Clarke sat on her throne while Titus begged her to kill the invaders in Anya's territory. "Enough." She pinched her nose in frustration, the man was giving her a headache. "My decision is made. I will take Tristan and his rangers and secure the region. I'll make my decision on the invaders from the sky after I've spoken to Anya on the matter. My nightbloods will continue their training with the guard of Polis."
"Heda, your place is here. Especially with the death of Nia." Titus protested. "Send your armies and have these invaders killed before they can attack us. You show weakness not wiping out this threat."
She narrowed her eyes standing up abruptly. "Weakness? It is wisdom not weakness to understand before killing. What danger do less than a hundred pale children pose to MY coalition?" Her eyes flashed as she stepped forward glaring him into submission. "The coalition is secure. Roan controls Azgeda and he is loyal to me. Do you question that?" She didn't let the implications there hang long before continuing. "I have voiced my approval and therefore the unassailability of his position to the ambassadors. Now, I will travel personally to Anya's territory. I will evaluate the mountain and these invaders, and clear the region of reapers once more. Gustus," she waved to the intimidating man who was standing across from Titus, "has ruled Polis admirably in my absence and will continue to do so."
"Your treaty was with Nia! Roan has not taken the brand. He could betray you!" Titus exploded.
Clarke didn't even think about it. She slapped him across the face, hard. The loud slap echoed around the room. His face was snapped to the side with the force of it. "I am Heda. Roan will come to take the brand when he has secured his territory for the coalition once more. He is not so foolish as to invite my wrath. If I am still at the mountain overseeing my territory, he will ride directly there. If the matter is already handled, he will come to Polis. He has been a steadfast ally for years, more loyal to me then you. You will not question his loyalty again, do you understand." It wasn't a question.
Titus grimaced. "Sha, Heda."
"Good." She stepped back loosening her posture some. A quick glance showed her Ontari desperately trying not to look smug, standing by the guards of the throne room. The ambassadors had been dismissed some time ago. "Then as I have told the ambassadors, I leave with Tristan and his rangers tomorrow. Now onto the matter I have asked you to consider for some time. Have you decided on an apprentice?"
"A candidate with the required skills and temperament is difficult to find." He said stiffly.
Clarke resisted just throttling the man. Instead, she engaged her well learned skill of repressing her desire to kill the man. "We have several individuals in this tower that meet the requirements to begin training. Literacy, competence at combat, intelligence, and unquestionable loyalty to Heda."
He made an impatient sounding huff. "The post requires someone capable of wielding a great deal of power. A candidate must have the necessary political power to control the ambassadors after your death."
"That is a skill an apprentice learns and earns in time. Are you saying you do not have the ability to teach such skills to your apprentice. It is something I have long suspected and this confirmation makes me glad that I have found other teachers for the nightbloods. It is no matter. Any one of the nightbloods would be capable of such a thing already. They would have the implicit backing of my allies, not to mention the protection of the blood." Clarke knew Titus loathed her push for stripping nightbloods of the right to take the flame and then putting them in positions of influence. "Meg is the brightest of this class. Surely, she is suitable?"
"She is a nightblood, it is not her place." He grit out through his teeth. Glaring darkly at Ontari, he continued. "It is blasphemy for a nightblood to not accept their place in their conclave. The strength of the blood can only be held by a single person in order for the flame to continue."
"One of my conclave and second that was hidden survive and I have accomplished what none of my predecessors were capable of doing." Clarke pointed out icily. "I gave you two years to find an apprentice and yet here we are three years later and still you have not chosen one. Since you are incompetent and indolent in your duty, I will choose for you."
Titus paled in horror. "It is my duty to continue my line."
"And you have failed at this, so I will do it for you so that the line of Heda isn't ended if someone decides to kill you." Clarke said harshly. "Meg will begin training with you for two hours of the day from tomorrow forward to take your post."
"I won't teach a nightblood to become Flamekeeper after me." He spat.
Clarke turned on him and looked at him curiously. "That is your prerogative Flamekeeper. If you will not uphold your duty, I see no purpose in your continued existence."
He balked back from her like she'd struck him again with her words. "Listen to the Flame, surely it will tell you the folly of what you are doing."
"The flame is the only reason you still live. Tell me Titus, what purpose do you serve if you are the last of the Flamekeepers?" She asked, raising a brow meaningfully.
Titus seemed to wilt slightly. "I expect her to arrive in my quarters promptly after dinner."
"She'll be there." Clarke said. "Now leave us."
He bowed and left as the guards at the doors opened them and let the nightbloods troop in for their lessons. Clarke shook off the morose mood she'd fallen into and stood walking down to meet her family of the blood. She smiled widely while finding herself mobbed by excited children. She straightened Aden's hair that seemed to have a mind of its own while he told her about his training with the spear. She straightened Meg's shirt while she told her all about the newest text she'd discovered in the Polis library. Little Peter climbed into her lap while Josh told all about how he'd defeated Aden in a spar the day before.
Kissing Peter's forehead, she settled down on her throne and allowed herself to be swept up by her family. She smiled as Ontari joined the circle, sharing some of the honey candies she saved from the feast in Azgeda with the others. Gustus stood behind her throne, watching over them like a proud father. This, this was what she was fighting for all this time. Humming, she brought the attention of all of the kids to herself. "Who can tell me the three Pillars of the Commander?"
Meg's leg were practically bouncing with her eagerness to answer.
"Go ahead Meg." Clarke said while beginning to braid Sara's hair from where the girl was leaning against her leg.
Meg straightened with pride at being called. "Strength, Compassion, and Wisdom."
"Very good." Clarke said, enjoying watching the child puff up from the praise. "Now, tell me which pillar is most important to the commander?"
The girl's face scrunched up in thought, her cheeks puffing out slightly. "Strength?"
"Why?" Clarke said, enjoying how all of the kids were clearly thinking carefully. Even little Peter, who was still perched on her leg.
"Because without strength no one would follow the Commander and you would be the leader of nothing." Megs said slowly, speeding up as she talked out her conclusion. "If a commander was just wise, how would they use their wisdom without power?"
Aden spoke up after Megs had finished. "But a leader without Wisdom will spoil his land, lead his people to death and ruin. No matter how strong he is, his generals would turn against a leader with no wisdom and kill him."
"Well said Aden." Clarke acknowledged. She smirked at the pout on Meg's face. "So, Wisdom is the pillar you think most needed to be commander?" Waiting for him to nod first, she continued. "How do you defend against Meg's point that without Strength no one would follow?"
"Heda, you are powerful and strong, but your strength comes from outside of your body. Men do not follow you, the coalition does not bend to your will because you are the greatest warrior. They do so because you are wise. You created your own strength with wisdom. Knowing when to send out warriors, when to speak, with whom to speak. Wisdom is why you rule."
Clarke smiled at him kindly while Ontari fluffed his hair messing it up purposely. "That is true, but how many warriors do you know who could be confident in defeating me in combat?"
Aden frowned in thought, the crease in his brow deepened. "None. I know of warriors with greater feats of combat to their name, but I doubt they could win against you without taking grave harm if not losing."
"Do any of you wish to argue that compassion is the greatest attribute?" She asked curiously.
Little Sara who was still leaning against her leg spoke up then. "Compassion is why you allowed Luna to live." All the nightbloods turned serious instantly at the mention of the only nightblood to have survived Clarke's conclave. "Now she is the Chief of the Floukru and a great ally to our people. Sparing her was not wise. She could have challenged you for the Flame, or stolen it. All your advisers were against it, no previous Heda has done the same. So, it must have been compassion."
"Well reasoned little one." Clarke said, pleased with the answer. "I'm afraid I have tricked you all here however. There is no pillar that is greater, or more important than the others. All three pillars are necessary. A strong and wise ruler who is not compassionate is cruel and does not do what is best for their people. You have all seen such a ruler in Nia. Her nation suffered under her rule for it was selfish. A compassionate and wise leader without strength will have great plans that would benefit their people but without strength they could not make those plans a reality. You have seen me meeting with the leader of the Farmers guild in the city. He is a leader with compassion and wisdom. He has many plans to aid the poor but without the strength he has gained from my influence, none of them would have any chance of succeeding. A strong and compassionate leader has the strength to make a difference and the compassion to pursue good causes. Still, if they have no wisdom, they will not know how to direct their efforts. When the leader of the Smiths guild visits, I am sure you have all noticed his kindness. He is kind and strong but he needs direction to know how to use that strength effectively. You have seen me direct him on how to deal with conflicts between his smiths. No leader is perfect but the best leaders seek to use all these pillars. It is only when one is in command of all three that one can lead." She watched as the kids absorbed the lesson. They'd all been hearing repetitions and variations of this lesson for years, but it was the most important and critical of all that she could teach them.
Peter in her lap leaned back, resting his head against her shoulder. "Do you have to go Clarke?"
"I do little one." She felt the melancholy of her brood. Always she'd ensured that she never left them for long, that she always spent time with them. "Gustus will care for you in my absence." She assured them. "More importantly, while I am gone I want each and every one of you to pay attention to my actions at the mountain. Ontari will send you news of the happenings via our code of course. For the decisions I make, I want you to examine them and see how I choose to use the pillars of the commander."
Ontari let out a groan and the mention of her new chore. Not that she didn't already do it without being asked.
"Now, let's work on your spear work before dinner. Roan will be visiting soon and I know you all want to show him how you've improved." As they scrambled to their feet, she pulled Meg to her side. "Meg you will remain in training with your siblings but will report to the Flamekeeper for two hours after dinner every day from tomorrow onward."
Meg's face scrunched while the other nightbloods looked equally confused. Aden was the first to realize though. His face slackened in realization and relief. Meg spoke in confusion. "Why?"
"You are to be trained as his apprentice." Clarke said, pleased to see understanding dawning in all of her children. "If you accept the position, you will be unable to receive the flame."
Meg threw herself into Clarke's arms, hugging her with all of her might. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you."
-TLGTLGLTLGLTLGTLGLTLGLTLGLTLGLTLG-
Lexa tightened the pack of materials to her back. The buckle across the front to keep the straps from sliding off during combat snapped into place with a definitive click. Standing in front of the assembled 100, she felt her heart swell with pride. Every face from the tall and intimidating Dax to the tiny Charlotte was set in stone as they prepared for the battle. "Everyone knows their tasks, and we all know the stakes. Keep your eyes open, be cautious, and stay alive. We are a family, a people, and we will live or we will die today but we will do it together."
Turning, she stared at Finn and the others who'd volunteered to draw the reapers to the camp. "May we meet again."
They all snapped their hands into lazy, mostly incorrect salutes. "May we meet again." They echoed. Then they were off into the woods.
"Let's go." She ordered.
With that, they were a hive of activity. She gave a firm nod of acknowledgement to Lincoln and Octavia, who were leading the group moving through the escape tunnel and the unfinished pillbox into the woods. She drew her sword and stood before the front gate. Finn and the others had left through it and for the first time since it had been built, it was left wide open. She and the rest of the guard stood firmly in the central area of the camp, their backs to the tunnel the injured and non-guard members were now camped out in, waiting for their signal to begin the run for Trikru land.
The tense silence, the peace before the storm was the worst part. She could feel Murphy's nervous energy, Bellamy's anxious fear for his sister and perhaps his own mortality, Miller's staunch strength, Harper's calm determination. Together they stood waiting. Until they heard it, the high-pitched whistle of the first of the lures approaching them. Soon more whistles in various directions began to echo through the forest.
Jon nearly popped up from nowhere as he rolled over the top of the wall hitting the ground with a thud before scrambling to his feet and charging for the tunnel behind them. His speed was explained as reapers followed behind him. With that, Lexa stood her ground with Atom and just as they had trained, they took turns distracting the crazed warriors while the other murdered them. It was working and she felt a fierce pride in her people as they pushed off the oncoming attackers. Which is when she saw it. Finn had done more than his job.
Finn was running for them full tilt. Behind him was more reapers than she even had known existed. It was an army. "FALL BACK! FALL BACK NOW!" She roared over the fighting.
In a matter of seconds Finn was past her and down the tunnel. She and the other guards began to be pushed back as they tried to get into the tunnel without leaving their backs unguarded. It was a massacre. She could see her friend's falling beneath the press of violence. Ignoring her own body's pain, she stood and fought till she was the last one entering the tunnel. Leaving her sword run through the eye of the reaper following her in, she drew her gun. Three pulls of the trigger and she shoved it back into the holster, three more bodies fallen at her feet helping to clog the tunnel. She had nothing else left in her.
Staring into the eyes of the snarling reaper coming in after her, she knew this was how she died. So, she set her shoulders and prepared to delay this monster as long as she could. Instead her death was delayed when a roar of flame and heat came rolling towards the entrance. Eyes widening, she threw herself backwards to the ground avoiding the all-consuming flames.
-TLGTLGLTLGLTLGTLGTLGTLGTLGTLGTLG-
Coughing, Lexa pushed herself up off the ground. Looking forward, she saw Monroe's face. It was blackened with soot, her teeth and the whites of her eyes the only parts of her not coated in the stuff. Getting to her feet, she hauled Monroe up and together they hobbled through the tunnel on the tail of the others. Once through, she found herself sprinting in a fight against her body's desperate attempts to make her rest. She just kept pumping her legs as she and the other guard fought to catch up to the rest of the group.
When she caught up, the relief the others showed was palpable. Seeing the wheezing Finn, she realized the running he'd done with his broken rib and broken nose had taken their toll. She moved forward, ducking under his arm and taking some of his weight. So together they moved in a race against time. Lincoln dropped back to where she was.
"Lexa, you will need to ask for the audience formally." He said in warning. Which was sweet considering how dubious of their escape plan he'd been. Though if the looks behind his back at where they'd turned their camp into a raging inferno were any indication he wasn't laughing at them now.
"Alright. What do I need to say?" She asked, focusing on memorizing whatever he was going to say to her.
Lincoln spoke slowly and enunciated clearly. "When we reach the border the guards will halt us. Since I am traveling with you they should halt without attacking initially. You must say, 'Ai laik Lexa, prisa kom Skaikru.'"
Scowling, she repeated after him. "Ai laik Lexa, prisa kom Skaikru?"
"Good, again."
So, they continued till she could say it understandably enough for Lincoln to be satisfied. "What am I saying?"
"I am Lexa, princess of the Sky people." Lincoln explained patiently.
She snapped her teeth shut with a click. It would seem that silly nickname was going to be her new title. It could have been worse she supposed. "Once I've said that, what will happen?"
"You will need to continue. 'Ai gaf-in gon Heda.'" He looked at her seriously. "Once you've said that, they should allow you to speak with Anya. All the warriors will speak gonaslang, English. Once the formal words are spoken they will allow you to use it."
Lexa would have nodded if her lungs didn't feel like they'd been stretched too thin and ached with every breath she took. Still, she repeated this new phrase after him until he was satisfied. "What will be expected of us if Anya allows us into Trikru territory?"
"You will be sequestered outside of the village. By honor, she must provide you with water and enough food for a single meal. Any additional help is only if she wills it." Lincoln grimaced. "I do not know when Heda arrives, but it should be soon. The sooner, the more likely your people will survive."
Lexa faced forward with hard eyes. "How do I speak to the Heda?"
"Heda is…" Lincoln seemed to be incapable of finding the words for a moment. "She is above all others. Do not bow to her unless you agree to become her subject though. To do so before you have agreed to serve her would be to show weakness." He grimaced. "My people abhore weakness, this...this ploy of yours will not endear you to them."
Which, of course it wouldn't, she thought bitterly. Still, she could do strong and unyielding if that was what these grounders respected. She hadn't gotten 100 delinquents and criminals to listen and follow her in under an hour by being weak. "What else?"
"Do not threaten her." Lincoln said firmly. "Her guards will kill you before you can move a finger if you issue a threat against her person. You must convince her that keeping your people alive will be of use to her. Most important, never underestimate her."
"Underestimate her? I would never be that foolish." She felt somewhat insulted that the man seemed to think she was going to underestimate some built war lord lady who probably could crush a man's back between her thighs. The reverence alone that a clearly capable and fearsome warrior like Lincoln showed her was enough to know that whomever this Heda was she was not to be taken lightly.
"Heda was fourteen summers when she took the throne." Lincoln said with awe in his voice. "She is the greatest Heda our people have ever known. The clans were united under her rule. She has been underestimated by fools often and they have paid just as often with their lives."
Murphy, who was limping along at his fastest pace nearby, made a strangled sound. "This is the peaceful, reasonable, merciful leader?"
"Yes." Lincoln said either not understanding or ignoring the sarcasm. "We fought war at all times before she became Heda. Now we live in peace."
"Right." He panted. "Of course, Lexa I blame you for this. I should have just let those guys jump me in the skybox instead of letting you rescue me. Then I wouldn't be following you to certain death."
Lexa chose to ignore him as she continued to hobble along with Finn breathing in her ear as she continued to help carry his weight. As they'd moved, she'd realized he had an arrow through one calf. Which explained the limp. Their progress was stopped by the people directly in front of her halting without warning.
Looking for threats, she saw why they'd stopped. Standing in front of Octavia, who had been leading their mad dash for safety, was a small army of fearsome warriors. They had black paint on their faces instead of white, and there was a frightening stillness to them that the reapers had never demonstrated. The drawn bows whose arrows hadn't been released yet was also a solid clue that they'd reached the border. Lincoln shoved forward quickly with his hands up in surrender.
"Hod op Anya!" He gave them a pleading look that Lexa read as a request for them not to do anything stupid. "Beja, chil daun. Emo non kom op wor."
She supposed it would be comforting if she was aware of what he was saying. Sometimes, if she tilted her head just right, it almost felt like she could understand what he was saying. Then the moment would pass and leave her just as confused as she was before the moment. Still, she had a task and she intended to do it. She passed Finn off to Murphy and made her way through her people, who parted for her almost subconsciously. Once she was by Lincoln's side, she stopped and waited for him to indicate she should speak in some way.
The woman with dirty blond hair and hard eyes, who was clearly in charge, dismounted from her horse. Which made her brain pause for a moment...it was a horse! The woman stalked forward. "Lincoln, chomouda splita lida hir?"
Lincoln gave her a slight flick of the eyes. Stepping forward, Lexa held her chin up and shoulders back. "Ai laik Lexa, prisa kom Skaikru. Ai gaf-in gon Heda."
The woman, who was clearly Anya, narrowed her eyes. "And why should I grant your request?"
Lexa clenched her jaw and forced herself to remain unintimidated by the woman. After all, she and their guard had the armor of fallen foes strapped to their persons. "We are tradesmen, the makers of weapons, but we have still fought the reapers and we have fought well." She kept her chin up, refusing to let their accomplishments be ignored.
Anya's eyes seemed to critically examine their group. They couldn't have been a particularly intimidating group with most of them injured in some way, all definitely dirty, disheveled, chronically underfed, and sloppy. However, they were determined and they had survived this long. Lexa squared her shoulders and pressed on, seeing that Anya wasn't denying her claim immediately. "We ask for an audience with Heda."
"Fine." Anya said sharply. "You may camp in my territory until Heda arrives and then she can decide your fate Skai girl." Her eyes narrowed as she fiercely looked at Lincoln. "You will stay with these Skai people, and their fate will be yours Lincoln."
Then as suddenly as they'd appeared, Anya and her forces seemed to melt back into the woods. Lexa turned to Lincoln. "What now?"
"We follow." He said. He waved his arm to the tired and scared delinquents. "Come, we are nearly there."
So, they followed. Lexa kept her eyes busy glancing around and she wasn't disappointed. The warriors who had been with Anya kept on flitting in and out of view along their sides. She could feel the tension in her people. It forced her to walk confidently with her head held high. If she showed any of her unease, the others would pick up on it. Octavia was twitchy but the girl was more excited looking than fearful. It was a surprisingly short distance through the woods before they walked into a village that seemed to practically spring up from the woods.
The village was small, but she had no doubt it was larger than it appeared. The houses seeming to blend into the forest around it. Lincoln led them, skirting around the village and leading them to a small clearing. Looking around, she could see why this was where they were going to be kept. It was close to the village but separate at the same time. It was an ideal location to keep them. Standing before her group, she unhooked her pack and set it down on the ground. "Everyone with injuries to the center. Jon come talk to Lincoln and get a fire going. Murphy get a guard set up around our camp. Miller help get what tents we still have up so we can get the kids and the injured under cover."
Moving, she grabbed Finn and helped the limping boy over to where they were putting the injured. The arrow would have to be removed from his leg. Grimacing, she ignored her own various cuts and injuries.
"Princess!" Murphy called summoning her.
She was at Murphy's side almost instantly. It was clear why he'd called her. A dark-skinned grounder was standing in front of him. "What do you require?" She asked of the grounder.
"Ai laik Costia. I'm here to ensure your people survive until Heda arrives." She explained cautiously. "I have some medicine and can assist with your injuries."
Lexa nodded, if the grounders wanted to hurt them they had no need of duplicity. "Follow me then. Any help you can give will be appreciated." As soon as they approached the area where Wells was clearly overwhelmed with the injured she called for his attention. "Wells, this is Costia. She's a grounder healer and can help you with the injured."
Wells seemed to slump in relief. Standing, he approached and offered the girl his hand. "My name's Wells."
The girl cocked her head slightly but took his whole arm instead of just his hand. "It is good to meet a fellow healer. Perhaps we can learn from one another."
"I'm only in training," Wells said, blushing slightly. "Anything you can share would be fantastic."
"I'll leave you two to it then. Feel free to use anyone who can still stand to help." Lexa said before heading to where the tents were being pitched. It was hard work but it was something visible to accomplish. They hadn't been able to carry any of the poles to keep the fabric of the tents up so they ended up just using their rope to suspend the several pieces of parachute they'd been using as a sort of poor wide covering roof for the clearing. Once that was done she sighed in relief as she saw her people collapsing and effectively curling into each other for warmth. Stumbling, she made her way to the injured.
Costia was kneeling beside Myles, wiping the sweat from his brow. Lexa felt relief that he was getting some sort of medical attention, he might just survive the loss of his leg. Dropping down beside Wells, who was stitching Digg, she closed her eyes while she waited. Far too soon, she felt Wells' warm palm on her shoulder. "What do you need stitched?"
She opened a single eye to look at him. "How do you know I need any stitches?"
"Because you're sitting with me and not double checking the guard." He said. "Come on, off with that jacket so I can get a look at the damage."
Shrugging, she did as ordered and unstrapped the two pieces of reaper armor she'd been wearing before shucking off her jacket and shirt. Wells gave a whistle at the several gashes she'd picked up in the conflict. "Right, this will take a while."
Closing her eyes again, she sat there and drifted into her mind while her cuts and bruises were cleaned and stitched. She just wanted to sleep, just for a few hours before she had to face certain death. So, with great reluctance, she opened her eyes blearily at the presence of a new person sitting down in front of her. It was Lincoln looking apologetic but serious and an absolutely wrecked looking Miller who quickly slumped down next to her. "What needs to be done now Lincoln?"
He shook his head. "Nothing that must be done tonight." He gave her an encouraging smile. "Tomorrow we will need to speak, but for now you and your people are safe."
Miller gave a grunt of relief before slumping against her side and starting to snore almost immediately. Lexa lowered him to the ground before pulling her shirt and jacket back onto her body. "Thank you for everything you have done for us Lincoln."
"I have only done what is right."
"Which is more than most would do. Thank you." With that, Lexa felt herself surrendering to a well-deserved sleep. Tomorrow's troubles could wait for a bit.