Hi guys... sorry for the long delay in posting this. I am hoping to update more frequently from now on. Feel free to send your reviews through I would love to know what you think ;-)
The pain in her head was severe when she woke. As she groggily opened her eyes, she recognized her surroundings as those of the Ark. She knew she was in the med bay inside Arkadia, the only thing she didn't know was why she was there. The pounding in her head was making her feel nauseous, she knew that meant she likely had a concussion. As she tried to lift her arms to feel the aching spot on her skull it was then that she realized she was in four-point restraints. Her blonde hair was covered with blood and was now sticking to her face, making it hard for her to see. Clarke knew that she must have been hit from behind, it was hard for her to believe that her own people would do this to her. Especially after everything she had done for them. She had sold her soul for these people and this is how they repay her.
Panic began to rise in her chest when she wondered how long she had been in the med bay. She couldn't see if it was still daylight outside but she knew that she had to get word to Fenton and Malik before they returned to Lexa with bad news. She tried to scream out as she thrashed her limbs around trying to get lose from the restraints.
"Clarke, stop. You're going to hurt yourself" Clarke heard a voice speak to her softly, as if he was trying not to be heard.
"Jackson?" Clarke was surprised to see her mother's assistant. He bent down beside her bed and used a wet cloth to wipe her blood soaked face.
"Hi Clarke. It's good to see you again" Jackson smiled lightly but Clarke could tell that he was hiding something.
"Why am I tied up? Where is my mom?" Clarke was becoming desperate to get out of there. Knowing full well that if she did not return to Fenton and Malik tonight all hell would break loose. The blonde had managed to talk Lexa into allowing her to come to Arkadia alone and by alone she meant escorted by two of Polis' best warriors, it had been a struggle but in the end The Commander had agreed. However, Clarke was acutely aware that the fierce brunette could only be pushed so far and Skaikru was getting seriously close to that line. If Clarke did not send news to Lexa soon there was no doubt in her mind that The Commander would order an attack on Arkadia.
"You have caused quite a stir Clarke. Chancellor Pike has had you arrested for treason" Jackson was apologetic as he broke the news to her, it was clear to Clarke that not everyone in Arkadia was in complete agreeance with the new Chancellor.
"Treason? It's treason to speak your mind now?" Clarke questioned as she pulled on the restraints holding her left arm down.
"You are being charged with conspiracy to commit murder and inciting a riot. Your arrival really got people riled up. Four people were taken to the holding cells and six people ended up here" Jackson was still talking softly but matter-of-factly as if he was afraid that someone would hear him speaking to her.
"Are you not allowed to speak to me Jackson? What is really going on here? Where is my mom? I want to see her" Clarke peppered the man with questions that she knew it was unlikely she would get the answers to.
"She's being watched Clarke. She has been sequestered to her quarters until after your execution" Jackson seemed calm, almost serene as he answered her.
"My execution?! This is ridiculous. Jackson listen to me… The Commander is out there, at the blockade. She sent me to talk to you all. If I don't get a message to her tonight she WILL attack Arkadia and no amount of guns will be able to stop her" Jackson flinched slightly at her words.
"Wait here, I will go get someone who can help you" Jackson's smile sent chills down Clarke's spine. She didn't know what was going on here but something was definitely up with Jackson.
"Yeah, like I'm going anywhere" Clarke mumbled to herself as she continued to tug on her arm restraints, to no avail.
Less than ten minutes later Thelonious Jaha entered the infirmary, much to Clarke's surprise. She wasn't expecting Jackson to retrieve the ex-chancellor but at this point the blonde didn't much care. As long as Jaha was willing to help her.
"Hello Clarke. How are you feeling? Are you hurt?" Clarke had known Jaha her whole life, he had been good friends with her father. She had suspected that he had always been in love with her mother, but as far as she knew he had always kept those feelings to himself. He had always been wise and strong; she had respected him once. But that was long ago, in another life time it seemed. A life where her father was alive and she was just a regular teenager. Nothing would ever be as simple on Earth for Clarke as it had been in the sky, of this she was sure.
"I'm fine. I need to get out of here. Now!" Clarke didn't have time for pleasantries. Jaha was no longer the wise family friend that her younger self trusted. He was now simply her way of getting out of here. She was however, extremely skeptical of the man before her. Especially after hearing the crazy tales Jon Murphy had recently told her.
"You're in pain Clarke. I have something for you. Something that will take that pain away"
"What? I don't need anything to take the pain away. I need you to untie me so that I can get a message to The Commander. If we don't hand over Pike to the grounders they will attack Arkadia" Clarke was becoming agitated with Jaha and his constantly smiling face. Murphy had told her that the ex-chancellor had gone crazy and she was starting to see what he meant.
"The pain you carry Clarke; you don't have to carry it anymore. In the City of Light there is no pain. You won't be forced to make decisions like the one you made at Mt Weather. You will be at peace. You will be happy. There is no death in the City of Light Clarke" Jaha held out his hand to reveal a small chip with the grounders sacred symbol on it. Clarke almost gasped in surprise at the sight of it. The device was very similar to the one that was currently residing in Lexa's neck.
"I don't need to go to some City of Light to forget my pain Jaha. I just need to get to the blockade so I can save our people" Clarke all but begged the clearly unhinged man. Although she knew it wasn't doing any good.
"We can save them. Together. All you have to do is take the key" Jaha held out the silicon chip. She surmised that he was expecting her to eat this device. The look in his eyes made her feel as if the crazed man wasn't going to let her go until she swallowed the thing. Her mind raced, searching for a solution to her new dilemma. Before she could come up with anything there was a large explosion in the roof duct above them. A thick white gas filled the air and Clarke managed to be quick enough to hold her breath. When she realized that the gas did nothing but make the room impossible to see in, she took a deep breath and lunged forward to take a bit out of Jaha's forearm.
As blood filled her mouth she threw her head to the side and felt Jaha's flesh tear from his arm. The man didn't flinch. He simply wrapped his large hands around her throat and pinned her to the bed. Her arms and legs still restrained, she was unable to do anything to fight him off. As she felt herself slipping away for the second time that day she saw Murphy run a sword straight through Jaha's midsection. Clarke didn't know how Murphy had gotten out of Polis of how he had gotten into Arkadia, but she sure was glad to see him.
Jaha's body fell on top of her as the life was snuffed out of him. She could feel the warmth of his blood soaking her own body and she felt sick at the thought.
"I guess there is death in the City of Light" Murphy shrugged as he rolled Jaha's body off Clarke and began to untie her restraints.
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you" Clarke gushed as she jumped off the bed and threw herself into Murphy's arms. She hugged him tight and felt him tentatively squeeze her back. The two of them weren't exactly friends, but they had been through a lot together recently and right now he was one of the only people she trusted.
"Are we going to stand around all day and wait for them to catch us or are we going to get the hell out of here?" Jasper spoke hatefully from the corner of the room. He looked different from the last time Clarke had seen him. He had shaved his head and his eyes seemed darker, the permanent scowl on his face felt out of place on a usually cheery Jasper.
"Jasper!" Clarke ran to him and tried to hug him but he stopped her.
"Don't touch me. You really are the Angel of Death aren't you?" Jasper snarled at her as he looked her up and down. Her clothes were covered in Jaha's blood. Her face and mouth were covered in both Jaha's blood and her own dried blood. The taste of iron in her mouth and she knew that she must look like the epitome of Wanheda.
"Jasper, I…"
"Save it Clarke. We need to get her out of here" Jasper cut her off as he pointed to a crumpled up body on the floor.
"Raven? What happened to her?" Clarke was in shock at seeing her unconscious friend in a heap on the floor.
"We don't really have time for this Clarke. We gotta go. Fenton is waiting in the hatch" Murphy interrupted the awkward moment between Clarke and Jasper. Murphy and Jasper lifted Raven's limp form and proceeded to make their way out of the infirmary.
Waiting for them outside the door was Octavia, Monty, Miller and someone Clarke thought she recognized but she didn't know his name. From the way he was clutching onto Miller's arm, Clarke assumed he was Millers boyfriend. They all exchanged quick hellos before following Octavia down the hallway, they ran as quickly and quietly as they could. Jasper and Murphy still toting and unconscious Raven. They rounded the corner and found the opening in the wall that Clarke had previously used to sneak in and out of.
"Wanheda! You're hurt!" exclaimed Fenton, his eyes widening upon seeing Clarke as she lifted the wall piece to uncover the hidden compartment of the Ark.
"It's not my blood" Clarke reassured the warrior, who let out a noticeable sigh of relief.
"Hurry up. Get her through" Octavia waved at Jasper and Murphy who didn't hesitate to pass Raven through the wall to a waiting Fenton. The Yujleda warrior threw the young mechanic over his shoulder with ease and held his hand out to Clarke. The blonde shook her head and motioned for him to help the others through first, knowing there was no point in arguing with Wanheda Fenton motioned for Jasper and Murphy to step through.
Clarke wasn't ready to leave yet, she needed to see her mother. So after she watched everyone go through the hatch she started closing it back up.
"Go Fenton. Take them to Lexa. Tell her to keep them safe. Tell her I need a little time. I will fix this" Clarke relayed her message to an anxiety ridden Fenton before closing the hatch and sprinting down the corridor.
"You shouldn't have come back here Clarke" a familiar voice called out as she rounded the next corner.
Clarke spun around quickly to see Bellamy aiming his weapon at her.
"Bellamy what are you doing? This isn't you" tears sprung to her eyes as she saw the hurt and anger in her friend's eyes. It broke her heart to think that Bellamy had lost his way so completely.
"This is me Clarke. I'm doing what's best for my people. You're doing what's best for HER" Bellamy's anger was clearly showing, his hands were shaking and his eyes filled with angry tears. Clarke knew exactly who Bellamy was talking about, he was talking about Lexa. His hatred for The Commander made Clarke's blood run cold.
"This can end here Bellamy. The grounders want peace just like us. They just want Pike. He has to answer for the blood he has spilt Bellamy"
"They want Pike and they want us to be under their rule. To be under HER rule" Bellamy couldn't say her name, he practically spat when he mentioned her, his hatred ran deep. Clarke wondered whether her decision to abandon them at Mt Weather was the only reason for Bellamy's hatred of Lexa.
Clarke wondered whether he perhaps had other reasons to be angry at the grounder leader. She knew that Bellamy had been angry that she stayed in Polis with Lexa, she knew that he had felt like she was choosing Lexa and the grounders over him and their people. And she supposed that in a way she had.
"Lexa is willing to overlook everything that has happened. She is willing to let us back into her coalition" Clarke found herself defending The Commander. She hadn't always agreed with Lexa's methods and had at one point felt utterly betrayed by the grounder, but in time Clarke had come to accept that Lexa had a duty to her people. The twelve clans that were under her command were her responsibility and it was something she did not take lightly. For Lexa to initiate Skaikru into her coalition meant that she would now have just as much responsibility toward them as any of the other twelve clans and despite their history Clarke trusted her.
"Lexa is a liar!" Bellamy's voice was thick with contempt.
"Please Bellamy. I'm trying to save our people. This is the only way. If you don't give them Pike, they will attack Arkadia and no amount of guns will stop them. There's too many of them. This is a fight you can't possibly win. You will be condemning our people to death" Clarke was sobbing now. She was desperate to get through to him, but nothing seemed to sink in. He was so far down the path with Pike that she didn't know if he would ever be able to find his way back.
"We'll see about that. She underestimated us once before" Bellamy's words were laced with a hidden meaning that Clarke was unable to decipher. But before she could ask him what he meant she saw Lincoln sneak up behind Bellamy and knock him out with one precise hit to the head.
"Lincoln!" Clarke had no idea where he had come from but she was mighty grateful that he came when he did.
"We have to get out of here. Now!" the panic in Lincoln's voice frightened her enough to follow him easily as he ran passed her grabbing her arm to pull her down the hall more quickly as he went.
Patience was usually one of Lexa's great strengths, but this day had felt like an eternity. Garett was driving her crazy with his pacing. Indra had shown up to her tent a few hours after The Commanders arrival at the blockade. Octavia kom Skaikru had been following close behind the injured Trikru warrior, much to Lexa's surprise. The young Skaikru made her way through the blockade with ease, hardly anyone even noticing that she was Skaikru and those who did were too afraid of Indra to do anything about it.
Lexa was fascinated by Octavia. The girl was unlike any other member of Skaikru, she had the heart of a warrior and she didn't seem to feel out of place amongst Lexa's army. Octavia was brash in her conversations with Lexa and yet she showed The Commander a respect that no other Skaikru member had ever shown her. Octavia understood their ways and respected their culture and because of that Lexa granted her more allowances than she would any other Skaikru. Indra and Octavia arrived with news of what was happening inside Arkadia. They informed Lexa of Pike's insanity and the plans he had put in place to breach the blockade. Apparently Octavia had been in regular contact with Marcus Kane via radio before he was arrested for treason yesterday. Marcus and a select few had intended on overthrowing Pike by force and handing him over to Lexa's army, only their plan was thwarted and Marcus was arrested along with a few others that The Commander did not know.
"Wanheda will succeed Heda" Garett tried his best to assuage Lexa's worry.
"If Wanheda is to fall, it will be by the hands of her own people. Of that I am sure. They are her weakness" Lexa felt a pang in her heart as she spoke the words. It was indeed her fear that Clarke's own people would be her undoing.
"The Skai gona will be back soon with news. She has come and gone many times from Arkadia. She knows what she is doing. The Skai boy Murphy is with her and Fenton and Malik will allow no harm to come to Wanheda" Lexa smiled slightly at Garett calling Octavia the sky warrior. It was the truest description a person would ever be able to come up with for the girl.
Clarke has been gone for almost twenty-four hours and they are still yet to hear a word from their allies within Arkadia. Octavia and Murphy had been sent to find answers more than two hours ago and still they knew nothing. Bringing Murphy with them to the blockade had been Clarke's idea, Lexa had been against it as she didn't yet trust the discourteous boy. But for some unknown reason Clarke did trust him and so it was him that Lexa sent to get the Skaikru Ambassador out of Arkadia.
Raised voices outside of her tent brought Lexa back to reality. She hurried outside to see what the commotion was about, Garett following closely behind her. Lexa could see figures in the distance but she was unable to make out the faces of those stumbling towards them. Her warriors wasted no time in getting into formation. Swords and spears drawn, a war cry on their lips. Lexa gripped the hilt of her sword, she had to be ready for whatever was to come.
"Em pleni!" Lexa yelled to her warriors upon getting a better look at the bodies approaching. Her entire army silenced at her words. The Commander and the thousand warriors surrounding her all stood in shocked silence as they watched a blonde figure covered in blood from head to toe approaching them. Clarke's strides were confident and her head was held high. She walked like a true warrior, she walked like Wanheda. Lexa's breath got caught in her chest as she watched the group close in on their camp. The Commander was beyond elated to see that Clarke was alive, she was flanked closely by Fenton who was carrying a seemingly lifeless form, Octavia, Malik, Murphy, Lincoln and three boys she did not know. Lexa had hoped to see Marcus Kane arrive with them, but for now this group would suffice.
"We have a big problem" were the first words Clarke spoke when she was close enough for only Lexa to hear her.
"Are you hurt?" Lexa saw the blood that covered Clarke's clothing and her face. Her blonde hair now stained red. Her eyes cold and detached.
"It's not her blood" Murphy stated matter-of-factly. "We need to get her somewhere before she wakes up. She can't know where we are" his words confused Lexa completely as she looked to the unconscious girl in Fenton's arms, but as she looked to Clarke for answers the blonde simply nodded to acknowledge the truth to Murphy's words.
Lexa motioned for them to take the girl in to her tent and she sighed as she followed them, this was going to be a long night.