirt on the ship that belonged to the owner and used it to put pressure on the wound in her side.
"It's not that deep. You'll be fine. How many times do I have to come to your rescue?" Bellamy chuckled, trying to make her laugh. Clarke's lips formed a small smile, and her eyelids fluttered.
"Only until I'm not a damsel in distress." She stuttered, before passing out again.
"Shit." Bellamy cursed. He waved for Miller to hurry up and get them back to The 100, and for Raven to help him treat Clarke's wound.
When they made it back to the ship, Monty hurried and ordered Octavia to grab some sutures and the antibiotic herb as well as the pain killer tea. Bellamy stayed in the med-bay right by Clarke's side while Monty tried to use what little Clarke had taught him to heal her. After a few stressful hours, Monty declared the Princess saved, and said she was just unconscious from blood loss and shock. He then passed out on one of the empty cots in the med-bay and snored away.
Bellamy stayed next to Clarke, sitting in a creaky old chair he'd found. He couldn't believe that he'd let this happen. He should have been there to protect her. She was the Crown Princess after all. It was his duty to protect her. Plus he'd let the man who'd betrayed her and tried to kill her kidnap her and stab her in front of him, which was a blow to Bellamy's honor. He should have known better. She was the Princess, and he was supposed to protect her. He was just this worried because she was the princess, not because he cared for her or anything. She was just the princess, and he was a pirate king. He wasn't friends with her, maybe partners in crime. Bellamy knew his feelings for the girl were not simply Captain and crewmate, but more friends. Maybe a knight protecting his princess. Bellamy scowled. He was no knight. He was a bloody pirate. He was nothing in her eyes. Just a partner in crime.
Just a knight to his Princess.
I hope that wasn't too rushed, but I needed Finn to go away so I could get the plot moving. I made Finn a bit OC cause I figured being tortured in Walden would've changed him. This chapter was beta'd by a friend of mine, who helped me fix some things. I hoped you enjoyed this one, and stay tuned for more!
Reviews feed my soul, please leave constructive comments!3