Haha...i'm back? Sorry! I don't really have a good excuse? I just finished this chap cause i'm supposed to be doing bio or studying or making more art and yet...
Anyway, here's chapter 11! I hope y'all like it! I put some pretty fluffy moments in here, and also angst bc i love pain.
Reviews give me life and feed my soul.
***Also I don't remember if I told y'all before, but I changed the name of the kingdom to Arcadia, because of the show and it's a lot better!***
CHAPTER 11
"Monty! Wait up!" Clarke called out after she left the shoreline. She tripped over a branch and cursed as she hit the hard ground, sticks leaves pricking at her skin. She slowly stood back up, groaning at the pain in her torso. She placed a hand over her wound, and cursed again when she felt her warm blood soaking through the cotton shirt under her vest. She grabbed onto a nearby tree to pull herself up, and continued rushing after Monty.
Another cry echoed throughout the forest, and Clarke picked up her pace. She suddenly ran into Monty's back, almost knocking the both of them over.
"Monty! What-" Clarke exclaimed, grabbing onto his shoulders to right herself. She froze, however, when she saw what was in front of her.
There was a pyramid of trees tied together into multiple tiers, with Jasper strapped twenty feet in the air to the very top tier. If that wasn't bad enough, there was a deep, spike-filled pit surrounding the pyramid. Jasper groaned again, and a soft cry left his lips.
"Jasper! We're coming to get you!" Monty called, after getting over the shock of seeing his believed dead friend clinging to life. Clarke thrust her arm out and kept Monty from running towards Jasper.
"Monty, it's obviously a trap. We should wait for Bellamy and the others, then slowly make our way over." She stated. Her eyes scanned the immediate area around the 'temple' for signs of the natives. There was a rustling behind them causing Clarke and Monty to turn and face the forest they had emerged from.
Clarke held her sword out, ready to attack, pushing Monty behind her, but relaxed when a familiar angry man stomped out into the clearing with Miller and Harper behind him.
"Bellamy!" Clarke exclaimed, dropping her sword and leaning on the blade.
"Clarke, what the hell is going on?" He asked gruffly, his gaze locked on Jasper. Miller and Harper were in similar states of shock.
"I have no idea, but it seems like a trap but we still need to get him down and back to camp." She explained.
"Jasper! I'm here buddy!" Monty called out, getting as close as he could to the spiked pit as he could.
"…on…ty…" Jasper's voice croaked. Clarke joined Monty on the edge of the pit and bumped his shoulder with hers.
"Bellamy, we need a plank or something, something we can use to create a walkway." Clarke said, turning to face the captain. He was looking between Jasper and the pit with trepidation.
"Harper, Miller, scout the perimeter. Make sure we won't get ambushed again." He ordered, before walking up to Clarke. His eyes dropped to her torso, where her injury was currently throbbing and bleeding, and then back at her with a raised brow. She sighed, and looked pointedly at Jasper, telling him that they had more important things to worry about.
"Either help me down, or help me find something to use as a bridge." She said to him. Bellamy rolled his eyes.
"Let's go look in the forest for something." He said, grabbing Clarke's arm and pulling her with him.
"Monty, you stay here and keep an eye on Jasper." He ordered. Monty nodded, and stayed rooted to the spot, and his eyes on his friend.
"Bellamy, let go-" Clarke grunted as the pirate pulled her forcefully deeper into the forest.
"What the hell? You're injured and bleeding, and you think it's a good idea to go traipsing around the forest and across rivers?" He exclaimed.
"I was just bringing Monty here to grieve! I didn't know that Jasper would be strung up like bait!" She argued.
"I know that, but you're still injured." He said, his gaze lowering to where she was bleeding. She knew logically that he couldn't see the blood staining the dark fabric under her vest, but she still curled her arms around her torso.
"It's nothing I can't handle. We need to focus on getting Jasper back to camp safely." She said, trying to change the topic.
"And how do you propose we do that? It'll be one thing to get him down, another to get him across that weird spike moat, and then-to top it all off, we have to get his unconscious, injured body across a raging river and somehow make it back to camp." He growled out through clenched teeth.
"Okay, I know what you're saying, and it is illogical and almost impossible, but I'm going to do it anyway because a dear friend of mine is strapped to some kind of pyramid with a gaping hole in his chest and is crying out for help." Clarke said, stepping into Bellamy's personal space until they were nose to nose. Well, nose to chin due to their height difference. Bellamy gulped at their proximity, but made an agreeable grunt and rolled his eyes.
"Whatever you say, Princess." He smirked. Clarke rolled her eyes, but smiled at the captain and together the two of them set off to find something that would work as a bridge or something to make into one.
"Hey, Clarke! Help me lift this!" Bellamy called as he swept a few spare leaves and branches off of a smooth and elongated plank of wood.
"What is that?" She asked breathlessly. The plank had carvings and scratch marks in it, implying that it was man made. It was about three feet wide and eight feet long, and a good ten inches thick with a slight curve around the edges. It was an impressive piece of craftsmanship.
"Maybe it's some sort of raft. The grounders could have made it." Bellamy replied with a shrug.
"It's pretty heavy, so you grab that side and I'll grab this one and we'll somehow make it back to the others." Bellamy said, bending over to grab his side of the wooden plank. Clarke nodded, and kneeled down to grab her side. She hissed in pain as her side wound protested to the movement. She saw Bellamy give her a worried look, but she forced a smile and together they slowly lifted the board.
"Holy shit…you weren't kidding." Clarke grunted. Even with their combined strength, the board was still insanely heavy. Clarke started to carefully walk backwards while trying to avoid tripping on the various branches on the forest floor. Her side was throbbing and she gritted her teeth and focused on keeping the board up.
"Monty! A little help!" Bellamy bellowed as they neared the clearing. Clarke could barely hear Monty's crash through the forest as he ran to meet the struggling duo because of the sound of her blood rushing through her head.
"Woah, what the heck is that?" Monty's voice exclaimed from behind Clarke.
"A super heavy board that we need help carrying. Help first, ask questions later." Bellamy grunted. Monty muttered but quickly hopped over to the middle of the board and helped hold it up while they walked into the clearing.
"Let's set it down here." Bellamy said, nodding towards the edge of the pit. Clarke started to lower her side along at the same time as Bellamy, with Monty supporting some of the weight. Right as Clarke kneeled down to let go of the board, her torso her side screamed in pain, and she felt a gush of warm blood flow down her side. Cursing, she collapsed and clutched her gut. The board slammed onto the ground and she heard Bellamy and Monty exclaim in surprise.
"What happened?" Bellamy asked, rushing over to kneel next to Clarke. Monty stood on the other side, keeping an eye out for Miller and Harper or even grounders. Clarke pulled her hand away from her torso to wave the pirate captain away but he grabbed her wrist and cursed when he saw the blood smeared on her palm.
"You aren't okay." He growled. Clarke rolled her eyes, and tried to stand, but her legs gave out and she fell back onto the forest floor.
"It's okay. I'll be fine. I just need to catch my breath." She grumbled.
"You're not fine! Just stay put while we get Jasper. Miller will be back soon, so he'll help carry him on the stupid raft." Bellamy ordered as he angrily handed his jacket to Monty. He stripped off his shirt and handed it to Clarke then snatched his jacket back and put it back on. Clarke muttered her thanks and ripped it into strips. She took off her leather vest and wrapped the strips around her torso to help stop the bleeding, then retied the vest-a bit tighter to help staunch the blood flow.
"Ok, so let's push this think across the bridge, get Jasper, put him onto the raft, take him back to camp, and get him all fixed up." Bellamy said with a sigh.
"Bellamy, we didn't see any sign of grounders." Miller said as he and Harper pushed aside the foliage and joined the group in the clearing, startling the trio. Harper didn't question her Captain's newly bare torso, but Miller glanced over at where Clarke was sitting, and raised an eyebrow at Bellamy.
"That's strange, but good. Come on, let's hurry." Bellamy urged. Together, he and Miller slowly pushed the plank across the spikes in the pit until it reached the other end.
"I'll go across first, and then hold the other side down for you guys. Monty, make sure this plank doesn't move. Miller, follow after I get to Jasper." Bellamy ordered. The pirate's nodded in agreement, and Clarke grumbled about how she should be going across to treat his wounds. Bellamy shot her a look that said stay put, I mean it.
She rolled her eyes, but huffed to signal her compliance. But don't think this'll happen again, her eyes said. The captain just smirked, and then slowly walked across the plank. Clarke let out a sigh of relief when his boots landed on solid ground.
"Hey Jasper," She heard him say. Jasper muttered something unintelligible in response.
"Miller, come on over. I'll need your help." Bellamy called out. He knelt down to hold the board still as Miller made his way across. Once he made it to the other side, the two pirates started climbing the tower and cutting the rope that was holding Jasper up.
"So Captain, I noticed that Clarke's injury has gotten the best of her." Miller said softly, glancing pointedly at Bellamy's bare chest under his jacket.
"She's too stubborn. Won't listen to me or take care of herself. It's…frustrating." Bellamy growled through gritted teeth. Miller chuckled and said, "Sounds like someone I know."
"Oh shut it, Miller." The captain said. Miller shrugged, but looked back at where Clarke was sitting and then back at the captain.
"You worry about her." He stated softly. Bellamy's jaw clenched.
"I worry about all of us." He whispered back.
"Yea, but not like how you worry about her." Miller replied, bumping his friend's shoulder in affection.
"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." The first officer said with a smile. Together they slowly carried Jasper down from the pyramid and laid him down on the floor in front of the pit.
"So, how do we do this?" Miller asked. Bellamy shrugged.
"We wing it." He answered. Miller laughed, which caused the others to look at him curiously. Bellamy picked up the injured pirate with a grunt, and gestured for Miller to walk across first.
"Go on, I'll follow." He said.
"No, you go first and I'll hold the board in place." Miller stated firmly. Bellamy glared at his subordinate, but Miller didn't budge.
"Fine. Be careful." The captain relented. He adjusted his hold on Jasper and then slowly walked across the plank. When he was close to the other side, Harper reached over and helped carry Jasper.
"Lay him down over here for now." Clarke said, patting the grass next to her. Bellamy lowered Jasper down, and stepped back to let Clarke inspect him.
"They treated the wound." Clarke exclaimed in surprise. There was a strange herbal paste over his injury covered by a leafy bandage.
"Probably so that he would live long enough to be bait." Bellamy said. Clarke couldn't help but grunt in agreement. Moments later, Miller hopped onto the ground next to Harper, and together with Monty they pulled the plank back to their side of the rift.
"Let's load Jasper up onto the board, and we'll head back." Clarke said, letting Miller step in and lift Jasper's unconscious body onto the wood. The healer took a deep breath, and held one hand against her side as she tried to stand. The moment she got to her feet, she was overcome by dizziness and started to sway.
"I gotcha, princess." Bellamy murmured as he grabbed the shaking blonde. He looped one arm around her waist, and she wrapped her arm around his neck to support herself. Bellamy's free hand reached up and grabbed onto the hand she had around his neck.
"Thanks. I guess I've lost more blood than I thought." She said with a breathy laugh.
"Don't joke about that." Bellamy said darkly. Clarke apologized, and squeezed his hand.
"We'll carry Jasper." Harper said, looking over Clarke and Bellamy's situation.
"I'm sorry." Clarke gasped out. She felt like she was just another useless burden that was hindering their rescue mission.
"Don't apologize, it isn't your fault you got stabbed. Again." Bellamy muttered angrily. Clarke couldn't help but smirk at his words. Getting stabbed/shot was becoming a regular occurrence for her now.
"I guess that's the price of being a pirate, huh?" She asked jokingly. Bellamy snorted, but she felt him nod. The group of pirates slowly made their way through the dense forest and back to the riverbed, where they stopped to rest before attempting the impossible.
"Okay…now what?" Miller panted. Clarke pushed Bellamy off and leaned against a nearby tree. She stared down at Jasper's unconscious body and sighed. Miller, Harper, and Monty were all visibly tired, and Clarke knew there was a very probable possibility that they wouldn't make it across the river.
"Bellamy, I have an idea, but you aren't going to like it." Clarke announced. She quickly explained her plan, and he quickly proved how right she was.
"No, there's no way-you won't make it." He protested.
"It's a possibility either way. Either we do it my way and Jasper for sure makes it across, or we risk everything we've worked towards." She argued with determination burning in her gaze.
"It's a good plan, Captain." Harper said cautiously, trying to gauge how Bellamy would react to her words. He cursed under his breath and rubbed his temple, but eventually nodded.
"Fuck it. You wouldn't listen to me anyway." He conceded. Clarke smiled weakly. She felt very woozy, like a palm tree swaying in the wind.
"There ya go cap'n, let's get it done." Clarke said, patting Bellamy on the arm. He gave her a curious glance, and she carefully schooled her expression to a serious one.
"Fine." He said curtly. He and the others carefully lifted the plank and Jasper, then slowly approached the river. The rain from the day before had made the waters even more treacherous, but the pirates didn't have a choice. Bellamy was at the head of the group, and he slowly started to sink into the water, step by step. The others followed, holding Jasper above the waves as best they could. Clarke held her breath as they waded across the rushing waters, each step taking them further and further downstream, yet also bringing them closer to the opposite shoreline. Clarke could barely stand anymore, and was being held up by the tree behind her at this point. She breathed a sigh of relief as the group climbed up onto the shore, pushing Jasper up to higher ground.
"Alright, Princess. You're turn!" Bellamy shouted over the sounds of the waves. Clarke took a deep breath, and stared at the path in front of her with trepidation.
"I can do this…" She said quietly. She gathered what strength she had left and pushed away from the tree line, slowly stumbling to the river. She eyed the various stones jutting out of the water and took another deep breath. She carefully hopped onto the first stone, struggling to stand, let alone stay balanced on its slippery surface. She questioned her plan as she stood on that stone, wondering why she thought letting everyone else go first to carry Jasper while she was left alone to cross the river after losing a significant amount of blood would be a good idea. She took another deep breath, and launched over to the next boulder. She landed hard, almost tumbling into the river but she managed to right herself just in time.
"Careful!" She heard Monty shout. Clarke glanced up at the worried pirates in the distance and shot them a nervous smile. She could do this. Only three more rocks to go. Clarke made it to the next one alright, but as her feet touched down onto the second to last stone, she felt her legs give in and she began to fall towards the rushing water. She crouched down and kept her balance centered around the stone and her knees hit the rock painfully hard. She had her arms outstretched to keep herself steady, and she shivered as the river water swept up against her legs. She vaguely heard her crewmates shouting in the distance, but the rushing of the river and the pounding in her head swarmed Clarke's senses. With shaking legs, she pushed herself up and grimaced. Black spots blocked her vision. Her breathing was shaky. She could feel her entire body's desire to just let go and go limp. Clarke fought the temptation and forced her legs to move and push her to the last stone, and then to the shoreline where Bellamy was waiting. His strong arms encircled her weak body, and Clarke looked up at him blearily with a small smile, and then promptly passed out in his arms, again.
Bellamy carried Clarke bridal style, while Monty, Miller, and Harper carried Jasper on the makeshift cot. When Clarke had fainted after crossing the river, Bellamy had shouted curses towards the foolish girl in his arms and to this island for fucking them over. Even after the group of pirates were halfway back to the camp, the captain was still muttering curses to himself.
They had to stop and rest every fifteen minutes or so because of how heavy Jasper was with the plank of wood. Every time they stopped, Bellamy would sit with Clarke in his lap and keep her steady. He brushed a strand of blonde hair out of her face and a soft smile lit his face. As morbid as it was, this was the only time Bellamy had seen Clarke looked truly relaxed, and it was because she had passed out due to intense blood loss and exhaustion.
"Captain, we're getting close." Miller announced. He, Harper, and Monty were sitting propped up against a few trees a few feet away with Jasper in between the crew and the captain. The injured pirate was panting in a fitful sleep, and groaned in pain every once in a while.
Bellamy nodded, and slowly lifted himself and Clarke up off the ground to continue their trek. The crew all breathed a universal sigh of relief when they heard the sounds of the campsite.
"Hey!" Miller called out. Soon the crew had surrounded the pirates and helped carry Jasper into the campsite and to the medical tent. Bellamy, however, refused to hand Clarke over to anyone, and gently placed her onto a pile of bedding and leaves next to Jasper.
"Monty, is there anything you can do for them?" He asked, knowing that Clarke had been slowly teaching Monty to assist her.
"Umm, I know of some herbs that'll help Jasper's fever and fight off the infection, and I think Clarke mentioned a tea for boosting blood production or something. I'll get started. Can you patch her up? I know her stitches are mostly gone by now." Monty said as he rummaged around through the remnants of their medical supplies. He grabbed a few handfuls of herbs and various supplies and containers before running off to the fire in the middle of camp.
Bellamy cleared his throat and awkwardly stared down at the pair of unconscious pirates.
"She wouldn't mind, it's for her health." He whispered to himself as he untied her vest and slowly lifted the blood-soaked fabric off of her skin. The vest stuck to the shirt and pulled some of the fabric up with it, and Bellamy had to gently tear the shirt away from the vest. He unbuttoned her shirt and slowly lifted it until her wounded torso was visible.
"Damn, Princess. Good luck getting all this blood out of these clothes." He muttered. He grimaced when he saw the inflamed, angry wound and mentally cursed himself. He shouldn't have let her walk around, let alone go traipsing through the forest. He grabbed a cloth from the supplies in the tent and started to wipe away the blood and kept pressure on the leaking slice, muttering various curses as he worked.
Monty came back with one of their remaining metal containers for boiling water, and Bellamy cringed when he smelled the liquid inside the pot. From what he saw when Monty poured the tea out into cups it looked even more unappetizing than it smelled- if it was possible. Monty handed one cup to Bellamy, and then slowly tilted the other over Jasper's mouth, forcing the injured pirate to drink the revolting liquid.
"Alright, don't hate me for this." Bellamy whispered to the unconscious blonde in front of him as he slowly mimicked Monty. His lip curled in disgust as he saw her swallow the tea. Once she had drunk the entire cup, Bellamy looked over at Monty expectantly.
"Umm, now we clean and dress their wounds. Both of them should get an herbal salve to stave off infection too. We don't know what kind of diseases are in this jungle." Monty said nervously. Bellamy just nodded, and patted his crewmate on the back in encouragement. Together they worked on fixing up their friends in silence. Jasper would let out a pained groan every once in a while, but Clarke was eerily quiet. If Bellamy wasn't watching her chest move as she breathed, he wouldn't know if she was still alive. He grabbed her wrist and felt for her pulse, feeling his heart skip a beat when he felt the weak throbbing. She's lost a lot of blood. It's only natural that her pulse would be so weak, he thought to himself.
"Alright, I think that's good. You should check on the others, I'll manage." Monty announced as he put away the leftover supplies. Bellamy nodded and slowly rose from his knees, his eyes locked on the strands of blonde hair that had floated onto Clarke's face.
"Let me know if anything changes." He ordered before walking away from the tent, the image of Clarke lying utterly still on the cot burning in his mind.